Our dogs are curious by nature, and by instinct are hunters. If they see something outside they haven’t seen before (or maybe have seen a bunch of times), chances are they’re going to investigate it. Many of us have dealt with our dogs being sprayed by skunks, but if this is your first time… Welcome to the dog sprayed by a skunk club!
That horrendous oniony smell of a skunk is bad enough when you smell it in passing, but when your dog gets directly sprayed by it, boy, it’s a bad smell that burns your eyes. In fact, that’s exactly what it’s supposed to do. Skunk spray is supposed to overwhelm a predator’s senses so the skunk can get away. Unfortunately that means that your dog and pretty much everything you own might be smelling like skunk for a little bit… 14-21 days if left untreated to be exact!
We’ve got a de-skunking recipe for you to help you de-stink your dog:
- 1 quart of 3-percent hydrogen peroxide
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 1 teaspoon liquid dishwashing soap
DO NOT pre-make the above recipe as if it is kept in a bottle, it has the possibility of exploding due to pressure build up!
Take your dog to the bath immediately! Using gloves (so it doesn’t permeate your skin too), wash your pooch all over with the de-skunking mix of the above ingredients, taking special care to not get it in your dog’s eyes. Wash your dog thoroughly, and make sure to not leave the mixture on your dog too long (as peroxide can act as a bleach on your dog’s fur). Rinse him or her thoroughly, and then shampoo or clean your dog as you normally would to make sure you get all of the excess mixture (and skunk smell) out.
If you got some of the skunk smell or spray on your clothes, you can drop them in the laundry with a half cup of baking soda to rid them of that skunky stink. If you have a lot of skunks in the area, it might be a good idea to have some de-skunking product on hand just in case… Or print out the de-skunking recipe and hang it on the fridge for quick access!
Do you do something special to help your dog if he gets sprayed by a skunk? Let us know in the comments!