Close Encounter of the WRONG Kind
Has your dog
had a close encounter of the wrong kind with a skunk?
Skunks are
passive animals and don’t ordinarily go looking for trouble.
They don’t migrate and they tend to stay within a home
range of a couple hundred acres. They hibernate in their
dens during the colder months, and begin to venture out in
the February - March timeframe.
When a skunk
feels threatened its entire body goes on alert. First it
will stamp its feet in warning; then it will lift its tail.
The openings of its musk glands will pop out. The muscles
begin to constrict and out sprays a smelly, oily, yellowish
colored musk, normally into the faces of our inquisitive
pets. The skunk is capable of spraying up to eight times,
and the spray can reach up to 12 feet away.
The following
recipe is very effective should your dog ever have the
misfortune of having a close encounter with a skunk.
1 quart
3% hydrogen peroxide
¼ cup baking soda
1 teaspoon liquid dish soap
Mix all of the
above ingredients together. Work the solution into the
dog’s coat and rinse with water. AVOID contact with
the dog’s eyes.
This mixture
should be used immediately after preparation; it can’t be
pre-mixed and stored. Overuse of the peroxide could bleach
your dog’s coat.