Medical mysteries ‘DESKUNKING’ TOMATO JUICE

WRITER: FRED HILTON

IF YOUR DOG GETS SPRAYED BY A SMELLY SKUNK, V8 WON’T HELP YOU of y Keeshond n

The folks at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals told us that Teddy was mostly Keeshond and would weight about 35 pounds when grown. A year later, Teddy weighed 95 pounds. We realized he wasn’t a Keeshond; he was a purebred “big brown dog.” e realized own nately, od.” If an or a tour e of his k at the dshot, and an a e of tear her story.) nter with n of tomato g ead of Skunk in 1993: wash your hydrogenperoxide1/4cupbakingsodaandoneteaspoon

Teddy was a wonderful, lovable galoot. Unfortunately, like Cool Hand Luke, Teddy had “rabbit in his blood.” If an outside door was open, Teddy was off like a shot for a tour of the neighborhood. After Teddy had been on one of his evening romps, I heard a weak and apologetic bark at the door. Teddy’s head was down, his eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like he was ready to cry. It was more than a simple bad odor. The stench was piercing; it reminded me of tear gas. (Yes, I have been tear-gassed, but that’s another story.)

I realized Teddy had experienced a close encounter with a skunk. Always a firm believer in old wives’ tales and the wisdom of “they say,” I doused Teddy with a gallon of tomato juice. It didn’t work. It just made him smell like a Bloody Mary. Other home remedies — like bathing the dog in mouthwash or vinegar — are equally ineffective.

The tomato juice merely confuses your nose instead of eliminating odor. In an article titled “Chemistry of Skunk Spray,” Humboldt State University Professor William F. Wood says tomato juice seems to work because skunk spray at high doses causes the nose to quit smelling the odor. This is called olfactory fatigue. When this happens, the odor of tomato juice can easily be detected. A person suffering olfactory fatigue will swear the skunk odor is gone and was neutralized by the tomato juice. However, another person entering the room would readily notice the skunk spray had not been neutralized at all.

Some pet store concoctions are more effective than tomato juice, but the best remedy is a mixture developed by Paul Krebaum and published in Chemical and Engineering News in 1993: wash your dog in mixture of one quart 3 percent hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda, and one teaspoon of liquid detergent. Don’t store it, though. If kept in a closed container, it can explode — which may be worse than the skunk smell.

Teddy is long gone now, but I’m sure he’s happy because there are no skunks — or tomato juice — in doggy heaven.

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Our board certified orthopaedic surgeons are specialists who are fellowship trained in their areas of expertise. They are known for their advanced skill, training and experience. It’s their names you will find scrawled on referral notes from physicians from across the state or featured on the front covers of a surgeon’s training manual. From conservative care for sports injuries to advanced ankle, shoulder, hip and knee replacements, trust the specialists trusted by other surgeons.