It's That Time Again

Well, "that" season is upon us again...
you know the one...
it happens every year...
without fail.
Some years it happens multiple times to multiple beings.

If you guessed this...


you were right!
It's skunk season again!

Miss Annie went out on Saturday morning for her early morning potty break.
I heard rustling outside our bedroom window...
and looked out to see Annie shaking her head violently.
And then the smell wafted in through the window...
sickeningly strong...
wretched...
vile.


Before long, Annie was at the door in obvious distress...
that acrid spray coating her face and neck...
several bleeding wounds accompanying it.
Apparently the skunk fought back very hard.

We grabbed our handy skunk kit, and Hubbs got busy de-stinking Annie.


And because I know that one of you will also encounter this problem in the coming months,
I am re-printing our trusty skunk kit.


I keep this bucket loaded and ready to go at all times.


Here is what we do:

Wipe down dog with liberal amount of Tecnu (available in the drug store)
(Tecnu is used in industry to scrub radioactive exposure off of skin. 
 It is also great for using with poison ivy exposure.)

Wash dog with the following:
1 quart hydrogen peroxide
¼ cup baking soda
2 tablespoons dishwashing detergent

Use no water at this point.
We use a sponge and really try to get the mixture soaked into the dog's coat (sudsy).
Rinse.
Wash dog with baby shampoo.

This is the best fix we have found for a canine skunking.
Forget about tomato juice....it doesn't work and turns your dog a lovely shade of pink
if you don't get it adequately rinsed out.

*********

Elsewhere on the farm this weekend....

It was a hot, hot day on Sunday.
When I went out to do the afternoon feeding,
both the pigs and the sheep were missing from their yards.

When I reached the horses' dry lot, 
I noticed that Ollie was quite interested in something in the pig house.


Closer inspection yielded two pigs...


and three sheep.


Apparently, the pig house was the coolest place in both yards.
And so everyone was hanging out there together...
just one big happy family!
Oink! Baaaaaaa!







Comments

daisy g said…
Oh my. That didn't take long. Poor girl. Hope she learns her lesson.

Party in the pigs' place!
This N That said…
One big happy family! It's a good thing they're all girls. Have a wonderful week.
Anonymous said…
sorry to hear about the skunk episode,, wow, that stinks doesn't it,,
the sheep and the pigs,, oh my gosh thats so cute,,like little kids,,
Poor Miss Annie! Thank goodness the only time I get skunked is at cribbage.
jaz@octoberfarm said…
poor annie and poor you! the sheep and the porkers sure made me chuckle!
Something you might want to try as a "skunk kit" that is MUCH easier and 100% effective....a dilute bleach solution. Just sponge it on and skunk oil is instantly gone. There is no need to even wash the dog afterward unless you want to. I have had personal experience with this and it works better than anything else.
Bee Haven Bev said…
Thanks for that hint! Do you know what the dilution is?
I never measured, I just added a bit of bleach to a small bucket of water. You don't want it too strong as it could burn the animals skin, but a little works wonders. I use just barely enough to make the water feel slippery then just sponge or towel it on. I dampen a towel with the solution and use that to wipe the muzzle/face.

All skunk removal works best if you DO NOT get the animal wet before hand. Skunk spray is an oil so the water just spreads it around. I surprised a skunk in my tack room once and it sprayed directly onto the wall, It was late at night and my patience was thin so I just poured straight bleach on the wall. Five minutes later, you would never know a skunk had been there. I learned all of this some years ago when a whole family of skunks took up residence under my house and my dogs got sprayed three times in one week. Thank God for bleach:)
Lisa said…
My Beagle has already gotten skunked this season, too. He's never been physically attacked, tho!!

I got some stuff from the pet store that I saturate his fur with and let set for 5 minutes, then bathe him in dog shampoo. It works pretty well until he gets wet again, then the smell shows back up until he dries again.

I'm going to make a note of the diluted bleach solution! Sounds good to keep around in a pinch.