Skunk!

Of all the mishaps our dogs experience when they tangle with wildlife, getting skunked is by far the most noxious. The human nose can detect skunk spray up to 3.5 miles away, so we know what happened from a distance. The dog may show symptoms like very red eyes, rolling on the ground and rubbing its face, sneezing, vomiting and drooling. Some dogs exhibit temporary blindness, which should resolve itself in a few hours.

Some dogs will develop symptoms that persist longer than a few hours or get worse. Rarely, dogs may develop delayed symptoms, like lethargy, weakness and pale or brown gums that appear up to a week later. These pets should be examined by a veterinarian.

For everyone's sake, do NOT let your dog inside your home until you have removed the oil (and the smell) as much as possible. Skunk spray odor can linger for up to a year if not entirely removed from the skin and coat. My own experience with treating them in the clinic is the odor lingers for days after the dog has left. Also try not to touch the oil with your bare hands. Use heavy rubber gloves, like dishwashing gloves, to protect your skin and discard the gloves afterwards.

DESKUNKING YOUR DOG

1. Most dogs get sprayed in the face. Flush your dog's eyes and mouth with cool water. You can also use a veterinary eye wash to rinse eyes.

2. Use an old towel to remove as much oil as you can, then discard the towel.

3. Bath Time! If you have a curious dog with lots of room to roam, you may want to keep a commercial skunk removal shampoo on hand. Chewy.com rated the following shampoos as most effective:

Nature's Miracle Skunk Odor Remover - best overall

Thornell Skunk-Off shampoo - best on a budget

Hyponic DeSkunk Pet shampoo - longest lasting

Tough Stuff Skunked Deodorizing Dog shampoo

Skout's Honor Professional Strength Skunk Odor Eliminator

If you would rather shop on Amazon, they carry DeSkunk Odor Destroying shampoo and Petpost Skunk Odor shampoo.

Follow the label instructions!

If you don't have one of these products on hand, you can make a solution at home that is effective.

DIY Skunk Shampoo Recipe

1 quart of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide

1/4 cup baking soda

1 tsp liquid dishwashing soap, like Dawn

After mixing solution, wear rubber gloves to thoroughly saturate dog's coat and skin. Allow it to soak for at least 5 minutes but no more than 20 minutes. Rinse completely until solution is gone. Do NOT let the dog lick this solution, it will cause vomiting. Dogs with dark fur may experience some bleaching of color. Also do NOT store unused solution; it will explode!

4. Once you have removed the skunk oil as completely as you can, bathe your dog with regular dog shampoo to remove any residue left by treatment products.

5. Towel dry your very clean dog and allow him or her to finish drying in a warm sunny room.

6. Wash all of the clothes you wore to bathe your dog in a separate load with laundry detergent and a 1/2 cup of baking soda. If the clothes still smell bad after being washed, consider discarding them. The companies that make the shampoos mentioned above also make laundry products to remove skunk smell from clothes.

People have long recommended using tomato juice or vinegar and water to neutralize the smell; however, they don't seem to be as effective as commercial shampoos or the recipe above. Tomato juice will also stain light colored fur.

Now that we have cleaned up the dog, how can we try to avoid this in the future? Skunks are nocturnal so making our yard less appealing at night is the key. Leaving outdoor lights on at night or placing solar lights around the yard may deter skunks. Another deterrent may be sprinkler systems that are timed to run at night. Skunks are curious and like to crawl into small spaces. Patch any holes in the foundations and close the doors of any outbuildings at night. Also, secure the lids on trash cans and do not leave pet food outside.