Skunk Lessons

Kino and I had the unfortunate opportunity to learn a lot about skunks recently.  I thought I would share some of our lessons learned in the event that it is helpful to others who are unfortunate enough to also have the experience.

First of all, when your dog gets sprayed by a skunk, it doesn't smell anything like the skunk smell you experience when you are driving down the road.  In fact, the first thing I researched when I got on the computer was what other animals spray besides skunks because I was sure it wasn't a skunk that got him.  So, I learned that the "up close and personal" smell of skunk spray is far different from the "from a distance" smell of skunk spray.

As may be apparent, I learned that Kino doesn't always obey the "Leave it!" command.  It works when we see other dogs, when we see cats and squirrels and birds and butterflies but it seems the excitement of seeing a skunk made him forget that he knew what the "Leave it!" command meant.

I learned that tomato juice really isn't the solution in these situations.  The recipe for skunk smell eradication is:  a quart of hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup of baking soda and a tsp. of Dawn dish soap.  I learned that it's probably a good idea to always have these items on hand if you live near skunks because if an "incident" occurs and it's after midnight like it was for us, your choice is to either suffer through the night or drive around looking for these ingredients at after-hours stores.  (I also read that it is NOT a good idea to mix the solution for later use because it can explode).

The solution needs to be applied and rubbed in, left on for 5-10 minutes and then rinsed off.  If you can still smell skunk, the process has to be repeated.   I learned that once is probably never enough and that neither the dog or the human probably has the patience to repeat more than three times.  I also learned that peroxide can lighten the hair of dogs just like it can people, so Kino is now sporting a more "beachy" hair/fur color on his head.

I learned that placing bowls of vinegar around the house actually DOES help absorb the smell that got everywhere else (floor, rugs, furniture etc).   I also learned that the vinegar needs to be changed every 24 hours if it's going to be effective and that even days later, you are still going to get a whiff of that nasty smell when the wind blows or you walk past something that still has the skunk oil on it. I also learned that I dislike the smell of vinegar almost as much as I dislike the smell of skunk spray but it was a necessary discomfort.

I learned that if your dog sticks their head out the car window while it is raining, even if it is a week or more after a skunking incident, the smell is going to be just as strong and just as awful as it was the moment it happened.

And finally . . . I learned that lecturing your dog about how all of this could have been avoided if he had just LISTENED when you said, "leave it!" results in nothing more than blank stares.

Just to be on the safe side, we are now using a leash when we go out in the yard at night.  Kino doesn't enjoy the lack of freedom and I don't necessarily enjoy traipsing around the yard in my robe while he finds just the right spot to relieve himself, but I am willing to do whatever it takes to avoid having to go through that experience ever again.

Life these days seems to be just one adventure after the next.  :-)