Monday, 4 April 2016

With warm weather wild life encounters happen!


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 , June 2007





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