Skunked!!

[Bambi_Bandit]

Not directly related to Airstreams, but hoping that some experienced forum members can help me out...

My dog just got skunked in our back yard this evening. This is the 2nd time this has happened in the last 3 years. Dogs have their own "dog run" that is used only for "bathroom use", not for hanging out, as they are indoor dogs.

My dog run is set on the side of the house, with a wooden fence as one border, , the side of the house as the other, and a driveway and iron fence on the other sides. (Elevation of the dog run is approx 4-5 lower than the driveway and the side of the house, allowing those sides to be natural "walls") It is acessed via from back door leading to an elevated deck, and the stairs from the deck down to the dog run.

Immediately after the 1st time the dog got skunked, we put a concrete footer under the wooden fence (cedar with 1x2 batting in between the planks so there is visible vertical gaps) to prevent the skunks for scooting under the fence line. We also added a 2 ft high plastic mesh along the bottom of the iron fence, and closed up the bottom of the deck and steps of the deck.

I don't know how the skunk got in again, but does anyone have any suggestions or experience in how to "skunk proof" a small section of my yard (dog run)?

I know there are supposed granules and ultrasonic type devices. I think the ultrasonic devices are out since we have dogs and I'm sure that would hurt their ears.

Any thoughts from anyone?

Thanks

Kevin

[nickcrowhurst]

This link
http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/living/skunks.htm
gives excellent information on how to make a skunk-proof enclosure, with cross-sectional drawings of effective fences and walls, as well as how to de-skunk an animal or human who has been zapped. Ain't Google great?
Nick.

[arryana]

I'm new to the forum, but an old hand at skunked dogs (one held the record of nine skunkings in her 14 years) and I've tried all the commercial and home-remedy sorts of products.

The commercial skunk cleaners from the pet store are very expensive, and in my experience, not very thorough.

Tomato juice -does- work, but it takes gallons of the stuff, so the mess and expense become extreme very quickly. Even on a 20 lb dog, it takes four or five restaurant-sized tins.

The same problem arises with the vinegar douche, which also works, but not very effectively. it takes a dozen or more of the things, and boy, do you get an odd look from the clerk when you buy a stack of such things.

What I've found that works brilliantly is "jean nate" bath splash. It's alcohol based and citrus scented, and a large bottle of the stuff costs under $15. it's easy to keep around, and so long as you don't get it in their eyes, completely safe. It kills the skunk smell very quickly, and does a fair job on the pervasive after-stink.

Hope this was helpful to you and your fuzzy friends.

[mavapa]

I found that a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and dish detergent works. One recipe is 1 quart hydrogen peroxide, a quarter cup of baking soda and two tablespoons of detergent. Mix it up in a large container. It will bubble a lot. The hydrogen peroxide oxidizes the odor-causing chemicals, so it actually eliminates the odor.

[arryana]

doesn't that bleach the dogs?

[early]

When my dad was building his house a skunk decided to make a visit and take a nap. The sheet rock people came and entombed the skunk. Several days later everyone smelled the skunk and they figured out what had happened. Sheet rock and some studs had to be removed and a cleaning crew came in and tried everything possible to get rid of the smell. The only thing that worked were citrus products, mainly lemon and orange.
Dawn

[krazeekalvin]

Mavapa's recipe works. I have used it before. On my dogs, wear rubber gloves.

[Fyrzowt]

Trapping or shooting the skunk keeps it from coming back.
Both however carry their own risk of odor. I'm told that the only way to shoot a skunk without it spraying is a head shot. Of course removing a skunk from a trap is not without problems.
Removing the food sources may be your best bet at not attracting them in the first place. They love dog food.
Dave

[Lumatic]

Lots of skunks here in Estancia. Mainly the four legged kind. One year I trapped about a dozen of them in one season in a live trap (or maybe the same skunk 12 times). I have never had a skunk spray while in a trap.

It is amazing how small a space a skunk can squeeze through. Skunks and I played "who's smarter" for quite a while. The skunk would get in, I'd play skunk detective to find the hole to out fox the skunk. The skunk always won. What brought them on to my property is I used to keep birds which are up there on the skunk menu. I had a rooster that would usually let me know when a skunk was around. Visualize 3am the rooster alarm goes off and I am in the chicken coop in my jockey shorts chasing a skunk around with a stick. He sprayed but missed.

[overlander63]

I have had good luck with tomatoe juice, it counteracts most of the aroma. Hopefully after a couple of years now, the smell has worn off...

[Janet]

I can tell you what doesn't work.....

A few years ago we had a family of skunks come into the house late in the evening through the dog door while we were out. Our border collie discovered the critters, and got blasted. What ensued then can only be described as high order dog folly. The dog apparently decided that this "flock of skunks" needed guidance to find the way out and tried to herd them through the house, eliciting several more blasts of skunky goodness. Our long hair, double coated dog was covered, carpets and leather chairs and couches were sprayed. The skunks somehow got trapped in the laundry room and the door closed. You would have to live with a border collie to understand how this might happen.....

Skunk oil is an eye irritant and so the dog tried to rub the stuff off on the carpet and then jumped up on our bed and smeared skunk juice all over our king sized down comforter. He was sound asleep in the bed (oily head on MY pillow) when we got home.

Here's the list of stuff that didn't work:
Cussing
High end dog soap from vet designed for skunk juice removal
Tomato juice (we only tried this on the dog, the rugs and leather furniture are white)
Dish soap
Tide
Baking soda


Some things that helped..
TSP (we only used this on walls and hard surfaces although the dog looked very apprehensive when we got it out)
Bleach w/ soap and water
Hydrogen peroxide worked pretty well on leather, followed by water.
Professional Carpet cleaning
We threw out the comforter.
Small open dishes of full strength bleach masked the odor, but then you smelled bleach - which was better
Cussing

Over time the smell subsided and our friends returned.
The dog door was boarded up and the border collie always sniffs suspiciously at the laundry room door before going in.

Good luck, remember to maintain your sense of humor and ..... you might try cussing; it didn't help with the smell but it did make us feel better, best of all it's free.

[wade&pam]

Oh my gosh! I am afraid that ALOT of cussing would be in order for me! That is awful, Janet!

Our dog has been skunked several times. The last time he decided to get even with the skunk, which then bit him & firmly clamped on to his nose. Our dog went running through a public park with this skunk firmly attached to his nose. Finally the dog was able to get a good bite of the skunk, dislodge him from his nose and finish the skunk off. He then decided to proudly carry the skunk all around the park to show off his victory. (Yes, he should of had his leash on in he first place.) It was very frightening at the time, but later was extremely funny. Where is the video camera when you need one.

As for the skunk smell, we use 2 parts peroxide to 1 part baking soda mixed with dog shampoo. It works well and is slightly noticeable if the dog gets wet.

Pam

[ColdEspresso]

This might sound wierd but, I have a friend who is a pro groomer and she uses Masingill Douche when pets come in skunked. Other products just mask the skunk odor. I used to have beagles who regularly got skunked and it worked every time.

[Silverfoxrae]

another old post, but one thing that's worked great for me many times to tell critters to stay away has been putting a few moth balls out by the fence or if they've gotten in under the house or deck, leave one escape area and plant a few moth balls around. I haven't had repeat visitors for a long time. The moth balls are nasty, but it does work!