The skunk spray page

Skunks do not arbitrarily spray; interestingly, even skunks find the odor offensive. Skunk's spray primarily when they feel their life is in danger. The only exception is during mating season. Males may spray each other, while competing for females, and females may spray undesirable or annoying male mates.

When threatened, a skunk will first attempt to ward off the threat by dancing around and chattering it's teeth while making growling sounds. If the warning is ignored, the skunk will form a U, facing it's head and rear towards the danger, lift it's tail, and launch the foul smelling liquid. There are a few myths that say skunks cannot spray if their tail is down, or if you hold it in the air by the tail. Both myths are wrong. Although you should not handle wild animals, if you were to attempt any of the myths, you would endure an odiferous wrath! Skunks do not pee or pass gas to disperse the spray. Skunks have two glands, which produce a light yellow liquid, connected to two nipple shaped ducts, used to eject the spray, located near the anus. Depending on the proximity of the threat, the liquid can be launched 6-10 feet in the form of a fine spray or as a shorter spurt of droplets. Once released, skunk odor can be detected over a mile away. Baby skunks are less developed and are not as likely to spray; however, they are capable. Adults are capable of 2-3 launchings.




Where does the skunk spray it's odor from? Click on the area to purchase the poster. It's a gift anyone who has been sprayed will never forget!

Scientists have been working to identify the odiferous skunk smell for years. They believe the smell is predominantly a result of chemicals called thiols such as 3?methyl-1-butanethiol and (E)?2?butene?1?thiol. Other substances that have been identified are (E)-2-buten-1-thiol and 3-methyl-1-butanethiol, which is believed to be the cause of a returning skunk smells when the substances become moist. The chemicals are responsible for the return of skunk smell on dogs, months after the encounter, when they get wet. For more technical information try this site

Skunks have a limited amount of spray and rely on it to protect themselves from being injured or killed, so they avoid wasting their defense measures until a threat appears imminent. Unless you surprise or antagonize them, the chances of being sprayed are slim. If you do happen to see a skunk do not do anything the skunk may interpret as a threat such as running, shouting, or throwing objects at it. If you can hit it with a rock, it can hit you with it's spray and spray always beat rocks! Slowly walk away from the area keeping your arms relaxed and by your side. Do not stare or look directly at the skunk, in the animal world it is a sign of aggression. Talk in a soft monotone voice while backing away. Although these tips do not guarantee you not to be sprayed, they will greatly reduce the chances of an odiferous encounter. If you have a dog with you try to face the dog away from the skunk and if possible keep them from barking. Skunks are not normally active during the day and do not readily approach people. If a skunk acts in this manner or appears to be acting strange, it may have a disease such as rabies. Distance yourself rapidly and contact animal control.

A dog sprayed by a skunk can cause quite a commotion. After an occurrence, the dog may be disoriented. Chemicals in the musk do more than just produce odor, it also affects the dog's eyes, nose, and taste. Distorted vision can occur for a few minutes followed by the eyes tearing for a few hours. Profuse salivating from the mouth can be expected. If the dog is close enough to the skunk, its sense of smell and taste could be diminished for up to 1-2 weeks, resulting in a poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. All affects are usually temporary. Unfortunately, if left untreated, the skunk odor is always last to subside.

After being sprayed your dog will probably try to reach a familiar place, which is normally inside your house!
1. If you go to the door, hear a frantic dog, and smell a skunk odor, DO NOT LET THEM IN! If you do, the odor will stick to everything and exponentially complicate the issue.
2. Any windows that are open shut them immediately to reduce the odor from permeating the house.
3. Let your dog settle down outside while you change into clothes you can throw out. If you have rubber gloves you'll need them too.
4. Prior to going outside, you'll need: Vick's vapor rub, a leash, washcloth, shampoo supplies, towels, and a flashlight if it's dark. If it's winter and you turn the water off inside, don't forget to turn it on.
5. Prepare a place to keep the dog. Places, in order of preference are: OUTSIDE (if it's not too cold), the garage, an unfinished basement, or bathroom. If you'll be keeping your dog inside, place plastic trash bags where you plan on leashing your dog overnight and move any absorbable material (anything you can't wipe down) away from the area. Make sure the drinking dish is nearby and you can secure a leashed dog in the location.
6. If you have the Vick's, place some under your nose. It will reduce the pungent skunk odor.
7. Once outside leash the dog and attempt to have your dog not rub against you.
8. Bath time! Shampooing the dog will remove some of the skunk spray off; however, more baths will occur.
9. A dog follows its nose, and a skunk aims for the face resulting in skunk odor being heavily concentrated around a dogs face. Use the washcloth to carefully clean the dogs face.
10. Lots of soap and water is important.
11. Check the dog very carefully for any scratches or bite marks. Skunks can carry rabies. If you find any bites or scratches, you should call your veterinarian.
12. You can now continue to remove odor or towel dry the dog until you can obtain odor removal supplies.
13. If you must bring the dog inside, do not let them touch anything. Keep them leashed until you finish the process.

