How to De-Skunk a Dog

Then got here Ruby, my present English setter. Her discipline trial bloodlines and ramped-up prey drive make all of the Labs and Springers we’ve had appear like little outdated women driving to church on Sunday mornings. Ruby is at all times on excessive alert, however let her get a whiff of a quail or grouse, and there’s no stopping her. As I stated, she’s an English setter, however she should assume she’s a German canine as a result of she likes fur, too. Anyway, she likes skunks.

Every year, when the “quiet time” right here in Wisconsin ends, and we will begin coaching our canines on wild birds and public lands once more, Ruby and I make forays onto the Northwest Sand Barrens, the place a number of sharptailed grouse nonetheless reside on the remnant prairies. These barrens are God’s present to chicken canine trainers. They include open, rolling sand hills lined in large bluestem, scrub oak, blueberries, and grouse. August 1 is the magic date when coaching begins, and early every August, for the previous three years, Ruby and a skunk have met and exchanged recipes. Did I point out that Ruby is three years outdated? Three years, three Augusts, three skunks. I sense a sample.

Some years are extra spectacular than others. Final 12 months, she caught a direct skunk hit within the mouth. That was disagreeable sufficient that she yiped, and I believed perhaps, simply perhaps, it was the educational expertise she wanted. Nope. The opposite day, she bought nailed once more. It wasn’t fairly as unhealthy because the earlier 12 months, however her chin, her neck, and her GPS collar have been effused within the yellow, oily emulsion. I doubt the collar will ever get better. All this enjoyable with skunks has made me a reluctant authority on coping with the foul mess.

After that first 12 months with Ruby, I realized my lesson in preparedness, and I began carrying a de-skunking package with me within the truck. Once I assume the percentages are excessive for an encounter, I even carry a small bottle of a patent treatment in my pocket. That is pretty much as good a means as any to segue into what works for me and what doesn’t.

First, there’s the outdated folks remedy of tomato juice. We tried that first when the Lab bought nailed all these years in the past. I’m shocked individuals nonetheless advocate it. It didn’t work for us, plain and easy. And there’s no motive it ought to. Skunk emissions are oily. Have you ever ever tried to take away an oil stain by rubbing a tomato on it? In fact not. The mildly acidic tomato juice isn’t almost potent sufficient to interrupt down skunk secretions. I suppose if tomato juice is the one factor readily available, it’s higher than nothing, however not by a lot.

However there’s a residence concoction that principally works: Take a quart of contemporary hydrogen peroxide, ¼ cup of baking soda, and a tablespoon of dish cleaning soap.

Combine it collectively in an open bucket and apply generously to the troubled space. Do NOT combine it in an enclosed container! The off-gassing baking soda and peroxide will flip the container right into a small bomb.

Watch out to not get the combination within the canine’s eyes. As soon as utilized, permit it to soak for a couple of minutes. Then rinse completely with clear water. A number of such purposes and rinsings are vital to enhance the odor sufficient for the canine and me to be in the identical room.

This combination does have a few drawbacks: First, it’s going to solely work in case you apply it inside about 10 minutes of blending it. As soon as it stops fizzing, it’s accomplished. Second, the elements should not sensible to hold with you within the discipline. Lastly, in case you go away it on for too lengthy, it’s going to bleach your canine. I gained’t declare that this answer is ideal, nevertheless it positively helps the state of affairs. And because the elements are available and it’s low cost, it’s my go-to transfer.

Then, there are the commercially out there cures. I’ve personally used Odor Eliminator, De-Skunk, and Skunk-Off. And I do know a number of individuals who have tried the “as seen on TV” product, Pooph! with various levels of success.

From my expertise, the very best of that bunch is Skunk-Off, and that’s what I carry with me within the truck and in my vest if I count on skunks. That’s to not say that the others don’t work. I’m positive all of them have some impact on the odor since all of them work in roughly the identical means. They break down the chemical construction of the skunk spray, i.e., n-butyl mercaptan (which is technically made up of thiols and thioacetates), thereby lowering its capability to stink.

My customary process is to make use of Skunk-Off within the discipline, adopted by a radical peroxide/soda/cleaning soap utility after we get residence. Some individuals don’t just like the scent of economic merchandise both, nevertheless it’s higher than the choice, for my part.

The important thing to all of the cures, business and home-brewed alike, is to use them as quickly as potential after the incident. As soon as the oils within the skunk spray contact the canine’s pores and skin and seep into the hair follicles, it’s very troublesome to take care of. That doesn’t take lengthy. If you happen to can instantly apply one thing to counteract the odor, you’ll be means forward of the sport.

In Ruby’s case, the 12 months she bought sprayed within the mouth, there was completely no hope of eradicating the odor. I wouldn’t dare use both the do-it-yourself or business merchandise in her mouth, so it was simply going to should put on off over time. You haven’t any thought what number of instances that fall I needed to say, “No, Ruby, I don’t need a kiss!”

Talking of time, I’ve discovered that I can nonetheless detect faint whiffs of skunk for weeks and even months after “the occasion” when the canine is moist. Since I reside on a lake, meaning at all times. Luckily, that extremely intense-to-us aroma doesn’t appear to have an effect on the canine’s capability to scent prey. At the least I haven’t observed any distinction in Ruby’s efficiency on birds after she’s been skunked. And I do know one hunter whose canine bought sprayed miles from the truck, and so they nonetheless had an incredible chicken hunt on the best way again—so long as the canine stayed downwind.

And hey, it’s higher than getting porcupined, proper?