Dogs and Smelly Things

[bigsallysmom]

Neighbor called to ask if I had anything for getting skunk smell off a dog.  I dropped off a product you can buy at pet stores.  Then continued on my way to the mountains.

Been to this particular spot three times, but this time the cow patties were fresh, green and splatty.  Dog behaved just long enough to lull me into a false sense of security. 
Oh yuck.  Head to butt.  Side to side.  A most unpleasant odor.  Her feelings were hurt that I wouldn't pet her.  I have short dog chains on the front tie downs.  Dogs can stand, sit or lie down but can barely look around cab.  Tied her to truck bed for the drive home.  
I live in sticks in bricks so I soaked, scrubbed and rinsed.  That took lots of water.  What do you mobile dwellers do?

 

[TrainChaser]

"... I soaked, scrubbed and rinsed. That took lots of water. What do you mobile dwellers do?"

Be glad it was just cow pies.

My dog rolled on a dead seal on the beach in WA. I would have paid for a groomer to bathe her, but this was a Sunday. On a cool day in fall. Raining. Finally, I found a place on the beach where a small river fed into the ocean. I put her on a leash and forced her into the river, where I rubbed her all over as the water flowed. When both of us were shivering, we went back to the van and toweled off. Then headed south because I was supposed to be in Springfield, OR that afternoon. Wonderful odor of dead seal and wet dog. Drove with the heater on and the windows open.

Tip: Carry dog shampoo. Had I thought of it, I would have stopped at a stranger's house and offered to pay them $20 to let me use their hose (with the shampoo).

 

[akrvbob]

My dog's record is rolling in cow poop three times in one week. Good grief!!!!!!!!!!!

You just give em a bath! I always have disposable gloves just for this job and use Dr. Bonners soap. It works miracles! He's only 40 pounds so it usually takes 3 gallons or less of water. I have a Zodi water pump that has very good pressure for the rinse.
http://amzn.to/2b3HznH

Next time it happens I'll videotape it!!!
Bob

 

[TrainChaser]

BTW, for skunk stink, use the following mix:

1 quart FRESH, UNOPENED Hydrogen Peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
1 tsp of dishwashing deterent.

Pour over dog and rub into the coat. Do not get into eyes.
Rinse.
Wash with dog shampoo.
Rinse.

If you've got a small dog, cut the ingredients in half. You cannot pre-mix this stuff, and you can't save leftovers, or it will explode (foam explode, not spark explode) if you cap it.

 

[bigsallysmom]

My dog's record is rolling in cow poop three times in one week. Good grief!!!!!!!!!!!

You just give em a bath! I always have disposable gloves just for this job and use Dr. Bonners soap. It works miracles! He's only 40 pounds so it usually takes 3 gallons or less of water. I have a Zodi water pump that has very good pressure for the rinse.
http://amzn.to/2b3HznH

Next time it happens I'll videotape it!!!
Bob

Twould make an awesome Enigmatic Nomadic video.

 

[bigsallysmom]

"... I soaked, scrubbed and rinsed.  That took lots of water.  What do you mobile dwellers do?"

Be glad it was just cow pies.  

My dog rolled on a dead seal on the beach in WA.  I would have paid for a groomer to bathe her, but this was a Sunday.  On a cool day in fall.  Raining.  Finally, I found a place on the beach where a small river fed into the ocean.  I put her on a leash and forced her into the river, where I rubbed her all over as the water flowed.  When both of us were shivering, we went back to the van and toweled off.  Then headed south because I was supposed to be in Springfield, OR that afternoon.  Wonderful odor of dead seal and wet dog.  Drove with the heater on and the windows open.

Tip:  Carry dog shampoo.  Had I thought of it, I would have stopped at a stranger's house and offered to pay them $20 to let me use their hose (with the shampoo).

Ugh.  That sounded like a seriously unpleasant trip.  Mine will roll on old hides if she can find them.  Glad we didn't come upon something bloated and wet.

 

[NickTheoBennett]

If you don't have hydrogen peroxide, vinegar is also very effective for getting rid of skunk smell. My dog has been sprayed a few times living out in the country in Oregon and we never had hydrogen peroxide in the house. Of course it always happens at 10 p.m. when the stores are closed, so you use what's at hand.

