It is early morning, just after daybreak. Your just getting up and your pet needs to go out to potty. You let him out in the back yard and turn around to get yourself a cup of coffee when you hear a commotion coming from the back yard. You go to see what is going on and your pet comes running towards you to get back in the house. He gets within about ten feet and you smell it . . . he has been sprayed by a skunk.
Now what do you do? You cannot let him in the house because the whole house will smell like skunk, so the first thing you need to do is put him someplace secure like a crate or garage where he cannot rub the odor on anything. More than likely your pet has been sprayed in the face or down the front and will probably want to rub his face on something to get rid of the spray.
The next thing you do not want to do is grab the tomato juice. This is an old folklore and does not work but only sets the smell. The second thing you do not want to do is get the dog wet with water. Water will also set the skunk odor and then it is next to impossible to get out.
You will need the following ingredients that most everyone has in their home cupboards:
Hydrogen peroxide (one pint)
Baking Soda (not powder) (small box)
Dish Washing Liquid (a couple squirts)
Gallon of Water
Mix the above ingredients together and use as quickly as possible. The mixture will lose its effectiveness in about an hour. Do not try to store any remaining mixture, as it will explode in the container. Rub the mixture into the pets coat without wetting the coat first. You do not need to do the whole pet, only where he has been sprayed. CAUTION: Be careful not to get the mixture in the pets eyes as the hydrogen peroxide could blind the pet. Allow the mixture to remain on the pets coat for at least five minutes. Allowing the mixture to dry on the coat will work best. After five minutes or the mixture is dry, rinse the coat thoroughly with water. It is possible the mixture will lighten the coat due to the oxidation, which is what eliminates the odor. Normal color will return as the coat grows out.
If you have gotten some of the skunk spray on your clothing, you can use the mixture on fabric as well. Just make sure the fabric is color fast and safe as the oxidation could bleach the fabric.
I have used this mixture on family pets and grooming clients over the years and have never been disappointed with the results. The mixture is not harmful to pets or children unless ingested. Because the ingredients can be easily stored in separate containers, it makes it very easy to take on camping trips or store in the garage or on the back porch for emergency use.
For other stain and odor remover products and other pet supplies, visit www.sunhillpetsupplies.com
I have more than 20 years experience with breeding, boarding, grooming and showing dogs. My husband and I professionally handled dogs for more than 10 years and bred champion and group winning Samoyeds and Shiba Inus. We held obedience and show training classes and spoke to breed clubs about showing dogs. We also did a research project on retinal displasia in the Samoyed with the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Gustavo Aguirre. Since retiring from the show ring we have recently launched an on-line pet supply store called http://www.sunhillpetsupplies.com We still own and live with three champion Shiba Inus and three rescue kitties, one who is 19 and one who is 18.
