Some folks might see a Lynx and believe they saw a Bobcat or confuse a Blue Heron for a Crane, but there are animals that are not hard to identify by looks or smell. We’ve all driven passed a small animal in the road that was killed earlier that day/night and in a matter of seconds have experienced a foul odor in brace our vehicle. Yep, that was PEPE LE PEW (old cartoon last shown in 2021) skunk. I’ve heard, skunks are nocturnal and if you see one during the day it most likely has rabies. Trust me, if a skunk has rabies, it will look disoriented, stumbling, have excessive drooling or could start to approach you either showing aggression or no fear at all. If you see ANY animal displaying abnormal behavior, give that animal a wide berth.

It is true that skunks are mostly active at night but can/will hunt during the day to avoid predators like Coyotes, Fishers and even Eagles and the Great Horned Owl to name a few. Another myth is, if you come across a skunk it will spray you. Truth be told, skunks are NOT as aggressive as many people think and typically will turn and walk away rather than be confronted. However, that doesn’t stop our family pets from investigating this animal and this is what happened to a friend’s dog a few weeks ago. A skunk that is cornered or defending its babies will growl, spit, shake its tail and fluff its fur to give warning before spraying.

When a skunk does spray a predator (again mostly family dogs) this liquid isn’t like water, but a yellow tinted oil that is produced in two sacs near their anal glands under its tail. These sacs contain around (1) teaspoon of the (believe it or not) highly flammable fluid and can take up to 10 days to re-load both barrels of the skunk’s guns. This oil is not lethal, but if spayed in the eyes, can be painful and can cause temporary blindness. Here is another myth that has been around as long as I can remember. Tomato juice will remove the oil and get rid of the stench. Tomato juice WILL NOT rid an animal of the oils or odor, but only mask the smell. But if a person calls asking for a large amount of tomato juice as a friend did a few weeks ago, you pretty much know what happened and now you know this treatment won’t work. There are over the counter products and if you do go with a retail product, make sure it has NEUTROLEUM ALPHA in it.

What DOES WORK is this homemade remedy. 1 quart of hydrogen peroxide, ¼ cup of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of any liquid soap. Wash your dog with this, working it into the fur and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before rinsing. NOTE; keep this mixture away from your dog’s face and eyes. To clean this area, believe this or not, use over the counter douche, yes DOUCHE.

THIS IS THE IMORTANT PART. If your dog’s eyes seem irritated, its nose is running or he or she has a hard time breathing, call your vet, because its most likely they inhaled the oil. If it rains or the humidity raises within a few days, that musky smell could slightly return. If this happens, repeat what you read above. I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this, but the best way to prevent this from happening is keep control (fence or leash) of your dog.

While I’m on the skunk topic, here are a few more facts. They are part of the weasel family, mostly eat insects, but will eat fruits, frogs, fish, small rodents along with bees and wasps. They do not hibernate and the only EFFECTIVE predator is the great horned owl and the red-tailed hawk. Does anyone remember the cartoon skunk PEPE LE PEW? Here’s one crazy fact you may not believe about Mr. Le Pew. SKUNKS ARE IMMUNE TO POISONOUS SNAKES. Its true, look it up.