Get Rid of Skunk Odor | Methods to Deskunk Your Dog
Tomato juice isn’t the only (or best) old-time remedy to get rid of skunk odor from a dog. Keep these common household ingredients on hand and avoid the stink of skunk!
By The Editors of Yankee Magazine|Oct 01 2021|
Coffee By Design | Portland, Maine
Photo Credit : Katherine KeenanTomato juice isn’t the only (or best) old-time remedy to get rid of skunk odor from a dog. Keep these common household ingredients on hand and never live with the stink of skunk again!
How to Get Rid of Skunk Odor
Everyone knows that tomato juice is handy for deskunking a dog, but it’s not the only old-time remedy that works to get rid of skunk odor from your dog. Some other ingredients to keep on hand in quantity in case of emergency include vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar, and hydrogen peroxide.
Try dousing a skunked dog with about a cup of vanilla extract mixed in a gallon of water to get rid of skunk odor, says Hazel Christiansen, a longtime professional groomer and former president of the American Grooming Shop Association, in Lewiston, Idaho. Let the dog soak in the solution for about 10 minutes before applying dog shampoo and rinsing.
For the vinegar remedy, mix 2 parts water with 1 part apple cider vinegar, and set the solution aside (the total amount you’ll need to mix depends on the size of your dog). Thoroughly wet your smelly dog’s coat with water. Now, work the vinegar solution through the fur. Let the solution sit for about 5 minutes; then rinse thoroughly. Work carefully and be sure the solution doesn’t drip into your dog’s eyes (it would sting).
If neither of the concoctions above seems to work, here’s one last skunk-odor removing remedy that’s been passed on from one generation of dog lovers to the next. Mix 1 quart hydrogen peroxide, ¼ cup baking soda, and 1 teaspoon dish-washing liquid. Apply this mixture in the same way you would the vinegar solution. The quantities listed should make enough deskunking solution for a medium-size dog (30 to 50 pounds), so use less or more as needed for the size of your dog.
The best way to eliminate skunk odor is to avoid it altogether. Believe it or not, skunks hate strong odors. You can keep them out of your woodshed or other outbuildings by hanging a bar of strong disinfectant or room deodorizer in the space.
Excerpt from 1,001 Old-Time Household Hints, written by the editors of Yankee Magazine and brought to you by Skyhorse Publishing.
This post was first published in 2015 and has been updated.
See More:
How to Keep Squirrels Out of Bird Feeders
How to Keep Raccoons Out of Garbage Cans
How to Free a Stuck Skunk
Hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and dishwashing detergent worked quickly and efficiently. Also helped my hands. Thanks for having this available. Fantastic help would highly recommend this formula. Thanks again and God Bless ***
Hydrogen Peroxide, baking soda and dishwashing liquid is the best solution to deskunk dogs. It works fast and will take out the odor significantly after the first washing. If not a bad case of spray odor could be gone completely after 2-3 washes.
I was skeptical, but tried the peroxide/baking soda/dishwashing liquid method as I already had it all on hand. What do you know? It worked wonderfully! My lab/border collie mix smells better than probably before the skunk sprayed her! Lol. Thank you so much for the tip. Will definitely be bookmarking this for the future.
Tonight at 7:35 pm our Labrador chased a skunk across the yard and got sprayed badly. My husband did’t know what to do with her. Quickly I Googled and came up with your site; thank goodness! We did successfully use the Hydrogen Peroxide, baking soda, & dish-washing liquid in about 2 1/2 gallons of warm water in a deep cook-pot and washed her down with it for at least 15 minutes (outside). It seemed to work great! But, then, we gave her a rinse with the cider vinegar water. Terrific! After a towel dry she’s actually back in the house on her bed drying and we don’t even notice an odor at all! Absolutely amazing! Thank you ever-so-much!
hydrogen peroxide.. luckily this is the best solution
OK, I will try this… But how do I get the smell out of my house? I also have items I can’t wash, like couch or my leather items. I don’t own a carpet shamooer either. Please if anyone knows, help me out. This smell gives me a very bad headache and light headed at times
It must be the apple cider vinegar then because I’ve tried the H2O2/baking soda/soap mixture more than once and it does NOT work. It’s better then absolutely nothing, but the skunk smell is still there. A couple of things that DO work for the house if someone runs through it and rolls on the rugs before you realize they’ve been sprayed, is to boil vinegar on the stove so it fills the air while you wash the rugs in the washer with soap and bleach water. Bleach is amazing but you CANNOT put it on your dog(s)!
