Peeeeeewwwwwww!! Skunk!

[Black Feather]

Uhg, ok I'm sitting here with the smell of skunk delicately wafting through the air. I went out to look after my chickens for the evening when what should assault my poor nose as I was in the coop? Why, the overpowering smell of skunk. My poor dog who had accompanied me to the coop saw what she must have thought was the neighbours black and white cat (an honest mistake). Unfortunately it wasn't a cat.....and you can guess the ending of this story. My poor dear dog is sleeping in the barn tonight after a frantic yet futile bath.

Now, my lovely smelling dog I can handle after a visit to the vet clinic for a bottle of the appropriate shampoo. What I'm trying to figure out is how to get rid of the skunk which has not managed to spray one of the horses and now my dog. Thankfully all the chickens are ok as I think the skunk has been dropping by for leftover feed that is outside.

Other than shooting the beasty, what is the best way to remove a skunk from the area??

Urban Coyote

 

[bangor777]

oooh, oooh, just had this happen the other night. i went right out to the store....not a good idea to let the smell soak in, can take months longer to go away....tackle it right away! i used downy fabric softener, washed my pup three times in the hose outside. he smells awesome, he immediately was tolerable and within one to two days the skunk smell was completely gone, but he still smells like dryer sheets. Got the tip off the internet...best i've ever used. my vet (the next day) recommended peroxide mixed with a 1/2 cup baking soda and 2 tablespoons of dish soap. Warning....she said use and discard....if stored it can explode! i never had to use it though as the downy did the trick perfectly. Good luck to you!!!!

 

[Ginger Chic]

Oh, I feel your pain!! Fortunately my father is a Veterinarian who practices old fashioned, common sense medicine. I have his recipe for "De-Skunking" solution that has saved my dogs after many encounters. I keep all the ingredients together with a beer pitcher in case of an emergency.

De-Skunk
1 qt 3% Hydrogen Peroxide (just plain ole HO)
1/4 cup Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Liquid Hand Soap

Mix together in a pitcher. Wash thoroughly!! Get your fingernails down to the skin. (The solution will breakdown the oil in the skunk spray.) Rinse under a waterhose.

No fear... Doggy Dear will be sleeping comfortably inside with no hesitation. (I currently have one small-medium size pup. For larger dogs, or ones with thicker coats you may want to multiply the recipe.)

 

[panner123]

Quote:
I will back this method 100%. I have been using it for years.

 

[Black Feather]

Thanks guys! I found that same recipe on the internet last night. The only problem was I only had a small bottle of peroxide and in my rush to get it mixed up I used baking powder instead of baking soda. I mixed the baking soda in as well and went to work. Tala is a German Shepherd, so her coat is thick and I only had a small amount of the de-skunk solution. I did what I hoped were the worst areas and rinsed her eyes and nose with warm water a whole bunch of times. She still smelled a bit so she had to sleep in the barn. She's inside now and still smalls, but it's tolerable. I would have gotten more stuff to clean her off with, but all the stores were closed and the closest one that may have been open was half an hour away, so that was a no-go.

Now, what do I do about the skunk that has taken up residence on the farm somewhere? I can try to live trap and re-locate it, but how do you do that with a skunk?

Urban Coyote

 

[tlb]

My mutt has been skunked literally 10 - 12 times over the last 3 years, and the 1 qt Hydrogen Peroxide, 1/4 cup Baking Soda, 1 teaspoon Liquid Hand Soap solution mentioned by Ginger Chic works great for getting rid of the stink. My wife and I learned of this solution a couple of years ago and have been using it ever since...it really works.

 

[Opa]

Unfortunately, I now keep all of the skunk formula ingredients on hand at all times. Lesson learned the hard way at 3am.

 

[antlers]

Quote:
You can trap with a live trap and eggs as bait but your going to have a trap that will be unusble for a few months or more for coons or anything else . Also SOMEONE is going to have to let the sucker go and it AINT going to be me! BTDT. I dont recommend the traps for these unless there is no other option.

I have had to do 4 skunks this fall. Best way is with a shotgun and large size shot. You dont want a head kill as it makes the body convulse and that lets a really good stream of stink go that will last in the area for days. MANY days as it gets cooler. You want a shoulder/gut type shot. This way it does not cause body spasms . If the smell is too bad, your hens may stop laying for maybe 2 weeks. Then use a pitch fork to move it for burial. Course this assumes you can shot in your location.

Skunks can't run fast and if you have a strong flashlight it is easy to see their eyes at night and have time to get yourself armed to do the dead.