Dear Holding my nose,  

ABR received several remedies for those unpleasant encounters with a skunk.  We hope you find the best solution for you and enjoy some of our skunk stories!

We always keep a good supply of Skunk Out made by nature's miracle.  It really is a miracle!! (Cindy)

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Wow, have I had experience in the dog vs skunk department. But I am happy to say quite a bit less of it recently. Living in the country with a large fenced yard I used to let my dogs out together after dark to relieve themselves before bed, only to end up washing two sprayed dogs after their night time hunting excursion. First rule- let one dog out at a time after dark, worst case scenario, you only need to follow the rest of my advice on one dog. Second rule- do not get the skunk spray oil on your skin, especially if you are employed working with other people. Many years ago we had our two dogs get sprayed and I washed one, and our Brittany was washed by my son. The following day when my son took off his coat, his 4th period high school teacher had to spray him down with Lysol. I work as a dental hygienist, I had to rinse my hands with scope prior to gloving and seeing patients for several weeks. Plan to throw away anything you get the oil on. We once had a pair of rubber boots hanging in our barn for months that were sprayed, we ended up needing to toss them.

Here is the list:
Heavy rubber gloves
Disposable long sleeve shirt
Dawn dish detergent
Hydrogen peroxide
Vick's vapor rub ointment

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Wash your dog in the dawn and hydrogen peroxide and rinse thoroughly. Do not get either near your dogs eyes and do not use peroxide if you show your dog. Peroxide can lighten it's coat. Rule three- your dog will still smell a little, time solves the residual oder, thus the Vick's. One of the nights our two dogs got sprayed was our first cold snap that year. The dogs were still damp from their bath and I couldn't put them out in the garage to sleep. Their beds were put in the guest bath, and every human in the house put Vick's around their nose to get to get through the night. Good luck!
(Sincerely, Been Sprayed in Herald)

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Dawn dish washing liquid and baking soda. Let sit on dog as long as possible to soak that smell up. For normal dogs it would be 10 minutes but, as we hunting dog owners know, it's hard to keep those high energy dogs still that long. ;) It will take care of it mostly. Last time I had to treat my dog for skunk, afterwards I only got a very very faint smell of skunk when she got wet and I was very close to her. That lasted about a month. (Jacque)

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We had an issue with our old Rosie wanting to assist the local skunks enjoying our compost pile.  It is not very far from the fenced dog pen with a 24/7 doggie door.  The fix was to install four foot high black woven fabric soil filter fencing.  This product is used around construction sites to keep sediment out of the waterways.  We attached it to the pen's fence with tie wraps so surprised skunks can't see the dreaded Brittany and visa versa.  Our fingers are still crossed, but so far "out of sight, out of mind". (Myndy)

 

There are two effective remedies:
1) There is a product-Nature's Miracle Skunk Odor Remover. I keep two bottles on hand at all times. You can buy it on Amazon. I think it works a little better than the homemade remedy, which is
2) A quart of hydrogen peroxide, mixed with a quarter-cup of baking soda, with a tablespoon of Dawn dish soap.

In both cases you lather up the dog and wait 5-10 minutes before rinsing. If it's a bad one, it may take two or more applications. Whenever the dog gets wet, the smell will arise to a lesser degree. This will last 4-6 weeks until the skunk spray totally oxidizes.

Skunk spray has two chemicals in it, both sulfur-based (hence the smell). The first one, the really stinky one, oxidizes fairly quickly so the smell goes away. The problem is the second chemical. It oxidizes into the first one, so the smell persists. Both remedies are concocted to be chemical oxidizers. (Chas)

- 1 qt bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide
- 1/4 cup liquid dish soap
- 1 cup white vinegar

In a bucket, combine the above ingredients with 3 quarts water. Stir well and use immediately.  Soak and scrub the area most affected by the skunk using the mix, and rinse with lots of fresh water.  If using a brush, rinse well with each scrubbing, If using rags, use once only. Try and avoid spreading the skunk spray.

Repeat!  Wash to whole dog again and again until all the mix is used.

The Hydrogen Peroxide and vinegar react and break down the fatty components in the skunk spray. The dish washing detergent does what soaps are supposed to do, lift and help rinse away the soils and contamination.

Only time will get rid of all the stink, but this is a good start.

My old Brit, Rusti, was very respectful of the local skunks, possums, and raccoons; but one early morning walk we had to wait for a Momma skunk and 3 little kits to clear the trail. It looked like we were safely past each other when Rusti stopped and pointed on a stand of daisies, and SQUIRT!  The well hidden 4th kit got just a few drops of spray on my poor baby.  We backed away and the kit ran to join her mother. We ran home and the prep and bathing began.  The only part of a bath Rusti enjoyed was getting toweled off.

It was a lesson well learned. My daughter's Boxer wouldn't leave skunks alone, and spent most of a year stinking before the skunk moved on! (Nic)

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Mix one quart hydrogen peroxide with one-quarter cup baking soda and a small squirt of dish washing liquid, preferably blue Dawn. Wearing protective gloves, if you have them, lather the dog's coat with the mixture. Try to keep the mixture on the dog for as long as possible. Ten to fifteen minutes is good. Rinse well, shampoo with regular dog shampoo and dry. Repeat if needed. This solution works on collars and clothing and humans as well.

P.S. The only use for tomato juice is to make a large Bloody Mary before or after you have washed the dog.