Oh No! A Skunk Sprayed Your Dog: Here’s What to Do
Oh no! Has your furry friend been sprayed by a skunk? Read below to learn what to do if a skunk sprays your dog!
Keep Your Dog Outside
Keeping your dog outside is important to keep the skunk smell from rubbing off on the furniture, walls, and carpet in your home. The smell can last for days if carried indoors. While you are outside, check your pup’s eyes, mouth, and skin for irritation. If you do notice irritation, briefly rinse them off with water.
Remove The Oils and Neutralize The Odor
Skunk spray can cause an allergic reaction to your dog. So, remove it as quickly as possible. However, removing these oils can be difficult because water can make the smell worse. So, you should use de-skunking products from the store or make your own shampoo at home. Next you will need to break down the oils to neutralize that skunk-y smell on your furry friend.
Home Remedies
You have probably heard of taking a bath in tomato juice after being sprayed by a skunk. However, these old remedies don’t work very well. You will just have a big tomato mess and the skunk odor will still be lingering around.
Instead, use one cup of baking soda, three cups of hydrogen peroxide, and one teaspoon of soap. Be sure to have all of your bathing tools ready because once you make the mixture you will need to use it immediately for the most effective results. While the mixture is still fizzing, sponge and rub the mixture into your pal’s fur. Work it into the fur as much as you can. Then, hose or rinse off your companion.
But use caution! Do not get the peroxide solution near your pal’s eyes, nose, or mouth. Additionally, the peroxide may lighten your furry friend’s hair. But don’t worry! This will not harm your pal and new fur will grow back in a few months. Also, do not store any leftover solution.
Commercial Products
Home remedies are not always ideal. They rarely work completely and you may still notice a mild skunk smell when your pal gets wet for a few months following the skunk incident. Products such as Nature’s Miracle Skunk Odor Remover, or De-Skunk Shampoo are great commercial options. Reviews report that they work well to remove that stinky skunk smell. However, you should try to keep a bottle on hand. You may not think you will ever need it, but it is better to be prepared!
Wash And Dry
After washing your pal with de-skunking ingredients, follow up with a second bath using regular dog shampoo. This will help to further break down the oils and remove the odor from your canine’s fur. Then, towel dry or air dry your companion.
Cleanup
After washing and drying, you will probably notice the skunk smell lingering on your skin and clothes. You can wash your clothes with standard laundry detergent to remove the smell. Or you can add baking soda or washer-safe skunk odor remover to the machine. To get the smell off of your skin, you can soak in a baking soda solution or wash with a grease-cutting dish soap to get rid of oils and odors.
Follow the guide above the next time your furry friend has a skunk encounter!