Skunk!

[Sandy 44]

This seems to be a good place to go for animal issues ..snakes , coyotes , skunks.

First off I have 3 dogs. The Boxer Hound mix is dumber than a bag of hammers I swear. This is the TENTH time at least in 2 years he has been sprayed . Seriously. My English Mastiff knows to stay away from skunks and my German Shepherd does not do anything unless I tell him it is ok. Bo? The Boxer Hound mix? I love him , but he is a big dope.

It makes everyone in the house gag as it comes straight through the walls. If I get pulled over , I am getting searched for sure as my car smells like a frat room in NYU.

I usually use Nature's Miracle , let it air dry , then give him a bath with Dawn dish detergent , vinegar , and baking soda . Makes a bit of a dog volcano but after 3 or 4 shampoos seems to work. Any other faster acting remedies would be appreciated.

Anyway , is there anything that works to keep them out of the yard? Anything? Someone said to use the coyote urine stuff they sell in hunting stores , but I wonder how long it works . If it is just a day or two I am not buying stock in the company and spreading it all around the yard every other day.

Dumb dog.   

[magnawing 5]

I put chlorine tablets, for pools, under my porch, around the house and under the shed about two months ago due to skunks. Haven't had a problem since.

[Sandy 44]

Forgot to mention , has to be non toxic in case the dogs or toddler gets it.   

[Silence Dogood 468]

Mothballs may repel them too.

[T Bill 649]

Skunks in your yard digging means you have grubs in the grass.  Get rid of the food supply (grubs).  Non-toxic is tough.  I have heard they do not like light or to get wet, so motion activated lights and sprinklers are about as non-toxic as you can get.

[Tack Tickle 0]

Motion activated sprinklers are a great idea.

 

Also get a big horned owl to stick up on your fence or prop it up on a post and they will stay away. Not a real horned owl of course... Although that would be cool...

[Sandy 44]

A taxidermy owl..yes!

I may try those motion water spray things. You just reminded me my grandfather use to use those to keep creatures out of his garden. Thanks :_

[fishnut 2,358]

The coyote or fox urine works fairly well but you do have to reapply every time it rains. And TBill hit the nail on the head. the skunks are there digging in your yard to eat grubs. control the grubs and you control the skunks. As far as the smell on the dog the recipe that you are already using of dawn, baking soda, and vinegar is the most effective I have found and woodlands wildlife refuge uses the same mix when they get sprayed. 

[Sandy 44]

Thanks I may pick up some of that too.

Just got done cleaning up the carcass. There are tufts of fur everywhere :/ Hazard of living near the river I guess. We average a kill per week. At least they eat the rabbits and just leave a pelt. On the upside we are able to maintain a fairly organic garden as no pest control is needed.   

[DaveMcL 18]

I've used Dawn , baking soda and hydrogen peroxide but it takes a few treatments. Smelly dogs no fun!!!

Good luck,

Dave

[HBecwithFn7 296]

So, the old thing about "tomato juice" is not reliable?  Or not *as* reliable?

[Sandy 44]

Tomato juice does nothing..except make your dog red. Nature's Miracle makes some decent stuff in a bottle. I use that first then do the household goods trifecta after they air dry.

[blksheep 466]

I heard they make good pets.

[silverado427 10,827]

I've used Dawn , baking soda and hydrogen peroxide but it takes a few treatments. Smelly dogs no fun!!!

Good luck,

Dave

Thats what worked for me 2 times.

[brucin 923]

" The Boxer Hound mix is dumber than a bag of hammers I swear."

 

I have to agree the pray drive in the hound rules the dog. Mine (see avatar) got hold of a toad and vomited several times and had the dry heaves for four hours. Think the sickest you ever got from drinking too much and multiply that by a factor of 10. I never heard a sound like that come from a dog. Less than a month later does the same thing.

 

​She's just lucky there are no really poisonous toads in the north east.

 

Now I go out and chase them away before walking the dog after it rains.

[Sandy 44]

Lol yeah , that sounds like something Bo would do. He is faithful , protective , but not one of the greatest planners I have ever met. We had a steel baby gate that he got hung up in , and instead of waiting for us to help him he went total King Kong and completely bent the steel bars. When he had to wear the cone of shame , it lasted about 10 minutes as he was running through the house and taking furniture with him in his efforts to get it off.

I don't like leaving dogs in the yard , but I rescued this English Mastiff a few years ago. She had been loose in the woods of Little Egg Harbor for about 8 months before they captured her. She NEVER , even after a few years , fully relaxes in the house. She just wants to be outside. We have a 3 season room on the back of the house and she has made that her den. Bo is super loyal to her and would rather stay with her. SO they are in the 3 season and yard , and my German Shepherd is in the house. All 3 are protective , so I don't mind the thorough perimeter control . But , I do feel walking a dog is better for your relationship , and your grass in your yard. Of which we have none.

