Pets' encounters with skunks are never very nice for the pets or their owners. And as intolerable as a thorough skunk spraying can be, a University of Georgia veterinarian says that may not be the worst of it.

"Skunks account for many rabies cases in Georgia," said Jim Strickland, an Extension Service veterinarian with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Of the 597 Georgia rabies cases reported in 1995 and 1996, the Georgia Division of Public Health reports that 60 cases, or 10 percent, were skunks. That's a distant second to raccoons (415) in the number of cases reported.

Strickland said outdoor pets, especially dogs, often tangle with skunks. "Skunks appear to be fairly easy prey," he said.

The appearance is deceiving. "They have a unique way of defending themselves," he said. "But it surely is effective."

Skunks have glands that manufacture a substance loaded with thiols, the compounds responsible for the odors that come from rotting flesh and fecal matter. Their potent spray is literally the essence of putrification. It's an eye-watering, breathtaking concoction that seems to defy any attempt to get rid of it.

People with skunk-sprayed pets have tried every kind of soap and lots of home remedies. None works very well, Strickland said. Tomato juice, a favorite, is often better at turning a pet pink than making it not stink.

But there's good news.

Strickland said Lisle, Ill., chemist Paul Krebaum's formula may be the best hope yet for deskunking a putrid pet.

Mix 1 quart of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide, one-fourth cup of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of liquid dish detergent. Douse the pet with the solution immediately, since the chemical reaction lasts only a short time. Rinse the pet well with water. Don't let the solution soak for more than a few minutes.

The solution will treat a small dog. For larger dogs, you may need to double or triple the ingredients.

The solution, which gives off oxygen that then changes the skunk-spray chemicals into odorless compounds, can't be stored. So just mix it and use it as needed.

"This solution may enable you to stand getting close enough to your pet to see if it has any bite wounds," Strickland said. "If it does, be sure you have your veterinarian check it out. Bite wounds are usually highly contaminated and predisposed to abscesses."

The threat of rabies from infected skunks is by far the more serious problem, he said. And a thoroughly sprayed dog may be a good sign that the skunk it encountered was normal.

Animals infected with rabies often don't behave normally, he said. So they might not use their traditional defense mechanism.

Rabid skunks can be in a stage in which they have no symptoms, though. So rabies should be a concern anytime a pet mixes it up with a skunk.

If your pet has been bitten and hasn't been vaccinated for rabies, most veterinarians now recommend having it vaccinated immediately.

"If we don't have a positive diagnosis of rabies (in the animal that bit the pet), we don't usually recommend euthanasia," Strickland said.

Not having to put a pet to sleep after a suspicious bite doesn't mean the worry is over. You can't be perfectly sure the pet won't develop rabies until the six-month incubation period is over.

"There's only one way to be certain you don't have to worry about your pet getting rabies from a skunk or any other wild animal," Strickland said. "Have your dog or cat vaccinated every year by a licensed veterinarian." Georgia law requires all dogs and cats to have rabies shots. A three-year vaccine is available, he said. But since Georgia has a constant presence of rabies, he recommends sticking with annual vaccinations.