Jane Van Der Voort, Toronto Star

This barrage could wilt even the stalwart skunk tail of cartoon lover Pepe Le Pew.

Star readers charged to the rescue with their successful remedies to de-skunk sprayed pets. It's that time of year when Mephitis mephitis (Latin for stinky creature) is fresh out of hibernation and looking for food. Or trouble.

From Clamato juice to Crest, Coca-Cola to Massengill, ketchup to OxiClean – the elixirs were sent in by dog and cat owners from as far away as Prince Edward Island, and as young as 9-year-old Alana who emailed from Mississauga about her cockapoo Jake.

Funny (well, they're funny now!) stories came with the tried-and-true neutralizers for the toxic odour.

Here's what you told us:

MY PURE WHITE CAT got sprayed right in the face by a skunk. The only thing I had was Clamato juice. Needless to say, my white cat became orange and still smelled of skunk and now a bloody Caesar ... I found a spray bottle, filled it with warm water and added a generous helping of OxiClean. The cat was not particuarly happy with the spray bottle but I got the orange out and the skunk smell. Had to give her a good rinse, you know how much cats love water! Terri Abernethy, Pickering

A YEAR AGO, one of my dogs that loves to play with other animals met up with a skunk in our backyard. I immediately went into the kitchen and mixed up my mixture of 4 cups vinegar and 8 cups of water. I then took the mixture into the bathroom – the dog was in the tub – and started to use all of it, making sure that I got the fluids right down into the skin and all over the fur. I let the dog stand for about 10 minutes. I then gave the dog a lukewarm shower, and then dried it. The smell was all gone – even in my house. Richard Burke, Prince Edward Island

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