Critter Corner: Skunks Are Beneficial Creatures, Really | Lifestyles

Skunks are beneficial critters. They are omnivorous and eat a variety of garden pests, including mice, voles, beetles, various larvae, wasps and crickets.

Skunks are also scavengers. They will seek out animal carcasses, which helps keep an ecosystem free of carrion. Scavengers are important to the health of the environment.

Skunks live everywhere, from the desert to the city.  They are a part of life, but it is easy to reduce the risk of an encounter.

Walking dogs on shorter leashes, keeping your trash secured and pet food cleaned up, making noise and turning on exterior lights a few minutes before letting your dogs in the yard (give skunks a chance to toddle off), can go a long way in reducing the chance of an encounter.

However, they also have a not so pleasant side. Anyone who has had a pet get “skunked” certainly knows this!  Skunks spray as a form of defense. Since they are slow and do not climb, skunks evolved a way to drive predators away.

Before spraying, a skunk will begin stamping his feet, doing elaborate “handstands,” raising and shaking his tail, turning in a U shape (tail and face toward the threat) and dancing about.

Unless a skunk is startled and lets that spray fly, you or a pet gets “skunked” because warnings were ignored.  For a skunk, spraying is a last resort.

Striped skunks can spray several times, but that noxious arsenal will run out. Once depleted, it can take up to 10 days before the skunk is capable of spraying again. During this time, the skunk is vulnerable. Sadly, many pet dogs do not realize the warning signs preceding a blast. This can lead to, well, a stinky mess for you.  

The next steps taken, post-blast, should be based in science.  Here is a quick skunk secretion chemistry lesson.

The noxious secretions that are fired from a gland at the base of the critter’s tail is composed of thiols and are basically a sulfur and hydrogen atom bonded together.  

The spray is not water soluble. Once it hits something, it can cling for some time — with the smell lingering possibly for weeks. The spray is not only smelly but can cause damage to mucous membranes and temporary blindness, and rarely a form of anemia — like that which develops when dogs eat onions and garlic.  If the symptoms are not recognized, death is possible.

A popular way to address skunked dog is with tomato juice.  According to “Chemistry of Skunk Spray” by William F. Wood, the reason we assume tomato juice works to nullify the smell is olfactory fatigue. The smell is still there but we do not detect it.  Instead, we detect the tomato juice. Ditch the tomato juice and go for the science.

A recommended treatment is 1 quart of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide, ¼ cup baking soda (not baking powder; they are different chemically) and 1 teaspoon liquid dish soap.  This mixture will help break down the oils and chemically neutralize the odor. Do not mix this up for future use as the container can explode.

Alternatively, use a commercially available product containing neutroleum alpha.There are several websites recommending an essential oil mix.  Several of the oils recommended, including tea tree, can be toxic to dogs and cats, even in the amounts recommended.

Karen Peak is the developer of The Safe Kids/Safe Dogs Project and owner/operator of West Wind Dog Training in Prince William County.

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