Here’s a May Day! emergency you hope to avoid: skunk spray. As Bay Area natives, skunks are here to stay so encounters are not rare. Good news, skunks are reluctant to use their spray (accurate up to 3 feet, strong enough to send bears scurrying) and typically warn first by “presenting” a butt with tail raised. The bad news, many dogs so “presented” will want to sniff that butt. It’s for this reason that dogs get sprayed in the face.
What then? This spray is an oily substance that readily transfers to other surfaces so, unless you need an excuse to buy a new couch, keep your pup outside until done washing. Commercial products are available for this ultra-bath but for DIY types here’s the formula typically recommended: 1 quart 3 percent hydrogen peroxide (over-the-counter at pharmacies), a quarter cup baking soda, and 1 teaspoon liquid dishwashing soap. Mix just prior to use since it can explode if left stored!
Remember that face-in-butt issue? Flush Fido’s eyes with cool water (not the mix or any products unless the label specifically says it’s safe in eyes). For the rest of the dog, careful to avoid the eyes and while wearing rubber gloves (again, the smell transfers), wash immediately and thoroughly. Don’t leave the mix on the dog. Instead, rinse and repeat and rinse and repeat. Now that the offending oil is hopefully gone, thoroughly wash your dog once again with pet shampoo. Towel dry, and then make sure the dog is completely dry and daisy-sweet before going inside. Take that towel and everything you were wearing and wash with your usual detergent plus a half-cup of baking soda.
Vinegar diluted with water, although not as effective, is another option. Dousing in tomato juice, the supposedly tried-and-true bath, has as many fans as it does skeptics. Interestingly, some folks swear by a bath of Coca Cola (not Pepsi, not Sprite, and only the hard-core stuff — no Diet Coke !).
Ken White is the president of the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA.