on the whole I think I preferred the raccoons

[electricland]

Sent Blue out for his last trip of the evening to the back yard just after 11 last night. He puttered around, came back, then shot out again; we heard some clanging and swearing (no lights back there yet) and then he shot back in making funny noises. Jen said "What's in his mouth?" He'd taken refuge under her desk, so I went to look, and immediately realized he'd been hit by a skunk at point-blank range. He was foaming at the mouth and sitting hunched over and miserable and the smell was indescribable.

Naturally I failed to grab him in time and he took off upstairs, pausing to drip skunk-laden drool on every rug. I left him be for a bit and called the vet emergency clinic (who said "It's not toxic to them, it's just an irritant -- try to flush out his mouth with water"). Jen meanwhile called her parents, who Googled. The top home remedy, peroxide and baking soda and dish detergent, seemed a little toxic for use on an animal, and in any case we didn't have any peroxide. Second choice, for animals' faces, was over-the-counter vaginal douche (who knew?) but we didn't have any of that either. So we wrestled him into the bath (after a brief and unsuccessful interlude with the kitchen sink) and did our best to flush his mouth using a turkey baster and lots of water (never have I so wished for a flexible showerhead).

Eventually we had to stop because he was looking so miserable it seemed cruel to go on. John arrived to help with a bit of cleaning and collect Jen and Tilde, whose bedroom is right next to Ground Zero and who therefore needed somewhere else to sleep. I mopped my floors and bagged all potentially contaminated clothes and towels and turned on all the extractor fans in the house and then, as it was by this time getting on for 1 a.m., decided to go to sleep and deal with the rest in the morning. It seemed like a good use of a personal day.

In the morning the smell didn't seem too bad, but the trouble is you become habituated to the stuff quite quickly in self-defence. I leaned over and discovered Blue sleeping by the foot of my bed, and when I got close to him he still smelled vile, so OK, more work needed. I took him for our usual walk and when I got back John and Helen and Jen and Tilde were preparing to come over for a massive cleaning blitz (Jen had realized as they drove away in the car that in no way had she and Tilde escaped the stench just by leaving the house).

Anyway, we cleaned the dog and the house and ourselves all morning, and I have done tons of laundry and showered and I bet I still smell of skunk without realizing it, but thank goodness for family. Himself has managed to wrench his back leg -- all that struggling out of bathtubs, I bet -- but it doesn't seem too bad; I'll watch it for a day or so before taking him to the vet.

So! How are you all?

Comments

[kendokamel.livejournal.com]

Ohnoes!!!!


Having been through that experience, before, I feel your pain!

One time, it was my grandfather and uncle's dog - who was ever so eager to um... share.

Another time, it was my neighbor's cat. I helped her try to bathe him (gak!) and I can safely say, I think I have seen what angry demons look like. (;


I hope everything is deskunkfied, soon!

[(Anonymous)]

Monkeycommando sez:

According to my Curious George book and underlying folk wisdom, tomato juice is usually recommended.

Goooood luck.

[cretkid.livejournal.com]

snort

I really don't mean to laugh, but BWUAAAAAAAAAA.

I think I would prefer the raccoons as well. We have a few skunks around the area and I've learned to keep Herself (and the cat) inside when i know the skunks are roaming (granted, I think one had taken up residence under my front porch for a time).

As for cure-alls for the stench; Mythbusters says tomato juice works dandy. :D

[raithen.livejournal.com]

as i told ELL elsewhere, we had a boxer who used to get sprayed REGULARLY in the orchard (sweet sweet dog, but she did not learn some things, ever). We found that adding oil of anise to the bathwater was WAY less messy than tomatoe juice, and worked better -- if you don't mind licorice smell, it neatly neutralized the skunk smell, which is rather cool.

[jenlev.livejournal.com]

Oh poor all of you! :::gentle hazmat suited hugs:::

I hope the smell goes away quickly.

[pretentiousgit.livejournal.com]

Every single solitary night that the cat does not come in when I call her, I fear this is the cause and or potential result. YOU HAVE MY SYMPATHY.

Also my friend Mara works at that clinic. She's incredibly hardcore, as are all of those who work there.

That's so terrible. And hilarious. And terrible.

[lawgeekgurl.livejournal.com]

yeah, our cockapoo Skipper was hit head-on by a skunk whilst we were camping up in the UP in Michigan. It was AWFUL. Nothing like trying to clean up your stinky pupper whilst away from home. We tried that ol' wives' tale remedy tomato juice, and it actually wasn't too bad. Although then the dog smelled like spaghetti all the way home.

[ide-cyan.livejournal.com]

Another comment to reccommend tomato juice to wash the skunk odour off a dog. I think my mom used it once when one of our dogs got sprayed by a skunk, but I was too young to be able to remember it in detail now.