How to Deskunk a Dog?

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SweetiePie

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This is for all of you country folk out there. Anyone know how to deskunk a dog? My dog who won't even chase a rabbit, decided to get into it with a skunk this morning and apparently got sprayed; as he reeks. The whole area did at the time but the breeze has taken care of that. I heard something about tomato juice once but he is not bath-friendly either. Right now he is in exile in the backyard and not happy about it. What to do?
 
I would fill a bucket with tomato juice and just pour it over him since he does not like a bath. Then a hose off i guess. We never had any of our dogs mess with a skunk. But tomato juice is what i have always heard was the answer to it.
 
According to Myth Busters, this was the most effective recipe:
[tr][td] [/td] [/td][/tr][tr][td] [/td]1 quart 3% hydrogen peroxide[/td][/tr][tr][td] [/td]1/4 cup baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)[/td][/tr][tr][td] [/td]1 teaspoon liquid soap[/td][/tr][tr][td] [/td] [/td][/tr][tr][td] [/td]*IMPORTANT*[/td][/tr][tr][td] [/td]"Once you mix the hydrogen peroxide with the baking soda, it is no longer stable,"[/td][/tr][tr][td] [/td]said Krebaum. "You can't store it in a bottle, because it would explode from all the oxygen."[/td][/tr][tr][td] [/td] [/td][/tr][tr][td] [/td]Make only as much de-skunking remedy as you can use at one time.[/td][/tr][tr][td] [/td]It is unsafe to bottle the chemical combination. (Kansas State University News Service)[/td][/tr][tr][td] [/td] [/td][/tr][tr][td] [/td]Mix the three ingredients together and use immediately.[/td][/tr][tr][td] [/td]Brandon advises beginning by wetting your pet down,[/td][/tr][tr][td] [/td]then applying the mixture and working through the animals' hair.[/td][/tr][tr][td] [/td]Leave the solution on for three to four minutes, and finish by rinsing with tap water.[/td][/tr][tr][td] [/td]Do not let the solution soak for more than a few minutes.[/td][/tr][tr][td] [/td]
Edited to add that tomato juice came in second in their experiment for odor removal.
[/td][/tr][/table]
 
Ours got sprayed a few years back. Tomato Juice never seemed to do anything but make the dog smell like it got attacked by a skunk that had been eating tomatos for a month.
Mix equal parts peroxide and baking soda in a bowl and add a few tablespoons of dish washing liquid soap. Scrub dog with it a few times....rinse..repeat .... (oooh...forgot to add..wear rubber gloves or the smell will get into your hands)
It gets most of the smell out...though every time the dog gets wet, you will still get a hint of skunk. Takes several months to grow out completely.
The peroxide may change the hair color of your dog. Ours was a black lab mix and the hair on the top of the head turned orange. By the time the orange was gone, so was the smell.
 
Forget tomato juice, it doesn't work. This works - don't laugh :
A surprisingly effective product to neutralize skunk spray odor is Summer's Eve douch, manufactured by C.B. Fleet Company, Inc. Use 7 bottles to de-odorize a 70 pound dog. The method is to apply it directly to the fur and work it into the deeper layers by hand. For the dog's face, use a washcloth with the solution to apply the product.
 
Tomato juice does nothing at all...except make a mess. The solution given by several here DOES work, we've used it on one of our Inn dogs, who decided to kiss a skunk one full house fourth of july............
 
Thanks guys. Don't seem to have any hydrogen peroxide or Summer's Eve on hand. Question: Is skunk spray oil based? Is that why it is so hard to get rid of? It looks like rain, so I'm hoping that might give me a headstart.
 
I've heard that a good wash with Palmolive or any type of dish soap you have on hand then works pretty well, followed by a vinegar and water rinse after you've gotten all the soap out. Don't rinse out the vinegar, rinse him with a vinegar/water mixture.
 
