Spunked? No, skunked!

[Miss*Bijou]

MY dog was skunked last night. First time for her, first time for me having that smell that close to me!....................... OMG. That is the most VILE smell that exists! Of course, it was late at night and I was taking her out quickly for a pee before going to sleep when it happened, so it was hard to do much right then and there. I'm in the West End so took her to English Bay for a swim, which of course didn't do much good, but at least it helped a bit.


SHe got sprayed pretty much right in the face, and right in her eyes and mouth. It was the freakiest thing to see her going nuts trying to rub her eyes on the ground, foaming at the mouth and gasping for air. I had no freaking idea what the hell what going on... I thought she went after a cat, not a SKUNK! I figured it out as soon as I got a wiff of her...... I thought I was going to vomit. I've never smelled anything like it! It just stays there too, the smell gets everywhere.. uhggggg. Luckily, even though it seemed to bother her (obviously!) and I doubt it was very pleasant, I don't think it actually was painful for her eyes. They were back to normal and she stopped trying to rub them and I think going for a swim helped in that respect.



ANyway, I'm staying at a hotel of course, and unfortunately there is no balcony so she is outside right now in front of the hotel because there was no way I could even think of taking her inside. Just taking her in the lobby to get some towels from the front desk agent, stunk up the place in no time. I'm wondering what I should do? From what I could find online, Tomato Juice is no good and just messy, and what seems to be recommended in a mix of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and dish soap. Or vet/groomer using specific pet products. I just want to do whatever works the best in removing the smell. And I'm not even sure how I would go about getting the tastes out of her mouth, it must be horrible. Also, not too enthusiastic about the DIY option just because it's her face and so close to her eyes. And the smell...... Fuck.


So please.. Has anyone had this happen before? What did you do?
Has anyone used either of these options? Did it get the smell out? How fast??


I've got to make a move soon, I just don't know which is the best way to deal with this QUICK! I can't handle this for a week, I need it out like TODAY! AAAAaaaaah!


HELP!!!

 

[Arikara]

That's the worst thing ever. My labs got sprayed twice in a 6 month span. Not fun to get out of their fur and it will still linger there for a couple months.


::Edit:: What I did to get it out of them was using dish soap mixed with vinegar (make sure not to get it in their eyes as well). It took about 2-3 washes over a 2 day span to get rid of most of it, but it still takes a while to get all of it gone.

 

[ezsmile]

I don'thave any pets, so my advice may not be worth much.

Since you are travelling, you have limited options. As you pointed out, you can't really take into the hotel. If there is a vet or pet hospital nearby that can wash her off I would take her there.

 

[Willingham]

Why do you travel so much with that poor pooch? Why not just settle in one place for a while and let the dog live.

 

[little Cowboy]

Why do you travel so much with that poor pooch? Why not just settle in one place for a while and let the dog live.

What's that gotta do with anything about skunks??? The dog probably has a better life then many who are left at home all day.

 

[Goldenrod]

Well first of all, you or your dog should have known the warning signs ahead of time.

How very pompous of you sir.

Tell me, when you're out with your dog and it goes flying into the bushes after a small unknown animal and gets sprayed do you give IT a lecture about watching out for fucking warning signs next time???

IT'S A FUCKING DOG

Idiot

 

[Very Veronica]

Yikes, way too strong Hubba. This happened to my pooch a few weeks ago so i have the recipe fresh from the vets:

1 L hydrogen peroxide
1/3 c baking soda
4 L water
1 T dish soap

Lather up, rinse & repeat if necessary. Obviously be very careful around her eyes.

1 quart 3 percent hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
1 teaspoon liquid soap or dish detergent

 

[Miss*Bijou]

Leashes are for bad dogs.



I guess I will try the mix.. Thanks VV, the site I found it on earlier also omitted the 1L water! Did the smell go away completely? I think I am going to go into Bosley's.. maybe they'll help!


Thanks everyone... And Williamham--- my dog actually really loves traveling with me, it's a lot better than being sent to a kennel and spending all day in a cage, or staying with someone else than me. She gets so much attention when we travel (airport, hotels,..) that she is in heaven! She chases birds in Montreal, Cats in Edmonton, rabbits in Calgary (her favorite, those buggers are fast!) and now skunks in Vancouver. I'd say that's a pretty full life!

 

[littlejimbigher]

Leashes are for bad dogs.
She chases birds in Montreal, Cats in Edmonton, rabbits in Calgary (her favorite, those buggers are fast!) and now skunks in Vancouver. I'd say that's a pretty full life!

The dog may be having fun but think of those other poor animals.

 

[Miss*Bijou]

The dog may be having fun but think of those other poor animals.

You're joking, right? Do you know how fast a rabbit is? About 20 times faster than my dog... Birds have the slight advantage of... flying. I'd say the other animals are the ones having all the fun.

 

[CalgaryJenn]

A tomato juice bath for the dog.
Hubby just told me a story about how his brother was throwing rocks at a skunk when they were younger, and his brother got sprayed. soak the dog in tomato juice for 15 minutes, and then wash it out with shampoo.
OOPS, I just read, and tomato juice isn't an option for you. Ok, never mind. LOL

 

[Small pleasures]

Sorry this happened to you. The same thing happened to my girlfriend and her dog in the West End last year. They just walked out the front door at the wrong moment and suprised a passing skunk. No warning, just woosh.

She took her dog to a dog groomer, they're all over the place. One on Davie between Burrard and Bute for sure but Bosely's should also have a list. That gives you a place to bath the dog, other people to do the work and they probably have some special shampoo's for the job.

