Skunked! How to Deal with Your Dog After the Skunk Deals with Him

These days, even pets that live in the city are subject to getting skunked. The traditional remedy used to be to bathe your pet in tomato juice. You still see that advice on Web sites now and then. But this remedy is expensive and not very effective, so unless your goal is to turn your white dog pink, forget it.

What Time Is It?

If your pet manages to get skunked during the day, you may have bigger problems than smell. Skunks usually only prowl at night, so if you and your pet come across one during the day it could be rabid. In that case, call your veterinarian and the local animal control immediately.
And of course, check for any other signs of injury in case your pet and the skunk actually tangled.

De-skunking Your Pet

First figure out where on his body your pet got skunked. That’s the easy part. A pet generally gets skunked in the neck area because they are trying to provoke the skunk, and when the skunk reacts, the pet turns its head.
There are a lot of good commercial products for removing skunk odor, and some you can mix yourself. If you can’t get to a store, start by bathing the pet with a good dishwashing liquid, diluted. Skunk spray is oily, and the soap will help cut it to some extent.

Here’s a recipe that should work well. Combine these ingredients till thick and gloppy:
�·1 pint bottle of UNOPENED hydrogen peroxide
�·1/4 cup of baking soda
�·1 tablespoon of Dawn dishwashing detergent

Apply the solution to your wet pet, lather, rinse, and do it again.
CAUTION: This solution is harsh, so keep it away from your pet’s eyes and mouth.
If your pet was skunked in the face, wash their face with Tricotine Liquid Douche Concentrate, mixed as directed. This is available in most stores.

Check Your Pet’s Eyes

After the bath, examine your pet’s eyes. If they are red and watery, the animal might have been hit in the eyes by the spray. In that case, contact your vet right away. The spray is not blinding, but it is very painful. In the meantime, veterinarian Veronika Kiklevich advises rinsing the dog’s eyes with the same eyewash you might use on yourself.

Commercial products

Skunk-Off is a product that can neutralize the skunk spray odor. It can be used on your pets, clothes, car and home.
Odor-Mute comes in granular form and must be dissolved in water. It is odorless and not-toxic, and works on pets and clothes.
Neutroleum Alpha can be ordered from USDA, Animal Damage Control, P.O. Box 81886, Lincoln, NE 68501. Phone (402) 434-2340
You can also log onto this Web site to purchase products:

http://www.lambriarvet.com

Some vets recommend using Massengill, an over-the counter medicated douche product for humans. Some professional pet groomers swear by it. Here’s what they suggest: for small to medium dogs, use two ounces of Massengill to a gallon of water. For large dogs, double the amount. Pour it on and leave it for a good 15 minutes. Then rinse and wash again with regular dog shampoo.

However you chose to cleanse your pet, keep in mind that one bath is not going to completely eliminate the skunk odor. Chances are it could take six months or so before the skunk smell completely vanishes.

If You See A Skunk

If you are on an evening walk with your pet and you encounter a skunk, you should know what their two warning signs are. If a skunk feels provoked, it generally will first stomp the ground with its front feet repeatedly. If the skunk still feels threatened, it will raise its tail in an effort to get the antagonist to back off. If the threat remains, the skunk will either raise its back legs, or turn away and look back over its shoulder so it can aim for the face, then spray. And the spray can propel eight to 15 feet or more, so remain calm, but think fast.