Thanks guys. Don't seem to have any hydrogen peroxide or Summer's Eve on hand. Question: Is skunk spray oil based? Is that why it is so hard to get rid of? It looks like rain, so I'm hoping that might give me a headstart..
SweetiePie said:
Thanks guys. Don't seem to have any hydrogen peroxide or Summer's Eve on hand. Question: Is skunk spray oil based? Is that why it is so hard to get rid of? It looks like rain, so I'm hoping that might give me a headstart.
Your easiest solution would be to call a groomer. They are professionals that have products that will take care of your problem. Plus you get a nicely groomed/bathed dog back in return. Some groomers have grooming vans that will come right to you so you don't have to transport your smelly boy.
 
We just had a guest here who said all the neighborhood dogs had a run in with a bunch (passle, pack, whatever) of skunks. Liquid lemon dishsoap did the trick!
 
InnsiderInfo's recipe has worked for us in a pinch, but nothing works like this stuff:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2750961
And its cheap.
We tried this stuff once and it worked ok.
http://www.shopwiki.com/SIMPLE+SOLUTION+Skunk+Odor+Eliminator+16+oz
The problem is that no matter what you use, every time the dog gets wet for a few months, you'll pick up the faint odor again.
Skunk spray is a really hot and noxious oil.
 
Thanks guys. Don't seem to have any hydrogen peroxide or Summer's Eve on hand. Question: Is skunk spray oil based? Is that why it is so hard to get rid of? It looks like rain, so I'm hoping that might give me a headstart..
Yes, it is oil based and you can also try a vinegar bath, as the summer's eve suggests... white vinegar. My dog gets skunked about 3 times each summer, had one in her house a few weeks ago, didn't get her, but got the house...had my daughter spray straight vinegar on the spray area, worked like a charm, it dissolves the oil. The baking soda, peroxide dishsoap bath makes it tolerable and then a trip to the groomer for the special skunk shampoo, they also have a special solution that they can spray on their faces and in their noses to get it out, it really helps....
 
Doggy update: Well, I finally wrestled him into the bathtub and gave him a bath and luckily it wasnt as bad as I'd feared.
It appears Buford was saved by his clothing. Don't laugh. He's not a toy poodle or a chihuahua; so it's not a fashion statement. It serves a very practical purpose. He sheds alot and it saves me cleaning and it also protects him from getting twigs, brambles and other debris entwined in his coat. That usually entailed having to cut these things out in the past.
He was wearing his suede and shearling coat and a sweater at the time. I used to do just the sweater but it was pulled and full of holes within a week. This one has lasted 6 months so far. Evidence points to a full frontal attack. I read wear skunk spray can actually temporarily blind a dog for up to 2 days. Luckily this didn't happen to him.
I washed the coat first in regular soap with bleach and then lemon dishwashing liquid followed by a vinegar rinse. It still smells faintly but my nose may be immune by now. Glad it was mostly the clothing that got hit. That can be replaced.
 
Doggy update: Well, I finally wrestled him into the bathtub and gave him a bath and luckily it wasnt as bad as I'd feared.
It appears Buford was saved by his clothing. Don't laugh. He's not a toy poodle or a chihuahua; so it's not a fashion statement. It serves a very practical purpose. He sheds alot and it saves me cleaning and it also protects him from getting twigs, brambles and other debris entwined in his coat. That usually entailed having to cut these things out in the past.
He was wearing his suede and shearling coat and a sweater at the time. I used to do just the sweater but it was pulled and full of holes within a week. This one has lasted 6 months so far. Evidence points to a full frontal attack. I read wear skunk spray can actually temporarily blind a dog for up to 2 days. Luckily this didn't happen to him.
I washed the coat first in regular soap with bleach and then lemon dishwashing liquid followed by a vinegar rinse. It still smells faintly but my nose may be immune by now. Glad it was mostly the clothing that got hit. That can be replaced..
LOL That's cute. A sweater and a coat in August? Please post a picture of this. What kind of dog is Buford?
When our lab got sprayed, she was sprayed from sort of the side profile so what missed her head, oversprayed and landed on my cousin's car (he was visiting for a night). When we looked at it in the morning, there was a very clear sihloette of the dogs's head on the side of his car where the spray did not hit the car. He sold the car within a month because he couldn't fully get the smell out.
 
