Skunk?

[ecowtent]

Anyone have a recipe to clean the smell of skunk off a stupid dog and out of our house?

M

 

[Al in Ohio]

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.

 

[ecowtent]

I found one with dawn and baking soda but the smell is everywhere.

 

[ERD50]

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.

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

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]

-ERD50

 

[MarieIG]

Dog shampoo rinse.

Tomato - soak 15 minutes.

Dog shampoo again, rinse.

P.S. I would suggest calling the vet. They should give you instructions over the phone and may recommend that you bring the dog in. (Although they WILL tell you how to clean him first.)

 

[MRG]

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'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.

 

[ivinsfan]

For future reference don't let the dog inside.open the windows and run all the fans you own

 

[calmloki]

Tomato juice bath. If you put some effort into it you will find that the smell afterwards is much like spaghetti sauce with garlic.

 

[CDRE]

The peroxide/baking soda/detergent mix works very well for pets. For objects, use one cup of regular laundry bleach to a gallon of water.

 

[JoeWras]

It is well known that the tomato juice thing came about from a lobbying effort by the Tomato Growers Association.

 

[pacergal]

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)

 

[braumeister]

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.

 

[street]

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.

I never had the experience but have known people that have used tomato juice and they said it worked great.

 

[JoeWras]

I always suspected it was something about the acid. Vinegar may work too, but then everything smells like vinegar.

 

[Cobra9777]

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)

Our dog gets skunked all the time. That's almost exactly what we do. Tomato juice doesn't really work at all. I always keep a fresh bottle of hydrogen peroxide on hand. One thing I do a little different... I try to find the exact area where the spray hit. Yes, you have to sniff around to find it. I use straight hydrogen peroxide in that area. It doesn't bother his skin at all, and it neutralizes the smell almost immediately. Then, he gets a good scrubbing all over with a mixture very similar to the recipe above. Sometimes (often?) he gets hit right in the face. To avoid getting hydrogen peroxide in his eyes, I put it on a cloth and carefully rub it around, which works fine.

 

[MarieIG]

How is doggie doing today?

 

[ivinsfan]

Our country dogs must be smarter then the average dog. It usually takes only one good dousing for them to realize skunks are not to be messed up.

 

[Sue J]

Our dog (RIP 2021) got skunked once and DH was almost nauseous and could barely stand it.

I always knew I had no sense of smell but this really proved it as I could not smell any of it. I offered to help with the cleanup but she was pretty much his dog and he wanted to deal with it.

 

[Car-Guy]

Anyone have a recipe to clean the smell of skunk off a stupid dog and out of our house?

M

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...

Best solution is, stay away from skunks.
If that fails, the smell will start going away in about 1 to 2 months and be completely gone in 3 to 4 months.

 

[Cobra9777]

...Best solution is, stay away from skunks...

Oh, OK. I'll inform my dog.

 

[JoeWras]

Oh, OK. I'll inform my dog.

Ya got city dogs, and country dogs. Some dogs know who the bad guys are, others know who the bad animals are.

 

[Car-Guy]

^^^^^
Only took one encounter for my dog.... Knows to stay away from skunks,,,,, now. Just like he has learned not to chase Deer... He can't even come close to catching them and he knows it.

 

[Free To Canoe]

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

+1