Advice: Skunked! Now What?
Dear Buckaroo,
My darling corgi Mazie got sprayed by a skunk recently. We tried tomato juice, but it didn’t take out all of the smell. What do you suggest?
Signed,
Susanne in Asheville, NC
Dear Susanne,
First of all, we dogs often confuse skunks with kitties and think the furry black-and-white creature is just another cat to annoy. Big surprise when we discover it’s not a cat at all!
When one of us canines gets sprayed by a skunk, here’s the best medicine:
- 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide, ¼ cup baking soda, and 1 teaspoon hand soap or dishwashing soap. Rub the mixture into her fur and rinse thoroughly. Then shampoo and rinse again.
Do not save leftover de-skunking mixture. Discard what you don’t use, because the chemical reactions just might result in some explosive living through chemistry.
About Buckaroo: Buckaroo is young, male Australian Shepherd who outwits his owner at every turn. His intelligence is so keen he would be the perfect pet for the nerdy scientists on Big Bang Theory. We joke that if Buckaroo were a human, he would grow up to be either a mastermind criminal, or invent a product to save the world.
Tigger Montague of BioStar US is the daughter of a baker, and the granddaughter of a dairyman, and has inherited the same passions as her family about real food. With over 30 years experience in the equine and human supplement industry, Tigger knows nutrition from the synthetic side as well as the whole food side. She started Biostar in 2006 with formulas she created in her kitchen. Before she started the company, she was an avid rider and competitor with eventing and show jumping, until she got hooked on dressage in the late 1980’s. She has competed on horses she’s owned and trained all the way from training level to grand prix.