Intensity and longevity of skunk odor will depend on how close the object is to the skunk when it is sprayed. The closer the object is to the skunk, the higher the concentration of spray that will adhere. The following products were tested by a skunk spraying within one foot or with pure skunk spray.

Tomato Juice BUSTED The smell of tomatoes masked the scent and turned lighter colored fur on my dog pink.

Vinegar MINOR IMPROVEMENT Skunk spray is an oily substance that is non-polar. Vinegar is polar. The two substances repel each other just like oil and vinegar for salads, they just don't mix. The result is vinegar slightly removing oil from the fur similar to soap.

Enzyme solutions. MINOR/ MODERATE IMPROVEMENT Many skunk removal products exist on the market that work on the basis that enzymes will break down the organic material neutralizing the SPRAY. The process takes a few days to work; however, the odor is not fully removed.

Hydrogen Peroxide and Baking Soda. MODERATE IMPROVEMENT The solution. oxidizes organic material, chemically altering the skunk spray. Peroxide will bleach your dog's fur and cannot be stored in a closed container because it could pressurize and explode; however, the solution was the best home remedy.
How to make the solution:
1. One quart hydrogen peroxide
2. ¼ cup of baking soda
3. Dog shampoo

Odorxit MODERATE IMPROVEMENT Its effectiveness was equivalent to hydrogen peroxide without the bleaching effect. I also found Odorxit effectively removes pet urine from carpets when applied to urine and vacuumed with a shop vac. Odorxit also provides customer support and a guarantee. OdorXit Guarantee




Click on the photo to learn more about this product

Another commercial skunk odor removal product available is SCOE 10x. The website is packed with positive reviews. One review that seems very credible is a segment from "The Balancing Act", which is a talk show on Lifetime Television. On the segment of "The Balancing Act" they demonstrate the effectiveness of SCOE 10x removing skunk odor with success. SCOE 10x also claims to remove many other odors. The skunk odor removal claims seem supported enough to warrant testing the product. I've ordered a bottle and have a bottle of skunk spray, a dirty kitty litter box, a pale of diapers, and a pile of doggy pea waiting to test the product out.Go To SCOE 10X - The Odor Eliminator

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mephitidae
Genus: mephitis
Species: mephitis Mephitis

Striped Skunks are the most recognized species of the Genus mephitis. The English translation of mephitis is a foul or offensive odor, which is a fitting name for the pungent odor they are well known for. Fur colors and patterns are aposematic, which means bold colors used to ward off predators. The pattern of striped skunk's fur is predominantly black with a white hood on the head transitioning to a white stripe along each side of the back and ending with a black and white speckled fluffy tail. White stripes can vary greatly in thickness, occasionally giving the appearance of one single stripe. Texture, of the fur, is silky with a slight oily feel. The sex of a skunk cannot be determined by their fur pattern. Captive skunks have been bred to have a variety of colors including: solid white, solid black, silver gray, brown and cream.
Striped skunks are about the size of a domestic cat. Males are normally larger than females. The average weight of an adult ranges between 3-14 pounds. Combined head and body length can range from 22-32 inches with the tail being 6-12 inches. Striped Skunk have cone shaped heads containing small black eyes, and small ears that are barely discernable from it's fur. Their tooth structure is unique having 34 teeth, which contain only one pair of molars on the upper jaw and 2 pair of molars on the lower jaw, for a total of 6 molars. Despite their intense odor, striped skunks have a highly developed sense of smell, which is used to locate food supplies. It's hearing is good; however, their eyesight is limited. Striped skunk's legs are short and thick, giving them a low profile. Each foot has five toes. The claws are plantigrade meaning the front claws are longer than the rear claws. Longer front claws increase striped skunk's ability to dig in soil for shelter and food sources.

Striped skunk can be found throughout North America ranging from central Canada through the United States and into northern Mexico. Being highly adaptable, striped skunk can live in a wide variety of climates and habitats. They prefer a habitat that contains open fields adjacent wooded areas near a water source. Since farmland, suburban and urban areas create prime habitat for striped skunk, they are often found dwelling in areas populated by humans. Population density of striped skunks can range from 0.7-18.5 per sq/km. The average density 1.8-4.8 per sq/km. Females have a home range around 270-915 acres.

