How to Get Skunk Smell out of Pet Fur

Did your cat or dog get sprayed during your weekend away at the cabin? Fear not: applying the following steps, you should be able to get rid of it-- though it obviously helps to keep your pet outdoors until you're completely finished.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dr. Bronner's Bar Soap
• Kiss My Face Shampoo and Crème Rinse
• Douche (such as Dr. Massengill's)
• Tomato Juice
• Dog Grooming Sprays
• Commercially Prepared Skunk Odor Removers
• Cotton Swabs
• 4 tbsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. liquid dish soap
• Dog Conditioner
• Garden Hoses And Attachments
• Rubber Gloves
• 4 c. hydrogen peroxides

1. Mix 4 c. hydrogen peroxide with 4 tbsp. baking soda and 1 tsp. dish-washing soap.

2. Put cotton balls in your pet's ears to protect the inner-ear tissue from the cleaning mixture, which could easily drip in.

3. Don rubber gloves to protect your hands during this process.

4. Start with your pet's head, taking care not to get the solution into his eyes, ears or mouth. Apply a drop of olive or baby oil to his eyes to prevent irritation.

5. Rub the mixture evenly into your pet's coat. It will probably be more pleasant to do this outdoors.

6. Rinse the coat with clean water.

7. Repeat if the smell persists.

Tips & Warnings

• Tomato juice also neutralizes the effects of skunk odor. Rub it into your pet's fur, let it soak for approximately 15 minutes, then wash it off with water.
• Commercially prepared skunk odor remover or douches that remove skunk scents from fur are also available. Ask your veterinarian for advice on which product works best.
• To help prevent your pet from being sprayed, use a leash when in the woods or country.
• Skunks can carry rabies, so make sure your pet's vaccinations are current before you visit areas frequented by skunks.

[sadiej08]

on 10/17/2009 I agree that the Tecnu stuff is the way to go! We followed up with the peroxide/baking soda/detergent mixture, but the Tecnu is the one that immediately began taking the smell away! It's just a couple of hours later and our dog is welcome back in the house!

[skunkhater]

on 10/6/2009 Someone earlier mentioned using Tecnu to remove skunk odor. I tried it and it really works, even if not applied immediately. I tried douche and the baking soda/peroxide/dish liquid solutions and they weren't as effective as Tecnu. Tecnu is inexpensive and available at Walgreens (for example) or online.

[laryb]

on 9/9/2009 I tried tomato juice and peroxide. Sorry to say it did not give me the desired results. My veterinarian used a very effective product “DoggiCLEEN Skunk Spay”. It got rid of the skunk stench on my dogs quickly and very effectively.

[nancylizz]

on 5/22/2009 While I was in the Dollar Store, buying peroxide and baking soda to de-odor my skunk sprayed goldendoodle, an employee told me to use douche, just pour it on she said. It was cheap to buy and worked really well.

[JimAntiqueGuy]

on 11/30/2008 These are all good suggestions for getting skunk odor of the pet. But when you need to get it off the furniture, the Pet jumped on after being sprayed. The solution is a product I found on this website you led room shocker.the stuff is amazing. It completely sanitized and eliminated the odor for my entire house