Vet Questions

Before you chose a vet, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind:

In the majority of situations, should your skunk bite anybody in the vet's office (be it vet technician or the vet or whoever), the office is required by law to report the bite to the health department. This could, and in many cases does, result in the death of the skunk to be tested for rabies. Prior to going to a new vet, ask questions.
- FIRST, ask what the office will do should a bite occur. Even the most mild mannered animal (no matter the species) can bite in certain situations, never assume your little darling will never bite. It is always better to know what is going on before something happens.
- Regardless of the answer you are given, ask if you will be allowed to stay with the skunk throughout all procedures. And better yet, if you can "play vet tech". In other words, you hold the skunk during all procedures. If this isn't allowed, find another vet. If it is allowed, make sure that you position your hands so that if a bite is going to occur, you are the one who gets it and not somebody else.
Most vets, even those who have seen several skunks, are not fully aware of all skunk health issues. This is not to blame the vets in any way. There simply aren't enough skunks seen by vets for them to have accurate data. For this reason, you need to educate yourself and in many cases, your vet. Find all of the information you possibly can on skunk health issues. Print these out and provide copies to your vet. A good vet will welcome the opportunity to learn, and appreciate you as an owner for informing yourself.