How to Remove and Get Out the Skunk Odor Smell Off a Dog
77A Romantic Night Gone Bad
So I bet you have come to this article for a smelly reason- and it most likely has to do with trying to figure out how to remove the skunk smell from a dog. You are probably really pissed off right now and holding your nose while your dog looks anxiously at you trying to figure out what you are going to do next:
Well don't fret, I am going to give you a recipe developed by Chemist Paul Krebaum that I know works for getting the skunk smell out of your dog- and I know this because it worked for me today. Because of it my border collie Simon actually gets to sleep back in the bedroom tonight- and for me, that is an unbelievable thing.
The reason it is so unbelievable is because last night Simon smelled so bad that I literally could not stand to be within even 10 feet of him!
While out on a "romantic walk" with my husband last night, a skunk decided to run in our path towards the water. My husband, being the inquisitive individual that he is, JUST had to take a better look at the skunk. BAD IDEA.
While I was anxiously trying to pull our 2 border collies to safety and out of harms way- my oldest border collie Simon jerked his head so hard he slipped right out of his collar and ran right at the skunk. (the skunk looked like our cat Perdy and I think Simon was intrigued by this)
Sure enough, he got sprayed and BOY did he ever get it good. He smelled so bad that when my husband put him in the van for the ride home I had to hang my head out the window all the way home. I could'nt stand the stench- it was that bad!.
To add insult to injury poor Simon had to be in lockdown in the van for the ride home because we were terrified that the oil from the skunk spray would get all over the van. Simon spent the ride home covered in a tarp (thank God for the tarp otherwise we might have had a smelly van for weeks, maybe even years according to what I've read about the lingering effects of skunk spray.)
Being 11 at night our choices were limited on what we could do to deal with the absolutely nauseating smell.
I quickly picked a recipe off the Internet for skunk smell developed by a chemist and decided to give it a try:
Simon Got Sprayed By A Skunk
The Skunk Resembled our Cat Perdy
RECIPE FOR REMOVING SKUNK SMELL FROM YOUR DOG
You will want to use this formula for removing the skunk smell from your dog:This formula gets rid of the odor (it doesn't just mask it) and it changes the chemical properties of the skunk spray to break it down.
You will need the following from any local grocery or drug store:
* 1 QT. OF 3% HYDROGEN PEROXIDE
* 1/4 CUP OF BAKING SODA
* 1 TEASPOON OF A LIQUID SOAP ( I recommend DAWN, it breaks down oil and grease well)
MIX AND IMMEDIATELY APPLY TO YOUR DOG. BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO GET THE MIXTURE IN YOUR DOGS NOSE, EYES ,EARS OR MOUTH.
LATHER UP REALLY GOOD (my husband used a cheap shampoo first just to get the suds going)
RINSE AND DRY OFF YOUR DOG.
* You must mix this is an open container and when you are done with the formula get rid of the remaining formula (if there is any left) DO NOT STORE what's left in a container, the chemical reaction from being closed up can cause an explosion! (interesting side note here: this is probably why this formula has never been patented- if you can't bottle it you certainly can't sell it!)
Simon Got Skunked
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Skunk Smell is Absolutely Nauseating!
Needless to say, Simon, his dad and I had a miserable night before we used this formula for removing skunk spray from dogs. Simon was put in quarantine in the backyard until the next morning when we could better clean him up ( it is always best to do this as soon as possible but in Simon's case we were so exhausted that we decided to wait till the following morning when we could bathe him at our shop- which had a nice big horse trough for his smelly behind)
So Simon got to spend the next day at our business in sauna lock-down. My husband took the formula and changed it somewhat- instead of the 1 teaspoon of Dawn he put half a cup- and a half a box of baking soda, with 1 small bottle of hydrogen peroxide.
The results were outstanding, so good that Simon is now basking in his place next to our bed as I write this article.
So if your dog gets sprayed by a skunk, try this recipe. It really does work!It's a great way of getting the skunk smell out of your dog (just make sure you don't keep any unused parts in a closed container, it can explode) and don't get the mixture in your dogs eyes, ears, nose or mouth.
And as for your own clothes, get them off right away and wash them with some type of neutralizer- I poured Pine-sol in my clothes and it seemed to work fine-( I can't smell skunk anymore) and for goodness sakes, try to keep your dogs away from skunks. It can sure ruin a romantic night!
(Dorsi Diaz is a freelance writer/publisher who has a great love for all her furbabies, minus the skunk smell. If you have enjoyed this article or it has been helpful a thumbs up would be appreciated!)
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Great info. Hope I never have to use it though. I wonder if it works on people?
I can't even imagine how bad it must have smelled. Good job.
It was pretty funny- I couldn't help but fall out when I saw how Simon got wrapped up in the tarp by my husband- I started laughing so hard I couldn't stop- and he had 2 leashes tied to him on each side of the van so he couldn't move around- poor Simon!!!And you can actually use this on people and cats I've heard- I hope I never have to use it on myself!!!
Hi Dorsi,
Getting skunked is the absolute worse experience, ever...
During the middle of the night, on the day one of my daughters was being married - our dog was skunked right outside one of the downstairs rooms in my home.
Worse though - was the fact that the window was open! We had a house-full for the wedding. We hear this knock on our bedroom door. (middle of night) It was one of my son-in-laws freaking out because of the smell!
