de-skunking my dog

We hear and read now and then that we are dumber by the minute because of Google.  Google is now a verb, even.  An action:  google it.

And I am here to say I am VERY GRATEFUL for that search-engine-become-institution! Google: deskunking my dog!  or  remedies for deskunking the dog!     or   HELP!  She's been sprayed!!!

A call to my dear dear dear friend, Pami:   "Hold on, while I look it up  (this is after 10:35 PM)..." after consulting our "Natural Pet Care" books, neither of which even had a "skunk spray" entry, we both went to the Internet.  Voila!  Oh, Wayne and I both said, "MILK!"  She needs a milk bath! And so Wayne went to the market (neither of us looked at the clock!).  And that would have been a disastrous remedy, since now that I know that the spray from a skunk has oil in it!

I settled on the remedy that was most represented, commented upon, and I even had the ingredients:  Hydrogen peroxide + baking soda + dish soap!  with an addition of cider vinegar for good measure. 

So now that we are all assured that she survived (she did!), I will tell the story.

I was out of the picture:  Back here in the "back room" reading and writing, when I hear Wayne shouting, "NO!   LUNA!    COME BACK HERE!     NO!        LUNA COME!!!"  I also hear the screen door crash (not in the summer evening clicking kind of way), so I (as per usual) jump straight up and land 6 feet from my chair at a dead run!  Just in time to arrive in the living room simultaneously with Luna.  "OH   GOD,  THERE'S A SKUNK OUT THERE!"  and I might add, "duh!" considering the state of the air in our house.  

Later Wayne told me that Luna had jumped out of her chair and quilt, since she was bedded down for the night, ran to the screen door, stopped, and then hit it the way she does when she wants to let herself outside, and took off.   

Oh disaster for the LunaDog.  She was beside herself!  She is a contortionist at times, and this was one of those times.  She somersaulted, dove under things, threw herself at the rug in front of the stove, foamed and drooled and dripped.  I called Pami.  "Rescue Remedy!  do you have any...."  "YES!  Hold on...."  and I put an elephantine dose in a handful of ground turkey.  I kid you not, she gulped it, and I closed her crate door, and she calmed down.  And that is when we started the googling operation.

I mixed up the potion, and had it on her by the time Wayne arrived with a gallon of Clover Whole Milk.  We held her, and talked to her while the stuff did its magic, and I drew a bath for her.  It was time for her flea bath anyways, so we did 2 day's worth of dog care all in one bath. Honestly, I attest to the miracle of this particular combination:  it works completely.  Even as I tucked her back into a clean quilt and gingerly smelled the top of her head, I found her skunk-free.

Yesterday morning I mopped up with the Dawn dish soap, and the house smells good, clean, & fresh.  Today a dear guest arrives, and I am putting a vase loaded with Rosemary in her room, since Luna threw herself on that bed as well.  The hedge out front still reeks, but hay, that's outside!

Which reminds me.  I was driving home Monday evening, after my writer's group, and a small, four-legged ran in front of me and stopped, confused in the headlights.  I slammed on the brakes, and was rewarded with the opportunity to watch a confused coyote pup make a mad dash for the side of the road.  It threw itself into the tall grass, and in its haste tripped and tangled in the weeds, reminding me of a certain young, spotted LunaDog.

All's Well.  All IS Well.  ALL is WELL.

And So It Is.

Here is the recipe for deskunking:

1 quart of hydrogen peroxide

1/4 cup baking soda

1 tsp of dish soap

mix together (add a qt of water for big dogs) and sponge (do not rub) onto the coat of the animal.  let sit for 5-7 minutes.  rinse off.  use rubber gloves when you apply this, as it can sting like crazy.  AVOID getting it in the eyes of the dog.  

Love and Hugs!

xoxoLC