skunked!

We could use a little help here. My 9 year old Eskimo, Tundra, was sprayed by a skunk at about 18" on Sunday evening. :yuck: I have washed him in tomato juice but I don't think it made any difference. :shrug: I have heard of using peroxide and other solutions but they don't seem very safe, especially since I have to use it on his little face. Until he smells better I don't want him in the house though. Fortunately he is mostly an outdoor dog by choice but he is used to coming and going as he pleases. Any suggestions for getting rid of the odour? Thanks for your thoughts.
~Lawana...& Stinky

Here is the recipe and it is safe to use. You may have to repeat depending on how badly your dog was sprayed. Use a facecloth to carefully do his face making sure not to get the solution in his eyes, nose or mouth.

The following recipe was developed to neutralize the odour-causing compound in skunk spray.

SKUNK DEODORANT RECIPE
1 Quart of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide

¼ Cup of Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)

1 Tsp. Liquid Soap (Dish Detergent)

Mix the above together in a plastic bucket and wash the infected object, be it human, canine, feline, garage, shed, car basement, etc. Make sure you keep the solution away from eyes, nose and mouth. The skunk odour should disappear immediately!

This product is fast and safe – and best of all, it works!

I've also heard adding a little lemon juice to enhance that recipe.

Groomers use the peroxide, baking soda, shampoo/dish detergent recipe - tomato juice doesn't work. My groomer also rubs REGULAR toothpaste all over the dog's coat - this helps a lot. Re the face, if the skunk spray got into your pup's eyes, I would take him to the vet. Also, do not forget that his collar/harness will also have been skunked - many people forget this, do a skunk treatment at home and then take dogs to groomers/vets for a re-do and forget about the collar - and it stinks forever. I have all of my supplies on hand - there is a family of skunks in the neighbourhoold and I have an American Eskimo so it wouldn't be pretty - but I sincerely hope that if it happens either the groomer or the vet is open. And it would be VERY NICE if my husband wouldn't keep opening the hydrogen peroxide since it has to be a fresh bottle - he doesn't believe me that it turns basically to water once opened.

Lawana:

Here is my most recent post about skunks. :yuck:

http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=61954

The key is to use an old towel or rag and moisten it with the peroxide solution then onto Tundra. As long as you don't get it in his eyes, it works wonders. After rubbing the solution onto the affected area, a nice dog shampoo bath helps neutralize the smell as well.

From the 6 eposides (3 on my Golden & 3 on Gryphon) that I have encountered with skunk spraying, the peroxide solution is the best remedy :)

The peroxide counteracts the smell of the oil while the baking soda seems to soak up the oil from the spray. The dish soap is just to make it soapy. I keep at least 5 bottles of "unopened" peroxide just for this issue. Toothpaste or Scope mouthwaste also helps to "mask" the smell as well.

Good luck :thumbs up