We didn't know what it was immediately, because it was so overpowering of an odor! It was just the worst smell I have ever encountered... now waifing it's way throughout my entire house!
Oh I cannot even begin to tell you the morning we had as we worked like crazy to get rid of the smell before we would have guest coming later that day! Yikes!
A memory never to be forgotten in my family!
tDMg
LdsNana-AskMormon
Oh my LdsNana- I cannot IMAGINE!!! That must have been awful- if it was anything like how Simon smelled you must have been MORTIFIED! Skunk smell is the worst smell ever!That definitely was a wedding memory!!!
Thanks it really helps. MY dog, Jackson, i a mix and has chihuahua and he went after trying to scare it away and the next thing you here is the skunk spraying him. This happened at 4:30 a.m. It was a rude awakining.
Glad it helped you Joe. We found we need to "deskunk" Simon a little more. He got sprayed mostly on his face, and we didn't want to get the recipe too close to his face, so his face is still a little "skunky".
Poor Simon. Beautiful dog.
i like the dog
I've been volunteering with our Humane society more than 10 years now, and we bathe skunked dogs all the time. I've tried all the over the counter products over the years and the only thing that works is your recipe. I first learned it decades ago from an old farmer when I first started working at a veterinary hospital.
Your formula is good, but I urge you to add two more ingredients:
1 Quart beer
2 Tbsp vanilla
The live yeast cultures in the beer help penetrate the resistant oils in the skunk spray, and the dog's water resistant undercoat and skin, so that the hydrogen peroxide can get in there. The beer ads that sudsing factor you discussed too. The beer makes all the difference. That's something I can't keep at the shelter, have to go out and get it each time. When I've skipped that ingredient, the results were not as good.
The vanilla just adds a nice smell on the inner level and penetrates during the bath.
Your warnings to be careful with the eyes and all, are wise. And of course you want to let the dog soak as long as possible, and then rinse completely thoroughly. If there's any hydrogen peroxide left and he grooms it, he could vomit.
Thanks for the well written article, big loves to your pooch xoxo.
I would love to smell a skunk!! as i have never before and would love to know what its like after seeing skunks in many scenes in films and cartoons mostly!!
The nearest i got to this was in Amsterdam, but there skunk smell is really really Mmm, nice!!:D
Great hub, Dorsi! I hope I never have to use that recipe.
Last night, my dog Avi started barking at 3am, and he NEVER barks. Sleepily, I yelled out "No, Avi" from the bedroom, but to no avail. I finally dragged myself over to his territory in the living room (the current truce has granted the bedrooms to the cats). There he was at the door, tail wagging, and BARKING! BAD DOG!
Just to shut him up, I walked to the door and flipped on the light so I could tell him there was nobody there. Well imagine my surprise when I saw a furry little black-and-white visitor on the porch sniffing the floor!
Good dog for alerting mommie to nighttime visitors! May you never get closer to a skunk than that!
This was a fun read. I wish we'd had that recipe when I was a kid. We had an airdale that got spritzed by a skunk. My dad cleaned him with something (no clue what) but you could still smell it. You know how kids are too, always rolling around with the animals, laying on them and stuff. I tell you, you could still smell skunk on him a year later if you were close enough to his fur.
I'm Australian and we don't have the 'skunk factor' going on here. I laughed at Compu-Smart's desire to experience skunk. This year I was in Texas visiting friends and in through the air conditioning ducts came the most fowl smelling odor I'd ever experienced. This was my first and hopefully last experience of skunk odor. I don't envy the poor soul who shoveled up the roadkill and disposed of it.
Its funny how pepe le pew just doesn't quite pass the space of the real thing! LOL.
Well, Thank goodness for the internet.. .and your story! Hogan alerted us last night that there was something outside ( just like annemaeve's dog) and we turned on the light to see the culprit chowing down on the cat's dry food. With the cat wathcing from a nearby deck chair! Well, without thinking, we let Hogan out tonight for one last little romp before bedtime and "Do you smell that? OH NO!!!" He must have gotten it square in the face - he was rubbing and rubbing his face on his outdoor blanket. De-stinking will have to wait until tomorrow - I don't have all of the ingredients and I relly wanted to watch the Olympics.... at the other end of the house from the stink! Poor puppy, his first night sleeping outside. Thanks Dorsi for sharing the practical solution (pardon the pun) to a rather frantic situation!
Thanks for the recipe. I am, unfortunately going to have to try it today. My dogs wanted out early this morning which isn't unusual except my Retriever actually barked for me to get up. Still half-asleep, I got up to let them out. It was nearly dawn so I decided to let them stay out and I would go back to bed. I couldn't get back to sleep as they kept barking. I got up to investigate and found them circling an adult Skunk in our yard. My German Short-hair was trying to attack it. He got some spray though I don't think it hit his face, but the Skunk did manage to nip him on the nose. (Thank God he had his Rabies vaccine in January) Now they stink, both of them. I will try this recipe (with the beer and Vanilla. Thank you Veronica) and try to de-Skunk these two idiots. I've bookmarked the page and I'll let you know the results.
I scrubbed them both down with the mixture and washed them off. So far, so good! I can't smell skunk on either of them. Thanks Dorsi!
