Comments on: How to Remove Skunk Odor From Your Dog

on 11/22/2005 I too have tried the tomato juice and the store-bought skunk remedies then with the most recent skunking I learned of the baking soda/hydrogen peroxide/dish soap recipe. It worked perfectly and instantly on my Malamute. Someone mentioned the peroxide not mixing with the soda--I didn't have any trouble with this. Just used regular peroxide from the store mixed with the soda and soap: roughly 1 quart of peroxide, 1 cup soda and 2 tablespoons laundry soap. It's fabulous!

on 11/22/2005 Tomato Juice does nothing to help the smell, ask any chemist. What does work is hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and liquid soap mixed and used right away. For the dogs' face, use a douche.

on 11/22/2005 Wash your dog as usual, then for the final rinse use a premixed vinegar douche over the dog. You may have to do it more than one time, but this will work better for dogs with white fur as tomato juice may stain. It worked very well for out white Spaniel mix and did not irritate her sensitive skin.

on 11/22/2005 To get rid of whatever smell might be left after the initial cleaning use a hunter's Scent-A-Way shapoo, it totally neutralizes the odor.

on 11/22/2005 I had the unfortunate luck of having my dog get sprayed three times from an unfriendly skunk. The tomato juice tip didn't work for me. It only made my dog pink. He had to sleep in the garage for almost a month.

on 11/22/2005 My poor Jack Russell was the target. I looked online and the underlying theme was baking soda, (and vinegar douches). I mixed approximately 3/4 regular sized boxes of baking soda with approximately 1/2 cup sweet pea scented shower gel with approximately 2 cups water. Using rubber gloves, I scrubbed him with a large old towel saturated with the solution, alternating parts of the towel until the solution was gone, about 20 minutes or so. He still had odor from inside his nose, but the great majority of the musk was gone. I was amazed at how well this worked!

on 11/22/2005 As soon as possible, rub brewed coffee grounds into the dog fur, then bathe with dog shampoo or a liquid dish soap. Just by rubbing the coffee grounds into it's fur you have removed a lot of the smell.

on 11/22/2005 It is next to impossible to find un-stabilized hydrogen peroxide now. The stabilized version doesn't react with baking soda.

on 11/22/2005 Skunk Smell Remover:
1 quart 3% Hydrogen Peroxide
1/4 cup Baking Soda
2 tablespoons dish detergent.
Mix the ingredients in a large bowl (it will boil up like Vesuvius). Wash the dog with this mix while it is still foaming. It is the oxygen which reacts with the thiols in the skunk stink to neutralize the odor. If it sits around, it will loose it's efficacy because the oxygen boils off. Don't try to store it in an airtight container, it will blow up. The brew also works for clothes, humans and unlucky cats.

on 11/22/2005 If your dog has been sprayed by a skunk, your best chance of getting rid of the smell is to deal with the situation immediately. Wash your dog as soon as possible. If your dog's fur is allowed to dry without treatment, you will be smelling that lovely skunk every time your dog gets wet. Use a solution of 1 quart hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda, and 1 teaspoon of liquid soap (do not store this solution in a sealed container, it will explode). Lather this solution onto your dog and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Use lots of praise to help relax your dog throughout this ordeal! Be very careful not to get the solution into your dog's eyes, as it will burn. While some may swear by tomato juice, I have found that it did not work as well, and it turned our mostly-white dog pink. If it appears that your dog has been sprayed directly in the eyes, take him or her to the veterinarian right away.

on 11/22/2005 This may sound like a gag, but I have used it several times and it works well. In one quart of warm water, mix 1 tablespoon of mild dish detergent and one bottle of Massengill's unscented douche. Do not use the vinegar and water product. Sponge it on the dog and let it soak for a few seconds. 15 or 20 seconds will do. Rinse it off and towel the dog down.

on 11/22/2005 When my Pit Bull-Shepherd mix got sprayed, a simple mixture of baking soda, water, and mild soap in a spray bottle was all it took. Saturate the coat, wait, and rinse. Re-apply if necessary. For her eyes, I simply flushed with saline solution.

on 11/22/2005 Buy some "Skunk Off" at the pet store, or get a gallon jug of vinegar from the grocers. Put on gloves and douse the pet with vinegar, then rinse and dry the dog. This will get most of the skunk smell off quickly and effectively. Keep chemicals away from eyes. All of the smell will not be gone no matter what you do. The residual odor will be there, but at a tolerable level.

on 11/22/2005 I carry 6 bottles of disposable vinegar douche and baby wipes in my car for instant scent removal, whether it's for skunks or rolling in "dead" stuff. It's a lot easier to use than tomato juice, takes less space, and no rinsing is necessary until you get home.