I thought I had done a terrible, terrible thing in my 2nd week of house-sitting for Karen and Steve (and their two dogs, Fudge and JJ, and two cats, Midnight and Pepper), when I left out a half-full container of butter, which JJ managed to get hold of (probably with Midnight's help) and cleaned out. The butter, in turn, cleaned JJ out - mostly on the carpet in the spare bedroom where I'm staying. Dexter investigated the buttery, barf-pattery puddle and consequently got regurgitated butter on his ears. I couldn't get the stain out of the carpet, and thought the smell of rancid butter on JJ's and Dexter's was the worst smell, ever.
I could not have been more wrong!
A week later (on another Monday, when I leave for uni at 6.30am and don't get back until 5pm), I came home to discover that the dogs had got hold of a large tub of 400 super-strength fish oil capsules, and EATEN THEM ALL. There was oil EVERYWHERE. Fudge only had oily ears, but JJ was covered in it, from head to toe, and had rolled on all the dog beds, the couch and its blankets, and MY bed, including a couple of shirts. The smell was awful.
My first thought, though, was whether the dogs could be poisoned by so much fish oil all at once. After checking with the vet, I was confident that the worst I had to deal with was the explosive after-effects of ingesting so much oil. However, if the capsules had contained Vitamin D, it would have been more serious (I didn't ask what would have happened in that case; I was too relieved I hadn't killed my friends' dogs).
I picked all the oily things I could find and put them in the laundry and outside. I found the plastic tub, the lid of which had been very carefully unscrewed. I washed the dogs. I wiped the couch (which had melted on bits of capsule stuck to it). But this was just the start of a week-long clean up!
I am grateful for the fact that the boys managed to get rid of the oil they had eaten outside, but all three of them keep tracking revolting, regurgitate fish oil back into the house on their feet and ears. However, it wasn't until I was getting ready to leave the house for uni the next morning that I realised that Dexter's ears were covered in oil. And he reeked. Now my car also reeks of rotting fish, and my colleagues had to put up with a stinky dog in our class that day.
But as bad as the smell of all that oil was, it just got worse as it got old. The place started to smell like an old fishing shack, stinking of rotting fish. Hideous.
I've tried several ways to get fish oil out of the various soft furnishings, and am still trying (white vinegar not effective, although I've had some results with dishwashing liquid). They are currently all outside, to see if the sun can break it down a bit. Tina, Karen and Steve's Amazing Cleaner, saved my sanity when she came yesterday and helped with another round of cleaning up.The only fishy enclaves left are the couch, my bedroom, the dogs' beds and the dogs themselves (the toilet is currently the sweetest-smelling place in the house!) It's much less pronounced than earlier in the week, although I think I'm going to smell rotten fish forever!
The spewed up fish oil out on the lawn will sink in eventually, so the dogs will stop treading in it (I hope), and I have a few more fish-oil-removing suggestions from friends to try out.
Throughout it all, though, I've only been able to blame myself. I left the stupid things out on the bench, after all.
I could not have been more wrong!
A week later (on another Monday, when I leave for uni at 6.30am and don't get back until 5pm), I came home to discover that the dogs had got hold of a large tub of 400 super-strength fish oil capsules, and EATEN THEM ALL. There was oil EVERYWHERE. Fudge only had oily ears, but JJ was covered in it, from head to toe, and had rolled on all the dog beds, the couch and its blankets, and MY bed, including a couple of shirts. The smell was awful.
My first thought, though, was whether the dogs could be poisoned by so much fish oil all at once. After checking with the vet, I was confident that the worst I had to deal with was the explosive after-effects of ingesting so much oil. However, if the capsules had contained Vitamin D, it would have been more serious (I didn't ask what would have happened in that case; I was too relieved I hadn't killed my friends' dogs).
I picked all the oily things I could find and put them in the laundry and outside. I found the plastic tub, the lid of which had been very carefully unscrewed. I washed the dogs. I wiped the couch (which had melted on bits of capsule stuck to it). But this was just the start of a week-long clean up!
I am grateful for the fact that the boys managed to get rid of the oil they had eaten outside, but all three of them keep tracking revolting, regurgitate fish oil back into the house on their feet and ears. However, it wasn't until I was getting ready to leave the house for uni the next morning that I realised that Dexter's ears were covered in oil. And he reeked. Now my car also reeks of rotting fish, and my colleagues had to put up with a stinky dog in our class that day.
But as bad as the smell of all that oil was, it just got worse as it got old. The place started to smell like an old fishing shack, stinking of rotting fish. Hideous.
I've tried several ways to get fish oil out of the various soft furnishings, and am still trying (white vinegar not effective, although I've had some results with dishwashing liquid). They are currently all outside, to see if the sun can break it down a bit. Tina, Karen and Steve's Amazing Cleaner, saved my sanity when she came yesterday and helped with another round of cleaning up.The only fishy enclaves left are the couch, my bedroom, the dogs' beds and the dogs themselves (the toilet is currently the sweetest-smelling place in the house!) It's much less pronounced than earlier in the week, although I think I'm going to smell rotten fish forever!
The spewed up fish oil out on the lawn will sink in eventually, so the dogs will stop treading in it (I hope), and I have a few more fish-oil-removing suggestions from friends to try out.
Throughout it all, though, I've only been able to blame myself. I left the stupid things out on the bench, after all.
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