Skunked - no aviation content

wrbix

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For all the years I've lived in the country, I've never had a significant Skunk encounter until this AM:

5AM dogs (2 Labs) got me up for their breakfast as usual, then out to do their AM rounds, while I returned to bed. Five-year-old came in through doggy door in what seemed a bit more urgency than usual, followed a few minutes later by the two-year-old - into the bed with us as usual. WHAT IS THAT SMELL???!!!
SKUNK - must've been a distant or retreating spray; Bucky not in any ophth, resp, or facial distress.

What now? - to bathtub (I'd already disassembled the outdoor dog wash station in anticipation of freezing temps), and aggressive scrub with shampoo and then Peroxide - to surprisingly good result!
Still laundering the sheets.
File peroxide away as positive result (know country folk recommend tomato juice, but that's gotta make a mess)
 
You've been skunked by no aviation content?
 
The skunk remedy that worked for us (and recommended by our vet and Mythbusters):

1 qt hydrogen peroxide
1 small box baking soda
1 heavy squirt of Dawn dishwashing detergent

Lather, soak 10 minutes, rinse with warm water. Keep it out of eyes, though.
 
When I lived in Southern California I used to see those things walking home. I bought a slingshot in Guatemala, and carried it just so I could bullseye those pests to honk them off. They did the whole stand with their tail high in the air thing. I'd keep zapping them with rocks until they sprayed themselves or wandered off. At least rats don't give off bad smells.
 
My dad lived in a forested area of southern Oregon. He reached an accommodation with the family of skunks that lived under his back deck ... they got cat food delivered in a bowl on the deck every day, and he got protection.

:eek:
 
I once gained the favor of a skunk. Stopped the Gold Wing in the middle of an s-curve to avoid him and he just ambled back off the road with no mal-intent and didn't raise his tail.We both went peacefully on our ways. Thankfully given that one lived in our neighborhood he never invaded our fenced back yard.
 
My dad lived in a forested area of southern Oregon. He reached an accommodation with the family of skunks that lived under his back deck ... they got cat food delivered in a bowl on the deck every day, and he got protection.

:eek:

Haaa, a protection racket by the local skunk mafia
 
My dad lived in a forested area of southern Oregon. He reached an accommodation with the family of skunks that lived under his back deck ... they got cat food delivered in a bowl on the deck every day, and he got protection.

:eek:

Years ago a momma skunk would have her babies in our barn. She did that for 4 years. She was very friendly and would let us get about 5 feet of her kits. Any closer and she would start stomping her front feet. First warning. Unless the person had a bowl of milk and cat food which we gave her when she was with her kits.

She never did smell up the area.

They can make good pets if captured young, and de-sented.
 
I've always liked skunks. I have quite a few living on the land, and we've become friendly. Here's one of them:

stinky-1.jpg


Skunks quickly get accustomed to and even friendly towards humans who are regularly around them and who cause them no harm. They're one of the few wild animals who retain a willingness to befriend humans once they're adults. "My" skunks often join me on the porch at night for conversations and snacks. I feed them bits of food from my hand. (Yes, I have had a recent rabies inoculation.)

The only thing to be careful about is not to scare them. No toothy smiles, no sudden movements, that sort of thing. Also, they don't see especially well, so they sometimes will literally walk right into you while they're foraging. No big deal as long as you don't react in a way that they perceive as aggressive or threatening.

Rich
 
I have had way more skunk encounters this year than I would have preferred. Dog has been sprayed 3 times and yes the bakingsoda, peroxide and vinegar system works well. I have been chased by two of them. Called animal control and they wanted $500.00 to come trap them. They got a $.50 shotgun shell instead. Haven't seen another one in a few months now.
 
When I lived in Southern California I used to see those things walking home. I bought a slingshot in Guatemala, and carried it just so I could bullseye those pests to honk them off. They did the whole stand with their tail high in the air thing. I'd keep zapping them with rocks until they sprayed themselves or wandered off. At least rats don't give off bad smells.

SoCal, huh? Just so you know, this is not a skunk.
0c3f76645463afc54dfe334d002c809a.jpg


I mean, yeah it might smell bad but still, not a skunk.
 
The skunk remedy that worked for us (and recommended by our vet and Mythbusters):

1 qt hydrogen peroxide
1 small box baking soda
1 heavy squirt of Dawn dishwashing detergent

Lather, soak 10 minutes, rinse with warm water. Keep it out of eyes, though.

This.

My pup has been skunked twice and this is a best recipe out there.
 
This.

My pup has been skunked twice and this is a best recipe out there.
Will add the baking soda and Dawn should it happen again.
.....and not to restart this debate, but combining baking soda and vinegar still makes no sense: base neutralizes acid
NaHCO3 + HAcetate -> H2O + NaAcetate + CO2
 
I've always liked skunks. I have quite a few living on the land, and we've become friendly. Here's one of them:

stinky-1.jpg


Skunks quickly get accustomed to and even friendly towards humans who are regularly around them and who cause them no harm. They're one of the few wild animals who retain a willingness to befriend humans once they're adults. "My" skunks often join me on the porch at night for conversations and snacks. I feed them bits of food from my hand. (Yes, I have had a recent rabies inoculation.)

The only thing to be careful about is not to scare them. No toothy smiles, no sudden movements, that sort of thing. Also, they don't see especially well, so they sometimes will literally walk right into you while they're foraging. No big deal as long as you don't react in a way that they perceive as aggressive or threatening.

Rich

Here kitty, kitty, kitty.....

