Every time I get to thinking that maybe Charlie’s learned not to mess with the local wildlife, he does something incredibly stupid to set me straight. Last night I let him out just before going to bed. He stood there by the door for a minute and then took off around the corner after something. 30 seconds later he was running across the yard with his face in the grass, and the unmistakable aroma of skunk assaulted my olfactory system.
Yes, Charlie got another skunk. More correctly, the skunk got him. Not only does the dog stink (he’s at the vet now, getting a skunk bath), but the skunk let loose around the side of the house–right next to the air conditioning unit. The house reeks. I’m at home today with the windows open and the whole-house fan pulling in the 95-degree air, hoping to get rid of that smell.
This is Charlie’s second skunk. I had hoped that after the last time he would have learned that the stinky black kitty with the white stripe is strictly hands-off. Sadly, he seems to be a slow learner.
Great song! It takes me back to my college days, hanging out in my favorite bar where some very noisy folks kept putting money in the jukebox and singing along and basically annoying me, so I put my own quarter in and picked this song. It was not their style (this was when disco was afflicting the land) and much to my joy they shut up!
And speaking of afflictions, there is a formula for a skunk treatment widely available on the internet. Just google Skunk Peroxide and read half a dozen of the items returned. The ingredients are hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, liquid soap (or dish detergent) and perhaps some water. This was invented by an industrial chemist many years ago and first printed in one of their trade journals. It actually changes the chemical composition of the offensive chemical so that it becomes something else entirely. (Something that does not smell, of course). Works well as a dog bath, in a spray bottle for anywhere the skunk sprayed, etc.
We tried the skunk peroxide thing the last time. It worked okay, but was far from perfect. Charlie still smelled vaguely of skunk for quite some time. Even after repeated applications. Perhaps the formula doesn’t neutralize all of the chemicals. Or perhaps I didn’t get the portions right.
We didn’t do it last night because I didn’t feel like driving to the store for the ingredients at one o’clock in the morning. I don’t normally keep two quarts of hydrogen peroxide around the house. (Charlie’s a big dog.)
Maybe you should reconsider not keeping two quarts of hydrogen peroxide on hand. 8-)
> Maybe you should reconsider not keeping two quarts of hydrogen peroxide on hand. 8-)
Point taken. I just might mix up a batch of the stuff to keep on hand.
(Later)
On second thought, I won’t be storing the stuff pre-mixed. The mixture isn’t stable. Pressure will build up in the bottle and cause it to explode.
At least one site I visited said to use only unopened hydrogen peroxide, claiming that once opened it starts to convert to water.
What, no picture of Charlie looking remorseful?
We used the peroxide mixture on my dog and it worked well. Then again, he only weighs 9 lbs, so that’s a lot less surface to clean.
Did the vet’s skunk bath work well?