Plus the English Mastiff is smelly . As a breed they are not for the fastidious. She has gas in the yard and you can smell it in the house briefly , I swear. And she drools . She is older , so once she is over the Rainbow Bridge I will go back to being the one to bring the dogs out to go , either in the yard or front. That should eliminate any critter issues since I can check the scene first.

For now going to try grub control and maybe some mothballs and motion sprinklers. Have to check to see if my dogs are repelled or interested in the mothballs first.


Thanks for the help , for all the joking it really is a huge drawn out disruption when he gets skunked.   
   

[HBecwithFn7 296]

Tomato juice does nothing..except make your dog red. Nature's Miracle makes some decent stuff in a bottle. I use that first then do the household goods trifecta after they air dry.

 

Fair enough...  Just out of curiosity, though, since it is more likely for the dog to get sprayed in the face (unless they're really good at flinching away before it hits), how do you clean the dog's head/face with all those nasty chemicals? Very carefully, I'd imagine.... It would be quite painful for me to watch a dog's eyes etc. being flushed with water or washed with those cleaners, etc., knowing how much dogs would prefer to be dry (which I know from personal experience of having bathed the family doberman many, many times as a kid).

[Sandy 44]

Honestly , I'm not very nice about it. I use to be , but my tolerance has gone down exponentially . Maybe it is the 3 kids that have made me more pragmatic and sometimes brutal in these situations ( I can completely field strip and reassemble a 3 year old boy in 15 seconds flat)

 The dog closes his eyes when I come at him with something , he knows what is going to happen lol . My official advice to another dog owner would be to gently rub the solution around his face with a soft cloth being careful to avoid his eyes. I go full Gatorade at a football game on his ass these days though. No time , and don't want to touch him anymore than I have to when he smells like that.   

[Sandy 44]

BUMP! It happened again , just now. Nobody can breathe in the house. I de-grubbed the yard , put mothballs around .

 

LARGE RED AND WHITE DOG , FREE TO GOOD HOME

[djg0770 481]

ROFLMFAO!!!

 

Been there.  I don't envy you.

[T Bill 649]

Been there done that.  I can honestly say I feel you pain. 

Mine has yet to go out for the last time tonight, so..............on a leash, just in case!

[T Bill 649]

Now you cursed me, it's calling card in now wafting in my front door.  DAMN.  I guess it's skunk's night out against homeowners.

[Sandy 44]

Is it this year or something? It's crazy. I am not exaggerating this is now about the 11th time since last summer. 

[Sandy 44]

I really do worry about the car reeking like skunk. I can see myself getting stopped at a checkpoint and getting searched. The car will smell like Colombian Top Shelf for a week.

[mipafox 438]

.22 LR

[Respect2A 0]

My boxer got it 2 nights ago. Shes 8 months old and hell on wheels. Right as I let her out the last time before bed. Got her good. In the eyes and mouth. She was drooling, snot dripping from her nose, eyes bloodshot and tearing bad. The worst part is I let her out and leave the sliding door open and she comes back in after she goes to the bathroom, well she blew right past me into the living room and started rubbing her face all over the carpet. So after a 10 pm visit to Wal-Mart I got her clean enough go be in the house. I bought the natures miracle skunk stuff the next day, but I think the homemade mixture did a better job.

[brucin 923]

Repeat after me. I love my dog. I love my dog

[BullzeyeNJ 104]

Here is something to try next time your dog gets skunked. Get a tube of Crest regular toothpaste and use that like a shampoo. Let it lather up in the coat then rinse off. I have seen it work better then all the other OTC or home de-skunk remedies put together.

[Sandy 44]

My boxer got it 2 nights ago. Shes 8 months old and hell on wheels. Right as I let her out the last time before bed. Got her good. In the eyes and mouth. She was drooling, snot dripping from her nose, eyes bloodshot and tearing bad. The worst part is I let her out and leave the sliding door open and she comes back in after she goes to the bathroom, well she blew right past me into the living room and started rubbing her face all over the carpet. So after a 10 pm visit to Wal-Mart I got her clean enough go be in the house. I bought the natures miracle skunk stuff the next day, but I think the homemade mixture did a better job.

Yes , the home remedy does work better.

 

 

Here is something to try next time your dog gets skunked. Get a tube of Crest regular toothpaste and use that like a shampoo. Let it lather up in the coat then rinse off. I have seen it work better then all the other OTC or home de-skunk remedies put together.

 

Crest , huh? I assume ti has to be the original pasty light blue stuff , right?