Saturday, November 19, 2011

Skunk Aftermath

As you may have seen from Keith's comment on Thursday night, he was able to get Lilly cleaned up pretty well after being skunked.  The problem was, it was 23 degrees outside when he began to clean her up at 9:45 PM.  Here is what we used to do it:

  • 1/4 cup baking soda
  • 1 qt 3 Percent strength hydrogen peroxide
  • 1 tsp liquid dish soap (we used Palmolive)
  • 1 tablespoon mineral or vegetable oil
  • Bucket
  • plastic gloves
  • washcloth
  • the recipe also called for her to be shampooed after being scrubbed.

Keith mixed the first four ingredients in a plastic bowl, which you are cautioned NOT to cover, as the peroxide and baking soda clash. He mixed them well, and then began to apply them to Lil with his hands. He realized how cold it was, and came in and brought her into the bathroom so he could do it in the tub. After the first application, he rinsed her off with the showerhead. Then he realized she still smelled, and he applied it all again, washing it in, and then rinsing again and towling her off. She stood very still while all this was going on, and he was very, very careful not to get anything in her eyes, which, thankfully, the skunk had missed.
After that, we let her stay in and curl up in her dog bed. Yes, there was a faint Oder De Skunk in the living room last night when I got home from work, but remarkably, it was very faint. Lil has only the barest whiff of it. 

We found several variations of this recipe on the net, and most called for mineral oil... Keith used one tablespoon of vegetable oil to bind everything together, and it worked fine.

We are PRAYING that Gertie Lou and Abby Lynn stay away from the skunk holes!
It is a glorious day here in Leavenworth County,
and I filled the morning with errands.  I scored HUGE when I dropped the eggs off at the food kitchen/thrift store.  I found 4 pairs of what I can only call "Christmas" curtains... they are lined panels of cotton (I hope, because I'm washing two) that were homemade, and are about 84 inches.  My plan is to take down the one pair of curtains in the living room and put a pair up... put two by the kitchen table, and then find a pair of green valances to put on the windows by the sink.  Right now, none of the windows in the kitchen have curtains.  I can only use these during Christmas season, but what the hey.  I paid $5.00 for the four pair.  Total.

I'll take pictures after they are ironed and up.

I also got four nice handled straw baskets for 2.00 total. (I fill baskets for family members yearly.)  I priced WalMart's at 3.50 each for wicker, but I got these for $.25.  Also, I got four bath hand towels in Christmas patterns at K Mart for $.89 each!  They will line the baskets. I'll take a picture of one when they are finished.

Here are some other things I got last night at WalMart when I stopped to get dog food:


The top two plates are part of the Better Homes and Gardens line of Christmas dishes at WalMart, sold for 2.98 here in our area.  I got four yesterday, and four last week, also coordinating patterns, but two have chickadees on them and two have cardinals.   I'm going to try to get four more and then serve a nice dessert on them at our Christmas party.  Yes, I know it's easier to use paper, but for my family, I would like to have a nice table.


These are the ones I really love... they are a Thanksgiving pattern, and all coordinate.  There were two other patterns, also.  I got these lovely little plates for $1.50 each on clearance!   Keith and I will use them Thursday on our table.   These were not carried at our closest WalMart, but one near my office, in Johnson County.

Here I am last night right where I wanted to be.  I had a very hard week at work this week, followed by the departure on Friday of a good friend, going on to a different (and better) job for her.  I'm so glad for her, but so sorry to see her go.  I came home pooped out, and Keith took this picture about 9, when I was watching "Diners, Driveins and Dives" on the Food Network.  That's the Food Network magazine on the floor by the couch, and Hannah's water, as we bring it to her now.  Gert and Abs had been outside a lot in the afternoon and were worn out, so it was nice to veg out and watch the cooks on tv.

Have a great Saturday!




14 comments:

  1. Well just don't you look cozy. A well deserved rest as busy as you have been.

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  2. Thanks a lot for your visit...
    Feel free to comment my old post,
    Greetings from France,

    Pierre

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  3. Sounds like you got some great goodies. Love the plates!

    Have a great Sunday.

    melinda

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  4. I love the photo of you and the dogs. Some great deals there also. Fun plates to use this week : )

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  5. You and the pugs are so adorable!! The four of you brought a smile to my face. :)

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  6. I love the plates. Poor Lilly and Keith. When I was 7, the family hunting dog met me when I got of the school bus. It had been skunked and he proceed to knock me down and got the skunk odor all over me. It was bad and there was no internet to look up the cleaning info.

    Thanks for commenting on my goat shack.

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  7. Wow, you absolutely did well on your shopping! Such fun.

    I've always wondered about those skunk stick washes for animals. I've heard tomato juice works, not sure why, i'm sure you tried that. Fortunately we've not seen a skunk around here, though they live in the area. We'd have to take our lives into our hands to wash the stink off our cat. Hopefully your babies learned their lesson!

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  8. Mary Ann....thanks so much for stopping by my blog and leaving such a kind comment.....Love you blog and will follow u ans about the skunks.....Oh dear, our Izzy was skunked some years back and it was awful, the smell stayed with her for a year! Every time it rained or we bathed her, you could faintly smell it!
    Have a great Sunday!

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  9. This is Keith again. This isn't the first time I've had to clean up a skunk sprayed dog. Tomato juice diluted in bathwater does work, but not as well as the hydrogen peroxide and baking soda mix. I think there is a chemical reaction that neutralizes the smell and the soap washes it away. I was very happily surprised at how easy it was this time.

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  10. I have wondered what I will do if my dogs meet a skunk. I remember as a kid my mom used tomato juice. I will have to remember this post for the future!

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  11. we like the dog whatever he smells like!

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  12. My goodness.. you certainly have had a rodeo at your place lately :)

    Glad the dog came out of the traumatic
    experience, just a little worse for wear.

    We have a local Mutt Wash that will clean your dogs for you if they have an encounter with a skunk. I've heard they work miracles... but, I certainly do not want to find out for ourselves :)

    Love the picture of you cozied up on the couch just relaxing. Watching DDD.... you are my kind of girl!!

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  13. Oh dear, skunks. We`ve used that recipe on our yellow lab when she ran into a skunk. It works better than any kind of store made recipe that we tried.

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  14. Poor Lil.

    Hopefully you and your friend will stay in contact.

    You all look comfortable!

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