# Skunked!



## clearcreekranch (Mar 18, 2010)

Hey, I just wanted to let everyone know that our mixed breed dog, Gunner, got skunked for the 2nd time in about 6 weeks. The first time, I gave him 2 tomato juice baths and 2 regular baths and we could still smell the skunk. He took a full hit to the face. Last night it happened again and I had google how to best get rid of the smell after the last time. We used 1 qt. hydrogen peroxide and 1/4 cup baking soda and just sponged it on the effected area(his face and chest) and then rinsed. We repeated and he was pretty much smell free and so he got to sleep in his crate in the house last night! I gave him a regular bath this a.m. and can't smell any skunk. We don't know if he got it as bad as the first time, but boy did he smell. I just wanted to share this in case someone else needs to know what to do. Supposedly, the baking soda mixed with the hydrogen peroxide has a neutralizing effect on the skunk oil. This has been a new experience for me since my outside only dogs had never been skunked and now that I have 2 LARGE ones in the house, the trouble maker keeps finding the trouble. He is a rescue, but worth all the trouble.


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## liv (Sep 1, 2010)

That is VERY good to know! We haven't been skunked yet, but they are everywhere, so I'm guessing it's just a matter of time!


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

How strange! I nearly hit a skunk on my way to work today! In all the years I've lived in Pearland, I've never even seen one. I wonder if we are getting a population explosion in our area?


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

man if any of my dogs ever get skunked.... they're sleeping outside in their stink to maybe get the message to stay away from those foul little creatures!!! i'll keep the mixture in mind though cuz they gotta be allowed back inside sometime right? Its where the food is. An encounter with a hungry bear ONCE nixed the feeding outside idea for life!


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## GSD Fan (Sep 20, 2010)

It's weird, but in all of my outside dogs in the past, I've never had any of them get sprayed by a skunk. They just bark at it.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

This hint came to me from one of our adopters. His dog got skunked, while in Texas. Someone suggested scope mouthwash. He thought they were pulling his leg, but it really worked. Since then, I have kept Scope in the house for my dog. Any time she even rolls in anything stinky, I wipe her down with the mouthwash. Don't know why it works, but sure glad it does.


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## clearcreekranch (Mar 18, 2010)

Stevenzachsmom said:


> This hint came to me from one of our adopters. His dog got skunked, while in Texas. Someone suggested scope mouthwash. He thought they were pulling his leg, but it really worked. Since then, I have kept Scope in the house for my dog. Any time she even rolls in anything stinky, I wipe her down with the mouthwash. Don't know why it works, but sure glad it does.


I'll add that to my list of things to keep on hand. They hydrogen peroxide/baking soda is cheaper, but more trouble to mix up and I wouldn't use it on regular odors. Gunner hates water so you know that this was not fun at 7:30 p.m. I can laugh about it now. I thought that he would have learned his lesson, but I think that he thinks that the skunks are very pretty cats with a funny white stripe! LOL


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## DnP (Jul 10, 2008)

So far (knock on wood) Phoenix has yet to get skunked. However, Dakota got skunked about four times during his lifetime. On two occasions, we used the tomato juice concoction (a mixture of tomato juice and douche recommended by our vet...yeah explain that one to the checkout girl at 11:30pm at the 24 hour grocer :blush to no avail at eliminating the smell.

Then I was told about the baking soda/hydrogen peroxide mixture. That stuff worked wonders and I now keep the makings of it stocked in my dog cabinet. I found that it really does work. A pain to mix, but well worth it. I also can recommend skunk-off:










Of course, our dogs always got skunked after 11pm. And when you smell it once, it's a smell you never forget.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

Funny the last several nights we have smelled skunk really bad in the woodsy area of our property....and I was thinking o no one of these evenings when we go out to potty for the last time Jake or/and I are going to get it! I even took in the two bird feeders hoping they will move on.
Thanks for the recipe!!! Hopefully we won't need it!


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## Deuce (Oct 14, 2010)

Oh no! That sucks. I'm glad you got the smell out!


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

Yep, the peroxide formula works very well. Good thing too. We have a very big skunk living in our woods. The thing actually ran toward DH and me a couple weeks ago when we were coming back from a walk with our dogs. It was pretty funny, DH and I were back-pedaling like mad, trying to get away while the dogs are pulling toward the skunk. Then the skunk ran into one of the culverts under our driveway and hid there. We had to go up into the woods to get around it.

Niko's been sprayed once. I hope it never happens again. But just in case I keep two bottles of peroxide on hand. Just remember, it can expire and not be as effective, so don't assume that five year old bottle in the back of the cabinet will still work.


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## DnP (Jul 10, 2008)

I would have loved to see a video of your "encounter of the skunk king". Must have been quite a sight!!! :rofl:

I will agree with you 100% to keep an eye on the expiration date on the peroxide. It is not something you want to have sitting uselessly in your cabinet when you need it most. Also, remember that once you open the bottle, it is only going to be good for about a year!


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## Stogey (Jun 29, 2010)

I've always heard vinegar and water works well


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## ba1614 (Feb 17, 2010)

Stevenzachsmom said:


> This hint came to me from one of our adopters. His dog got skunked, while in Texas. Someone suggested scope mouthwash. He thought they were pulling his leg, but it really worked. Since then, I have kept Scope in the house for my dog. Any time she even rolls in anything stinky, I wipe her down with the mouthwash. Don't know why it works, but sure glad it does.


 My Abby got skunked at about midnight, a couple weeks ago. I ran to google and found the scope advice, but the one I found said to use Head&Shoulders shampoo afterward. I'm a Listerine guy so that's all I had for mouthwash, so I used it.
I wasn't expecting much, but being midnight, and a way out in the middle of nowhere, I was desperate because she's never spent a night outside and I'm not setup at all to start like that. 
Well, It didn't totally eliminate the smell, but I was surprised that it did deaden the smell enough that she could sleep in the mudroom and not bother us at all. The next morning I got some "Natures Miracle skunk odor remover", and it worked great for getting the rest.
We were bathing her no more than 5 minutes after she got it, so that probably had an effect on how well it worked as well.

I was told later by someone that using a beer for shampoo will also do the trick, but I've never used it, and with any luck won't have to.


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## Dennq (Jun 21, 2010)

Never had a dog skunked here but I'm very aggressive with 
"lead poisoning"

I heard douche works the best.


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