Skunked

We had quite an eventful weekend and I don't mean that in a good way.

On Friday night, I took Avalanche out around 9:30 while C was doing some work in the basement. Just as we were about to come back in, something ran across our yard. I initially thought it was a white cat because it was dark and I couldn't see any of its black fur. In all honesty, I wasn't really concerned about it because we have a lot of critters around our house and Avalanche has never once chased a squirrel, rabbit, chipmunk, cat, or anything of the sort.

As the saying goes, there's a first time for everything.

He took off across the yard at the same time that I realized it was a skunk. I wasn't wearing socks or shoes, but I started chasing him across the yard while yelling his name in a very maniacal voice. Both he and the skunk disappeared into some trees and then I heard a loud yelp. Avalanche reappeared and I could immediately tell that he had been sprayed. He was flicking his head back and forth and the closer he got to me, the more I realized that I needed to get C so we could figure out what to do. By the time I ran in and got C, Avalanche had made his way back to the porch and we could see exactly where he'd been sprayed - all over his chest, shoulders, neck, and face. He was spitting up so violently that it looked like he was foaming at the mouth.

C went around and opened the garage, then coaxed Avalanche from the front porch while I called the vet. They gave me some directions and then C spent some time cleaning him off in the garage and I went out to get some hydrogen peroxide. What followed was a lot of insanity as we took him in the house and got him upstairs to our bathroom and into the shower; C got in there with him, while I mixed the hydrogen peroxide, dish soap, and baking soda. C scrubbed him as much as possible, while I stood outside the shower trying to be encouraging to both of them.

Overall, it was a successful endeavor because I think Avalanche understood that we were helping him.

This is saying a lot, seeing as he was "dismissed" from a grooming appointment for "screaming" and "trying to escape."

does this look like the face of someone
who'd be problematic in any way

One of the things we've been told is that his fur cannot stay wet because he could develop a fungal infection, so after toweling him off as much as we could, we set up a fan in front of him. That definitely seemed to help expedite the drying process.

Yesterday, we realized that he was still pretty stinky, so we bathed him in our shower again, and we think we've gotten about 98% of the stench off of him. Another scrubbing is probably on the horizon, but he's gone through enough for the time being!

Unfortunately, our house has not recovered to the same degree. It is somewhat of mystery as to why the smell continues to linger so strongly. We've done SO MUCH laundry, we've had countless windows open, and we've had scented candles burning nonstop. Sigh. Hopefully it will grow less pungent as the days go by!

Enjoy these pics of him tolerating his time in the shower:

Happy Tails to you!