A million thanks, Dorsi (and Veronica, I added the beer and vanilla). Last night, after a very long and hectic day, I had settled on the couch, glass of wine in hand, with the deck door open to let in a beautiful evening. My collie, Fionn, was on the deck asleep. A small scuffle and he was inside jumping next to me on the couch and everywhere else! I got him back outside, he was spitting all over (never saw a dog spit). I had to spray myself down with Nature's Miracle. My house still smells but my dog is happily back on the couch asleep. I'll close the deck door tonight...
Thanks for the additional information in regards to adding the beer and vanilla. I will try it...today. Our Airedale, Gracie has been skunked twice in 7 days. Perhaps the second lesson will sink in. The smell certainly has. In regards to the person that would like to smell a skunk, I recommend central Indiana. Every dog that I have owned has been skunked at least once. That includes one on Christmas Eve who then came in the dog door and spent the night in our back porch/mud room. I heard that Santa almost skipped our house all together that year...and I had been very good.
Thank you........our beagle mix had her second encounter with a skunk last night. This really works well.
Hi Dorsi,
Thank you for your informative hub!
Years ago both my dogs got "skunked" in my back yard. I was told to put tomato juice on them to get rid of the smell. I bought a dozen of the largest cans of tomato juice, then one by one tied my lab and german shepherd dogs to a porch railing and thoroughly doused them with gallons of tomato juice.
I guess they didn't like it because when I was finished, they both immediately jumped into the swimming pool, so now I not only had 2 stinky dogs, but a very large pot of tomato soup.
I learned later that the ACID in the T. juice was suppose to neutralize the skunk smell, and that you can mix white vinegar with water to get the same result. Sigh.
Also we were told to use eucalyptus tree branches to lay on the floor to absorb the smell in the house. (The dogs had chased the skunk under our house where it sprayed again). The branches worked after a few days, but were not great on your bare feet.
That is my skunk tale. Thanks again for the hub.
Violet (*)
I guess I am about to find out if your recipe works. My son and his family left for Mexico in the wee hours of this morning. When they let out Lucy before leaving she got skunked. I am picking her up after I get off work to take her to my house for the week. I have your recipe shopping list in my purse. Wish me luck.
I am glad to see the great success with Paul Krebaums skunk odor removal formula. I was quite impressed with how well this worked.
If it hadn't, we would be one miserable family and Simon would have been a very unhappy canine!
And thanks for the tips on adding beer and vanilla- I've heard great things about those 2 additions!
Ha ha, my dog loves to play around with animals. One time she shook around a racoon for what seemed like hours. She finally managed to tree it and we never saw it again. Then the other night she sees a similar wild animal and thinks it would be fun to play with. I guess she learned her lesson, although I still see her doing that again! I really like the way you write. It's very good! And thanks for the funny story and actually recipe. I got the ingredients off of Mythbusters though.
Its 25 degrees here in Chicago with some snow on the ground. We were too cold (lazy :) to leash up the dogs and decided to let them just run outside and do their business. The german shepard took off running and before we knew what happened, he was headed back to us and then the smell hit. Found your recipe and sent hubby to the drugstore. It worked like a charm and got all of the oil out of his coat. Thank goodness!!!! I can't imagine what we would've done as its much too cold to leave him outside. Thank you so much for posting it!!
D: You are so welcome- glad I could be of help!
very nice tips
hi dorsi! find your tip helps a lot to skunked dogs, but i have this problem with our labs she's not sprayed by skunk but there's this stinky smell of her, by the way her name is Podo our adorable Podo! Even though we shampooed her 2x a day the stinky smell of her does not goes off! Do you think your recipe will work for her? I'll try this recipe of yours and let you know if it works for her.
my dog just got "skunked" and I just puked. It is awful. My dog was tied up outside and she must have spooked it. We made the mix now...I hope it works!
Our dog just got sprayed for the second time in her life, and i couldn't remember the recipe, so i was checking around and found this!! Another trick, is try boiling vinegar on the stove for a few hours. It makes your house smell like vinegar for a while, but when the vinegar smell dies down, the skunk smell is gone too!!!!!
Glad to hear the skunk odor recipe is working for all you that have got "skunked" out by your dogs. This has got to be just one of the nastiest smells I have ever smelled in my life. Thanks redsalem333 for the vinegar tip!
As you know Dorsi, we live in campgrounds and yep, you guessed it, we have them smelly little critters around here! Last season one of our camper's pooch got nailed, and let me tell you even after all those bathes-I didn't want to go and play with her!! If we had your recipe then, maybe it wouldn't been so bad.
If you don't mind, my mommy wrote down your neat recipe and anyone of our camper friends with pets, might need a copy of it!!
If you go to my one hub page about "Yikes! I'm being test...." you will find a cool picture that my mom took of an albino skunk. No, she wouldn't let me go out and check him out!! Oh, by the way, she has an excellent zoom on her camera-she didn't want to get that close either! lol
Thanks Doris for that recipe and thanks Veronica for the added ingredients. YES YES it really works, We had to use it today and thanks to redsalem333 as while for the vinegar tip to get the smell out your house.
Leah: thanks for stopping by and that's a good idea- to have a copy of the skunk odor removal recipe on hand. Probably wouldn't be a bad idea for very dog owner to have a copy of this recipe!
Joyce and Lee: glad the skunk odor recipe worked for you. That skunk odor is the WORST! YUCK!
