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| This is one of those things that you hope your dog never needs, but not being prepared for the little black and white creatures called "SKUNKS"can leave a pet owner feeling very helpless and a dog that totally is. Of course, more times than not, your little skunk friend will come in contact with your canine sometime after dark, again all the more reasons to be prepared while the stores are still open. Here are a few suggestions for deskunking your canine. First of all check to make sure your dog was NOT injured by the skunk. You are checking for bite wounds or any area over your dog that is bleeding. If you suspect that he has been bitten, consult your vet immediately. Skunks can carry Rabies. Even though your dog should have a current Rabies vaccine, and should be safe.... YOU ARE NOT!!!! Humans get rabies too so please use common sense ....ALWAYS use plastic or latex gloves. Now your main task at this point is to remove the skunk oil off your dog as quickly as possible. Remember that everything your dog comes in contact with will smell like skunk, so be careful and alert when your dog starts rubbing his body on your carpets and your furniture to get that smell off. Also please forget the old "use tomato juice" routine. It doesn't work. Items Needed: 1 quart 3% hydrogen peroxide (new and unopened--note: opened old hydrogen peroxide eventually turns into water) 1/4 cup baking soda 1 tsp liquid dish detergent (dawn or palmolive is recommended) 1 pair of latex gloves If you are able to bath your dog outside, do so, if not bath in the bathroom with all the doors closed but the windows OPEN. Combine the above ingredients in an open container ( the ingredient combination could explode if in a closed container). First wet your dog down with lukewarm water then apply the mixture while it is still bubbling. Work the mixture well into the fur. DO NOT GET THIS MIXTURE IN YOUR CANINES EYES!!!! Be sure to concentrate on the area that was sprayed by the skunk. (Though your whole dog will seems to smell, the area of concentration is usually the head and neck area. While your cute little boxer is irritating the skunk and the skunk decided he's had enough, its instinct for your dog to turn their head in order to avoid a direct hit. In other words, get your nose close to your dog and smell.. you will soon learn where your boxer got sprayed) Let the mixture on the dog for no more than 15 minutes before rinsing off with clean warm tap water. Be careful not to wash/rinse the mixture into your dogs eyes. Put a washcloth over your dogs eyes if necessary. Examine your dogs eyes after bathing, if they are red and watery (and it better not be from the formula for the bath) your dog probably has taken a direct hit in the face. Though this won't blind your dog, it is very painful and you should again contact your vet for instructions. After the bath, discard the remaining solution, I can't stress this enough, not only does the mixture have a limited chemical reaction time, if stored in a closed container it will explode. Hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, mixed, become a chemical combination for churning out oxygen. The soap breaks up the oils that the skunk sprayed on your dog, allowing the other ingredients to work. There is also an excellent product that I keep on hand myself. It's called "SKUNK OFF". This particular item can usually be purchased reasonably from your vet. If you have a large breed dog, I suggest you keep several bottles of this on hand. I've used this personally and it works fantastic. I actually would NOT use any other method. It has worked for me every time my boxers decided to dance with those little smelly creatures. One application always takes care of it as long as I've treated all sprayed body parts. My dogs can safely come back in the house for a good nites rest without the use of any nose plugs. The home made technique has been very successful, we actually have it posted for our clients at the office. It's easy and does the trick... however it might take several applications before it works totally.!! Good Luck!! Regards Judy |
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