Kaiser2016
Well-Known Member
Short version: Kaiser got skunked He's been bathed on the deck, in the dark, with the garden hose, and no one died from the experience, but wow what a stink!
Long version: Kaiser had a bout of diarrhea recently so poop patrol has been on high alert. My hb got up at 4 am, still dark out, to put Kaiser outside. As they go outside, Kaiser goes krazy - lots of loud aggressive barks, I hear my hb yelling "No, leave it" over and over - we had been sleeping with the windows open, so I heard all the commotion, bolted out of bed, went to the window overlooking the yard. I could see Kaiser's long shadow from the flood lights and it was like he was frozen in the yard, the smell of burning rubber suddenly hit me so I knew he had been sprayed and then I saw the skunk! It moved like a figurine in table hockey. It was surreal. You didn't see his feet move, he just glided. He stood tall, striped tail up, went into reverse, never turning it's back on Kaiser. Once it had its back against the fence, he moved like a robot sideways along the fence a few steps at a time, pausing to make sure Kaiser wasn't moving, he did this until he got to the gate and slipped underneath it. As he disappeared into the alley, he triggered other lights to go on so I knew he was gone. I yell through the window to tell my hb to get the dog on the deck and to not touch him.
I get downstairs and immediately google what to do next. Thank god I am all stocked up on hydrogen peroxide and baking soda! In the meantime, my hb is telling me he thinks Kaiser BIT the skunk and that he was foaming at the mouth! Then I realize I can't hear the dog - usually he'd bark to get back into the house. I rush to the door because now I'm wondering if Kaiser is turning into a rabid wolf and if my resident evil zombie Doberman nightmares are about to come true. I open the door just a crack and he's standing there staring at me like nothing happened, no froth. The smell hits me. I tell him to wait and shut the door on him.
Then my hb tells me we can't let him inside and we have to bathe him outside It is amazing how quickly your brain can work in a situation like this. I prepped two buckets with baking soda, opened both new bottles of peroxide, added dish detergent and went outside. I had a collar and leash and we both were in rain boots. Somehow I also thought putting on an apron was necessary Outside, we bathed him on the deck and he seemed to understand why we had to do it. Good thing it has been hot, because the hose water was cool but not ice cold like it usually is! I mixed the peroxide just before pouring it over him. He got the spray mainly in the head/face - the hardest part of a dog to clean! I held his snout and poured the mixture on top of his head while tilting his head such that it wouldn't get in his ears, but then I didn't want him snorting it either, so then I had to tilt his head downward. This was all too much for him, because now he started squirming. My hb and I were swarming him to catch him and we backed him into a corner where the weed whacker and the broom were, it also happened to be a dark corner of the deck so he backed into the items and they came crashing down. Then he ran forward and smashed into the deck furniture. I also had his prong outside, so I put him on it and that helped to finish the remaining washing up. His body smells normal, but his face will need a bit more washing, his eyes are red, no doubt from the spray and from the tension of the situation, but he is eating and drinking like normal and sleeping now.
Long version: Kaiser had a bout of diarrhea recently so poop patrol has been on high alert. My hb got up at 4 am, still dark out, to put Kaiser outside. As they go outside, Kaiser goes krazy - lots of loud aggressive barks, I hear my hb yelling "No, leave it" over and over - we had been sleeping with the windows open, so I heard all the commotion, bolted out of bed, went to the window overlooking the yard. I could see Kaiser's long shadow from the flood lights and it was like he was frozen in the yard, the smell of burning rubber suddenly hit me so I knew he had been sprayed and then I saw the skunk! It moved like a figurine in table hockey. It was surreal. You didn't see his feet move, he just glided. He stood tall, striped tail up, went into reverse, never turning it's back on Kaiser. Once it had its back against the fence, he moved like a robot sideways along the fence a few steps at a time, pausing to make sure Kaiser wasn't moving, he did this until he got to the gate and slipped underneath it. As he disappeared into the alley, he triggered other lights to go on so I knew he was gone. I yell through the window to tell my hb to get the dog on the deck and to not touch him.
I get downstairs and immediately google what to do next. Thank god I am all stocked up on hydrogen peroxide and baking soda! In the meantime, my hb is telling me he thinks Kaiser BIT the skunk and that he was foaming at the mouth! Then I realize I can't hear the dog - usually he'd bark to get back into the house. I rush to the door because now I'm wondering if Kaiser is turning into a rabid wolf and if my resident evil zombie Doberman nightmares are about to come true. I open the door just a crack and he's standing there staring at me like nothing happened, no froth. The smell hits me. I tell him to wait and shut the door on him.
Then my hb tells me we can't let him inside and we have to bathe him outside It is amazing how quickly your brain can work in a situation like this. I prepped two buckets with baking soda, opened both new bottles of peroxide, added dish detergent and went outside. I had a collar and leash and we both were in rain boots. Somehow I also thought putting on an apron was necessary Outside, we bathed him on the deck and he seemed to understand why we had to do it. Good thing it has been hot, because the hose water was cool but not ice cold like it usually is! I mixed the peroxide just before pouring it over him. He got the spray mainly in the head/face - the hardest part of a dog to clean! I held his snout and poured the mixture on top of his head while tilting his head such that it wouldn't get in his ears, but then I didn't want him snorting it either, so then I had to tilt his head downward. This was all too much for him, because now he started squirming. My hb and I were swarming him to catch him and we backed him into a corner where the weed whacker and the broom were, it also happened to be a dark corner of the deck so he backed into the items and they came crashing down. Then he ran forward and smashed into the deck furniture. I also had his prong outside, so I put him on it and that helped to finish the remaining washing up. His body smells normal, but his face will need a bit more washing, his eyes are red, no doubt from the spray and from the tension of the situation, but he is eating and drinking like normal and sleeping now.