It’s Bat Time of Year Again!

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But, they’re sooo cute! Backyard wildlife really can be full of cute-looking creatures. I mean, check these charming ones out:

Here in Skagit County, we can potentially spot all of these critters in our living environment at different times. And, since all of these mammals can carry diseases, the general rule is please, DO NOT feed them and avoid direct contact with these cuties, especially if they look injured or sick.

I could end this blog here and feel pretty good about it, but I’d like to focus a little more on bats and what to do if you find one in or near your home!

If you find a live bat in your home and are sure no one in your house has had any contact with the bat:

  • Don’t Panic: Stay calm and avoid direct contact with the bat. Healthy bats normally avoid contact with humans and other animals.
  • Isolate the Bat: If possible, confine the bat to a single room by closing all doors and windows except for one leading outside. This will make it easier for professionals to capture or release the bat.
  • Protect Yourself: Wear gloves and use a container like a plastic tub or a cardboard box to safely capture the bat if it’s not flying. Approach the bat slowly and gently place the container over it. Then, slide a piece of cardboard under the container to trap the bat inside. Secure the container with tape if necessary.
  • Release the Bat: If the bat is unharmed and you are certain the bat did not have contact with any person in your household, you can release it outside during the evening. Bats are nocturnal and will be more active at night. Simply open the container outside and let the bat fly away.
  • Bat-Proof Your Home: To prevent bats from entering your home, make sure your home is properly sealed. Check for any gaps or openings in walls, roofs, and windows that bats could use to enter. More information on bat-proofing your home can be found here.

If you think you’ve been exposed to a bat (had a bite, scratch or other contact with mucous membrane, wound or non-intact skin):

  • Rabies Concerns: Rabies is a viral disease that infects the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). All warm-blooded mammals, including humans, are susceptible to rabies. If there was any chance of exposure to the bat (like if you woke up and found it in your room), it’s important to capture the bat for rabies testing if you can do so safely and without direct contact. Wear leather gloves and use a container or box to trap the bat. While only 3-10 % of bats submitted for testing are found to have the rabies virus, testing can prevent the need for post exposure prophylaxis if the bat does not have rabies.  If the bat tests positive, then there is time to intervene in the disease progression and provide prophylaxis to exposed people.
  • Wash the Affected Area: If you had direct contact with the bat (e.g., a bite or scratch), wash the affected area thoroughly with soap and water for at least five minutes.
  • Seek Medical Attention: Contact a healthcare professional to evaluate the situation. They will determine whether you need to receive post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for rabies. PEP usually involves a series of rabies vaccinations.
  • Contact Health Authorities: Report the incident to your local health department (for Skagit County Public Health call (360) 416-1500).  You will receive guidance on next steps, including whether the bat should be tested for rabies.
  • Rabies Testing: If the bat is captured, the local health department will provide instructions for submitting the bat for rabies testing.
  • Rabies Vaccination: Rabies is preventable through vaccination. If you have an occupation or activity that will place you at high risk of bat exposure, your healthcare provider might recommend pre-exposure rabies vaccinations to provide protection in case of future exposure.

How to protect your pets from being exposed to rabies from bats:

  • Vaccinate your pets against rabies. Rabies vaccination of pets is required in Washington State. If you are uncertain of your pet’s vaccination status talk to your veterinarian and ensure you keep your pet up to date with booster doses.
  • Provide supervision during early morning and evening outings. Bats are most active at dusk, night, and pre-dawn. If you’re outside with your pet during dusk or dawn, supervise them closely to prevent them from interacting with any bats they might encounter.
  • Bat-proof your home. To prevent bats from entering your home and potentially interacting with your pet, make sure your home is properly sealed. Check for any gaps or openings in walls, roofs, and windows that bats could use to enter. More information on bat-proofing your home can be found here.
  • Pet Restraints. If you’re in an area where bats are active, keep your pet on a leash or under close control when outdoors to minimize the chance of interactions with bats.

Remember, even though this blog has had unsavory moments, most bats are completely healthy and vital to our Pacific Northwest ecosystem. They eat insects, helping to control pests. Bat droppings (called guano) are a source of nitrogen-rich fertilizers. Bats also play a role in pollination, which aids our agricultural economy here in Skagit County.

Immediate closure of Pass Lake: Danger for toxic blue green algae exposure at Pass Lake, Deception Pass State Park

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August 17, 2021

Users of Deception Pass State Park should be aware that Pass Lake in the Skagit County portion of the park is closed until further notice due to high Anatoxin-a levels. Water samples tested this week detected concentrations of Anatoxin-a in exceedance of the state recreational guidelines.

The preliminary result from the King County Environmental Lab is 2,576 micrograms per liter of anatoxin-a present in the water sample taken from Pass Lake. According to the Washington State Department of Health, the level of public health concern for anatoxin-a is 1 microgram per liter. 

Anatoxin-a is an acute neurotoxin that can be harmful to humans and animals. Even short-term exposure is a concern. Signs of Neurotoxin Poisoning appear within 15-20 minutes of ingestion, and may include:

  • In people: numbness of the lips, tingling in fingers and toes, and dizziness.
  • In animals: weakness, staggering, difficulty breathing, convulsions, and death.

Until further testing confirms the toxin levels are back within state recreational guidelines, red “Danger” signs will be posted at the lake advising individuals to keep out of the lake, do not swim, drink lake water, fish, recreate, or allow pets or animals to access the lake.

The toxicity of each bloom can vary and is difficult to predict. Toxicity can change from one day to the next. It isn’t possible to determine how dangerous a bloom is to people and animals by looking at it. Only testing can tell if it is dangerous. Pass Lake will be continuously monitored until the levels drop below recommended guidelines.

The public is encouraged to take the following precautions when choosing a body of water for recreation:

  • Look for signs of toxic algae blooms and pay attention to signage. When in doubt, stay out!
  • Do not swim in, and limit exposure to water that is under a health advisory or is listed as having a toxic algae bloom on the Washington State Department of Ecology toxic algae tracking site.
  • Contact a healthcare provider immediately if you become ill or have symptoms after a suspected exposure to algae bloom.

For questions concerning cyanobacteria blooms within Skagit County lakes, please e-mail Samantha Russell at eh@co.skagit.wa.us or visit the Washington State Department of Health website for Blue-Green Algae. Testing results for Washington Lakes are posted at Washington State Toxic Algae.

Separation Anxiety : Start now to prepare your dog for your return to work.

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While we struggle with COVID-19 and the often intense hardship and anxiety it brings, some dogs feel like they’ve hit the jackpot. Due to physical distancing, their owners are home all day! That means more attention and tons of petting, a few more treats, maybe the added bonus of more walks when owners step out for a bit of fresh air. But your constant availability to your pet might be setting the stage for future struggles. It’s unclear when we will be able to go back to work or school. But when that day gladly comes, we will spend much less time at home, and lots of dogs are going to plunge into some degree of separation anxiety. So it’s best to start preparing now.

You’ve heard of separation anxiety. But what exactly is it? Dogs are highly social beings. When some are left at home alone, they fall into patterns of highly anxious or troublesome behavior, such as constant barking or urinating in the house. The most costly result of social anxiety can be the all-out destruction of furniture, clothes, or other household items in a flurrying of chewing and ripping. If you are lucky and such a rampage hasn’t hit your home, check out destructive dog social media videos that inspire a mix of horror and amazement. By the video’s end, you will double over in laughter. The first time we left our dog at home alone, she bounded from dining room table to dresser drawers to kitchen table, trying in a panic to look out any window while leaving claw marks dug deep into the wood grain. It looked like we had pet sat a wolverine!

Why do dogs lose it when they’re home alone? We tend to think it might be because of the great love they have for us, their owners, and they can’t bear time away from us. Well, that can be true. But frequently dogs stress out because they want to go outside or become obsessed with outside noises, grow scared that there is something in the house, or are just bored.

