If your dog gets sprayed by a skunk, its almost an unbearable smell. You have to get that smell and thiols out of the dogs coat as soon as possible. ( Thiols: a yellow oil that the skunks spray, which is stored in the two glands at the base of their tail). If you live in place where your dog may come into contact with a skunk, you’ll need to know what to do.

1. Grab some rubber gloves and be sure to protect your eyes, should your dog shake himself off. You don’t want any skunk spray in your eyes. (Try “safety glasses” or “goggles”).

2. Now you need to get the oily spray off the dog as soon as possible. Grab some paper towels or old absorbent towels and wipe off your dog, to get whatever you can before it has a chance to soak in, as this will help reduce the effect of the skunk odor.

3. Before shampooing the dog, get a wet warm washcloth and clean the face and eye area. Skunks usually spray their predictors in the face with their spray. This spray can cause momentary blindness if the liquid gets near the eyes. To clean the eyes…try to keep the dogs eye open with one hand and gently pour the lukewarm water into the eye. Then do the same with the other eye. (Keep the dogs head turned sideways and down a bit so the water can run out).

4. I have been told that a drop of mineral oil in each eye, will protect the dogs eyes from the soap during his bath. Then use little saline solution after the bath because that will rinse most of it out so your dog can see again without a film.

“Old Standbys”  that are commonly used

1. Tomato juice –  Pour the tomato juice over the dog , keeping it away from the eyes, nose and mouth, and rub it into the dogs coat. Rinse well. When washing the face area, be careful not to get any in the dogs eyes. Depending on how much of the skunk spray got on the dog, you may have to repeat with more tomato juice. Then after rising off the tomato juice again, wash dog with his shampoo in lukewarm water and rinse thoroughly. Again, this may have to be repeated until the smell is gone. This is one of the “old standbys,” but does it really do the job well enough? I have learned that tomato juice only masks the odor.

2.   Vinegar and water – This is another home remedy that really doesn’t do all that well. The smell of the vinegar may mask the skunk smell, but it doesn’t to much else.

Now…I will list what I was told, works a lot better.

(Note: Although this solution does work well, the coat and skin will get very dried out. This dryness can be counteracted by using a good quality creme rinse that replenishes moisture. It is NOT recommended to use conditioners during the de-skunking process). Now…

Mix the following in an container

1 pint Hydrogen peroxide

½ cup Baking soda

1 teas. Dawn dish washing soap (Dawn cuts grease/oil)

After you have mixed it well, now fill the bathtub with lukewarm water and carefully lift the dog into the bathtub. (If your dog will jump in, it will be easier on you). Once the dog is in the tub start applying the mixture to the dog that you just made, rubbing it in generously over his whole body down deep into the skin. Let this solution sit on the dog for a 5 – 6 minutes. Important: DO NOT get any of this solution in the dogs eyes, nose or mouth.

Now rinse your dog thoroughly and drain the tub. Rinse the dog again. Once you are done rinsing the dog well, then use a dog shampoo with a good pH balance to thoroughly wash the dogs coat. You may have to wash the dog several times, depending on how much the dog got sprayed by the skunk. ( if you have any lavender oil, add a few drops to the dogs coat as you are giving the dog his last lathering of shampoo). Rinse well to make sure there is no residue left on the dog. (Again – keeping the shampoo away from the dogs eyes, nose and mouth. You can wash the dogs head and muzzle with a washcloth, but rinse it off right away so it doesn’t get into the dogs eyes, nose or mouth).

Tips

• Keep the ingredients above handy if you live in a place that your dog may come across a skunk, so it can be made up fast. This solution,(Hydrogen peroxide, Baking soda and Dawn dish washing soap), can not be made up for future use, because it can’t be kept in a sealed container. This is because the gases can build up, and can cause an explosion.

• You want to use lukewarm water to wash the skunk spray off, because hot water will open the pores in the skin and you don’t want the smell to work it’s way deeper into the skin. Also, using hot water may burn your dog.

• No matter what product you use to get the skunk smell off, it’s important to put something on him to start getting rid of the smell right away. (Remember, you first need to remove the odor causing oils and then you can mask the scent). Bathe the dog with the mixture of your choice and rinse well. A second shampooing is recommended, and again, rinse the dog off thoroughly. I was told that you can use commercial products because they are the most effective way to get your dog smelling like himself again.

• Also, no matter how good of job you do in de-skunking your dog, the dog may still have some odor left because of the pores opening again. Especially if it’s raining or is a damp day, you’ll still get some of that “skunk smell” coming off your dogs coat. When this happens you can mask the smell by using a pet cologne. As soon as you can, you’ll need to give the dog another bath with a good dog shampoo.

• If the dogs gets on your furniture or carpets before he gets his “de-skunking process,” you can use bowls of bleach to get out the smell. Simply place several bowls of bleach in the room that smells, (keeping out any pets or children in that area), as the bleach is said to destroy the smell.

• If the smell is on your clothes, (you’d be very lucky if it isn’t), it’s best to take them to your local dry cleaners, or toss them away.

Supplies you’ll need:

• paper towels

• safety glasses or goggles

• rubber gloves

• dog shampoo

• washcloth

De-skunking Mixture:

1.  Tomato Juice

or

2.   Vinegar

or

3.   Hydrogen Peroxide

Baking Soda

Dawn dish washing soap

.

There are over-the-counter solutions that are said to work very well, but in a pinch, you can make up any of the three solutions mentioned above.    Good luck.

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