When you have a dog, one of the things that you know might happen, especially if you live in a rural area, is your dog being sprayed by a skunk. Most dog owners have had this happen to their dog at least once. If you have a dog, it’s good to be prepared just in case it happens. Below are some tips that you can use if it happens.
Keep Them Outside
First, you’ll want to keep your dog outdoors while you’re preparing everything. This way you don’t have to worry about the dog carrying the nasty smell inside. You also want to check your dog’s eyes. If they look red or irritated, flush them immediately using cool water.
Mix the Solution
Now that you have your pup outside, you have to mix the de-skunking solution. This below are the ingredients you’ll need.
- 1 qt of 3% hydrogen peroxide – this can be bought at just about any store.
- ¼ cup of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of liquid soap for dishwashing
- De-skunking Shampoo – available on Amazon
Put rubber gloves on and wash the dog with the solution that you’ve made right after the dog’s been sprayed. Don’t get it into their eyes. If peroxide, liquid soap and baking soda, dilute vinegar with water.
One thing to remember is that you shouldn’t make it and store it so that you have it just in case. The reason is that it might explode if you leave it inside a bottle.
Clean & Rinse
Rub this mixture through your dog’s fur. However, don’t leave the mixture on a long time since the peroxide might bleach their fur. Thoroughly rinse your dog.
Shampoo Your Dog
Once you have rinsed your dog, wash him using pet shampoo before rinsing thoroughly again. Now they shouldn’t have any trace of skunk smell on them and they should smell sweet. Dry them thoroughly using a towel and make sure that you put them in a sunny, warm room for a couple of hours. This is going to help keep them from becoming chilled.
Clean Yourself Up
If your dog is affectionate, chances are that some of the skunk spray might have rubbed off on your clothing. If so, don’t worry about it. The smell can be removed from your clothing by using your normal laundry detergent. Just mix it with ½ cup baking soda. Run it through the washer and the smell should be gone.
These are the steps that you can take to help get the skunk smell out of your dog’s coat. Keep in mind that being skunked isn’t your dog’s fault. It happens. Just make sure that you are take some quick action. The quicker that you take care of the problem, the better chance you have getting all of the smell out of your dog. Plus, you won’t have to worry about your dog rubbing against things in your home and spreading the smell.
