PETS 

'DE-SKUNK' YOUR PET

Have you had the unfortunate experience of having your beloved pet get sprayed by a skunk? We have! The first time it happened my son who, because of a medical condition, had no ability to smell . . . anything  . . .until he was nearly 20 years old.

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When our German Shepherd got sprayed he howled and ran straight to my son's arms! No matter how much we yelled (literally!) for my son not to touch the dog, he ignored us, with only one thing on his mind: to do whatever he could to ease the dog's discomfort.

Of course he didn't bring the dog inside the house, however, he might as well have done so as the skunk oil was transferred to my son's skin and clothing. Our admonition for my son to go take 'yet another' bath was met with resistance as, remember, he couldn't smell a thing! Thankfully, he has always been a very obedient son! However, no matter how many baths per day that my son took, our home still reeked with the scent of skunk for almost two weeks.

I soon learned that as long as skunk oil remains on clothing, skin or a dog's coat, it will remain in the air that one is breathing. I was at a total loss of what to do!

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I'm sure all animal lovers have their own 'skunk story' or experience. That was ours. Since then I've heard of a few remedies. Logically speaking the number one rule is: Do not bring the dog (or person!) into your home if you can avoid it.

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Since our first skunk experience, over the years I have heard (and tried) several remedies, the most popular ones using tomato products such as tomato paste, ketchup, even Bloody Mary mix which worked . . . a little. However, I want to share with you an instant success recipe: 

• ¼ cup of baking soda
• 1-2 teaspoons of mild dishwashing detergent - any inexpensive store brand will work
• 1 quart of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide solution
• Mix in a pail and use immediately
• Work the foaming mixture well into the coat
• Leave on for at least five minutes
• Rinse with warm water
• Follow with dog shampoo if you desire. Not necessary, but it will give your dog a nice 'fresh' scent.

Get your dog (or the person sprayed!) into this 'bath' as soon as possible. The sooner the better results you will have before the oil gets saturated into the dog's hair.

A Word Of Caution: Don’t use a higher than 3% hydrogen peroxide solution as it may burn. Mix it fresh, use it and discard it. If you store this mixture in a closed container it will explode. The hydrogen peroxide may bleach the coat (think bleached blond) so be careful on those black dogs. The less time the solution stays on the less likely for bleaching. But ultimately you must make the decision: a bleached beauty or endure the skunk odor until it all naturally wears off. Be careful around the dog’s, or human's, eyes as this is a potent formula.

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