Last night I let the dogs out and thank God, I let them out one at a time because of the rain. Too many wet feet and bodies to wipe at once. Newla immediately took off toward the fence. I could see movement in the dark and could smell skunk, so I yelled for Newla to come back she turned and rushed back to me. I am sure only because on the panic sound in my voice, often her recall is on her terms. The skunk was in the neighbour's yard, Skunks can spray16 feet away with accurate precision towards the victims face! Something that is good to know when encountering a skunk.
SKUNK ENCOUNTER
Anyone who has had their dog skunked
knows how overpowering this smell is.
Trying to remove
the odor from your dog, and all he touches and rubs on, feels overwhelming and
futile. Our sense of smell is far less acute then our pet's and this smell is
overbearing and unbearable to us. Just think how your dog must feel?
Unfortunately
for our pets the most common spot to be sprayed is the face. Flushing
your dog’s eye is a start. Often your dog’s eyes will be burning, red and
irritated.
Next, prepare yourself for the huge
challenge of removing the skunk odor.
TREATMENT
Most of us have
heard of bathing our dogs in tomato juice, not realizing that the juice needs
to dry on the dog to help neutralize the odor. Prepare yourself for a bigger
chore than you might have expected - for you will to be bathing your dog
two, three or even four times to get results.
Even then, you
still may smell skunk for it may take time to wear off. Some dogs will still
smell of skunk weeks after the encounter: especially if they get there coats
wet.
Other methods:
your veterinarian has products like Skunk off; or, he may be able
to give you advice on some home remedies. In my research the following was the
most common home remedy mixture:
(First, always
have mineral oil in your first aid kit. A drop of this in your dog’s eyes will
protect them from any soap or other products you are using to bath
your dog.)
1.
Mix 4 cups 3% hydrogen peroxide with 4 tablespoons of baking soda and 1
teaspoon
of
dishwashing detergent.
2. Put Cotton balls in dog’s ear canals so the mixture doesn’t get in his
ears.
3. Wear rubber gloves.
4. Apply the solution,
starting on your dogs head and work backwards. Do not let the
solution get into your dog’s eyes.
5. Rub the solution into its coat.
6. Rinse well.
7. Repeat
Source:“Close Encounters
of the Wild Kind” by Jeff Grognet DVM, B. Sc (Agr)
Dogs in Canada
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