Both my dogs decided it would be fun to play with a skunk our American bulldog got the worse of it I used the porxide and baking soda I read it takes a couple time so o used it she only got it in the face and neck the skunk missed her eyes which is a good thing after the first treatment her face smell a little better but my house not so much I’m working on airing it out have all fans blowing out but I’m glad you all were here while I was freaking out and thank you for all the comments I read though them all but I’m thinking about adding vanilla to the mix our maybe to a bottle of water and spray or though the house
We did the vinegar first and seemed to really help. Just to be sure we did the hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and dish washing soap. I used a little too much soap and it took a bit longer to get the soap out. She is a short haired dog and is now in the house chewing on her bone with NO smell at all in the house. Whew, takes a while but no smell thank heaven. (worked
so much better than tomato juice that we used years ago!)
I just had a back procedure done today. And wouldn’t you know it? everyone was gone from the house. Both of my 90 + pound dogs cornered a skunk. I thought the easiest one to try, since everyone is out of the house, was a whole bottle of vanilla extract and water in a spray bottle. It was a heck of a time chasing them down, and spraying them as much as I could get them. Unfortunately I did not get to all the doors of the house to lock them ( my dog’s know how to open doors), so they got into the house and rolled around on the carpet to dry off. we also had a huge rainfall, Lucky me, so they were soaked. I will try the vinegar, baking soda, and peroxide one as soon as someone gets home to help me. Till then they are bathing each other do to the vanilla. Maybe they will get drunk enough off of the real vanilla extract, and pass out so I can try the other. Note to self: next time buy gold fish….
My shepherd, chow mix got sprayed for the third time. Your suggestions alerted me to” wash more than once” and” how many gallons to use on a large dog” and “use apple cider vinegar on furniture and leather”. Is my dog stupid not to recognize a skunk after multiple sprayings?
Since skunk spray is oily, Dawn dishwashing works well. B careful not to get it in the eyes. Years ago I worked as a groomer, and we followed up the diluted Dawn with a double strength solution of douche powder, which we left on. Just sayin”. LOL Worked great.
Just used the hydrogen peroxide baking soda approach. Followed up with a tomato rinse. It seems to have worked– will always keep these ingredients on hand. How much do I hate skunks? Argh. I can see them wandering in my yard at night.
My go to for skunked dogs is Original Tide Laundry Detergent…I used to sprinkle it on…rub it in…DONOT wet it…let it sit for a bit then brush it out…seems to work like a charm…and no major mess…
This is the worst idea i have ever heard. I am thinking you have not read TIDE IS the most TOXIC on the market!!!
Twice in a year my chocolate lab got sprayed by a skunk at 2am! First time we used the tomato juice trick and Avon skin so soft worked pretty good! This time we did Avon skin so soft again. Then did the apple cider vinegar. Amazing can not even tell she was sprayed! Just to be safe as we speak we are gonna try the proxide dish soap and baking soda!
If Skin So Soft and vinegar worked, why would you try the peroxide/baking soda/dish soap recipe???
I know from experience that tomato juice does not work (at least on an Old English Sheepdog)
All 3 of my Yorkies, got skunked but one tried to make friends with it and got a good dose sprayed on her. She has had 6 baths 1 with tomatoes sauce, 1 with lavender dog shampoo, 1 with Grapefruit juice, 1 with Catsup, 1 with apple vinegar and again with lavender shampoo. Now she smells like a pickled skunk with lavender perfume, next bath I will try the peroxcide and baking soda , If that doesn’t work she is going to become a naked Yorkie I am shaving all her fur off. than giving her a Lavender bath. Thank goodness the other two ran away from the skunk.
My dog was sprayed twice within 8 hours. Once about 9 p.m. and then again at 5:30 a.m. It’s been fun at our house in the bath taking care of that.
When our dog got sprayed last year we gave her a dousing with Listerine. we rubbed it in with some old towels, left it on for a short time then bathed her as usual. It worked great at neutralizing the smell.
