We all love long, sunny days and balmy nights (it’s our reward for surviving the winter). What we don’t love is the unbearable stench of a dog who thought that family of skunks was just a bunch of funny-looking cats.
If your dog has been skunked or you’re looking for a sure-fire recipe to keep on hand for future emergencies, here’s how to get the skunk smell off your dog:
What to Do If Your Dog Is Sprayed by a Skunk
First, a note: skunks are not just a hazard for people who live in sparsely-populated areas. Skunks can be found in cities and suburban neighborhoods all over the country, so it’s best to assume that there is always a possibility of skunks in your area.
If your dog gets sprayed by a skunk, a common myth is that a bathtub full of tomato juice will remove the smell. This won’t do the trick, and filling a bathtub with tomato juice can be a long, cumbersome process.
Follow this recipe instead:
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 1 quart hydrogen peroxide
- 2 teaspoons Dawn dishwashing liquid
- Up to 1 quart of water to make a sufficient amount of the mix (you can double or triple the recipe depending on the size and fur density of the dog)
To use it, saturate your dog’s fur with the mixture, being careful to avoid his eyes and mouth, and leave it on for five minutes. Rise the mixture off with clear water and say goodbye to the skunk smell.
Ideally, if you have a yard and a garden hose (and the skunk is nowhere in sight), you can get the skunk smell off your dog outdoors before going in the home. Worst case, contain him in the bathroom until you’re sure the smell is gone.
In most cases, it should only take one round of washing your dog and rinsing him off with this solution to get rid of the skunk smell, however you can do it more than once if needed.
If your dog often travels with you to outdoor areas, it’s a good idea to keep the ingredients for this mix in the trunk of your car. Nobody wants to drive home with a reeking dog in the backseat, and the skunk smell may be difficult to remove from your upholstery.