Cleaning & Grooming

Dog Get Skunked? Here’s How To Remove Dog Skunk Odor

Wear rubber gloves when removing dog skunk odor from your dog! photo by Piddleville on Flickr

Chances are, your dog will probably come in contact with a skunk at some point in time.

Hopefully, he’ll run the other way, rather than sticking around long enough to get skunked!

But if not, then you’ll need a good remedy for removing that skunk smell from your dog’s fur.

Using Tomato Juice To Remove Dog Skunk Odor

You may have heard about using tomato juice to de-skunk a dog. However, simply pouring tomato juice all over your dog’s coat and then rinsing it out doesn’t seem to be nearly as effective as the hydrogen peroxide recipe below.

Forget what you have heard about tomato juice — it doesn’t work. Skunk spray is mainly composed of low molecular weight thiol compounds. (“Thiols” are compounds with the “-SH radical” attached to a carbon atom.) In industrial applications, alkaline hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is used for scrubbing similar compounds from waste gas streams. Hydrogen peroxide and baking soda — when combined — become a “chemical engine” for churning out oxygen. That’s why it has to be used immediately after mixing. The soap breaks up the oils in the skunk spray, allowing the other ingredients to do their work.  

Source

The Best Dog Skunk Odor Remover

What you really need to remove dog skunk odor is:

  • 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide
  • 1/2 cup of baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons of dishwashing detergent

First, mix all 3 of the above ingredients together. (IMPORTANT: Don’t put this mixture in a capped bottle because it can explode!)

Then, wet your dog’s coat thoroughly with the above mixture. (Make sure to keep it out of your dog’s eyes, nose, and mouth.) Leave it on for 5 to 10 minutes.

Finally, rinse your dog’s coat thoroughly.

You may need to apply the mixture more than once in order to completely get rid of the skunk smell, but it’s a tried & true DIY recipe that works well for many dog owners! 

Dogs vs Wildlife

Of course, a skunk is not the only form of wildlife your dog may encounter in the outdoors.  A few other wild animals that are likely to catch your dog’s eyes are: birds, frogs & toads, and rabbits.

Here’s what to do if your dog decides to chase other forms of wildlife.

Take a quick survey about your dog’s interactions with wildlife!