Two parts vinegar one part water works like a charm. Dip cotton in it, wipe it on the coat, the smell comes right off. Why are you recommending tomato juice? It doesn’t work and it’s a false remedy that was discredited ages ago. Why do you publish things that aren’t true? It’s worthless misinformation that will keep dogs in extreme discomfort and owners in despair because editors don’t bother to check the facts.
I had a mostly white fluffy Border Collie mix who got sprayed many years ago, and that’s when the tomato juice myth was alive and well. Poor thing walked around bright pink and still smelly for days.
My two pits just got hold of a skunk and reeked. I had to lock them in the house for 1/2 hour before bathing them so I was hit in the face with the stench when I opened the door to enter the house upon returning to tend to them. After reading the recommended treatments, I used a slurry of baking soda, lemon dish detergent, and apple cider vinegar as these were the ingredients I had available. I washed the dogs as I would normally, lathering them thoroughly and using a cloth to work the soap mixture down to the skin. This mixture worked immediately and I only had to lather and rinse once. As for the house, I simply opened the windows, lit candles, and washed the floors. This took care of the house odors since I’d closed all doors to rooms with fabric furnishings before I left them alone in the house.
Where do you live that skunks come out in the winter? We get them in the autumn in northern California but they disappear in the winter. They don’t actually hybernate but they don’t wander far from their dens in the winter, AND since they only come out at night, there are about three months we have to worry about letting the dogs out into the backyard to do their business after dark, mid way through August until mid way through November. Other than that, no skunks.
I live in NC and one of my dogs just got sprayed tonight. We are using the ac vinegar and soap treatment. But here where i live skunks do come out in winter.
I live in Maryland and my daughter’s dog just got sprayed.
We live in NE Ohio.. it’s freezing here and snow is falling. Both dogs were sprayed last night! I never thought we would need to be worried about skunks in the winter.
We live in Northern California and my dog got spayed last night. I’ll be trying the apple cider vinegar and water tonight. I’ve been seeing the skunks for at least a month now. We’re in a mild winter and country environment.
I want to know who keeps CUPS of vanilla extract on hand for anything!?!?
haha!! exactly my thought!!
The only thing that worked for my daughters do to get the awful smell off was actually the vanilla mixture
I do! But I make ice cream for a living. I have gallons of the good stuff and more gallons of the cheap stuff.
where do you get the vanilla ? I bake a lot and it’s getting so expensive for the real vanilla.
Hey-will ANY of these work on cat urine in the rug??? Same gagging odor. My guys won’T quit
Peroxide, baking soda and dish soap combination will work on cat urine. My 15 year old cat had a kidney infection and peed on our mattress topper. I tried 2-3 solutions and nothing worked, thought we were going to have to throw it away. Found this solution on Pinterest and tried and it worked great. A month later and still no smell.
I’ve had great success with vinegar and cat urine, there is also a spray that I bought at petsmart that works pretty well. I’ve also heard that apple cider vinegar works but I’ve never tried it. My dogs got sprayed by a skunk last night and I’m trying peroxide, baking soda and dish soap so we’ll see.
There’s a product called “Nok-Out” that will get ride of cat urine odor – guaranteed. I buy this from Amazon. It’s a bit expensive ($40 per gallon) but it actually works. The thing to remember is that you have to get the entire area wet with the product and then let it dry completely before the odor is gone. It also sanitizes the area. This stuff is outstanding.
If you are having cats marking you need to get your cat(s) fixed, it will take a couple of weeks but they will stop. If your cat(s) is/are already fixed, the cat may have a UTI and needs to see a vet. The other reason cats mark is if you aren’t cleaning its litter box daily or don’t have enough litter boxes (which should be one for each cat plus an extra).
I live in N Cal – Sacramento and my lab mix got sprayed last night. Jan 25. I did the peroxide mix twice and everything stoicism stinks. Past experience tells me it still takes a year till it all goes away. Every time my dog got wet she reeked. I live in a densely populated area, skunks show up anywhere!
My labrador got skunked this morning (
Some years ago my elderly dog tangled with a skunk, and we had great success with the hydrogen peroxide and baking soda combo. Unfortunately it bleached her slightly and her coat was purple for the rest of her life.
