My Dog was Skunked, Now What do I do?
Was your dog sprayed by a skunk? Acting quickly to remove skunk smell is imperative to successfully removing the smell without the odor lingering.
Quick fact, if dog skunk smell isn’t properly and entirely removed from the dog’s coat and skin, the odor can linger for up to a year. Now let’s move quick and keep reading!
How to Get Skunk Smell Off a Dog
There are several safe methods to remove that stubborn dog skunk smell. Depending on the severity of the skunk spray, you will likely need to repeat the following methods more than once. We advise multiple treatments until you can no longer smell the skunky scent.
Top 3 Ways to Get Skunk Smell Off a Dog
- Hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and dish soap
Mix:
- 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide
- ¼ cup baking soda
- 1 tsp. of liquid dishwashing soap
With rubber gloves on, put mixture on your dog’s coat, while avoiding their eyes. Allow to sit for 20 minutes; then thoroughly rinse your dog. Wash dog with normal pet shampoo (oatmeal if possible), ensuring that you rinse well. Repeat as necessary.
Note this mixture can be dangerous so only make as needed and use right away!
- Tomato juice
This method is simple. Lather your dog using regular pet shampoo. Dry your dog off; then cover him in tomato juice. Make sure your dog’s coat is completely and thoroughly saturated. Let this sit on your dog for 10–20 minutes and follow it with another shampoo.
Note this method could temporarily stain the fur.
- Skunk-removing shampoos, sprays or soaks for pets
It would be a good idea to have one of these products already on hand, in case of emergencies. But if you can’t get to the store within 10 minutes, it is not wise to wait and should move with one of the methods above.
Other helpful hints
Remember to remove the collar, wash in the same method as the dog and replace if possible. Invisible fence collars are meant to get wet so do not worry. Use a hose outside if its warm enough out, if you can’t use a shower or tub inside try to use a basement or garage to keep your dog as warm as possible during this treatment. Wet dry vacs and sub pumps can come in handy here.
Avoiding Skunk Sprays in the Future
There are several methods to deter skunks from your yard if our other blogs. To help avoid this in the future, having professionals remove the skunk or skunks in a safe manner remains the most effective way to completely remove skunks.