Sweet Puppy...NOT!

I smell different today.

At O-Dark-Thirty this morning I hear this coming from downstairs: "Barb! I need your help!" My eyes flutter open and I catch a whiff of skunk wafting in the window. I know where this is going.

I stumble downstairs and there stands Lloyd and Dieter in the kitchen. "Dieter got skunked," said Lloyd. "I know!" I replied.

"I had Dieter out by the back fence, doing his pottying," Lloyd explained "And all of a sudden here comes a skunk toward us. I dropped the leash and ran...I probably shouldn't have, but I panicked," Lloyd continued ruefully.

Evidently Dieter thought his might be one of those cats he still can't quite figure out. Well, sort of: it was a Stench Kitty.

Dieter loves to carry a green plastic watering can around the yard. While annoying, it came in handy today. It was right there, so Lloyd grabbed it and threw it toward Dieter. "Oh. Watering can. More fun that grumpy, smelly black-and-white kitty!"

The good news is he didn't get skunked in the face. It sort of wafted through the air and settled on the dog. He smells like a combination of what I think of as the typical acrid skunk smell and burned Triscuit crackers. It's a memorable aroma and my gag reflex was working just fine as I tried to wipe off his paws with some pet wipes. A call to the vet gave us a good recipe for deskunkifiying Dieter. It's on the Warrenville Grove Animal Hospital's website, but as a public service, I will post it here, too:

Skunk Bath Recipe

Needed Items:

Liquid dish soap (Dawn Clear is best)

1 quart hydrogen peroxide

¼ c. baking soda

1 Tbsp liquid enzymatic pet odor eater (Nature's Miracle is best)

*Please note: use caution around eyes! Use a wash cloth to apply any solutions around the face. If needed, mineral oil can be instilled into eyes as an extra precaution.

1) In a bucket combine peroxide, baking soda, odor eater, and about a ¼ c. liquid dish soap. Set aside.
2) Give your pet a bath in just liquid dish soap and rinse well.

3) Apply peroxide mixture all over pet and leave for approx 10 minutes. Rinse well.

4) Use towel to dry pet thoroughly. Do NOT use heat dryers !

 

Heat brings out the smell--what we DON'T want! Dieter is now on his way to Petsmart to get a bath. He's not real keen on those, so this should be special.

Now, to figure out how to get rid of the skunk. Rags soaked in ammonia and placed near their lairs is supposed to work. The Naperville Police Department's Animal Control Division has some suggestions too. Trapping is forbidden; the good news is they haven't had any cases of rabid skunks here this year. Just the smelly ones.