Skunk stink can be wiped off - sorta

My dog, "Ol' Yeller and Stupid," recently got a dose of skunk wee-wee though I expressly told her to learn from her experiences the last time this happened.

It's the kind of stink that hurts a man's nose, eyes, and gentle temperament, in case your dog hasn't yet volunteered itself to the back end of a skunk. Screaming at the dog has no effect on the smell. Otherwise she'd have been cleansed in short order.

She was banished to the garage, then (feeling sorry for her because she's a house dog and the nighttime temperatures were in the 30's) to the basement for the night. She was really ashamed and miserable and feeling very persecuted.

Next day, I called the pet store and asked if there were a dry skunk-stink cure since it's winter, she's a really big dog, and giving her a bathroom bath would be almost as painful as paying someone else to do it. Pet store woman said no, the dog must be bathed, using a real stink remover.

She, however, is not in the loop with Rosalie. While I wondered whether baby diaper powder might not absorb the skunk goo on "Ol' Yeller and Stupid" and restore her olfactory self-respect, Rosalie thought of a better thing and it worked.

That thing is sanitary hand wipes. She worked the dog over with a few of these on the hair where "Ol..." stunk most. The dog isn't perfect but she's good enough to rejoin the family as long as she isn't really close.

EDIT 11/24/08 - This comment by Valerie offers a skunk chemical to neutralize the smell, not wipe it away as Rosalie did.

We have used this recipe from MedVets, in Columbus. It neutralizes the skunk chemical, not just mask the smell.

1/4 cup baking soda
1 bottle peroxide(the brown bottle)
appx 1 Tablespoon of liquid dish soap (like Dawn, Joy, etc). A good squirt

Only mix the ingredients fresh (do not store them already mixed). Completely saturate the affected area on the dog with the mixture (careful of the eyes), and let sit for 5-10 mins. Rinse. Repeat if you think you need, but once usually works.

Dogs really are affected emotionally from this (shame), so try not to shun them too bad.

Good Luck. We always keep these ingredients on hand and ready to mix.

Feeding fat dogs

If you have fat dogs, here's a way to cut back on their feed, help curb their appetites and skinny them up (down?). The vet told us to mix into their dog food some canned green beans.

We buy dog food "healthy weight" or something like that. I also put a shot of (cheap) olive oil on their feed. Good for me, good for doggie.

I have a big dog (golden retriever) and a little dog (who knows?) and big dog always gets twice as much food as little dog but at least three times as many beans.

Save A Lot has the best price on canned vegetables of anywhere I know in Newark. So I go there and buy beans by the case. Also, for variety I buy, peas, mixed vegetables, spinach and like that.

Also, Rosalie came up with the slickest bulk food for dogs for anyone with a garden: shredded zucchini. They love it. It's free. Life is good.