Skunked!

[Don P]

Our little buddy had a run in yesterday morning. We were both out having our morning constitutional when I noticed a severe aroma coming into the little house on the prairie (this is unheard of). Jasper had met a skunk,and lost. Poor guy all of us had watery eyes and he had taken a full face hit. This was his second encounter in as many weeks. But he had come off lightly the first time. We (ok I held the leash, and tried not to toss brakfast((usually I can handle stuff but this was her's alone))washed him in the vets concoction of peroxide,baking soda and soap. Didn't work. Then a vinegar bath and a dirt bath, This helped. Didn't have any tomato juice and the fuel pump on the Dodge let go (when it rains...)Would like to hear other remedies as the skunk still lives. After all this we finally got the day together and Michelle was 20' up on the scaffold, I was cutting in the garage when I heard her call him in that tone of voice like he was heading into traffic. I ran around the corner and saw him lighting out after the SKUNK! ( At this point I could talk about roots music as Jasper is a black and tan coonhound and he was doing shame to the tenors((grew up with bumper stickers "coon hunters do it all night long","eat mo' 'possum" )) With both of us calling...nay demanding, he turned within 3 feet of the skunk. We were wondering, was discretion the better part. Does a skunk exhaust his glands in one GOOD shot(did I mention this occurred right behind the camper and we ate lunch 200 yds Al Fresco and dinner out?) Or can a skunk inflict his particular defense time and again?

[Kevin]

Don, they should be good for two or three sprays.
I`ve trapped a few and when you get their pants down you can see the scent sacks are about the size of your thumb nail and there`s two of them.
I trapped one in the dead of winter up here a couple of years ago, a good catch in a 120 conibear.
I couldn`t believe it didn`t stink!
Brought it home frozen and hung it up in the basement to thaw.
An hour and a half later my wife and I were in the living room watching tv when she turns to me and says in a womanly voice WHAT`S THAT SMELL !
Down to the basement I ran and out to the garage we went, me and my skunk. :-/

[Tom]

Don,

I don't know what to tell you.  I've heard these types of stories before and it seems that time was the big healer.  

Is it like eating onions?  Maybe if you got sprayed you couldn't smell the dog. :D

This sounds like the makeings for an entry on the funny story thread.

Yours too Kevin  Holy Cow, a skunk in the basement?
How long did it take before you were allowed back in the house?

We have a lot of skunks around here and I get a whiff through the car window I as pass a place where one sprayed a buzzard or got hit by another car.  Whe-ew  it's not just a passing odor.  Can you imagine hitting one with your car?

[CHARLIE]

Ooooeeee! Whatta a couple of stories! :D I can just picture how happy Kevin's wife was.

The "PET" Stores (the ones that just specialize in pet stuff) sells deorderizers that say they will neutralize odors in seconds (list Skunk odor as one of them). You might try that once you replace the fuel pump in your truck.

I've come to believe that skunks are pretty smart creatures. Have y'all noticed how they tend to migrate to the highways when it is time for them to die?  :

[Kevin]

This is good stuff from what I hear.


You can order it here ...
http://www.taxidermy.com/cat/15/deodor.html

[Don P]

Thanks for the leads guys I'll check them out. Obviously we need something for this in the first aid kit. Michelle did get a snootful in the first altercation and thinks thats why her reaction to the stench is number than mine. All I can say is she's my hero...his too. It was the strongest reaction I can remember having to a smell. Watery eyes,mouth full of saliva, I mean right on the verge. After two baths a roll in the dirt and rubbing his face in the oats for awhile Jasper just layed in the sun the rest of the day looking whupped. It did seem to bake the worst out. The scent lingered around the camper all day and the homeowners took us out so we could all get some relief. Happily he's a mechanic so we're up and running now. Turned out to be the switching valve between tanks died plugging both ports (what are the odds?).
We had one of those dudes waltz into camp one time as we were sitting down to supper. You could just tell "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" was playing in his head. We GAVE him the camp. :D

[Kevin]

Don, if you go with that stuff above make sure you can use it on live critters, it was meant for the Taxidermy industry.

[Ron Wenrich]

My wife says she bought Skunk Klean at a feed store.  Works real well.

Also hear that Masengill works.

Our dog usually gets skunked right before we go on vacation.  That way whoever is dog sitting gets to smell him. :D

No matter what you use, you will have a skunk smell on your dog whenever he gets wet.  It takes several months to wear off.

[Kevin]

I`ve tried Masengill on skunks before and it helps but it doesnt neutralize the scent.

[cointoss]

Don't know for sure but I have heard that if you have a tube of toothpaste and mix it with a gallon of water to rinse dog it helps, but nothing really works 100%.