Tips for Cleaning Skunk Spray Off Your Dog
Skunks are armed with dual scent glands that hold about an ounce of malodorous organic chemicals that are strong enough to repel a bear! So you can bet that if your pup gets sprayed, it’s not going to smell good. Let’s figure out what makes skunk spray smell so bad and how you can get it out of your pup’s fur as soon as possible.
Why Does Skunk Spray Smell So Bad
The nasty odor of a skunk spray can be described as something similar to rotten eggs and burning tires which comes from organosulfur compounds called thiols. Thiols are backed up by thioacetates, which, by themselves, aren’t necessarily smelly UNTIL they get wet. This is precisely why you need to resist the urge to spray down your pooch after they’ve been sprayed.
If there’s one thing to take away from this, it’s that Water + Thioacetates = an even SMELLIER dog and a LESS-EFFECTIVE remedy.
What You’ll Need
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A clean plastic bucket to mix the ingredients in
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1 Quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide. (Other strengths are not recommended & use fresh peroxide from unopened bottles.)
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1/4 cup baking soda. (DO NOT use washing soda, it might be much stronger, but that will only cause it to burn your dog’s skin.)
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1 to 2 Teaspoons of liquid soap. (Softsoap is preferred)
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Latex gloves to wear while mixing and applying to your pooch.
How to Use What You Have
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Apply your mixture to a DRY dog, working well into their fur.
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Let sit for about five minutes.
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Rinse with neutral water.
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Repeat if necessary (which it probably will be)
Don’t try to store this mixture as it loses effectiveness and releases oxygen gas, which could cause a closed container to explode!
Why This Works
This de-skunking mixture works due to the strong oxidizing agent of hydrogen peroxide that reacts to the thiol and in effect, removes electrons and adds oxygen atoms to generate an odor-free sulfonic acid. The baking soda helps buffer the acid, and the soap helps to remove the oily, hydrophobic (water-repelling) sulfonic acids.
We hope this helps you get your pooch smelling like themselves sooner rather than later, for everyone’s sake!