Texas Update 6: Rescue

March 4th, 2013 -

I was out with the work truck, picking up produce donated by H.E.B. grocery stores, Walmart, and a Marriott hotel, when I was called in on a rescue. Or three.

The first one was easy - a whistling duck picked up by a domestic animal facility. They sent me packing with a duck in a crate and donated laundry. The second rescue was more interesting, and smellier. A woman had called in a skunk dying in her front yard.

When I arrived, the animal was having a seizure. Recalling skunks are hypoglycemic and prone to blood sugar seizures, I asked the woman if she had any honey. She ran back into her palatial home and came out a moment later with two bottles of honey, one newer and one thick and crusted on the bottom. Wrapped the skunk in towel, I gently scooped him up into the crate. Taking the older honey, I dipped a twig in and painted the sticky paste on his lips. Luckily, he fit snugly into the crate, with space enough to wrap him in the towel so he would be warm and padded in the back of the truck. I didn't relish the thought of an hour drive back with a seizing skunk in the cab. I didn't expect him to make it, but I'd given him his best shot and would hurry back.

One call left on the way back - a young deer hit by a car that morning at a nearby "Ranch." The Ranch is a uniquely Texan suburb - a huge area with many sub-ranches occupying its acreage. The guy at the gatehouse recognized the rescue's logo and truck. He called the maintenance guy who had called us.

Evidently the fawn had been clipped by a car several miles down the road. The maintenance guy brought her in on his way to work, sequestering her in a huge outdoor dog run. When he opened the run, the fawn bolted out into the surrounding scrub land. I could see the way her legs were working, and tried to reassure the very nice and very cute fellow that the deer was okay. The merry chase the young deer led gave convincing evidence that she was capable of taking care of herself, and we went on with our day.

By the time I arrived back at the rescue, my striped charge had stopped seizing. The honey did the trick!