Pet Lovers

[tockerman]

anyone ever have their dog skunked. how long did the smell last did your house smell

[tdog]

mix 1 quart peroxide, 1/4cup baking soda, and 1 tsp dawn detergent (I use the blue) and wash the dog! It works. 
The smell is unbearable and lingers a while.

[NickNack]

@tockerman  I don't know the answer to your question, but here's what the AKC says about getting rid of skunk spray on a dog.  I couldn't post a link because of advertisements on the page.

Check your dog’s eyes: If they’re red or irritated, flush them immediately with cool water. There are also eyewash products on the market that are safe for dogs, and if you live in an area where skunks are common, it may be a good idea to keep some on hand.

Remove the oil from his coat as quickly as possible: So, now it’s bath time, either outdoors or in a separate space like a garage or barn. The most common household remedy to get rid of skunk odor used to be a tomato juice bath, although it had limited success. Today, there are effective products on the market, as well as a simple DIY remedy you can make with products commonly at hand:

Best Way to Get Rid of Skunk Smell:

• 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide solution (found at any pharmacy or supermarket)
• 1/4 cup of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of liquid dishwashing soap

Wearing rubber gloves, work the solution into your dog’s coat, washing him thoroughly. Don’t leave the solution on his fur for too long since peroxide can bleach his fur. Then rinse completely. You might have to repeat the process more than once.

If you don’t have these ingredients on hand, the next best option is one of the old-time remedies, like vinegar diluted with water. While not as effective, it may still help clean your dog and get rid of the smell.

Shampoo Your Dog: Use a regular dog shampoo to remove any residual solution and to leave your dog smelling clean.

Towel dry your dog: Let him finish drying in a warm sunny room.

Wash Your Own Clothes: If any of the skunk smell gets on you during the bathing process, wash your clothes in regular laundry detergent and 1/2 cup of baking soda.

A Few Caveats

• Use the mixture described above immediately after mixing and do not store it. It can explode if kept in a closed container.
• Be careful not to get the solution in your dog’s eyes.
• Don’t leave the mixture on your dog’s coat for too long. According to the Humane Society, the peroxide may bleach your dog’s fur.
• Don’t use a hydrogen peroxide solution stronger than 3%, it can irritate your dog’s skin
• It may be impossible to get rid of the odor completely, especially if your dog is sprayed in the face.

[CamilleP]

Tockerman, the scent will last for days unless you get it off your dog before they transfer any of the oils to your flooring or furniture.  First, get your dog into the bathtub, and soak them to the skin with any kind of hair conditioner you have on hand, NOT SHAMPOO!  The oils in the conditioner will bind to the oils in the skunk spray and pull them off the hair of the dog's coat, so you can then wash them off with shampoo.  If you have no hair conditioner, then use a mild cooking oil like corn or canola oil to bind the skunk oil, and wash that off with shampoo.  It may take one or two soakings with conditioner and washes with shampoo to eliminate the scent entirely.  If you don't have enough conditioner, and have a spouse, SO or roommate, send them to the store for more cheap conditioner, Suave or the like is just fine.  Finally, if you get towels or blankets that smell and can hang or drape them outside, the UV in the sunlight will denature the scent faster than anything else, leave them out a full day on one side, flip them, and leave them out a second day, then you can wash them with less risk of making your laundry machines stink forever.  Same with any contaminated clothes.  Furniture, if it's got fabric on it, you might have to send it out for professional cleaning, or rent a steam cleaner and hope that the cleaning solution does the trick.  

Finally, if the skunk oils got in your dog's eyes, you might need to take them to a vet, it is very nasty and damaging to the eyes and mucous membranes, and your dog might need a course of eye ointment or solution to clean, soothe and treat the imflammation.  I suspect the vet's office will appreciate it a lot if you bathe the dog first, though.    Good luck, I hope you have multiple bottles of conditioner on hand, depending on the size of your dog!

[StylishLady]

Been there done that with a couple of our cats back in the day. DH used tomato juice and rinsed them off. They weren't happy cats, but it needs to be done. 

[SXMGirl]

---

@tdog wrote:

mix 1 quart peroxide, 1/4cup baking soda, and 1 tsp dawn detergent (I use the blue) and wash the dog! It works. 
The smell is unbearable and lingers a while.

---

@tockerman, This is what I have used on my dogs and it works great.  Just don't leave it on too long or your dog will have red highlights.

[drizzellla]

Our dogs have been skunked two times. And the smell does linger. But we used the "recipe" that other people have given you.

The first time was in January and we had all the windows in our house open all day. It was early morning. My poor husband was dressed for work and he took the dog for a final walk before leaving. And he had to change his clothes and give the dog a bath. Fortunately we had all the ingredients. 

The problem is that the dig is leading with his nose, so his nose, face and eyes get the worst hit.

The second time (different dog), we already had the recipe on the refrigerator and immediately gave the dog a bath. It was early morning again, before work.

Now we have foxes in our neighborhood so we no longer have any skunks to worry about.

The smell does linger. After giving both dogs several baths, we took the dogs to the groomer and they were able to finally get rid of any remnants of smell.

[Kachina624]

@tockerman.  You must remove the odor or you and everything in your house will stink to high heaven, and it lasts a long time.  I had a poodle who got it about 4 times.  Tried tomato juice the first time.  All that did was make a pink poodle.  Then I got a product called Skunk Out at the vet's office.  It works great; I've never been without a supply since.

[janeec]

Been there, done that.  The best thing is what others have said with the peroxide, etc.  The scent is oily, and I used Dawn (original blue) detergent to wash the blankets, etc.  It cuts the oil.  

I feel for you.  It is a miserable time until the scent is gone.  Best of luck.  

[Mombo1]

Same thing happened to my cat.  I washed her down in tomatoes juice.  It took away the smell, but my white Persian kitty was pink for months.