We have a Border Collie/Australian Shepard mix...likes to herd our cats, which never works out well...afer last night we also know that herding a skunk is also a bad idea! Bentley will be getting a bath tonight in your "recipe"!!! Thanks so much!
Good read but I don't think my dogs will get sprayed by a skunk in the UK. Hmm I don't know though :)
IT really works well!!! Thank You, Thank YOU!!!!!!!!!!
My dog has played twice with the skunk and still hasn't learned!
Both times I had to go to the Internet, I added your page to my favorites!!
Thanks for the story AND the recipe! For the first time (although it has been somewhat close in the past) our golden retriever, also after a barking frenzy, probably straddled a skunk and was doused. With a little girl with the flu at the same time and husband and son away, it was not a happy experience. The recipe worked well as far as I can tell. Now if I can just get it out of the house! All the windows were open and it must have happened right outside our downstairs slider by one of the doors and under our bedroom window. I think we'll be smelling it forever!
Well, I nearly made it sixty years without having a dog skunked. But tonight while walking Ming, our beautiful G.Shepherd, she darted into a bush. I yanked her back too late she was sprayed in a second. So it is possible to get skunked "while you watch". I used your recipe (there are several variants online), but I used something like your husband's because I don't want anyone to know I can tell a teaspoon from a cup. It worked on Ming, but there is a minor odor left in my shower. I assume it will go in a few days... Thanks for the tip.
Used your formula this morning. My border collie mix (Izzy) went out at 6 am and came running back to the door drooling and rubbing everywhere - my whole house smells. Even as I write this she is tied to the basketball goal drying off. Your formula seemed to work. Cross your fingers. I still smell a little bit around her eyes but did not want to hurt her. Thanks for your funny blog!
Great Recipe..Jade (1/2 German Shephard & 1/2 Boxer) was skunked last night before going to bed. She was actually still able to sleep in the bed with us last night. Thanks a bunch for all of the wonderful & VERY USEFUL info! The Link is to pics of my Jade (Pretty Princess).
many thanks for this recipe i have been a chef for 26 years and all the ingredients just absolutly make sence scientifically, my little girl XENA loves to chase squirrels and when i let her out late at night she must of said oh boy a night time squirrel well,,, she chased it and cornered the skunk and whamm-o right in the face! she is just starting to put her winter coat on ( she is a chow/sharpei) and she has quite a maine of fur very thick and i am hoping this recipe works looks like everyone else has had good results! wish xena luck!!! such a stinky girl!! i explained to her that squirrels dont run around at night she looked at me and if she could of talked she would of said "ya think?"
WOW I AM AMAZED! XENA IS SKUNK FREE NOW THAT RECIPE NEEDS TO BE MARKETED!!! IT MAY BE EXPENSIVE BUT I USED REAL 2X VANILLA EXTRACT AND WOW SHE IS TOTALLY SKUNKLESS!!!!WITH A NICE VANILLA OVERTONE SO CONTACT ME AND IM GONNA SEND THIS TO THE PATENT COMPANY !!!!
I'm so happy JB and the rest of you here that you and yours have been "deskunked" by the "deskunking" recipe.....I don't think there is a smell or odor much worse than skunk on dog fur! I am so happy you all dropped by and had good success with this skunk odor recipe!
I have a quick question. My dog got recently sprayed. Luckily it happened at night when everybody was home on 9/. We bathed him instantly with regular shampoo and it helped some. We also tried Skunk-Off Liquid Soaker but didn't really help because he actually smells a little worse (I don't know if it was because he was wet). That was today 9/23. I was just wondering if you knew if it was ok to use this recipe after doing all that other stuff.
thanks!
Gaby, I think it would be fine. There is nothing toxic about this skunk smell recipe so I think it should be OK. Let me know how it works out!
thanks for the recipe we have two pitts that got sprayed two nights ago and we tried everything from tomato juice to spray and this is by far the best... we just done the first dog and im gonna wait to do the other next time though i wont use so much dawn lol the whole tub was full of suds... so thanks alot!
Going to try it today....Marlie just got it ...6AM....have to go to drug store andget the ingredients.
Work like a charm. Thanks a lot. I added the beer and the vanilla. Marlie smells great can't smell skunk even if I put my nose right against her.
By the way Marlie is a very light blonde color and could see the orange/brown oily spot right on the front of her shoulder. Man, did that spot stink. I concentrated on that spot first let the "potion" sink in for a few minutes then did the rest of her.
I cannot thank you enough for this post, I hope it helps a lot more of us skunked people.
My Pit IVY met with Mr. Skunk today and this recipe really worked. It got her back in the house, for that she is truly grateful
Thank you for the recipe. Yes,its almost 3am and I just got done washing my dog with it. It totaly worked.It smelt pretty good too, but I re-washed her with a teatree oil shampoo after just in case. Thanks again :)
You are all very welcome for the dog skunk odor removal recipe! I have been fortunate that our dogs have not been skunked again lately, and can only hope that it doesn't happen again. With 2 inquisitive border collies I'm sure that we have not not seen the last of skunks in our lives though....lol !!!
