Skunk!

Yesterday evening I heard Andy barking and so opened the door to let him in.  As he ran between my legs, my nose told me about Andy's encounter with a skunk.

I promptly caught him and put him back out on the porch.  Then I put his bed and blankets out there so he didn't have to be cold.  I called Adam and warned him about the situation so if he got home while I was at my Celebrate Recovery step study he wouldn't make the mistake of picking Andy up or letting him in.

I posted about the situation on Facebook and a friend from college who used to work for a veterinarian commented that she would email  had a recipe for an anti-skunk solution.

Here it is:

Mix 1 quart hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda, and 1 tsp dish soap.  Pour into squirt bottle.  Saturate dog's coat with solution.  Scrub into coat and leave for 15 minutes before rinsing well.  Can also be used on fabric and human skin.  

I went shopping for some extra hydrogen peroxide today and an empty squirt bottle and mixed up the solution immediately after arriving home at 2:00.  But other matters proved more pressing, so I put off the actual bath.  Finally around 5:00 this evening I came to a stopping point in my other tasks and got up the nerve to try it out.

I picked up Andy by his collar out of the bed on the porch and carried him into the bathtub.  The powerful stream from the squirt bottle quickly saturated his coat, and the solution foamed up as I scrubbed it in.  Then began the 15 minute countdown.  Andy deplored every moment, and let us know with loud complaining barks and whimpers.

After the first go-round his head still stank, so I used a washcloth to do a more precise application.

If you hold him close an inhale deeply, there is still a lingering odor, but his overall fragrance is much improved.

The dog bed, blankets, washcloth and towels are in the wash after soaking for a while in the same peroxide/baking soda solution.