Up to 90% of striped skunks die within the first year of life. If a skunk survives the first year, life expectancy can range from 2-6 years; however, captive skunks have been known to live from 10-15 years. Both male and female skunks reach sexual maturity at around ten months of age. Mating season is generally during February and March. Males are polygamous, mating with multiple females. During the mating season males will compete to breed with females. Competition and breeding during mating season normally results in an increase of skunk odor discharge, while males mark their territory and females ward off unwanted males. When the next Valentines season comes around, you'll know love is in the air when you smell skunk in the evenings. After mating, females have the ability to delay implantation of eggs. The ability to delay implantation can increase the probability of offspring survival in the event of extended winters. Gestation is approximately 77 days. At birth 1-10 baby skunks, known as kits are born averaging 1.1 ounces each. Born blind and deaf, kits will remain in the den for 1 to 1 ½ months feeding on the mother's milk. After weaning, kits will stay with it's mother for up to a year.

Few animals prey on striped skunk. Occasionally mammals such as: coyotes, fox, bobcat, cougar, and domestic dogs, to the detriment of their owners, will prey on skunks. More frequently though large raptors will prey on skunks. Perhaps their poor sense of smell assists in their ability to palate such an odiferous meal. The great horned owl's nest often will smell of skunk due to it's dining habits. Unwanted odor around homes, and skunk's incompatibility with fast moving vehicles, has resulted in humans are the number one killer of skunks.

Skunks are crepuscular feeders, meaning they eat during dawn and dusk. Being omnivores, skunks will eat a variety of plants and animals when the opportunity presents itself. Approximately 70% of their diet is insects including grubs, ants, and bees. Skunks will also eat a variety of other food sources such as: small mammals, fish, birds, crustacean, reptiles, nuts, fruit, and berries. During fall, skunks will increase their food intake significantly to prepare for winter. Although they do not hibernate, skunks will spend extended periods, sleeping in their den living off fat stores.

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Love truly is in the air during Valentines Day, unfortunately love doesn't always smell like roses. The months of February and March are the breeding season for skunks. As Pepe le Pew searches for his true, love or multiple loves, his odiferous presence can appear to be everywhere. Skunks will travel long distances to find a mate. The increased mobility increases the chances a skunk may encounter a perceived threat. A skunks natural defense is its' spray. Male skunks may spray each other while competing for a female and females may spray a male who does not meet up to her standards. (Imagine what bars and clubs would smell like if women sprayed every guy with a bad pick up line!) If a skunk is surprised by you or your pet, the encounter can end in a shower of odor lasting weeks. Love can be fatal for a skunk. Often, when crossing roads in their travels, they are hit by vehicles, resulting in an odor sticking to vehicles no Christmas tree deodorizer could ever hide. Skunk odor can be recognized up to a mile away, so it does not take many occurrences in an area to make someone think they are getting over run by skunks. Some times love really does stink!

After breeding season, females will begin to look for a den suitable for raising their young. They will look for areas protected from the weather such as an old log, under large rocks, vacant burrows, and possibly under your shed or house. During February and March, it is wise to avoid skunks and prevent them from denning near areas frequented by people. Here are a few tips to prevent dealing with skunk spray.

If you have a crawl space under your house make sure there are no holes larger than a golf ball to prevent skunks from denning under your house.

Keep your trash or any food sources inside to deny food access.

If you notice any burrows in your yard, locate, fill with dirt, and cover with a heavy object all burrow entrances.

If you have any gaps between your shed and the ground, completely block the area with a heavy object like cinder blocks.

If there is an alive or dead skunk on the road and you can safely avoid it, do not run over it. Even a dead skunk's spray can stick to a vehicle for a long time.

When leaving a pet outside, especially at night, from a safe distance carefully look over the surrounding area your pet will be in before letting it outside.

If you are unfortunate and do have to deal with skunk spray continue reading for some helpful tips.
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

One of the most pungent experiences a dog owner can have is when your dog is sprayed by a skunk. Being a very active outdoorsman, with a loyal dog, and an unfortunate magnetic attraction to skunks; I have had multiple opportunities to learn the art of skunk odor removal. My wife learned of the attraction the first time the three of us went camping. We were ALL sprayed as my faithful friend jumped over us to scare a skunk that had gotten to close to us sleeping! Since then my wife has had the opportunity to also become skilled at the task of skunk odor removal. Many people have asked for help and information regarding the odiferous occasion. I hope you found my article helpful. If your dog was sprayed, I send my condolences. Although it's rough now, once your nose stops burning, you'll look back and see the humor in your four legged friends adventure..Good Luck!

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