Over these past weeks at home, all of this together time has likely amped up your dog’s dependency on you. This dependency is going to be more extreme if your COVID-19 project is a puppy you just adopted! What are some ways to prep your pup for some alone time? The American Kennel Club advises:

  • Social distancing. We have spent our share of keeping our physical distance from others; now it turns out our dogs need the same medicine. They can spend more time in a crate, alone in the house or by themselves in the back yard. If they are successful, give them a treat and praise.
  • Increase time alone. Gradually build up their alone time, a little bit longer each day.
  • Imitate your old routine. For the days before you return to your job, get up at the normal workday time, go through your morning routine – even leave the house for a while. This will make those first days alone more normal to your dog.
  • Exercise! Each morning, set aside time for a walk, a run or at least 15 minutes of fetch, tug of war, or other types of vigorous play.
  • Toys. Your dog chewing on toys is better than them shredding your shoes! Also, puzzle toys might keep your pet occupied for a good stretch of time. The more distracted your puppy is, the less likely they are going to go ballistic from a neighbor’s barking dog, the tedium of a long solitary afternoon or that evil squirrel that always hangs outside the living room window.
  • Stay mellow. This may be the hardest one of all, considering we are in the middle of a pandemic. But dogs sense our feelings. If you can be relaxed during this time of transition, the more likely your pup will accept that this change is okay.
  • Start now. Remember – this is the time for your dog to start building up its home-alone endurance.

Want to read more about separation anxiety in dogs? Check out the American Kennel Club’s advice at https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/the-comings-and-goings-of-separation-anxiety/

Piper the Saint Bernard.

Can my pet give me COVID-19?

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Another question we never imagined before!

Many of us adore our pets. They give us tail-wagging, purring, squawking doses of pure love, whether we’ve earned such huge affection or not! This is good medicine, especially as our lives have narrowed. Plus, we get to hang out with someone who is not going to say one thing about COVID-19. What a relief! It seems like we tend to worry about even good things these days. A lot of that worry keeps us safe when we practice physical distancing and a little obsessive hand washing. But it also brings up new and strange ideas like, “Can I catch COVID-19 from my pet?”

Who’s at risk: us or our pets?

There is limited evidence on the subject, but the evidence we have suggests animals can become sick with COVID-19 from us! Several dogs have tested positive for coronavirus after contact with infected humans. Ferrets seem to be susceptible. I didn’t see that one coming! Cats also. As you may have heard, this includes not only house cats but also the four tigers and three lions that tested positive for COVID-19 at the Bronx Zoo. So, remember, if you are within six feet of a tiger or lion, wear a face mask!

On the other hand, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states, “At this time, there is no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading the virus that causes COVID-19.” The risk from animals, including your pet, is low. All the same, the CDC upgraded its guidance telling us to be a bit more cautious about our pets. Here’s what we should do:

Physical distancing and your pet

  • Think of your pet like any other member of your family; we should make sure they stay at least six feet away from non-household members, both humans and animals. No puppy tussling, no snuggles from the neighbors!
  • Keep dogs on a leash to maintain distance.
  • Keep cats indoors when possible so they don’t have contact with other people or pets.
  • Dog parks or crowded public spaces are a no go.

If you are sick, protect your pets!

The CDC has added chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and new loss of taste or smell to its list of COVID-19 symptoms, expanding on the long-known symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath. You can learn more about these symptoms by clicking here. If you have any of these symptoms, keep your distance and do not have contact with your pets. That involves:

  • When possible, have another member of your household care for your pets while you are sick.
  • Avoid contact with your pet, including petting, snuggling, being kissed or licked, and sharing food or your bed.
  • If you have to care for your pet while you’re sick, wear a face mask or covering and wash your hands before and after contact with them.
  • If your pet becomes sick while you are ill, don’t take your pet to the veterinary clinic yourself. Call your vet and let them know you have been sick, possibly with COVID-19 or a confirmed diagnosis. Some vets offer telemedicine consultations or have other plans for seeing sick pets. Your vet can identify solutions that keep you, others and your pet safe.

You’re a great pet owner!

You’ve read this post to the end, so you’re a curious and great pet owner! This means you probably want more information. Just check out the CDC’s COVID-19 and Animals Frequently Asked Questions.