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How to Remove Skunk Smell From Dogs
As dog owners, we all have our favorite “skunking” stories. Mine includes my dog’s facial skunking the morning my grandmother came to visit my new home for the first time. I brought my dog into the basement until I could bathe her later, after my luncheon. Big mistake! By the time Grandma arrived, my house had lost that “lemony-fresh” smell. What replaced it could only be described as pungent enough to wrinkle the nose of an old Swiss woman.
Rule number one. Do not bring the dog in the house if you can avoid it. As long as the skunk oil remains on the dog’s coat, it will remain in the air that you breathe. Getting a proper remedy to remove the oil as soon as possible is the key to fresh air.
Over the years, I have tried several remedies, including the popular Bloody Mary mix (hold the celery) to pour over my dog’s head. While these homemade remedies are great for masking the odor, they do not eliminate it.
Use Caution
Be careful around the dog’s eyes with any potent formulas. If you try a DIY solution, don't use hydrogen peroxide with higher than 3% USP as it may burn. Mix the solution fresh, use it, and discard it. If you store this mixture in a closed container, it will explode. The hydrogen peroxide may bleach the coat (think bleached blond), so be careful on those black dogs. The less time the solution stays on, the less likely for bleaching. But ultimately the choice is yours – a bleached beauty or a wrinkled nose.
If your dog has been skunked, act quickly and use a top-rated skunk shampoo for pets. The smell should be eliminated after one to two washes.
If you don't treat your skunked dog immediately, the smell may last for up to three weeks. If you use a shampoo right away, the smell should go away within a day.
Carry your dog to the tub if possible so they don't get the smell on your carpets or furniture. Once in the tub, rinse down your dog and apply a skunk odor removal shampoo. Rinse and repeat if needed, then finish with an additional shampoo and a conditioner if needed.
