Pet Lovers

[MrsSB]

Mosey reminded us yesterday that while she is our adored girl, beloved companion, precious member of our family, she is still a dog and sometimes will do stinky smelly dog things. Yesterday was the worst example of that.

Not sure where she unearthed it, probably the next door neighbor's, but she dug up a buried fish head, brought the revolting thing over to our yard and then proceeded to roll around on it.  We didn't observe any of this, but saw and smelled the after effects. Oh My Word, as my mom would say. 

She has been bathed, twice; but I'm still catching a whiff off her.  Phew!

[nana59]

not only do you have a stinky dog.....your neighbor has a hole in his yard!!

[MrsSB]

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@nana59 wrote:

not only do you have a stinky dog.....your neighbor has a hole in his yard!!

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@nana59 ,

If he even noticed, I do hope he regrets taking out all the beautiful bamboo which was a natural boundary and privacy screen between our yards.

[CamilleP]

@MrsSB  If you are still smelling fish, I would suggest a new plan.  Go to the grocery store and buy a BIG bottle of cheap  hair conditioner.  Put Mosey in the tub when you get home, get her wet, and then soak her head to toe in the cheap conditioner, working it well into her coat and onto her skin, paw pads, etc.  Then rinse her and give her a bath with her regular dog shampoo.  Many of the most stinky compounds are oil/fat based, so you want to use an oily compound like hair conditioner to combine with and lift the stinky stuff off the skin and hair, then wash it away with shampoo. 

Of course, if you can live with the smell level that's left, then just remember this tip for the next time.  It worked for me when two of my Scotties got a face full of skunk spray, years ago, so I will bet it will work with rotten fish head stink, too.

Oh, and I got the idea from having to wash a kitten that jumped into a pan of dirty motor oil when my DH was changing oil on my car, 30+ years ago.  Uber-curious kitten was NOT happy, her momma was not happy, DH was not happy, and I was at work, so I called the vet, who said to soak the kitten in corn oil and wipe as much motor oil/corn oil combo off with paper towels until all the black icky oil was gone, then bathe the kitten with Dawn to get the corn oil residue off, rinse her well, and dry her with a towel.  DH followed the vet's instructions, and it only took a couple of soakings in corn oil to get the motor oil off, then a Dawn wash in the kitchen sink and kitten was clean enough for her Momma to approve of her again.  The one and only time in either of our lives either of us had to bathe a cat!

[Drythe]

@MrsSB 

The time-honored remedy for being sprayed by a skunk is scrubbing well with a large can of tomato juice, then a good rinse.  Pour it on, spread it around, let it sit a few minutes before rinsing.

A dogs gotta do what a dogs gotta do!  🐕 

[MrsSB]

@CamilleP , Do you mean regular people hair conditioner?  Or doggy conditioner? 

[MrsSB]

@Drythe ,

Yes, I do remember the tomato juice thing for skunk!  Didn't think of it for fish head, LOL!

[CamilleP]

Since you are just going to wash it back out again, cheap human hair conditioner is fine, so long as it is made with some lipids in it, not all alcohols or silicones.  Even hand lotions would work, since they aren't going to stay on the dog very long.  You might have to dilute hand lotion with water, since it wouldn't spread very well, being thicker and "creamier" than hair conditioner.

Oh, and it's the acid in the tomato juice that breaks down the stinky compounds, it works better against the proteins in the smelly stuff than it does against the oily compounds.  If you don't have tomato juice, apple cider vinegar will work the same way, but again, it must be washed off again, and you have to be really careful with vinegar around the eyes or other mucous membranes.

[MrsSB]

Okay, thanks @CamilleP .

[MoonieBaby]

Yikes - that IS stinky....uh, who buries fish heads?  is it helpful for the soil?  Am I missing something?