Skunkadilly Skunksalot

So, last night after family camp, Kasey and I pulled into the garage and could smell SKUNK. It was really strong and we immediately knew that one of our dogs got sprayed while we were gone. We opened the door to the house and it hit us like a wave of skunky funk. Al three dogs were sitting at the door waiting for us, so we had no idea which one had gotten sprayed. A quick sniff of their heads revealed that it was 4 of 7 (yes, that is his name, yes, that is what we call him, no we do not shorten it to "4") that had gotten it, smack dab in the face-a-roni.

This was not cool at all.

About a week ago, Zeauxy got sprayed, but we were home and were able to get it taken care of right away. It was a pain, but not that big of a deal. With 4 of 7, we were not home. They have a doggie door, so they come and go all night. The thing is, we have no idea how long ago he had gotten sprayed, and worse, what he had rubbed on in the hose to try to get it off of his face. Luckily, we only have carpet in the front room though, so worse case, the bed in the guest bedroom may have gotten it on the sheets.

Anyway, an hour later he is cleaned up and I am dead tired. Unfortunately, you can not clean their face really well because the stuff cannot get in their eyes. In case you were wondering, this is how you clean your dog (or yourself) if you get sprayed by a skunk. (this is from a lot of trial and error and a bit of Myth Busters)

1. DO NOT WASH THE DOG. Getting him wet will just spread the skunk oil around and make him smell all over instead of where he was sprayed.

2. In a bowl, mix baking soda and hydrogen peroxide together until you get a runny paste. It should be about the consistency of Elmer's glue. The amount you need depends on the area you need to clean. I have boxers and use like a three fourths of a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and about a half of a BIG box of baking soda (maybe like 3 to 4 of the regular size boxes)

3. Smell the dog and figure out where he was sprayed. Usually check the face, the chest , each side and their back. It is rare that they will get it in the rear. Also, as you do this, your nose will burn, so you will have to blow all your breath out your nose and hold your breath in order to be able to get an accurate smellometer reading. (I really don't know if that works, but that is what I do!)

4. Put the watery paste mixture in the spots that smell the worst first, then rub them down with what is left. I usually just put it all over them because I don't want to miss a spot. (I recommend doing this in the shower, tub or outside!)

5. Rub this in really well for several minutes (maybe 5?). you can probably just let it sit, but I rub it in to make sure that the dog does not do the whole body shake thing and get it everywhere. Get it near their face, but be CAREFUL of their eyes, and they do not like it in the mouth. I usually get it on a wash cloth and just rub their face with it, but honestly that does not seem to help at all. I really need a better way of doing the face.

6. After letting it do the work for a few minutes, rise the dog off (I have one of those removable shower head things, so that part is easy), and wash them with soap and water. (I use Dr. Bronners Lavender, Tea Tree or Peppermint. )

7. Dry them off by squeegee-ing off the excess water with your hands first and then using old towels.

Yep, that's about it. I think that the worst thing is that with this method, their face will smell for about a week. Also, my house smells.

I have not found a good way to get it out of the house, but I have read things like leaving vinegar in bowls around and all that, but I have not found anything better than time. L Let me know if you know of anything.