23 years living here and our first real skunk encounter!

[Tambrey]

Well...hubby let Ghost out the front door to go potty before bed...but instead of running to his usual far corner of the yard, he went off to the side to sniff (what hubby thought was) a black cat...he told Ghost to leave the cat alone and go potty, so Ghost trotted off down the sidewalk...and then...the odor hit my husband on the front porch...he looked down and a skunk was there on the side of the stairs on the sidewalk

Ghost got done, ran up the walk, up the stairs and into the vestibule...and the odor his worse...hubby looked at him and his eyes were watering...Ghost's were...he got sprayed....

It was about 12:45 at night...we had no peroxide in the house...so hubby mixed up vinegar, baking soda and dawn and got into the bathtub with Ghost...did as well as he could...we got to bed around 2:00am, with Ghost shut off downstairs, and our bedroom door also shut...

I called the vet at 7:30 when they opened, and went to get some Skunk Off...I did not want to put Ghost in the car if I did not have to, and his eyes looked fine today...no watering or redness or swelling, so I figure it was just the odor....I was hoping that (at home sick) hubby could bathe Ghost and I could go to work...but I was told at the vet that I smelled like skunk

Sooo...I drove home....have the screen in the vestibule door since that is where ghost was relegated to during the worst of his ordeal...Ghost and I have had our first bath with Skunk Off...they gave us enough in a bottle for 4 shampoos for his size...at first he did not want to get into the tub again, but when I stepped in...clothed and all, he just walked over the edge of the tub and sat down...so it was not too bad for either of us,....

He is dried....all the laundry that was in baskets in the hall, or in the bathroom, are downstairs being washed on the heavy soil setting with odoban added to the laundry soap...
I have a diffuser sitting up high on a shelf in the living room running water and lemon essential oil to neutralize the indoor odors...and a pan of water with more lemon essential oil simmering on the stove...

and watching all critters for any reactions to lemon EO (and it is only 3 drops in the pan of water and 2 in the diffuser...and our main floor is all an open floor plan of about 800 ft2 for living room, dining room, kitchen and entry hall and ceilings are 12 feet high, so the oil is very diluted for this size of an area!)...but it is the only thing I could think of to neutralize the odor on a cold windy snowy day since I cannot open windows and run fans!

[k9Karen]

I've always heard tomato juice was the answer. You might want to stock up on some in case that black and white critter decides to stick around.

[Tambrey]

yeah really...I did get some peroxide today to keep on hand!

[Cleo]

JB has been skunked 3 times in her life already. First time was right in the eyes and real bad. We didn't find Skunk Off or tomato juice much help. Peroxide, blue Dawn and baking soda. The trick is to not wet the dog beforehand. Mix it up into a paste and lather on the dog first in the affected areas. Don't mix it up in a closed container either, it'll explode.

Good luck, that smell lasts forever.

[Traci]

Cinnamon might be better to simmer on the stove. Just a pinch in a saucepan, simmer on low - be sure no pets in the kitchen when you are simmering something on the stove.

Hopefully, all pets are vaccinated to date?

[Tambrey]

The outside cats do not get vaccinated...only because there are just too many to try to do that as well...however...as they get TNRed they are tested for feline leukemia and vaccinated with one round of shots at that time...I figure it is at least something...and so far negative on the feline leukemia, so that is good...

dogs are kept up on shots because they are inside and outside....

I did not think of cinnamon....I just know that they say to put lemon in the oven after you do fish to neutralize the odor...so lemon is the first thing I thought of!

[Traci]

I've never heard of the lemon thing, I've just always used cinnamon, like for when the SO burns up the microwave, or something burned on the stove, or he brings the shopvac in and it hasn't been cleaned, or......that said, if you don't want to use cinnamon, anything citrusy I would think would do - orange and lemon together are good, as is a touch of vanilla.

For vaccinations, if at all possible, the most important of all is rabies for both cats and dogs - next would be distemper for both. Rabies is fatal if acquired and no pet should ever have to suffer through that. Distemper can be fatal as well, although with prompt and agressive treatment, the chances for survival are better - but it can still be fatal depending on the age, health, immune status etc of the pet. It also is not a disease any pet should have to suffer.

[Tambrey]

my border collie...many years ago...actually suffered through a bad reaction from a distemper shot and almost died...her trainer at the time (it was before I got her) kept her on a heating pad/blanket and her son never left Queenie's side the entire time she was sick...he slept on that blanket with her and held her...then...when her owner got transfered and could not take her, the military training stopped and he asked the trainer to just find her a good loving home...she knew I had been wanting a border collie, so gave her to me...without telling her son...a few weeks later, I looked out the window to see a strange man calling her to the fence...I ran out...it was the son...he had been driving all over the city (in Woodbridge, VA at the time) up and down every street...calling to any dog that looked like her...wanting to be sure she was in a good home....when he found her, he almost cried with relief and I promised him she would have a good forever home...and she did...even through our move to Iowa...and even after I moved away from home and left her with my parents...and even after my dad died...even after she could no longer follow mom up the stairs and lay outside the bathroom door...until the day the vet came and sat on the living room floor with mom while Queenie crossed the Rainbow Bridge in Mom's lap...she had a good forever home and a good long life!

funny...how one story leads to another furkid in our life,....

[Traci]

Nice story about Queenie. Sounds like she had a wonderful life.

But please don't let that prevent you from getting distemper shots. If you're worried, you can always drop the pet off in the morning, have the vaccination done, request the vet/staff monitor throughout the day, then pick up later. Most reactions are lethargy or fever, the latter treatable with fluids and monitorization.

[k9Karen]

Tracy - can the oral rabies vaccines that's used for wildlife be used with feral cats? Just a thought.