A not-so-pleasant reality of country living came home to roost last night. At 10:30 last night. After a long day. Our boy Jake got sprayed by a skunk. Our best guess is that the skunk snuck through the fence and got close to the house. My daughter could smell the results before she even opened the back door. "Oh no!" I heard her call from inside. "Oh yes," I said when she opened the door and saw me holding our stinky dog. We'd had an incident once before with our former dog Bailey. After spending the night dousing him with rather ineffectual tomato juice, I'd purchased a potent Nature's Miracle skunk odor remover for the next time. But the next time never came, Bailey passed, and I gave the stuff to my sister-in-law. Bad call.
After a few late night calls to 24-hour stores to see if they had "the Miracle," I finally called Jake's vet. They gave me a recipe for a concoction that worked pretty well, which I'll share with all of you. It's almost noon now, Jake has been bathed in it twice, and I've finally let him back in the main house. I'm not too bitter about losing 12 hours to that damn skunk. But I tell you, next time I see a skunk as roadkill, I might get out and dance on its bones.
Skunk Odor Remover (courtesy of VCA Animal Care Center of Sonoma County)
- 1 bottle hydrogen peroxide
- 1/2 8 oz. bottle of water
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 1 tsp doggy shampoo
Mix ingredients in a spray bottle. Spray entire bottle over dog. Be careful to avoid dog's eyes and nostrils. Rub mixture into dog's coat for 10 minutes. Rinse.