Skunked X 2

RZRBUG

Totally unrelated to the T@B, except I suppose it COULD happen while camping.  I was exercising my dog a couple of night ago while riding my UTV when he decided that he wanted to tackle a skunk.  I saw it developing, but was too slow to stop it, or Booger was too fast, whichever.  Anyway, one less skunk to worry about, but a major stink to deal with.  There's no way to completely eliminate the smell, but two shampoos and a bottle of Febreeze later, we were close.

I did say X 2, didn't I?  Two nights later, identical incident.  My only hope is that since he sheds so much, it will eventually go away.

BTW, we live in the woods, so wild life is rather abundant here.  Don't know why this family of skunks decided to set up housekeeping so close to my yard this year.  If your love of creatures is so great that you do not think skunks should be eliminated, you should stop reading here......OK, for the rest of you, there are five less skunks in my neighborhood, and I'm still on the hunt.  I could stand the occasional smell, but these guys are notorious carriers of rabies, and I don't want to take the chance.

Verna

Sunny loves to roll in skunk Doodoo. OMG!  It is the grossest thing to clean from her--rubber gloves, shampoo, Fabreeze, conditioner, lemon juice, anything I had on hand.

 I guess a skunk was attempting to set up housekeeping here in the 'burbs. I cleaned out the myrtle climbing up the neighbor's fence behind me and there hasn't been any more. They like undergrowth and sheltered areas. They just have day lilies now!

Ratkity

OMG! You gotta be careful of those black kitties with the white stripes!! They are naturally not aggressive, but very near-sighted. It's easy to startle a skunk because they don't really see you very well. If you see a skunk acting aggressively, grab your pet and run the other way.

As you said, they are susceptible to rabies (as are squirrels, fox and many other animals). Make sure to call Animal Control if you see an aggressive skunk or animal (you might have to hire a private company). There's a chance an aggressive skunk is just being that way to be protective or is in breeding season, but I believe those who know the disease best can trap the animal and make the call if the animal is sick. They can also relocate trapped animals. 

Unfortunately, every time your pet gets wet, you'll be reminded of the black/white striped kitty smell lol. Most acidic things get rid of the smell when your pet is dry - lemon juice, vinegar, tomato juice are common to use. 

ChanW

There's a good recipe for skunk, that includes peroxide, dish detergent, and baking soda. I've forgotten the proportions. You might Google it.

RZRBUG

Seriously, if it were just me, I wouldn't give the skunks a second thought and would not bother them.  My dog, however, has almost endless acres of woods and fields with no other houses nearby in which to roam.  I rarely leash or pen him while we are here.  They are naturally going to clash.

Other than a couple of game wardens, there is no animal control in my county, so we are pretty much left to our own devices.  Any remaining stripers seem to have moved on, and we're back to chasing rabbits and squirrels.

Verna

Good!

Ratkity

That's good, RZ... but 2x? PeeeeU lol. At least the black/white striped kitties have re-located due to already established canine territory. 

Mouseketab

One of my very early camping trips, I was sitting outside reading just around dusk and hubby was inside napping after dinner. I heard something in my kitchen, and a skunk was in my trash. I didn't want to startle him, but didn't want him to continue digging in my trash either, so I got in the truck and backed out and drove around the loop. Fortunately when I got back, the skunk was gone, no smell. So I then quickly grabbed the trash bag and put it in the back of the truck.

Ratkity

At Cunningham SP, the hosts warn people when they are emptying their trash bags into the main receptacle to be careful and watch for moving trash bags cuz of potential critters. Mostly snakes and raccoons (better dumpster needed?)... be careful out there! Don't want anyone with any critter souvenirs from camping, especially ones that linger on and on - like the smell from those black and white kitties!

lapowers57

There is a product called Tecnu that we use to wash with it we have come into contact poison ivy.  It really works for that.  I then discovered that it also works well on dogs who have been skunked.

irvingj

Ditto lapowers!!  Tecnu was suggested to me a few years back after an encounter involving my cat. As I understand it, the product was developed for use in NASA clean rooms; it's designed to remove ALL traces of oil from the skin on the hands of workers. And yes, skunk scent is oil-based. Now, the product says that it's good for poison ivy, poison oak, etc… all oil-based.

You take a cloth, saturated with Tecnu, and wipe the pet down with it (re-applying Tecnu as needed), then give pet a "normal" bath with pet wash. It works! It won't remove everything, but it will make the pet allowed back in the house, and the scent will diminish every day after that.

Had to use it just last week, 3rd time for our present cat. (I think he's learned, but inadvertently startled a small skunk this time as he came around a corner; otherwise, he seems to have learned to avoid them.)

gooselady

Massingil douche works wonders on skunk order.  Wash dog, apply douche, and let it sit for about 20 minutes, then rinse.

Ratkity

Your resident microbiologist says that for most people (excluding highly allergic) have 20 minutes to get the poison ivy/poison oak/poison sumac off their hands and any other body part they've touched before the proteins in the oil binds irreversibly to the skin receptors - where you've touched is where you'll get the rash. Use lots of soap and hot water (cold if desperate)! The use of Technu product and soap and water is a bonus. 

Poison Ivy is a gift that keeps on giving. The more times you are exposed, the worse and worse you will react in the future. Dead poison ivy vines still have oils that can give you that nasty rash. Never ever burn poison ivy. Oils become airborne and will send anyone who inhales them to the hospital (My Dad suffered this reaction when a neighbor burned a bunch of dead vines).  The oils can even hang around on chain-linked fences after vine removal. 

Be careful out there in the woods. It's not just microbes in ticks and mosquitoes or stinging insects, but be prepared for other allergic reactions such as poison ivy. I care about our forum members and don't want anyone sick!!

lapowers57

Agreed, Tecnu can remove the oils so the sooner you use it the less impacted you will be by the contact with poison ivy.  Per Tecnu:

• Tecnu is most effective when used within the first two hours after exposure or as soon as rash appears

It doesn't mention skunks on the bottle but on their website their is information including:

• Because skunk spray is an oily substance, Tecnu Original Outdoor Skin Cleanser can be effective at removing it. See the video above on how to clean your pet when sprayed by a skunk.  Be sure to follow up with a regular shampoo pet bath to remove all of the Tecnu Original.
  

I used it like shampoo on my dog, washed him twice with this and then once with regular shampoo and he nearly as good as new.

Allie

1 Qt. Hydrogen Peroxide (3% solution)

2 Tablespoons Dawn Dish Liquid

1/4 cup Baking Soda

Mix and use to shampoo pet.  Avoid eyes.  Rinse well, Repeat.

DurangoTaB

Just saw a FB posting on the subject...
http://www.petmd.com/dog/grooming/evr_dg_how-to-get-skunk-smell-off-dog?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=SocialMedia&utm_campaign=petMD_DogSkunkSmellRemoval_08202016