No digital camera here. So no photo. Sorry. Buford is a mutt. His mom was a gas station giveaway. My mom needed to use the restroom and the gas station just happened to have a box full of adorable puppies. The rest is history.
I thought I had a male and a Samoyed. Turns out it was a female and to the best we can determine an American Eskimo and golden lab cross. She had the pretty Eskimo face but ended up with a slightly yellow tinge to her coat.
His dad was Chow but luckily turned out her size, about 40 lbs. He looks more yellow lab but didn't inherit the thick Chow or Eskimo coat. Since it can get below zero in winter, a coat was a necessity in winter since he once came in with a string of snowballs on his belly.
I decided to leave it on all the time after dressing him became such a challenge. I actually pulled a muscle once in his shoulder causing him to limp for a couple days.
It rarely gets really hot here since we are in the mountains. He also goes out early in the morning and in the early evening, so not in the heat of the day anyway. The cleaning benefits were just extra perks.
 
The last week or so, I have a skunk (or skunks) tearing up my whole yard. I'd have D. shoot it, but am afraid it would stink the place up badly. Thank god he's only been rooting around in the back so far, I guess I'll have to go next door and borrow the trap from our neighboor, who did a great job getting rid of them for the last few years.
 
The last week or so, I have a skunk (or skunks) tearing up my whole yard. I'd have D. shoot it, but am afraid it would stink the place up badly. Thank god he's only been rooting around in the back so far, I guess I'll have to go next door and borrow the trap from our neighboor, who did a great job getting rid of them for the last few years..
I think they go after grubs and underground bees nests. The digging usually indicates grubs. Grub killer often results in them moving on to tastier grounds.
 
The last week or so, I have a skunk (or skunks) tearing up my whole yard. I'd have D. shoot it, but am afraid it would stink the place up badly. Thank god he's only been rooting around in the back so far, I guess I'll have to go next door and borrow the trap from our neighboor, who did a great job getting rid of them for the last few years..
And..what will you do with it when and if you do trap one???? We had one accidently get into our groundhog trap. Friends were taking care of the place for us..so imagine when they found the skunk. Very carefully had to use a real long piece of wood to open the door to let it out. Thankfully it didn't spray them.:)
 
The last week or so, I have a skunk (or skunks) tearing up my whole yard. I'd have D. shoot it, but am afraid it would stink the place up badly. Thank god he's only been rooting around in the back so far, I guess I'll have to go next door and borrow the trap from our neighboor, who did a great job getting rid of them for the last few years..
Little Blue said:
The last week or so, I have a skunk (or skunks) tearing up my whole yard. I'd have D. shoot it, but am afraid it would stink the place up badly. Thank god he's only been rooting around in the back so far, I guess I'll have to go next door and borrow the trap from our neighboor, who did a great job getting rid of them for the last few years.
We've had pretty good luck with this stuff.
http://www.havahart.com/store/animal-repellents/skunk
Its got cayenne pepper, capsacin, etc. in it and you sprinkle it around the areas most frequented. They smell it and if they taste it, they usually move on to other neighbor's less repulsive yards. Sorry neighbors.... LOL
We have our food composter as far from the main house as possible, but its behind our residence, so keeping them away from us is important and mostly to make it so we don't have to freak every time we let Lola out anytime near or after dark.
One upside to our brand of skunks is that they really smell bad ALL the time, not just after spraying, so we get some advance warning that they've entered the property. They also travel on the same trails all the time, so we know exactly what direction they are coming from.
 
You could try Shakeaway. Its predator urine in a pellet. Its odorless to humans, but really works. Ace Hardware has it or buy online. I use the one for moles.
 
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