Thursday, December 6, 2012

Help! My Dog's Been Skunked!

Has your dog ever been skunked? If so, you're familiar with the nostril burning stench that comes along with skunk spray. You may also be faced with the revolting task of eliminating the smell from your pet's fur. Trust me, it's not fun...


I know I just talked about cat bathing tips the other day (you can read them here), but today I bring you more bathing tips. I was inspired on this topic last week, when my dog Shiner was skunked. This was the third time in her life to be skunked. Yay me. Usually, it's not that big of a deal for me. Except of course for the burning sensation in my eyes caused by the skunk spray on her fur. I would take her to work with me at the clinic and get her all de-skunkified.

This time though was a little more challenging since I don't work at a vet clinic currently. Shiner hates baths, and can be a little naughty for them. This time was definitely no exception... Here's the story.


Shiner after getting skunked.

I had just taken a bath myself. Shiner came into my room from outdoors, reeking horribly. I knew immediately she had probably been skunked and took a sniff of her head to confirm it. I put her back outside and made her wait until I prepared my special skunk spray odor removing shampoo from a few household items. I will share the skunk spray odor removing shampoo recipe with you after the story.

She's trying to escape!

I put Shiner in the bathtub and bathed her in the special de-skunking shampoo formula. She was not pleased. I was dirty after my nice refreshing bath...

Giving me the stink eye.

I opened the door for her to go into my room after the bath, but instead she decided to go outside. Being a stubborn dog, she wouldn't come. After about two minutes, she returned much to my dismay. She had rolled in the dirt and was now dirtier than she was before the first bath!

So ensued round 2 of bathtime for Shiner. She was even less thrilled the second time. I was even dirtier now.

Shiner resting after her second bath... Nibblet's napping too back there!

I made sure Shiner couldn't escape outside again after this bath. She did her routine rubbing herself on everything to get dry and continued to give me the stink eye. Then I promptly went to clean out my bathroom and take another shower.

So what should you do if your dog or cat gets skunked? Here are some tips:

  • Check for any bite wounds or injuries. 
  • Make sure your pet's eyes are OK. Squinting, rubbing or red eyes can be a sign of irritation. Skunk spray is very strong and can be quite irritating to the eyes. Try to flush your pet's eyes out with water. Veterinary care may be necessary if it continues to irritate your pet.
  • Bathe within 30-60 minutes of getting skunked. The odor will come off easier this way. 

As promised, here is the special skunk odor removing shampoo recipe. Mix together the following in an empty gallon jug or whatever other container you have handy.

  • 4 cups of hydrogen peroxide
  • 1/4 cup of baking soda
  • 2 tsp of liquid soap

Try to leave this mixture on your pet for 5-10 minutes and avoid their eyes.

I've also used a product called Skunk-Off which is a special skunk odor removing shampoo that you can purchase and have on hand. Both methods seem to work pretty well. The Skunk Off shampoo has more of a scented smell with it though.

25 comments:

  1. Hehe, great tips as always! My Auntie Nilla would have been ecstatic if she had read this post last year. My cousin, Wakko, got skunked in his own backyard (what's up with those mean skunks?). Thankfully she did a little online digging before she ran to the store to buy a load of tomato juice (hehe) that wouldn't have helped! I'm just happy that skunks aren't too frequent where I live!

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    1. We actually live on a largy piece of property and there seems to be quite an abundance of skunks. Although I have never seen one in person before.

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  2. Ouch, I'm kinda sorry for Shiner!
    Cotton

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    1. Yea, poor Shiner lol... she really was not happy.

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  3. Actually great tips as I have been pooped and foxed much to the horror of the peeps and not once but many times. Thanks for the top tips. Have a terrific Thursday.
    Best wishes Molly.

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    1. I've never heard of being foxed before Miss Molly. I guess we don't have many foxes around here. I bet this recipe would work for other stinky mishaps too.

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  4. Fank Dawg we don't have skunk'z here.Humom goez mad over the fox poo. I can't begin to imagine what it smells like..Yuk BOL xx00xx

    Mollie and Alfie

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  5. This is a excellent and much needed post about what to do if this happens, because I literally have no idea!... except something about tomato juice... thanks so much for writing this!

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  6. Thanks for stopping by Kirby! Tomato juice actually only covers up the smell of skunk spray and doesn't actually get rid of the smell. The formula above is meant to take the smell away.

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  7. Poor Shiner - and poor YOU! I hope I never need the unskunking recipe, but it's good to have, just in case. Thanks.

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  8. After Rodrigo was skunked last year we made sure that we have all these items set aside. We haven't experienced this again, but just in case. The skunk smell was wiped out (almost). Rodrigo had a small smell for a couple of months, but most of it was gone.

    What sucks was that it happened at 1 in the morning. The dogs were playing in their yard and a skunk was on the outside of the fence. Yuck! Our entire community (rural) smelled all morning.

    Kimberly

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    1. That would suck! I didn't get done with Shiner's baths and mine until almost midnight... I also live in a rural area. I could actually smell the skunk before she ever came back into the house. Luckily, this wasn't the worst that she's ever been skunked before.

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  9. I've rolled in fox poo a few times and that smells lovely (although mummy doesn't agree BOl) But being skunked must take it to a new level!

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    1. Gosh, I am glad there are no foxes around here... I'm sure Shiner would have a fine time with fox poo. Sounds like a lot of doggy friends like to roll in that stuff.

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  10. Us doggers love to roll in some of the best perfume ever! I know, because I've done it...

    Mom just recently heard about this formula from someone else--I bet she'll use it if I ever get near one of the skunk critters. Thanks for posting!

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  11. Wow, you are really an expert on skunked dogs. Thank you for the recipe. I don't think there are many skunks here but we do live very close to a large park, so there may be some. Glad Shiner only smells like dog now. Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrs.

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    1. Unfortunately I have had to bathe many a skunked dog... and not just my own either!

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  12. Another good skunk shampoo is made by Remington, as is the gun maker. They also make an anti-skunk deodorizer spray, it's like Febreeze for dogs. You can always buy them at any Bass Pro. The spray is really good for de-stinking a dog in a pinch and it's saved me tons of times when the dogs have rolled in smelly stuff.

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    1. Oh I never knew they made deskunking shampoo, how cool! Thanks for stopping by!

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  13. Sorry he got skunked! Kelly recently did too, and the product that was recommended to us was Masingil or Summer's Eve (woman's product). It worked pretty well. Also, our local Shampoodle DIY Pet wash has a skunk formula and that is a great option, to wash them there and they get all the mess!

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    1. How interesting, I've never heard that suggestion before!

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  14. I use this formula, and I find it's the best yet.. funny, recently Topper went outside after dinner.. didn't smell a skunk, but clearly there was one in the vicinity. I always check before I open the door in the dark. Used this.. it's great.. He has been washed several times since, and there's still that vestigial odor... but he sure feels good :-)

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    1. I think that odor lingers for a while no matter what LOL. Hopefully I won't need to use it again until next year as that seems to be the trend right now...

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