Skunked! April 30, 2018 10:06

If your dog has been sprayed by a skunk you know how bad life can be. Did you know that same chemical compound called thiols that's found in skunk's noxious yellow spray is also present in rotting flesh and feces?! Gag! 

I never thought my senior dog would get into a battle with nature's toughest soldier. She went after that skunk like it was a squirrel. As I've mentioned in a previous post, she's not the brightest crayon in the box. Little did she know that skunk's double barrel scent glands were locked and loaded. She got blasted from head to tail.

The smell cleared out one of my city's largest parks. People were running for the hills gagging from the smell. I'm not joking. Operation survival. Instinct was to get her home and wash her with the old fashioned tomato juice remedy. WRONG. That was my first mistake. Six weeks and six baths later she still smelled. I tried everything, No product on the market or professional grooming could get the funk out. I was at my wit's end. It was effecting my relationship with her. I didn't want her near me. I was exhausted from constantly cleaning the house and her.  I was desparate for help. 

In walks (by way of internet) the MythBusters. My knights in shining armour. They are the MythBusters after all. They busted out the myths about all the so called skunk removing remedies. Here is their life saving formula that truly works :

  • 1 quart (4 cups) of hydrogen peroxide 3%
  • 1/4 cup baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon DAWN liquid dish soap 

Mix in an open container like a small bucket. Soak dog with mixture. Work it in. Let stand for 10 mins or so then rinse. Then wash the dog with DAWN soap. Completely dry your dog. No more skunk smell! Tips: Use new bottle of hydrogen peroxide. Double the measurements for larger dog. Wear rubber gloves. 

What I learned

The mistake I made was washing her immediately. This enabled the oily, smelly fluid to get down into her skin. What I should have done was use paper towels to try to absorb as much of the skunk oil off her coat as possible. Then clip off the fur that was sprayed. Then wash her in the hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and dawn formula. All the while wearing rubber gloves of course. All these items will be added to my first aid kit. 

I am now living happily ever after with my silly senior, smelling pretty.