Recipe for Cleaning Skunk Spray off Your Dog

As you walk around your neighborhood, you may smell a familiar odor in the air – the skunks are coming out for spring! These cute beasts obviously are very attractive to our dogs, resulting in difficult consequences at times.

To help you manage the situation if your dog gets sprayed, we are providing this recipe that’s better than the old standby of tomato juice. Nothing is perfect, but the ingredients are readily available at the market and it’s easy to put together.

Please read the recipe carefully as it needs special handling and cannot be pre-mixed.

In a bucket or pan, stir together:

• 1 quart 3% hydrogen peroxide
• ¼ cup baking soda
• 2 teaspoons Dawn dishwashing liquid

You may want to wear gloves and change into old clothes for this process. If you can do this outside in an area away from your normal traffic pattern, seating area, etc., you will be grateful that the smell is not washed into your soil right there. Large breed dogs may need double, triple or even quadruple the amount.

Don’t wet down your pet. Apply the mixture to your pet’s dry coat from the collar back toward the tail. Don’t pour it near the eyes because the hydrogen peroxide solution can burn them. Then scrub the mixture into your pet’s coat and skin making a good lather. Continue to lather the solution on your pet’s coat for about five minutes or until the skunk smell starts to dissipate. If your pet’s face was a target, use a sponge to apply the solution to their chin, cheeks, forehead and ears, being very careful not to go near the eyes.

Once the smell starts to decrease, do a thorough rinse, then repeat the entire process again. When you rinse the head area, tilt your pet’s chin upward so the solution does not run down into his/her eyes, but off his/her back and neck. You may need to repeat the lather and rinse process up to three times, but it’s a very effective method for removing the skunk smell from your pet. Make sure to completely rinse the solution off your pet. Your final rinse should be very thorough.

Don’t prepare this solution ahead of time and store it as it will not be effective when you need it. Mix what you need right before you apply it to your pet.