SKUNKED AGAIN

Just a stinky skunk photo.

​SKUNKED AGAIN
SUSIE CARON © 3/28/2021

It Happened Again
It was March in Vermont. Before I even opened the door, I knew we were in trouble. Our Boxer, Josie burst into the house, flew up onto the couch and began to rub herself all over. Adrenalin overtook me, both for her and to protect our home. At 72 years I lifted all 53 pounds, carried her across our ranch home to the shower, and yelled for my husband to “Get the ‘stuff.’ Josie has been skunked!”

Problems With Skunk Smell
Most folks know the smell of skunk, and no one wants it in their home, furniture, clothing, or on their dog. Did you know, not only is the smell very long lasting but can be toxic?  If your dog gets a big dose of spray directly in his or her mouth and eyes it can cause nausea, vomiting, eye tearing and possibly a trip to the vet. 

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Josie, not long after getting skunked.

​Poor Josie
Josie took a direct hit. I deposited Josie in the shower stall, and began to rinse out her eyes and mouth, including the roof, cheek pouches, tongue and teeth with my hands and a washcloth. I prayed for my husband to appear quickly with the needed compound.  Josie didn’t resist my efforts, but she seemed to plaintively accept my help.

March Skunks
In NW Vermont, March is a time when the stinky beasties emerge from their smelly dens and forage for food like leaves, roots, fungi, grass and insects. They often come near homes where snow has melted early. This happens just about every March in our area, and over 5 decades affected most of our dogs. We now know what to do quickly when this happens. Usually, it is best if the dog can be treated for skunk outdoors, but this was March in Vermont, and it was still cold and getting dark.

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Product we used on our dogs for skunk smell removal. (Not an affiliate. Use at your own risk.)

​How We Tackle Skunk Smell
We’d tried several home remedies with little or no success. Who has time or ability, while you are hyper and holding your dog in the shower, to mix up tomato juice, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and liquid dishwashing soap, or vinegar and water?  It’s messy and if not mixed in the correct portions you can hurt the dog and your own skin.
My husband arrived in a few minutes, with Nature’s Miracle Skunk Odor Remover for Dogs (not an affiliate) and I doused Josie with it carefully rubbing it into her short coat not missing her head, while keeping it out of her eyes and mouth. The bathroom, now closed, reeked of skunk. I knew it stuck to my clothes, the towels, toilet paper, and more. Opening a window offered little relief. After the 5 minutes I rinsed her thoroughly then bathed her in doggy shampoo. Poor Josie’s breath smelled of skunk, so I needed to watch her over the next day or so for any problems breathing or eating.

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Where To Find This Product.
We found Nature’s Miracle Skunk Odor Remover for Dogs in our local hardware store, but if you wish to try,  you may be able to find it online as well. The instructions say you use it directly on the dog, wait 5 minutes, rinse thoroughly then wash your pet with a dog shampoo. Apparently it can be used on fabrics but I use Oxi Clean on furniture, carpets, and in my wash for affected clothing and towels.
Josie Recovered
I am happy to report Josie was ok a day later and didn’t need to see our Vet. It took many weeks for her breath and passed gas to smell more like her and less like skunk.  We love our Josie, did the best we could for her and our home, and even though we remained a bit smelly for a while, we wouldn’t trade her in for anything, certainly not because of getting skunked!

Share Your Good Ideas with Me
I love to share my experiences as a pet lover and owner. What about you? Would you have any dog care items or products you’ve found helpful. If so, would you share it with me in the comments? I’d love to hear from you.