My Shiba and my Basenji Mix caught a skunk late last night. They literally my mauled it.. it was a horrific scene.. I feel traumatized.. they have been in garage since.. getting ready to try the peroxide combo..Lord wish me luck.. it’s so so so bad!!
One of my poor babies was sprayed the other night. I went down the list, tried the Vanilla recipe without success. Moved on the the apple vinegar, still stinky. I have since moved on to the peroxide/baking soda mix and have washed my poor boy more time than I can remember in the last 28 hours. My boy is in the garage for the second day. I haven’t given up and will continue to wash him, but for me, these solutions didn’t work.
Dawn is the best dish detergent to use, as it cuts the skunks oil the best.
Thank you whoever came up with the vanilla mixture it worked excellent on my daughters huge dog and he smelled like he slept with the skunk
The peroxide, baking soda, dishwashing liquid is pretty good but nothing’s perfect. For those who’ve tried it without success, I would recommend that you be sure to a dishwashing liquid that breaks up grease and oil (They use Dawn in oil-spill situations, hint, hint) AND after you’ve soaked your pooch with the mixture, it is important to let it dry before rinsing it off. This gives the baking soda time to absorb the odor. It works quite well but probably wont be perfect. Dogs usually get it right in the face and it is virtually impossible to get it all off just because you don’t want to get the mixture in their eyes or nose which is going to leave just a little bit of the skunk spray, and a little of it goes a LONG way.
The hydrogen peroxide solution works, but note that if you dog was sprayed in the face, they most likely ingested it too. This can cause horrific smelling vomit. I recommend not allowing them on carpet or furniture for at least a few hours. Wish I had been warned.
Not meaning to embarrass anyone, but a liquid feminine douche product worked on my dog a few years ago.
Can skunk smell give you a headache and dizziness?
Laurie, in reply to your question about whether or not you can get a headache/dizziness from smelling your skunked dog. I think the answer is ‘yes’, because my Chihuahua got sprayed about an hour ago and I fell headachy now.
I used the peroxide mixture on him so I’m hoping it will work. I have no sense of smell (hereditary) so I can’t tell.
Hope it helps. Have a great day.
I raise Dachshunds and they are avid hunters. We live on a 100+ acre farm and they all go with me on my daily walk of whole farm checking the livestock. So I’ve definitely had more than my share of dealing with direct skunk strikes and it triggers a migraine with nausea and dizziness.
I know the comments go all the way back to 2015 but thought I would share my results with everyone. This past March two of my Fur Babies bolted out the Doggie Door Barking, of course I thought they were chasing a Tom Cat off the Property… I heard Profuse Barking and then one cry.. My Cocker Spaniel came in first and headed to the back of my home which is all carpet OMG the Stench was eye watering, not to mention nauseating.. Then comes in my lil Jack-Chi even worse if there is such a thing… Apparently he got hold of the Skunk. I could see he got Sprayed face first. Gathering them up and showing them their home for the night in the shop with a couple of blankets was heartbreaking… They expected me to fix them after all that’s what mom’s do, Right??? I frantically searched the internet for all recipes for Skunked Doggies. All I had on hand was the Apple Cider Vinegar and I had 2 bottles of Vanilla. So after reading for an hour this is what I came up with… I poured the Vanilla in a Spray Bottle and I added about a 1/2 Cup HOT water too it.. only to warm the Vanilla.. I had setting aside in my Master Bath was 2 buckets ( 2.5 gal each) of the Apple Cider Vinegar Mixture.. which is 2:1 with Water… I happen to have a lot of Apple Cider Vinegar around to treat my Cocker Spaniels constant fungal skin infections.. A magic cure. So I put on gloves went out and did one at a time, I had a friend help so after I used the spray bottle on both dogs, Marley the Cocker first as he was bigger and had more hair.. I sprayed and just rubbed it into his fur all over, you don’t have to soak them wet in it… Just be sure to work it into the hair some… My friend took Marley to the Shop to stay out of the breeze and I did Yodi, (jack-“Chi), now remember he got a direct hit, being small and smooth haired he to it to the skin. so I repeated the same as above.. I gathered Yodi up and into the Shower he went. I had an old Blanket covering the carpeted floor. He sat for 10 minutes the the Shower with no water mind you… Then I jumped in