Well my dog max went out for his nightly brake and came back inside with a new SMELL "skunk" first tryed tomatoe paste then looked this. He still has a stinky head like you said I have tryed to get it as close as possible to mouth,eyes,ears and noise without getting it on them haven't tryed the beer and vanilla yet and I have only put the recipe on one time. Should I try again ???
Caleb, I don't think it would hurt to wash him again in the skunk odor removal recipe. If I remember correctly my husband did wash Simon twice. Good luck!
Thanks Martha. Sounds like another good resource for dogs getting skunked!
Interesting article, and replies as well. I, like most, have been drawn here because of our own "smelly" problem. And our story isn't much different than the others - we've been out late, dog escapes out front door and comes home skunked. I'd been getting ready for bed, and our son came running downstairs to tell me Beau had been sprayed. Wife was standing in the tub with him, about to puke herself. Poor dog was scared... well, you know the rest. Unfortunately, we couldn't get the ingredients together last night, but I'm about to head to the store now. Wife has vinegar boiling on the stove, our clothes are still bagged in the garage. We've got a lot of cleanup to do. And my daughter, dropped off the grandson this morning, is an RVT. Told her to take the dog and she just laughed at me. No way she's keeping him in her car! Wish us luck, especially the dog. He's a husky/shepherd mix, and he HATES water!! But I'm bigger, and I've already told him I'm gonna win. I'll let you know how it goes - ;) JD
Well dang... I was hoping to report that the formula was a rousing success, but unfortunately, not so. I added two cans of warm beer - drank two cans of COLD beer - and the vanilla. I also went heavy with the baking soda and detergent as described by the author. With a little bribery, (some beer spilled onto the floor) I lured the poor mongrel back into the tub and began slathering him with the aforementioned mixture. Overall, I spent probably fifteen minutes soaping and rubbing him down, and another ten or so trying to rinse it all out. The success - the back half of him - now smells like cookies fresh from the dishwasher! But his face, poor thing. He still has a lingering odor around his eyes and ears, the top of his head, his chin, beside his whiskers... all the places you have to be very careful with. If you're going to use this formula, go ahead, it does seem to work, but you might want to focus on the area around the snout - just do it carefully. And who knows, later on I might try wrestling him back in there again. But this time the two beers will be for ME. JD
Hubby and I were about to start a painting project, when the NASTIEST odor hit us both... we came upstairs, let the dog in, then RIGHT BACK OUT! I googled and found you and your remedy, and off to the grocery I went. We have a heated garage (with floor drains) so we slathered our pooch up in there. After 15 miserable minutes, we brought her into the tub and rinsed... and rinsed... and rinsed. Two latherings of shampoo later, she smells a whole lot better. Unfortunately, the skunk got her right in the face, so there is still a little lingering stink, since I couldn't do a thorough job around her eyes and nose. She was very patient, seems like she knew I was trying to help her. She's now sleeping soundly, totally worn out. Guess we'll paint tomorrow night! Thanks SO VERY MUCH for the recipe. We didn't use the beer/vanilla additions... I didn't read that far before taking off for the grocery store! The original formula worked pretty well.
I'll have to email this to relatives in another state who swear I should be able to smell them-and poor doggy-from here! Doggy got it right between the eyes and they are red and swollen - and this happened first night in their new house!!
Thanks for your experience and all the comments too.
itc28) I'll have to check that out. Thanks!
* 1 quart of hydrogen peroxide
* ΒΌ cup of baking soda
** 2 teaspoons of DAWN
** Listerine (on tough areas,
especially muzzle)
** Mineral oil eye drops
** Bathe in dog shampoo VANILLA SCENTED
*** !!!!IF POSSIBLE PERFORM OUTSIDE!!!!!
My Boxer has a thing for chasing these little skunks around and she was sprayed twice in less than two weeks. The second time around I found that a litte more DAWN (dishsoap) went a long way. I put the Peroxide concoction immediately with a wash cloth following the skunking (after applying the mineral eye drops) and let my dog spend the night outside chained to the porch. In the morning the smell had subsided a bit so I proceeded with my second Peroxide mixture. After I let it sit for about 20 minutes there was still a few areas that smelt, (Muzzle especially), so I put Listerine on those specific areas and let that sit for another 20. I then proceeded with bathing my doggy with some Vanilla scented shampoo that worked BEAUTIFULLY.
These minor additions helped me tremendously from my first trial, I hope this will serve many others as well!
Thanks Moses for the added tips! Sounds like your boxer is really curious about those skunks!
Thanks for your article and info! I am at my witts end with skunks & my dogs. I have two Golden Retrievers that are determined to get sprayed by skunks (we live on a canyon). This morning my dog got sprayed for the 10th time and I am really hoping your recipe works. Any ideas for keeping dogs away from skunks?? I think my dogs go looking for them and our yard is fenced in!!
JF) Good luck with the skunk odor recipe. I think you'll be very pleased with the results. As for a skunk deterrent, I'm not sure! I'm surprised at the number of dogs that find skunks irresistible, even after getting sprayed by them!
When my dog got skunked, it seemed sensible to NOT use these solutions, so I refused to and created one. As the article intimates, it's dangerous! Hence the bolded warning. Peroxide will discolor the coat and peroxide and baking soda both are dangerous if your dog swallows them or you accidentally get that stuff in their eyes. Hate the hard sell so I'll just leave it with this: seriously, these solutions are dangerous.
