My motorcycle helmet gets used more to protect from wild animals than for riding these days (though I’ve picked up a nice Yamaha 400 that should be on the road soon!).
Two weeks ago we had a rabid bat doing his rabid bat thing – coming out into the light and viciously hissing and snapping at everything and nothing, not really flying much but getting around a bit. I put on my helmet and gauntlets and dispatched him with an arrow through the head. Later I read that you should always preserve the brain intact for rabies testing. Oops – but I couldn’t leave him around our goats, not to mention us.
Just a few minutes ago I heard Teri shouting to Daks that “it’s OK”…he was out on his line, but wrapped around a big fir tree and pretty much stuck in one place, totally freaking out. Assuming that he was just upset at being confined, I went to free him. The yellowjackets got me in the head and face, and I retreated quickly, but hadn’t gotten the leash off Daks. I ran and put on my motorcycle helmet and gauntlets and freed the dog.
We brought him in, but he was still freaking out, and we found that there were yellowjackets in his fur, apparently still stinging away. We removed about five of them, and I swatted a few more flying ones. Then he found the “secret passageway” from the mud room to the space under the house, and wouldn’t come out. Once again I donned protective gear (cornered, terrified dog in pain = chomp) and crawled under the house. I managed to lure him out, and now he’s in his crate, very agitated and biting at his butt.
To top it off, one of the little #$%ers was still on the back of my head, tangled in my hair and stinging away. He got me a few times in the same spot before I realized it and whacked him, and there’s a big, aching lump growing there.
And oh, yeah – our refrigerator seems to have died this morning, and I’m tethered to the computer for work so I can’t go get a new one. The van’s little frig is saving our dairy products.
I think I’ve about worked up an appetite for breakfast now.
just to clarify, i wasn’t just watching our dog freak out and calling “it’s ok”
i was calling “it’s ok” (to try to calm him down, thinking he was just freaking out because his leash was tangled and he couldn’t move), while frantically trying to shove my feet into boots so i could run out and un-tangle him
peter happened to already have his shoes on, and ran out past me
i’m very grateful that he courageously dove in to save our dog (and saved me from having to be the one to do it)
now i’m playing nursemaid – as well as i can – to the two of them:
– daks retreated to his crate as soon as we got him back inside, and has not ventured out since
unfortunately, his stings are all hidden under his fur, so there’s not a lot i can do other than to let him rest and keep an eye on him to make sure he’s not showing any signs of an allergic reaction (to the venom) or a toxic reaction (from so much venom)
– peter is working, but i did treat his stings with raw apple cider vinegar (it’s supposed to help draw out the poisons and help prevent swelling, plus it has a cooling, soothing effect) and gave him an ice pack wrapped in a cloth to hold over the sting areas for pain relief
since he needs both hands to type, we managed to hold the pack on his head with a baseball cap – looks very stylish 🙂
If you can soak a cotton ball or something in vinegar and tape it over the stings, it really helps if you keep it on there for a while. A baking soda paste also works really well. I know you’re not so into the homeopathics Peter but Apus (I know there is more to the name but i can’t remember) really helps too.
I’ve been stung a few times with no reaction and then I got stung out a OCF when WhiteBird wasn’t set up yet. A homeopath came to my rescue and taught me about the vinegar, baking soda and Apus, I always carry some with me now.
I hope you boys get to feeling better soon!
It was great reading Teri’s side of this story. Pete, you don’t sound so much of a hero now as a beneficiary of opportunity…
I’m just busting chops – sorry to hear you got stuck the hell up. I hope you and Daks feel better soon.
oh, he’s definitely a hero, trust me
and thanks for the tips, hilary –
i forgot to mention that i do have apis here and did give him some right away, in addition to treating his sting sites
unfortunately, the stings were mostly under his hair, so taping anything to his head wasn’t going to work 🙂
daks finally did come out of his crate yesterday evening, and we got him outside for a couple of good runs
he’s now a little shy of anything that flies – i watched him snap at a butterfly that flew too close to his head, then he quickly backed away and checked his butt (where i think he got most of his stings)
anyway, both boys seem much perkier today – i think they’re feeling better…
A real hero would have gotten the dog unhooked the first time. And he probably would not have trapped a bee inside the helmet when he put it on =\