and brought a bucket of the Vinegar mix in with me… He did not require not even half of it… I worked it all in, I did not use Dawn Soap or any harsh soap due to Skin allergies for me and them… I just doused and worked with it while they were dripping with Vinegar refreshing after the Vanilla activated the Oil of the Skunk Pee… I did not rinse him off… I then Put the shampoo I use on them all the time, Dove with Moisturizer (Costco big bottles). I lathered him really good and then rinsed him off.. thank goodness for removeable Shower Heads with Pulsing Water.. After that we towel dried in the shower and he shook and rolled on the towels and blanket… I repeated this process with The Cocker Spaniel.. Worked like a Charm and grooming was the following week and they couldn’t even tell they had been sprayed. The lil guy, The skunk smell was gone but it discolored his white fur on his coat….. It really worked and I swear by this… It doesn’t take CUPS of VANILLA… Just VAnilla in a spray bottle add some water to warm it.. I did not dilute it like other recipes did… Maybe that’s why it worked.. GOOD LUCK .. I also have peppermint around my home to prevent Spiders, Ants from trying to enter my home… I truly believe it keeps the Skunks away too… I love the smell but I guess the Wild life does not…
If you can find it, powdered Massengill Douche mixed with water will neutralize the skunk ” venom”. It contains alum which chemically denatures the source of the odor. The liquid preparation does not work the same.
Hydrogen Peroxide, baking soda and Dawn dishwashing liquid worked for our lab . I washed her twice in this. Then after doing I sprayed her with the vanilla water mixture and paper towelled that into her fur. After that I sprayed her with NATURAL CARE Flea and Tick spray. This spray contains clove and peppermint oil and makes her fur smell good. It was pretty bad smell and made me sick, but 3 hours later we are able to cuddle:)
One of my two Springer Spaniel brothers (Barnum) tangled with a very young skunk last night and got blasted in the face. I covered his eyes and nose and sprayed him with some Fabreeze, which I then worked in a bit with some paper towel. I had used this treatment about a year and a half ago on his brother (Bailey), when he got a face full and was very surprised at how well it worked. My sniffer doesn’t work as well as it used to, but my wife says the smell is no where near as bad as it was when he came running back into the house. Good Luck
FYI Fabreeze is considered toxic if used on animals. Please read the label. I did think about using myself until a vet advised me not to.
i use natural STINK SLAYER that uses TEA TREE oil bought it on amazon. it works really well. also used it on my furniture and carpet after dog rolled on both stank bad! just spray this stuff works over night.
Just don’t use this remedy on a skunked CAT because the tea tree oil can kill a cat. Cats cannot process essential oils.
The vanilla in water worked like a charm!
Do you have to use pure Vanilla extract, even though imitation vanilla does contain natural or synthetic vanillin?
My Australian Shepherd got it good tonight. OMG, the stench!! I took a home depot bucket , put in a gallon or more of warm water, dawn dish soap, 1/2 bottle of vanilla, a bottle of apple cider vinegar, and 1/2 box of baking soda, and about a cup of peroxide. I mixed the bucket in the shower because it foamed a little. Then we got in the shower with an open can of tomato sauce. I lathered him up in the sauce first. He shook it everywhere in the shower, it looked like a bloody mess! He tried to lick it all. Once the can was empty, I used it to dump the mixture of stuff on him. After a while of washing him with that, I used a dog shampoo, almost the whole bottle. My dog weighs 90 pounds and has a ton of fur!! I don’t smell any on him, but I sure did in the vestibule which is part of our garage, (where I kept him until I could gather all the ingredients). I sprayed it with lysol and fabreeze ( it has carpet) I sure hope it helps. That smell is gaging!! Thanks for all your info!!
I use Massengill liquid douche on my westie – always works
i used vinegar and water for my dog he is about 90 pounds it worked. I had to double it because of his size
Hydrogen peroxide induces vomiting in dogs so be sure your dog doesn’t lick or otherwise ingest it, unless you want to clean up frothy white vomit (plus whatever was last consumed). They puke within 8 minutes of their last dose of hydrogen peroxide, once they reach the dose needed to vomit.
Skunk’s spray is oil-based. Use dawn dish washing liquid with the peroxide, Dawn is used to de-grease water fowl from crude oil. Use dawn on your skin if you are affected also.
