At some point in the life of your and your dog, you may discover what getting skunked is all about. I have had a dog get porcupine quills in his nose, I've known a dog that ate someone's pet chicken, experienced dogs with thorns,bee stings, spider bites and had run-ins with brambles. But, until this past week, I'd not had the experience of a dog skunking.
I was out walking two gorgeous dogs, when they took off, like a shot, ran into some nearby hedges, where I heard this sound...."PFFFFFFFFT". The dogs ran out of the hedges and started rolling around in the grass, shaking their heads. The odor was unmistakeable. Skunk.
After I got them home (in the garden, NOT the house), I knew that the old remedy of a tomato juice bath would NOT do the trick. So I moved to step 2. There is a mixture that you can create from products in your home that gives an amazing result. A chemist, Paul Krebaum, came up with the formula in 1994 and after an article was written in the Chicago Tribune, the remedy caught on like wildfire. The article explains the science behind the formula. And the formula mixes hydrogen peroxide with baking soda, which creates an oxygen wash that completely neutralizes the odor. A bit of liquid dish soap is added to the mix to break down the oil from the secretion so that the oxygen can blast it away.
In a bowl mix 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide (I only had 1/2 quart and it was sufficient for 2 dogs), 1/4 cup baking soda and a couple of teaspoons of liquid dish soap (I used Dawn, known for its grease-cutting ability.) You slather this all over your dog...wherever the skunk oil is attached. It is very important to avoid the eyes (you can put in a few drops of vegetable or mineral oil in your dog's eyes to help prevent any burning sensations), nose and mouth. Of course, the dogs in my story got the spray full face, so pretty tricky work to avoid the eyes.
You leave it on your dog 3-7 minutes (different times on different websites) and then rinse off thoroughly with water. You can follow up with dog shampoo. Then let your pet dry completely. If there is still any smell after your pet is dry, give a good sniff and identify the exact area and repeat the process on that area.
It absolutely worked. There was one spot on my patio that smelled like skunk from where one of the dogs was lying and the solution worked on that as well! Just make sure not to cover the mixture or try to seal it in a bottle for later use. You will have a small explosion from the gas buildup.
Final note -- when the dogs were first sprayed, they didn't actually smell as bad as a little later. I'm guessing that as the oil heats up on the dog's body, the smell increases! So make sure to wash your dog off quickly!!
