A19

Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

Speak Up

It is the time of year when many of mother natures' little black and white creatures known as the skunk are out an about.

Dogs will often become very excited when they spot these little guys wandering around and often mistake them for something that they can make friends with.

This excitement often leads to a very short lived chase with a very pungent end. Skunks truly have a dreaded smell they can call their own.

In the skunks' defense, they do try very hard to warn away over-zealous canines with some foot stomping, hissing and tail flagging, but usually to no avail.

As a last resort, the skunk will release scented fluid by contracting muscles surrounding its scent sacs. These little creatures can spray this foul smelling fluid up to 10 feet with great accuracy.

At this point, our beloved four-legged friend comes bounding home to share his or her newfound "goodies" with us. To our dog's amazement, we are never as excited about this adventure as they are.

Once we accept the fact that our dog has been "skunked," we then proceed to try various ways of ridding our dog, our home and now ourselves of this odor because by now, moist dogs have been rubbing themselves up against everything they come across in an attempt to rid themselves of this overpowering, eye-watering smell.

There are many commercial products available to ease the power of the skunk. One of the old home-style favorites is tomato juice. This will help somewhat but does leave behind a continued lingering smell.

If you have a white dog, the tomato juice will cause your dog to be a pretty shade of pink for a day or two.

One of the most effective skunk odor remedies can easily be made from things you most likely already have available around the house.

Mix together 4 cups of hydrogen peroxide, 4 tablespoons of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of dish soap.

Before bathing your dog, you should place some cotton balls in his or her ears to prevent the mixture from getting into the ear canal.

I do suggest wearing rubber gloves before handling your smelly friend up close and personal.

Start by applying the solution at your dog's head. Do not let the solution run into their eyes.

Work backwards along the spine of your dog all the way to the tip of their tail, then under the belly, chest area and legs. Rub into the coat and let sit for a few minutes. Rinse well and repeat.

One tip to remember is to remove the collar the dog was wearing at the time of the encounter and replace it with a new one.

If you leave the old collar, the odor will remain in the material and linger for days and even weeks.

Keep an eye on your dog. They will not learn from this encounter with nature and will run happily up to the next skunk they see in hopes of once again making a new friend.

It is your responsibility as a dog owner to keep your dog safe, happy and healthy.

* Pet Chat is a weekly question and answer column written by Moncton SPCA Director of Operations Nanette Pearl.

Do you have a question about pets, the Moncton SPCA or anything else "pet" related? Send your questions by e-mail to nanette@monctonspca.org or visit the Moncton SPCA website at www.monctonspca.ca.

The staff and volunteers of the SPCA remind readers to please spay and neuter their pets.