TheBanyanTree: Pepe le Who?

[Kitty]

"Up close" skunk doesn't smell like "down the road" skunk.  And the
inability to cleanse a pup of the odor indicates to me the scent is
oil-based ... like skunk.  You can *taste* skunk smell, perhaps
because of the oil.  Up close the smell is heavier and while still
horribly offensive, it lacks the putrid overtone I commonly associate
with the skunk's calling card.

Is the odor more prominent on your dog's snout?  Dog's investigate
with their noses, so that's the area skunk's spray hits.  Tomato
juice?  I've used it, a quart at a time.  Best applied outdoors with
the garden hose nearby.  A dog shaking the red stuff from its fur
leaves a terrible mess to be cleaned from the confines of a bath or
shower stall.  Does tomato juice work?  Yes, when combined with time
~~ say a week or so.  And pray for sunny days.  Humidity keeps the
odor about human nose high.  (There are products available now for
odor removal.  Perhaps your vet can recommend one.)

Our home was one of the first in a new development and there were
several critters still living in the area.  Do you know the tell-tale
sign of a skunk's visit to a lawn?  In their search for grubs and
other ground-dwelling insects, skunks "twirl" the grass.  Overnight
they will leave a trail, like Hansel and Gretel's cookie crumbs, on
their march in search of dinner.  Finding the erratically placed marks
of mini tornadoes in our lawn every morning was frustrating.  (One
skunk even visited our patio.  Its spray stained the cement and even
following a heavy cleansing, several months passed before the odor
faded.)

Roy was home from work recuperating from a stomach virus.  He'd slept
most of the day and, feeling better by evening, decided this was the
night to put the animal to rest.  Before dark he gathered a shovel,
heavy-duty trash bag and his .22.  In the wee hours, the deed was
done.

With shovel and garbage bag in hand, Roy went to the yard.  Word has
it that skunks cannot spray without lifting their tails.  Very slowly
he eased the shovel under the dead animal, careful to work from the
rear toward the head.  From this experience, I can tell you that a
dead skunk can release no matter *what* position the tail is in.  And
the smell is heavy.  And awful.  Even with the windows and doors
closed, from inside the house I could hear Roy, gagging as he had
earlier in the day, toting the skunk to the field behind us for
burial.


Kitty
http://home.neo.rr.com/bythelake/