Skunk found the coop, dog found the skunk.

[bobbi-j]

DH and I went out for supper tonight, and got home after dark. I came up to the house, put on my boots, grabbed a flashlight and walked out to the coops to lock the chickens up. As I was coming out of the first coop, (I always check inside the coops before shutting them up for the night so I don't lock in any unwanted visitors) I saw the dog snuffling and rolling around in the snowbank. (Yes, it's the middle of April and we still have snow. We got 8" on Wed. night of this week) I thought to myself, "I wonder what it is about snow that dogs always love to roll around and bulldoze through it." Then I got closer, inhaled, and realized why the poor dog was rolling around in the snow. I then saw the skunk in the run of the second coop. Shut the coop door, but didn't go inside it to close the pop door as the skunk was right next to it, and the coop smelled like the skunk had sprayed inside it. Went to the shop and called DH, asking him to bring the gun so he could shoot it. Sadly, I didn't realize that the gate to the run was also open, so Pepe LePew was gone before DH got there. The dog is now an outside dog for a few days, my boots are out in the garage, coat and other clothes in the wash, and I'm headed for the shower to wash the Eau De Skunk out of my hair. I didn't even get sprayed, but had to stick my head in the coop to make sure the varmint didn't go back in there instead of leaving the area, and the smell stuck to me. We won't be setting traps. We live in a rural area where skunks, coons, possums and other varmints are abundant and we'd be catching and killing all the time. We tend to let them be unless we happen to see them in the vicinity of the coops.

PS - no chickens were harmed in the making of this evening's adventure. They were all up on the roosts, probably oblivious to everything going on around them. I'm sure it was in eating the feed.

 

[sourland]

Oh, my, an odor to be revisited every time the humidity rises above 50 % for weeks if not months. There was just an online article about a 'skunk remover' solution for sprayed dogs - involved peroxide, dish soap and one other ingredient. I'll try to see if I can locate it. Is your new 'cologne' still working?

 

[sourland]

OK, I found it. the concotion consists of 1 qt hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda, and 2 tbsp of liquid dish soap - avoid eyes and face and rinse thoroughly. DISCLAIMER - I have never tried this. Good luck.

 

[sourland]

It's me again - gotta share. Payback is a b***h. I laughed at your situation, and Karma bit me in the butt. Just finished washing our dog who decided to roll in and cover herself with deer poop - what a mess.

I promise to never laugh at another ever again.

 

[Ceilismom]

OK, I found it. the concotion consists of 1 qt hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda, and 2 tbsp of liquid dish soap - avoid eyes and face and rinse thoroughly. DISCLAIMER - I have never tried this. Good luck.

I have tried this concoction, when my cat got sprayed about 10 years ago. It reduced the stench on him by about 90-95%. The quicker you use it, the more effective it is.

 

[Northie]

I have heard about people using either mouth wash or toothpaste to get rid of the skunk smell. I've tried the peroxide mix but I might try the mouth wash next time.

 

[bobbi-j]

Oh, my, an odor to be revisited every time the humidity rises above 50 % for weeks if not months. There was just an online article about a 'skunk remover' solution for sprayed dogs - involved peroxide, dish soap and one other ingredient. I'll try to see if I can locate it. Is your new 'cologne' still working?

Oh boy, am I familiar with that "odor" being revisited. We had a skunk that sprayed INSIDE our attached garage about 8 years ago (long story for another day). For the next couple of years, if it got humid outside, there would still be a faint reminder of that day. As for the inside of the house... well, we won't even go there. I will tell you that it sprayed under the stairway that leads up to the entry (we have a split level house) so it was along the wall that goes into the house. 'Nuff said. My DH ever so gently - or not - is the one who strongly suggested I remove that cologne from myself before going to bed last night. Sigh. Guess I'll have to try something else. At least I got his attention!

It's me again - gotta share. Payback is a b***h. I laughed at your situation, and Karma bit me in the butt. Just finished washing our dog who decided to roll in and cover herself with deer poop - what a mess.

I promise to never laugh at another ever again.

HA! That's what happens when you laugh at another's misfortunes, Sourland!

Ceilismom and Northie - Thanks for the advice. I've never heard of the mouthwash idea before. I used to work at a pharmacy, and every hunting season we'd get a few hunters coming in looking for hydrogen peroxide for the dogs that got sprayed. Glad to know it worked on the cat. I've given some thought to putting it in a spray bottle and spraying the inside walls of the coop to see if it helps.

 

[Nslangton]

I have tried this concoction, when my cat got sprayed about 10 years ago. It reduced the stench on him by about 90-95%. The quicker you use it, the more effective it is.

I used this concoction too. Had two dogs get sprayed badly at the same time. Used a box of baking soda, 1/2 bottle of hydrogen peroxide, and 1 ounce of dawn dish liquid. Smell was completely gone after one bath!!! The hydrogen peroxide can cause blindness if it gets in the dogs eyes though, so be careful. You can either coat the dogs eyes with lots of Vaseline or put liquid tears in them to protect the eyes during the bath. I am afraid we are going to have this problem again because a skunk decided to make its home under our garden shed ugh.