Skunk - 1 : Bailey - 0

Bailey is just a little over three years old.  We have done hundreds of miles of off-leash walks in hills all over the West.
We have come across skunks before and luckily, Bailey has never been sprayed.......

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2010/10/tune-up-pheasant-hunt.html

That is until this morning.


The scene came about like this:

 A mile from our house is an open space that we use once the foxtails blow away. 

 We got up early and were walking these hills by 7am.  The fog was on the ridges and over the valleys. 

 We were in a hurry as we had to leave the dogs in the house for the day.  We had some out of town chores to do.

 By 7:45 we were heading back to the Jeep for the short drive home.  Bailey and Chloe were having a great time playing "fetch the stick" when Bailey dropped the stick and at full speed headed up a steep slope.  I knew he was after something.

 Chloe had stayed with me.  A couple minutes later I smelled Bailey before I saw him.  When I came up to him along the trail, he was pushing the sides of his head along the weeds in a frantic effort to remove the skunk spray covering his head.

Back to the Jeep, I opened up the windows, sunroof and blew the fan full blast as we drove home.  The boy smelled!


At home it was into the bath  - first thing.  My wife offered to go to the store for tomato juice.  I told her to look on the Internet for skunk smell remover.  I knew it had hydrogen peroxide and soap.


So she looked up the concoction and Bailey got the first treatment.  It was better by the time we left.  When we got home, he got another bath.  Still smells a bit like the animal I hope he has learned to leave alone.

skunk odor removal reciepe

1 quart 3% Hydrogen Peroxide

1/4 cup Baking Soda

1 teaspoon liquid soap

(Dawn dish washing detergent is often recommended, but any dish soap will work)

Rubber or latex gloves

Mix in an open container (bucket or bowl); it will be fizzy, a clue that you shouldn't try to mix it or store it in a bottle or other closed container.

Thoroughly wet your dog with warm water and then the solution while it is still bubbling. Knead it well into his coat, to chemically alter every bit of the tholes on his hair. Be careful to keep the formula out if the dog's eyes, nose and mouth; you can use a sponge to carefully wipe it onto his face. Let the solution stand for 10 minutes before rinsing. Follow the bath with a thorough rinse. Be sure to protect the eyes when rinsing the head. Chances are you will not get all of the smell off of the face and will have to live with that as it wears off. You can try Tricotine Liquid Douche Concentrate or any over-the-counter douche.

After bathing, check your dog's eyes. If they are red and watering, your dog may have taken a direct hit in the face. Skunk spray won't blind the dog, but it's very painful. Contact a vet.

 

 
I knew it would happen one day.   Today was the day.

Right now "stinky boy" is resting in the living room.  Most of the smell has been removed. 

 Like Chloe, last weekend, and the young coyote teacher, Bailey got the skunk teacher today.

Lesson taught both times:   "LEAVE US ALONE you pesky red bird dogs!"

Maybe they got it.  We shall see.