Anyone have a recipe to clean the smell of skunk off a stupid dog and out of our house?
M
Yeah it is well known you need to bathe the dog in large cans of tomato juice and let it sit before rinse and then washing with soap.
Tomato juice and tomato sauce are ineffective at neutralizing the odor of a skunk; it only appears to work due to olfactory fatigue.[402] For dogs that get sprayed, The Humane Society of the United States recommends using a mixture of dilute hydrogen peroxide (3%), baking soda, and dishwashing liquid.[403]
I've used hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dawn with some success last time I had to deal with a skunk. That said, OP your pup needs time outside too. Fresh skunk is best appreciated from afar. Twenty four hours helps the burn.Well known, but apparently a myth.
A google search shows that tomato juice mostly just masks the odor. You want to neutralize it.
Check a few more sources to validate it, but I'm seeing references to hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and detergent:
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/home-living/get-rid-of-skunk-smell-on-dog/
edit/add: I was wondering why the heck I thought this was a myth - then I recalled that I was reading this wiki article just the other day:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_misconceptions
-ERD50
I have no reason to doubt the posts above, but I will say that we had three episodes of cat/skunk encounters over the years, and found the tomato juice bath technique worked perfectly well for us.
Disclaimer: Actually, on one of those episodes there was no tomato juice in the house at the time, so I grabbed a couple of jars of Ragu spaghetti sauce and used that instead. "Cat marinara" became a running joke, but it did work equally well.
My brother lives in the country area near here. their dogs get skunked frequently.
Their recipe, found online,:
NEW or unopened bottle of 3% Hydrogen peroxide
1/4 Cup Baking Soda
1-2 Teaspoons liquid soap (they use Dawn) Or some shaved Lever hand soap
1 Quart warm water
Mix and use immediately ( it is fizzy). saturate the coat, all the way to the skin. Let sit for several minutes, or until odor is gone. Rinse. Repeat with fresh batch of solution if needed.
Wear gloves and goggles as you clean the dog.
Put protective eye ointment or mineral oil in dogs eyes.
Make sure you check for any open wounds or bites on the dog (skunks can carry rabies)
None of the above have worked for our dogs... Tried them all. At best some will dilute the smell "a little". The best seem to be one of the products sold at Tractor Supply specifically to get rid of the skunk smell. Maybe 50% effective... Maybe...Anyone have a recipe to clean the smell of skunk off a stupid dog and out of our house?
M
...Best solution is, stay away from skunks...
Oh, OK. I'll inform my dog.
Well known, but apparently a myth.
A google search shows that tomato juice mostly just masks the odor. You want to neutralize it.
Check a few more sources to validate it, but I'm seeing references to hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and detergent:
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/home-living/get-rid-of-skunk-smell-on-dog/
edit/add: I was wondering why the heck I thought this was a myth - then I recalled that I was reading this wiki article just the other day:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_misconceptions
-ERD50