If you’ve ever had one of your animals sprayed by a skunk, then you know first hand how literally panic-stricken all become when that animal comes rushing into the house for your help!
It happened to us last week . . . at midnight, I might add. I have five dogs who have 24/7 access to a huge, safely fenced yard via their dog door, and they frequently use it in the middle of the night if they hear coyotes or other interlopers out and about on the property.
I was dead to the world when Charlie came flying in a panic through the dog door and into my bedroom, bringing the all-too-familiar and toxic, burning-rubber fumes of having been “skunked” with him. He was drooling and licking his nose and rubbing his head on everything, and every other living being in the house was immediately in alarm mode, the stench was so strong. One of my teenage kittens was so shocked she was up on the counter in the bathroom with her hair literally standing “on end” all over.
I won’t bore you by describing all the immediate maneuvers that were taken that night, but instead am here to share my homemade de-skunking recipe. I mean, who keeps a couple of those humongous cans of tomato juice in the house at all times? And tomato juice doesn’t work anyway . . . plus it’s super messy.
I got this recipe from the retired veterinarian, Dr. Price (God rest his soul), who owned the ranch next to mine in the Texas Hill Country. We had lots and lots of skunks there, so de-skunking was a somewhat regular necessity, though dealing with it fairly often never diminished this phenomenon’s uniquely stunning effect. If you’ve ever experienced skunk spray up close and personal, you know it smells nothing like the fleeting odor that wafts through your car when you are on a road trip at night. It is instead so strong and foreign it makes one panic, it is toxic, and it burns your nasal passages like heck!
Poor Charlie! I think it went right up his nose!
So here’s the recipe, and these things are fairly common to have on hand:
SKUNK DEODORIZER
- 1 Quart 3% Hydrogen Peroxide
- 1 Cup Baking Soda
- 1 Teaspoon Liquid Soap
Rub into the victim’s hair and let sit a few minutes then rinse. Do not mix ahead of time as this mixture creates an oxygen reaction, which is why it works.
Just to be on the safe side, I keep a bottle of Nature’s Miracle Skunk Formula on hand in the barn at all times too. And that is what I used to initially wipe down Charlie’s head with. This is a product that works enzymatically, and it does help, so I highly recommend it as well. And it’s a quick fix for a small animal or area of the body. Fortunately for me, only Charlie’s head received the blast — not so fortunate for him, as I think a lot of it probably did go down his throat!
Ugh.
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