Yesterday the groomer came for our kids' appointment.
When they were done each one was wearing a flag bandanna.
I'm thinking she did that because yesterday was September 11. I thought that was nice.So all the kids had baths yesterday morning. And then Smoke had 4 more baths EARLY this morning.
Background: A week or so ago Mikey started raising a fuss outside. AD thought it was coyotes howling and he let Elliott, Smoke and Dani out. They like to help Mikey bark at coyotes.Um - no. It wasn't a coyote this time. There was a skunk INSIDE the fence. How did that happen? AD said it was a little skunk. A little skunk with a BIG smell.
Mikey got the worst of it because AD quickly retrieved the other 3 and put them back in the house. That was Mikey's second run-in with a skunk. His previous encounter was out in the pasture.
Anyway, the skunk escaped from the yard, the smell eventually went away and all was right with the world.
What happened: Yesterday evening we went to G1's and G2's mini-sprint races. Regular sprint car racing was also on the schedule. When that happens it's sure to be a late night. And it was.
AD put the golf cart away when we got home. I went in the house and let the dogs out. WRONG move! The skunk had returned. Or one of it's siblings/cousins. I hadn't detected skunk odor when I opened the back door and AD didn't until it was too late. Not sure exactly what happened while the dogs were in the yard but AD found a dead skunk inside the yard. Mikey wasn't affected this time. Neither were Elliott or Dani.
Smoke, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. This time he REEKED! My question is - was the skunk already dead and Smoke went to investigate or did he maybe kill it. I did check him all over to make sure he didn't have any wounds. In case of rabies, you know.
Lucky for Smoke I'd talked to the groomer yesterday - for future reference although I didn't know it was going to be that close into the future - about ridding the dogs of "parfum d' skunk". She said she could order me some de-skunking shampoo to have for occasions like this. But in the meantime she gave me a recipe for a substitute. (She said the old "tomato juice" remedy doesn't work too well.)
So early this morning I mixed some up and AD bathed and rinsed Smoke four times - OUTSIDE. I can say that it really did take most of the odor off of him although he probably needs bathed and rinsed 2 or 3 more times and that will be done sometime today.
I haven't broke the news to him yet though. Given the looks he was sending me when we finally got to bed last night (early this morning) he's not going to take it very well.Here's the solution our groomer gave me:
1 gallon water
1 (16 ounce) bottle peroxide
1/2 cup baking soda
enough dish washing liquid to make bubbles
Mix altogether and bath the dog(s) affected by skunk odor several times, rinsing them well between soapings.
Oh dear...we'll, me being another Okie with dogs, I can tell you this is familiar to me. Will be interested in knowing the 'bought' shampoo info as well.
ReplyDeleteGives me reason to keep my dog's rabies up to date, even the indoor ones.
Parsley, As a matter of fact, Smoke just went ot the vet for his yearly vaccinations and kennel cough spray on Aug 26th.
ReplyDeleteAw poor thing! His little face says it all! Too bad it happened so soon after his bath with the groomer.
ReplyDeleteHe looks so tired and "over it" in the last picture! Very cute!
ReplyDeleteLet's hope the rest of the skunk family gets the message and doesn't return! Smoke looks worn out; staying gorgeous is hard work :)
ReplyDeletePoor baby. That's an awful lot of bathing. Smell better soon.
ReplyDeletePoor Smoke! He looks pretty sour from all that scrubbing. We live in town and last spring we had a baby skunk on our front porch. I tried to take it's picture from inside the window, but he scampered off before I could get a decent shot. I wasn't going out there after him for anything!
ReplyDeleteLiz
there is nothing as stinky as that smell! his coat does look awfully shiny after all that washing!
ReplyDeleteOh I have been there done that one REPEATEDLY with Buster the Beast. Nothing worked for me that summer.
ReplyDeletePoor Smokey.
http://fairfieldhousenj.com/2009/11/01/lucky-thirteen/
Your Friend,
Deborah
Oh my....I can say that Bob has yet to experience this. Im sure it will happen.
ReplyDeleteYour dogs sure do look cute. Hubby just took Maxwell to the groomer this morning. The groomer always puts a bandanna on him also.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about the skunk episode. He sure does shine. We have had a lot of skunks here also this yr.
Have a nice day
Oh Granny.... I can relate to this story. I truly can. Our Little Dog got skunked 3 times in one week. The groomer was right, the tomato juice "cure" does not work very well. You will all survive, even if it doesn't seem like it now
ReplyDeleteYou would think that coming in contact the first time would have taught them a lesson. Sometimes they never learn.
ReplyDeletePoor baby but at least you have the odor under control. This time of year, when it starts cooling off, Ben loves to have nighly excursions. I know he is at risk for running into a skunk too but I can't tell him no! I am copying down the recipe for future reference.
ReplyDeleteWow, the dogs look good even though one doesn't smell so hot. Nice to know that there is an alternative to the tomato juice treatment.
ReplyDeleteOh My Sweetie...
ReplyDeleteI am going to have to give this recipe to my sweet Moma and Daddy. Their dogs recently encountered a skunk and after they got sprayed they came running back into the house, through the doggy door and ran straight to her bedroom, jumped on her bed and rubbed all over trying to get the spray off. Needless to say she lost her quilt over that ordeal not to mention the whole house was horrid for a couple of weeks. She said it made you want to throw up. They were everywhere rubbing before they could catch the three of them. It was bad.
Your sweet little Smoke is not going to like another 2-3 rinses I can bet. He is going to wonder why Moma keeps giving him baths. He hasn't even had time to get dirty. Don't you often wonder what they are thinking?
Oh thank you for sharing sweetie. I so love it when you do. Hope you have a beautiful day today, and hopefully no more encounters with skunks, the little boogers.
Many hugs and SO much love, Sherry
He is so cute and so tired in the picture. We had a Schnoodle named Boomer Sooner and he did the exact same thing only he got sprayed twice in one night. You would think he would have learned after the first time. We finally got the smell out but it took many baths.
ReplyDeleteI love the bandanas. Our groomer puts one on our Schauzer after his groomins too.
Have a great date.
What a shame for wee smoke, he doesn't look too upset about it though.
ReplyDeletePoor Smoke!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, this happens occasionally in the country.
I copied down your recipe,just in case.
I've also heard that apple cider vinegar will take the odor out too.
But I haven't tried it.
If you do decide to use it, be sure not to let it get in their eyes. It burns like the dickens!!
Awwww, that poor baby. He looks like he's just had it with the whole thing. I wonder if he will be more cautious around skunks now? I sure hope so. Poor kid! Your dogs are just adorable. So pretty!!
ReplyDeleteOh my heavens, those little faces are so darling!
ReplyDeleteWhen we lived about 10 miles further out, skunks were a regular on the farm. The night Bob forgot to close the outside cellar doors was the night an entire family of the critters moved in downstairs. They were a noisy bunch, fighting and knocking over my canning jars.
Didn't make for a happy marriage, ours or theirs. :-)