I know this sounds horrible and maybe not even effective, but if 1 or 2 shampoos didn't work I'd consider shaving it (if it were mine). Not in the winter, but it's warm now. My girlfriend AND her dog didn't smell right for weeks no matter what they did. The smell got into her car seats and her home. Horrible.

 

[ezsmile]

I know this sounds horrible and maybe not even effective, but if 1 or 2 shampoos didn't work I'd consider shaving it (if it were mine). Not in the winter, but it's warm now. My girlfriend AND her dog didn't smell right for weeks no matter what they did. The smell got into her car seats and her home. Horrible.

So....did you end up shaving your girlfriend?

 

[Trav]

Spunked, not skunked

Sorry to hear about your Skunk problem* Ms. Bijou...I can appreciate your problem!!** But it could be worse , I live on an acerage and last fall something* got it on with a Skunk in my back yard outside my bedroom window in the early* morning hours. I got up and closed the window ,but unfortunately my furnace came on and sucked in all the Skunk smell into the house through my fresh air in take!!* P . U* !!*** When I got to work the next day the whole office smelled Skunkey* and it was suggested* I take the day off. To make a long storey short I had to move out , get my house Ionized and all my colthes dry cleaned. I couldn`t poon for a month because of the smell and because I had to spend all my descrestionary funds on the clean up. Its a lot funnier now after almost a year than it was at the time. Good luck with your dog. Trav

 

[Miss*Bijou]

Tomato juice = no good

This is why.....



Can you really use tomato juice to get skunk odor out of a pet’s fur?

The major molecules that make skunk-spray stink are sulfur compounds – they’re closely related to other unpleasant odors such as rotten eggs. You can use tomato juice on a pet that’s been sprayed by a skunk – and you might even think it works – but there’s no scientific evidence that tomato juice really does work on skunk spray.

Here’s a reason people might think it works. Some experts speculate that at high doses of skunk spray, the human nose stops smelling the odor. So if you then bathe your pet in tomato juice – the odor of the juice becomes stronger than the odor of the skunk. So thinking that the tomato juice worked to get out the odor is an olfactory illusion – an illusion for your nose.

So how do you get rid of skunk odor? Some experts suggest a mixture of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide – followed by a tap water rinse. This solution is odorless, but be careful – it might bleach your pet’s fur. Here’s one recipe that Dr. William F. Wood of Humboldt State University recommends:

Make a mixture of “1 quart of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide (drug store variety), 1/4 cup of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and a teaspoon of liquid detergent. After 5 minutes rinse the animal with water. The mixture cannot be stored as it readily becomes ineffective. Also, IT MUST NOT BE STORED IN A CLOSED CONTAINER. It releases gas so the container may break and pose an explosion hazard. It is best to mix it in an open container and use it immediately. One final caution, the recipe may bleach the pet’s hair.”

Source: http://www.earthsky.org/faq/tomato-juice-skunk-smell




And I've come across the same info on many websites.. it all goes back to the same 'recipe'...... which I did not try! lol Surprisingly when I went back to see my dog, the smell had almost completely disappeared. I'm not sure what happened because she still reeked when I finally brought her back from the beach late last night (one lady told me she was woken up by the strong smell last night -- and the dog didn't go any further than the hotel lobby and only for about 2 minutes! And I am staying on the 3rd floor!!) and the only thing I did last night was use whatever I had on me, hand sanitizer, which I rubbed on her head and neck and then rinsed off before she continued to chase a ball in the water. But she still smelled REALLY strong last night... and this morning, hardly at all.


The smell was still there and I could catch a wiff once in a while but very faint. Anyway, I ended up buying some Nature's Miracle Skunk oder remover at Bosley's and I'll do a few application and see how that goes. The smell is ok, I've got her in the room with me, just put sheets on the chair and not letting her on the bed... so I'll see how that goes. I bought some nicely perfumed shampoo for her once I'm done with the oder remover stuff.


News travels fast, I guess.. people (mostly employees) have been coming up to talk about the the skunked dog all day. She manages once again to makes friends, I think she attracted lots of attention while she was still outside this morning. When I came down with her food and water, someone had already put out some water for her and made a little bed with some towels. A lady thanked me for not taking the skunk in the hotel last night. Can you imagine? I thought about it, and I can imagine someone else might have.... what a mess that would have been!


Anyway, that was our little excitement (could have done without it..) and hopefully the stuff I bought will remove enough of the left over smell. But I'm just soooo glad it is not as offensive and nauseating as it was last night. I was so relieved it wasn't as bad.. That was such a foul smell... Ughh.

 

[jim]

From what I've heard be prepared for the aroma to return although much weaker when it rains.

 

[CalgaryJenn]

You can use Listerine or any other antiseptic mouthwash. Apply the mouth wash to the affected areas, let it soak for a few minutes and rinse. You can repeat this as necessary. It is very important to avoid getting this or any other commercial products in your dog’s eyes. It will sting badly. If your dog is sprayed in the face, which is very likely, use a washcloth or paper towel to carefully apply any cleaning solutions.

http://www.wisegeek.com/how-can-i-remove-skunk-odor-from-a-dog.htm

 

[little Cowboy]

That's cool..hand satitizer eh?

Interesting article you posted. And it seems to be true and H2S - hydrogen sulfied, smells like rotten eggs...but at high concentrations you CAN'T smell it and at higher concentrations i.e. oilfields and sour gas well...it will kill you.

I don't think skunk juice will though, but its an interesting point, that you can't smell it because its a high concentration...but WAIT isn't that the point????

 

[trntndt]

I agree about thr tomato juice. I was sprayed myself many years ago (I won't bore you with the details - it was embarrssing) but the TJ did the trick. If it works for humans I don't see why not on a dog

 

[trntndt]

Sorry - I just read to the end of the thread. I should have done that before giving you my useless advice!