Skunks were always good to have in the barn. I have moved hay bales from the barn into a truck or trailer and they did not even take notice.

But then again, they do have a good aim and are pretty good at self defense....
 
Here kitty, kitty, kitty.....

Skunks were always good to have in the barn. I have moved hay bales from the barn into a truck or trailer and they did not even take notice.

But then again, they do have a good aim and are pretty good at self defense....

They're very polite, though. They always give warning first. They stamp their feet, and if that doesn't work, they arch their backs. If that doesn't work, up goes the tail, and that's all she wrote.

Skunks actually don't like spraying, though. It irritates them and they don't like the smell. Also, it can take a few days to as long as two weeks for them to "recharge," as it were, after spraying, during which time they're at a survival disadvantage. Consequently, they really try to avoid spraying unless they think their lives are in danger and whatever they believe is endangering them simply won't cease and desist.

I have a dopey fox who thinks he's a dog who comes around once in a while begging for handouts. When he was young, he decided to mess with a skunk. The skunk tried in every way to avoid spraying him. It stamped its feet, arched its back, bared its teeth, snarled, hissed, and everything else it could think of, but the fox wouldn't back down. So finally the skunk sprayed him. He hasn't messed with a skunk since. Maybe he's not so dopey after all.

One of the reasons I don't hunt (other than red squirrels -- I hate those commie bastards) is because animals don't seem to fear me. I mean, how could I shoot this deer? Where would be the sport?

dopey-deer.jpg


I renew my hunting license every year, but I haven't shot anything other than red squirrels and a rabid raccoon since the 1980s. There's just no sport in shooting something that doesn't have the good sense to be afraid of me.

Rich
 
Will add the baking soda and Dawn should it happen again.
.....and not to restart this debate, but combining baking soda and vinegar still makes no sense: base neutralizes acid
NaHCO3 + HAcetate -> H2O + NaAcetate + CO2

I don't think it has anything to do with the pH. I think the peroxide does the heavy lifting by oxidizing the thiols in the spray. The Dawn (or any surfactant -- I personally would use baby shampoo) is probably worthwhile in removing remnants of the spray. The baking soda, I suspect, does nothing useful at all.

Rich
 
I don't think it has anything to do with the pH. I think the peroxide does the heavy lifting by oxidizing the thiols in the spray. The Dawn (or any surfactant -- I personally would use baby shampoo) is probably worthwhile in removing remnants of the spray. The baking soda, I suspect, does nothing useful at all.

Rich
I've seen baking soda and vinegar used as foaming agents in cleaning solutions. May help move liberated solids/liquids away from the skin and hair. I think a dog wouldn't like it much...
 
I don't think it has anything to do with the pH. I think the peroxide does the heavy lifting by oxidizing the thiols in the spray. The Dawn (or any surfactant -- I personally would use baby shampoo) is probably worthwhile in removing remnants of the spray. The baking soda, I suspect, does nothing useful at all.

Rich
My understanding is the surfactant (Dawn or baby shampoo), breaks down any oils carrying the spray and gets the solution into the fur. The peroxide oxidizes whatever needs oxidizing, and the baking soda does chemistry stuff that increases the cleaning ability of the peroxide + sodium bicarb mixture.


I found this:

>>>

stinky.jpg
How it works

First a quote from Dr. Caceci of Texas A&M University:

Forget what you have heard about tomato juice--it doesn't work. Skunk spray is mainly composed of low molecular weight thiol compounds. ("Thiols" are compounds with the "-SH radical" attached to a carbon atom.) In industrial applications, alkaline hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is used for scrubbing similar compounds from waste gas streams.

Hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, when combined, become a "chemical engine" for churning out oxygen. That's why it has to be used immediately after mixing. The soap breaks up the oils in the skunk spray, allowing the other ingredients to do their work.

<<<
 
My understanding is the surfactant (Dawn or baby shampoo), breaks down any oils carrying the spray and gets the solution into the fur. The peroxide oxidizes whatever needs oxidizing, and the baking soda does chemistry stuff that increases the cleaning ability of the peroxide + sodium bicarb mixture.


I found this:

>>>

stinky.jpg
How it works

First a quote from Dr. Caceci of Texas A&M University:

Forget what you have heard about tomato juice--it doesn't work. Skunk spray is mainly composed of low molecular weight thiol compounds. ("Thiols" are compounds with the "-SH radical" attached to a carbon atom.) In industrial applications, alkaline hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is used for scrubbing similar compounds from waste gas streams.

Hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, when combined, become a "chemical engine" for churning out oxygen. That's why it has to be used immediately after mixing. The soap breaks up the oils in the skunk spray, allowing the other ingredients to do their work.

<<<

Ah, okay. That makes sense.

I guess I should have known that, actually. OxiClean, which I use to clean practically everything, is sodium percarbonate, which is an adduct of peroxide and sodium carbonate.

I stock up on the big boxes of OxiClean at BJ's or Sam's whenever they have it on sale. I have yet to come across anything it doesn't clean. It takes stains out of carpets, grease out of work clothes, **** stains out of baby diapers, farts out of chair cushions... You name it, it cleans it. I suppose it works on skunk spray, too.

Rich
 
My understanding is the surfactant (Dawn or baby shampoo), breaks down any oils carrying the spray and gets the solution into the fur.

Yup...the Dawn breaks down the oils of the skunk spray. Original Blue Dawn is actually the most common and effective cleaner they use on wildlife that get into oil slicks or oil spills.
 
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