I don't know about you guys, but I always have vinegar in the van. It works great for cleaning and disinfecting just about everything

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[NickTheoBennett]

Skunk spray is an oil, so anything that breaks down an oil will allow you to wash it off. That's why plain water and soap doesn't work.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

BTW, for skunk stink, use the following mix:

1 quart FRESH, UNOPENED Hydrogen Peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
1 tsp of dishwashing deterent.

Is there a reason opened Hydrogen Peroxide doesn't work?

 

[highdesertranger]

Dawn dish soap breaks down oil, so does Tide powdered clothes soap. they should work for skunk. my dog has been sprayed several times(over ten), fortunately for me skunk really doesn't bother me. he's been sprayed 3 feet away from me. of course I have grown up in the outdoors, to me cow poop is doggie treats, skunk smells like a certain illegal substance unless you live in certain states. now dead thing with maggots gags me, so have the shampoo ready. highdesertranger

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

Skunk doesn't bother me either. I remember everyone always thought I was weird because I didn't mind the smell of skunks, then in my 10th grade science class the teacher brought up something about how people have different ways of processing scents and thus skunks to some people aren't smelly. I forget the scientific particulars to the lesson, but it was good confirmation I wasn't in fact crazy!

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Skunk doesn't bother me either. 

When I was a boy there was an old bachelor farmer that kept a pet skunk, scent glands removed (I think); still smelled like a skunk.  He said the smell didn't bother him.  He didn't have any problems with break-ins, salesmen, solicitors, bill collectors, or women   

If I could figure out a way to remove the smell later, the scent would be a good deterrent to break-ins when leaving my camper for a multi-day hike.

 -- Spiff

 

[highdesertranger]

"He didn't have any problems with break-ins, salesmen, solicitors, bill collectors, or women." you had me spaceman until the last one. highdesertranger

 

[TrainChaser]

ERLH: "Is there a reason opened Hydrogen Peroxide doesn't work?"

Hydrogen peroxide is EXTREMELY unstable.  Shaking, exposure to light (esp UV), contamination by other materials, etc, will cause it to deteriorate rather rapidly.  And once it's opened, closing it doesn't seem to slow down its decomposition by much.  After all, how often do you use it?  Pour some over a scraped knee, cap it and put it back on the the shelf for a few months, and when you take it out again, it may have lost its extra molecule of oxygen and is basically just water.  (But don't drink it, just in case it has other, unnamed ingredients.)

Since I have dogs, I always just buy a quart for skunks, and get smaller bottles for use as a disinfectant.  Sure, I'll recap that, and try it the next time I need it, but if it doesn't fizz, it's no good for anything.

NTB:  "Skunk spray is an oil, so anything that breaks down an oil will allow you to wash it off."

Well, soap will wash off the oil, but it won't do anything about the sulfur of the chemical thiols that are the stink, to which humans are extremely sensitive.  Skunk spray also contains thioacetates, which slowly break down into more thiols.  That's why it lasts so long on a dog's coat if not treated properly, and also why it hangs in the air F=O=R=E=V=E=R on a hot summer night when you've got all the windows open.

And, from my large stock of useless information:  If you accidentally trap a skunk in a humane (like Havahart) trap, and he can't raise his tail, he may not spray BECAUSE SKUNKS DON'T LIKE SKUNK STINK!  But if you scare him too bad, he may cut loose anyway, and get it all over himself, and boy, is he going to cuss you out!  If you do have to approach a skunk in a trap, approach with a large piece of clear plastic in front of  you, then drop it over the cage and wrap it loosely.  Then do what you need to do: shoot it or put it in the back of the pickup and turn it loose somewhere far from you.  (I work with a local cat rescue and I've learned a lot about trapping cats.  And raccoons.  And opossums.  And skunks.)

 

[DannyB1954]

I am told dogs do that to cover up their own scent. A hunting instinct.

 

[Hippiechk]

She loves this sh¡t! I leave her to dry generally because she will likely just do it again. A couple cups of water rinses her down after a brushing. *laugh*