BuddyR) I've accepted your comment and looked at your link but it doesn't say what's in your product?
I have found hydrogen peroxide to be useful for many things, and as long as you are careful not getting any in your eyes it's fine as far as I'm concerned.
Hey, Dorsi!
Thanks for accepting the comment and looking at the website...really cool of you!
Part of the reason peroxide is not safe is that it also discolors most dogs' coats...as for getting it in the eyes, most dogs get sprayed in the face, so, it seemed to me, something safer was needed.
First thing I did was make my "De-Skunkin' Jubilee" THICK, so that there's less worry about it dripping into pets' eyes. As for what exactly is in it, I explain on my "How it Works" page that, like the makers of Coca-Cola, I can't divulge what's in it (b/c, just like the Coca-Cola people, I don't want folks w/the right kind of resources copying it). What I can say is that I'm not a chemist, I'm just a dog owner who's very protective of his pooch. I was excited when this mix worked (in part b/c my dog was waiting in the bathtub, smelling like skunk spray), and before bottling it (which I currently do in my home, where I print the box labels off my home PC), I added further all-natural ingredients which improved it even further.
Not to sound like a late-night infomercial, but it is absolutely safer and easier than any home remedies I've seen.
-Keith
How can I use this formula in the washer--to wash the towels that I dried my dog, Jesse, off with?
Buddy) Thanks for the added info on your product
Mod) Try rubbing alcohol in the wash water. It might vanquish the odor (might)
Love you website :)
I've been using the formula for years now, but never heard about the additional ingredients until now. Thanks for those! Things I hadn't considered when performing the cleaning procedure was about how to get through that thick layer of fur to the base coat. I just kept manipulating the mixture deeper and deeper. The beer does wonders!! Yay beer!!
They say there are two types of dogs when it comes to skunks: Those that learn the first time (I have one of those) and those who never learn (do I have one of those?)
As to cleaning clothing: Wash as usual, adding one can of Coca-Cola. Yay for Coke! I wonder why in the world we ever drank this stuff.
As to cleaning the house: Clean as usual, adding bleach and water to a mist bottle and setting out dishes of coffee beans, or coffee grounds and dishes of vinegar. Open all the windows (as you can) and air out the house. If you can't open the windows, close the rooms with the worst smell and let the coffee and vinegar do their work. Refresh the bowls daily as needed.
My dogs remind me of the Blue Cyclone story. One dog learned the first time, and the other, looking for his buddy to back him up, discovered the first NOWHERE to be found. Luckily because of the disappearing dog trick, dog two received his "lickin's" on the side of his neck/ear area. Will he learn? Only time will tell.
Good luck people. Have patience, know that all will eventually be well again.
MeMeMe) Thanks for coming by and the great comments on removing skunk smell from your dog. This article has some really great additional tips to deskunking since I first published it. Some of our dogs don't seem to get past the allure of chasing skunks! Thank God Simon has been odor free and skunk free for awhile now!
Thanks again for stopping by and reading.
I tried the above concoction using the original recipe but it didn't work. I bathed my dog six times using it. He still stinks. But then Einstein was sprayed twice in 2 hours!! Duh! So, I am going to try changing the recipe like your husband did. I almost did that too but wanted to stick to the recipe. If it doesn't work then I will attempt the receipe that uses beer! One beer for me and one for the smelly dog....two for me...two for the dog.....four for me...four for funny furryyyy stinko.....six furrr meeeee...and ....ssssiiixxxxx furrrr the furrrrryyy stinky butt dooo .......Will keep you posted! Anyone have a wine recipe? LOL
Pam) Sorry the hear about your smelly problem... Getting skunk out of your dog is rough!! After a few beers you may not even smell it anymore...lol!! Good luck with the beer!!
i tried it but my dog still stinks really bad. when he first got sprayed it almost smelled as if the skunk were on fire when it sprayed. it was awful. and i love my dog but now i am avoiding him because he stinks so bad
@Amy) Sorry to hear that. I would try the skunk removal recipe again. Good luck!
I live in the country and I have 3 labs. well two of em got sprayed last night so I was out there at 5am and I used your recipe with the half cup dawn dish soap and it worked like a charm..and ofcourse I had to take the same bath since it was all over me as well.. I guess thats a husband repellant for sure... LOL thanks so much for the recipe..FYI make sure you rinse out all of thye soap as it will make the dogs itch real bad when theyre dry...
@eliz) So glad to hear the skunk smell recipe worked great for you. I really think it's the best recipe out there to get skunk smell out of your dog! And glad it worked for you too..lol!!
my miniature daschund got sprayed, in the face, poor buddy his body doesnt smell and i cant use anything by his mouth.. i dont know what to do he smells so bad we tried the peroxide baking soda and soap, and even tomato soup bath nothing is working he smells so bad and so does the house, i cant even sleep lol i just want to snuggle with my puppy :( its 330 am so i have to wait til 10 til the pet store opens to try the skunk odor remover.. wish me luck!
@Kim) I know how you feel! Sorry! I wish you all the luck on getting rid of that AWFUL skunk smell.
