A skunk by any other name would still smell ... like what?
May 20, 2022 6:09 AM Subscribe
Last night, when we let Darling Dog (tax) out for his last pee before bed, he took off like a rocket to a back corner of our yard. Before it registered with my husband, he let the dog back into the house, unleashing the worst odor I've ever encountered. It had to be a skunk, right - but was it?
We just moved from the suburbs to the country last year, but I've smelled skunk before, and this just didn't smell ... skunky. It smelled like what I imagine an industrial accident would smell like - a strong chemical odor that at first made me wonder if something had happened to our HVAC system. My husband, on the other hand, experienced a very strong garlic odor. But then, as I was driving to Walmart (in a rainstorm at 10 pm, as apparently is my lot in life now) it seemed like I had a very faint, typical skunk odor enveloping me. But the smell in the house when I got home was not the typical skunk smell. It was just a terrible odor.
Is any of this normal? Maybe we've just never smelled fresh skunk before? Or could something else have sprayed him?
(PS, things are getting back to normal today. We rubbed down the dog with a peroxide/baking soda/Dawn concoction, slept with windows open and fans and AC running, and have a pot of vinegar simmering on the stove. Now it smells like we invited a very sick animal to a crab boil. Happy Friday!)
We just moved from the suburbs to the country last year, but I've smelled skunk before, and this just didn't smell ... skunky. It smelled like what I imagine an industrial accident would smell like - a strong chemical odor that at first made me wonder if something had happened to our HVAC system. My husband, on the other hand, experienced a very strong garlic odor. But then, as I was driving to Walmart (in a rainstorm at 10 pm, as apparently is my lot in life now) it seemed like I had a very faint, typical skunk odor enveloping me. But the smell in the house when I got home was not the typical skunk smell. It was just a terrible odor.
Is any of this normal? Maybe we've just never smelled fresh skunk before? Or could something else have sprayed him?
(PS, things are getting back to normal today. We rubbed down the dog with a peroxide/baking soda/Dawn concoction, slept with windows open and fans and AC running, and have a pot of vinegar simmering on the stove. Now it smells like we invited a very sick animal to a crab boil. Happy Friday!)
Best answer: Ha, yes, this is exactly what fresh skunk smells like. Unbelievable, isn't it?
posted by HotToddy at 6:21 AM on May 20, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by HotToddy at 6:21 AM on May 20, 2022 [6 favorites]
Best answer: Skunk, to me, smells like burning tires when it's fresh. If it smells more like an open sewer that's raccoon feces, which my dog loves to rub into his face (ugh). But from your story it sounds too quick to be that.
posted by JoeZydeco at 6:40 AM on May 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by JoeZydeco at 6:40 AM on May 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Yup, that is skunk. Truly a different experience, up close. More akin to chemical warfare than just a little stinky.
There's a good chance you smell like skunk, in the faint "normal" way. If you have any fabrics that absorb odor, give them a spray with a pet skunk odor remover. My purse and keys held on to the smell for a surprisingly long time.
My sympathies.
posted by Sparky Buttons at 6:42 AM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
There's a good chance you smell like skunk, in the faint "normal" way. If you have any fabrics that absorb odor, give them a spray with a pet skunk odor remover. My purse and keys held on to the smell for a surprisingly long time.
My sympathies.
posted by Sparky Buttons at 6:42 AM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Burning tires, for sure. So amazingly pungent. So sorry this happened! It's a bummer.
posted by Glinn at 6:49 AM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Glinn at 6:49 AM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
Hydrogen peroxide or tomato juice is the standard way to deal with it.
posted by theora55 at 6:58 AM on May 20, 2022
posted by theora55 at 6:58 AM on May 20, 2022
Yeah, fresh skunk smells like an electrical fire to me: burning plastic and metal.
If it smells more like an open sewer that's raccoon feces
This explains some other things I have smelled that weren't quite skunk.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:18 AM on May 20, 2022
If it smells more like an open sewer that's raccoon feces
This explains some other things I have smelled that weren't quite skunk.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:18 AM on May 20, 2022
Another possibility could be a fox spray. My dog was sprayed by a fox and it smells close but not quite the same as a skunk.
posted by jraz at 8:16 AM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by jraz at 8:16 AM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Definitely sounds like skunk! I know there are a lot of home remedies out there like Dawn, vinegar, tomato juice, peroxide, baking soda, etc, but please know that all of these can be really skin-irritating (and really uncomfortable to doggie noses) without actually fully solving the problem!
If you're in an area where your pet might encounter skunks or other strong-smelling animal stuff -- including animal feces, urine, and dead things they might decide to roll in, because let's face it, dogs are awesome but also sometimes enjoy rolling in really disgusting things sometimes -- you might want to keep a bottle of de-skunking shampoo handy.
There are lots of brands out there, but that's the only one I have experience with. I've witnessed first-hand how well that stuff worked for a golden retriever who got skunked, as well as for a blue heeler who decided that a dead rotting squirrel would be awesome to roll around in.
posted by erst at 10:32 AM on May 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
If you're in an area where your pet might encounter skunks or other strong-smelling animal stuff -- including animal feces, urine, and dead things they might decide to roll in, because let's face it, dogs are awesome but also sometimes enjoy rolling in really disgusting things sometimes -- you might want to keep a bottle of de-skunking shampoo handy.
There are lots of brands out there, but that's the only one I have experience with. I've witnessed first-hand how well that stuff worked for a golden retriever who got skunked, as well as for a blue heeler who decided that a dead rotting squirrel would be awesome to roll around in.
posted by erst at 10:32 AM on May 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thank you all for the confirmation! I hope it's a long, long time before I have to smell that again. A visitor to our home today confirmed that the dog does not smell, and the house only smells a little, which I'll take as a win. We've now got Nature's Miracle skunk shampoo and an extra jug of vinegar in the cabinet, just in case. And if it happens again, we certainly will not let him roam around the house and lie on every sofa while we idiots argue about what the smell smells like and what we should do about it. A few responses tagged as Best Answer for future reference, but I appreciate you all!
posted by Sweetie Darling at 2:54 PM on May 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Sweetie Darling at 2:54 PM on May 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
Skunk. Was at my sister-in-law's house and her dog suddenly ran into the house while we were all hanging out. The smell was unbelievable. Eye-watering and chemical. Not like the skunk smell you experience while driving suburban or rural roads. And yes, it was a skunk.
It's possible that some other musk animal was the culprit, but skunks are really, really common in suburban areas. My friend had them in his yard really often (and this was in the city of Chicago near the river!), so he made a habit to clap his hands really loudly when going outside—even if he didn't see one. That worked well to frighten them away.
posted by SoberHighland at 3:18 PM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
It's possible that some other musk animal was the culprit, but skunks are really, really common in suburban areas. My friend had them in his yard really often (and this was in the city of Chicago near the river!), so he made a habit to clap his hands really loudly when going outside—even if he didn't see one. That worked well to frighten them away.
posted by SoberHighland at 3:18 PM on May 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
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