I started by soaking my skunked dog down with mineral oil and allowed it to work it's magic for about ten minutes then washed and rinsed twice (with gloved hands and wearing disposable clothing) with a mixture of 6 quarts hydrogen peroxide + 3 boxes of baking soda + 2 quarts of cheap beer + 1 small bottle of sensations dawn dish detergent + 1/2 big bottle of pure vanilla extract all mixed in an open Tupperware container (enough for at least two washings) then I boiled vinegar mixed with the other half bottle of vanilla extract on the stove all day and washed the towels in borax boosted laundry detergent and put 3 cups of vinegar in the rinse water. I also sprinkled my rugs with salt and mashed it in with my shoes then swept the rugs! It worked GREAT!
@Sasha) WOW! You didn't mess around! Glad to hear the skunk smell recipe worked well for you!
Living in the area I normally do we dont leave the dog out for long, but sometimes we forget, During a rush and some family drama we forgot to bring our dog in Blade, a German shepard/husky mix, I went out the front to have a cig, and the smell hit me. My neighbors dog has been hit several times and used the same receipe, so I tried on my extreamly hairier dog. Seriously thick fur, so far tonight its been 2 baths, tomorrow we will continue. But the smell on him was seriously diminished. The thicker long haired dogs take longer for the solution to work. As also im a trapper so I have had experience removing the smells from clothes and vehicle. Borax actually removes the smell from the skunk pelt itself, so it will work just as well with clothes, and carpeting just have to work it into the fabric and vaccum it out.
Il try that
@Doris~ I am a chemist also, and I think that the saturation of my dogs fur with the mineral oil was an important step since likes dissolve likes! And you are correct when I do something I don't mess around as I like to get it done right the first time! Thank you for your blog, it was really helpful at a time of great need!
Stink free,
Sasha ;-D
@Bob) Thank you for that advice on the Borax!
@Brooke)Thanks for reading.
@Sasha) lol..glad to hear that. The more people reading this the better this recipe gets!
Got the message while I was in an evening class that the dog had been skunked, and my husband was left to deal with it as the sons vacated the premises (low tolerance to bad smells). By the time I got home, although the house still had that certain je ne sais quois, I was able to actually hug the dog. We gave him one more warm bath with doggie soap and a spritz of lilac spray, and he was good to go... to bed.... with us... so... I must say.... this really is a magic potion. I think it helped that Hubby was able to find the recipe, (thanks internet!!!) buy the ingredients (thanks Safeway!!) and have the dog thoroughly washed before I even came home. Wonderful!!!!!! THANKS DORSI!!!
I have say that this recipe works GREAT. I just used it on my dog but I did add the Vanilla Extract and the beer, (Had to use gloves as I am allergic to Active Yeast), But I changed it just a little and added 1 cup of baking soda and Sunlight dish soap. I commend the person who came up with this as well as the adjustments. My dog just smells like a dog now instead of a skunk. Now to do the clothes and going to take the advice about the pinesol. Have lots of that around. Thanks for posting that Dorsi and MeMeMeMe for the adjustments.
Oh and on a side note, my dog is a black lab mix with a very very thick undercoat. Bathing him is not always easy especially when trying to get smells out of him.
@Penny. You are welcome!!Glad to hear furbaby is back in bed with you lol!!
@BabyBear)Glad to hear it worked and those add-ons ARE awesome!!
Thank you for posting the recipe! I have a 1 yr old catahoula that got sprayed by a skunk last night and your recipe was a lifesaver. One wash made a huge difference!! Thanks!
Works like a charm, i was playing my video games when me and my brother smelled something ransid. We didnt think anything of it until it got nauseating. so we went out and my dogs were barking more than usual? We see this skunk in the bush. yeah, anyway works like a charm, THANKS!!!!!
you're a life saver! thank you for posting this, last night my spaniel got sprayed by pepe-le-pew and it was really nasty, the smell still in the house, but with youre recipe he's not stinky anymore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!we did used an entire bottle of peroxide and a whole box of baking soda. its not the first time 3 years ago he got sprayed twice, but we used tomatoe sauce, and got a special spray from the pet store, it did not worked! so he was stinky for about 4 months! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
@dogs,Jake and yerika) Thanks for letting me know the results and you are VERY WELCOME!
My Papillion Maci got sprayed. We didn't know when we let her in the house that she had been sprayed. She stunk up the whole house. I gave her a bath as soon as I smelled it with her dog shampoo. It help a little but not enough. I decided to look oline and try to find something that would help. I came across the recipe and tried it. I only had a 1/4 of a bottle of proxcide. But the smell is so bad that we tried it anyway. It got most of the smell off of her. Since it's late we will have to wait to go to the store tomorrow and get more proxcide.
@Ashlea) It should be gone once you use the right amount of peroxide. Glad it helped though! SKUNK SMELL IS HORRIBLE!!!!
Great tips, thank you. One tip for you is to check your article... Simon is now basking not Simon is know basking.
Thank you Jason for reading and pointing out my typo. I appreciate that!
Well my cat peed on my backpack so i used this formula and it worked! thanks a lot!
@Josh) Glad to hear it works for cat pee too! Awesome!
Dorsi, Thanks so much for this great formula. Tonight my dog got sprayed right under my porch! My husband grabbed the dog and threw her in the shower and closed the door. I ran for the computer looking for a solution. This recipe really works! An hour later and we are all clean and descented. Thanks so much! You really came thru for us in this crisis. Thankfully we had everything on hand. Thanks again, Pam
Thank you so much...this worked great! Our Husky got sprayed Friday night right before I got home. I tried the tomato juice, shampooing, a special skunk shampoo that is supposively more effective if you use it before using other products...they helped a little but the smell was still there...poor pup spent Friday night, all day and nihgt Saturday and all day Sunday outside (in 15-40 degree temps). My husband just found this recipe and we tried it (even cut in 1/2 because we didn't have enough ingredients)and we can't smell it! Thanks so much for sharing!I hated leaving him outside! Now I'm just waiting for the light smell in the house to go away! :)
@Pam And Maggie) Your welcome! Glad I could could help you both out with your smelly problem!!
I can't believe it...I let my dog Marley outside just like I do every night. I always leave the door cracked and when he is finished he uses his nose to open up the door and comes on in. I then shut the door.
This time he didn't come right back so I called him. I seen he was acting funny and his right eye was closed up tight. When he came in I smelled right away that he had been sprayed but wasn't sure what it was at first. It didn't smell like skunk, it was a sweet unusual smell ( our other dog before got sprayed and man that smell you could smell skunk right away). Anyways, we were always taught that tomato juice is the best thing to use, so i went straight to the fridge and poured some on a towel and put it directly on his skin. It did help but did not take the smell right out. I googled what other animal sprays (still not thinking skunk) and they said nothing but i did find your article. I didn't have any proxoide so I just used the dawn and baking soda. That worked a lot better. It didn't take it all out but wasn't nearly as bad. I then also found some of his flea and tick spray and sprayed that on him and that did the trick.
With the combination of all these things, my dog is feeling much better. I did have to take a wet cloth and wash out his eye as good as I could too, to try and get as much spray out of and around his eye that I could.
Thank you so much for the info. that you put on here.
Your welcome Pam. Glad it helped)
I'm a firs time dog owner and I tried your recipe and it did wonders. Thank you
No way Compu-Smart, you do *NOT* want to find out for yourself. Or if you do, burn a bike tire in your living room to get approximately the same effect. I bet Pepe Le Pew smells like a bouquet of roses compared to his real-world counterparts.
There's construction near our house and the skunks have moved out of the 16-acre abandoned property they used to live in and right into our neighborhood. The dog tried to make a new friend...and I just found this recipe. It's rather late at night but we'll be trying this solution first thing tomorrow!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! It worked! I have 3 dogs and they just got sprayed by a skunk in our yard just an hour or so ago and using the recipe we got the smell off all 3 of them. I can't thank you enough! Actually I can't believe it but I'm not complaining! Thank you again and again!
@Hazel) You are welcome! So glad you found the recipe here.
@Phew!) So true - this is not one of those smells you just want to check out - like our dogs do!
@Thankful!) Your welcome, your welcome!! 3 of them ,WOW! Now that must have been just plain HORRIBLE!!
Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom. My standard poodle got sprayed tonight, I found your page and it worked!! I am so thankful for the internet and thankful you posted this. I have heard so many stories of from friends that tomato sauce does not work, my dog is does not smell at all!! She is a red standard poodle , with long hair, I did wash her about 5 times in the solution just to make sure. She is still drying but seems relieved too!! :)
YW Allison. Glad you found the hub here.
Hi Dorsi. Well, today i went out to clean up the yard, so i let my dog out of his cage outside, and i saw something black moving abit by out shed. Well, I guess my dog also saw it becuase he went over and grabbed it and brought it to the middle of the yard. Also, my dog is a rottweiler mix husky, and man he is big. And with me being just 14 i started to scream my head off. My last dog who died 3 years ago was sprayed in the mouth and around her face and we think thats the reason she got sick and died some months later. :( but yes, thank you so much because we are soon going to be using this on my dog when we get all the ingredients. I hope he wont get sick. But I cant thank you enough for this recipe.
@Beck) You are welcome and sorry for you and your dogs bad experience. Yuck.
Hi, Dorsi,
I remember being a little kid and our golden cocker spaniel getting sprayed by a skunk. My dad gave her a bath in tomato juice and I think it worked too! I am glad there are other alternatives. Your recipe sounds like it would be a good one. I was actually looking for ways to remove cat spray from our cars when I found your site and had to read thru many of the comments.
@KRISANN) Thanks Krisann for reading. I really appreciate it.
Oh Dorsi, you are right I didn't just show up here for light reading or by accident. Just finished washing my 5 yr old golden retriever(we rescued her 3 yrs ago) with your formula, it worked perfectly,she is out of the garage and back in the house. Found herself a skunk immediately this morning in the driveway, when I let her out.I had all the ingredients in the house, thanks ever so much. She smells terrific.Of course she hates water, and we have a foot of snow outside( I washed her out there) but success.
That's great Bonnie. I always love to hear about a good smelling ending to the story!
Hey honey lets get a closer look at this skunks rear end i wonder what will happen. Reminds me of those new Yorkers approaching a cyotte with their little dog. An animal will use the natural defenses god gave him when he sees a predator I thought that was common sense. But I'm not saying the spray was the owners fault. I have avoided the path of a skunk walking often through the prairie grass but I also know when u don't see it or smell it or find its tracks it's hard to tell when Youll run into one
Jane) Point well taken. Avoid skunks at all costs!
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silvalinings 4 years ago
Helpful and Hilarious! Thanks Dorsi!