The dog got skunked late last night. My husband was still up and he shampooed her. I got up this morning,still stunk. So I googled for info. We did the peroxide mix preparation.?????????? ?Grandma is a happy camper.no smell. Thank you ☺️
Stink slayer by mold monster, is what i use after last year, my collie got sprayed so many times i was aftraid to let her out anymore! i found stink slayer on amazon its made with tea tree oil, smells strong at first but totally gets the stink out of the dog and carpet without her smelling like a salad! ive tried these other remedies but they smell just as bad as the skunk. i also use in the garbage it kills everything
I really liked your subscribe notification. When I first clicked on your website, a subscribe notice popped up. My options were accepting the magazine, or “No Thanks, I like the smell of skunk!” It made me laugh so hard!
As a total aside, I wanted to mention that rinsing dog’s eyes immediately with saline solution or multipurpose contact lens solution provides them a lot of relief from the stinging. Saline solution is good to have on hand in the house for when anything stinging or unpleasant gets in the eyes.
My pit got sprayed am hr ago… Fot the second time. Obviously no lesson was learned. I used peroxide, baking soda, and a antibacterial hand soap for germs and odors, and dish soap. As usual, right in the face, hard wash area. It worked ok. I’m looking for more natural ways to get this oil absorbed and not stinky. Thinking corn starch…
40 years ago we had small Doxies. One got sprayed. She was small enough that I could completely submerge her in pure tomato juice. Rubbed it in well, let it rest briefly, rinsed, dried and the only result was a waste of money, time, and tomato juice. Didn’t even diminish the skunk smell. A friend put me onto the peroxide, baking soda, Dawn soap and I have used it several times on several different dogs. Never got excellent results. Recently acquired a new German Shepard, 97 pounds. 8 pound skunk won the battle. I used the peroxide mix which I worked in with a sponge and rinsed immediately. Not perfect results. After the stores open I am going for more peroxide and this time I am going to leave the solution on for a while prior to rinsing.
I read that you have to leave the peroxide solution on for about 20 minutes. My big dog got skunked last year and it worked pretty well. The hardest part to get is the face because I worry about it getting in his eyes. Sadly I had to do it again this summer.
Here’s a a few tips:
1) don’t use Dawn soap. Use a very inert and gentle one. The Dawn breaks down the mixture too quickly so its less effective.
2) If your hydrogen’s peroxide is old and/or opened, buy a new bottle. H2O2 degrades over time into H2O.
Also don’t leave it on the dog a long time. It can actually bleach a darker coated dog! If you think it wasn’t very effective it’s better to rinse the dog and reapply.
The mixture was not “passed on from one generation of dog lovers to the next.”
It was discovered by an chemist name Paul Krebaum in the 90s.
You can still find the details online and his webpage that includes tips and tricks of using the mixture.
Seriously? Does it really freakin matter where this solution came from? It works. That’s all we need to know. Just used this successfully on my hairy husky.
How rude! Yes it does matter.
Liz, thanks so much. I went and checked his site as the mix didn’t work for us that well. But now I know why, should’ve used SoftSoap or Ivory liquid both being hand soaps..not Dawn which is a dish soap.
So I let my pit out every morning about 430…i heard a noise then my poor girl came in stinking so bad. Unfortunately the store doesn’t open til 7 so she sitting in the barn waiting to get washed.. Poor girl feel so bad but nothing I can do yet. But thanks for the info on what to do cause I wouldn’t have known
Baking soda, H2O2, (no water it makes the stink worse), let sit for as long as you can about 10 minuets follow with Dawn dish soap. Rinise then use Downy and finish with a rinise. Use vasiline for eyes to Lee the soap etc out.
My dog got zapped right in the face last night, so I got him home speedily in my van. Had to do some quick thinking and grabbed a bottle of cider vinegar. I doused paper towels with it and sponged him til he was damp. Due to the lateness of the hour (midnight), I left it on all night. He was still a bit stinky and spent the morning outdoors. I bathed him with Richard’s Organic Flea & Tick Shampoo, which contains peppermint, clove, rosemary, cedarwood oil, & one other I can’t remember. He is nearly stink free!!
The van, however, still stinks after 3 applications of Oust and 2 of Febreeze!!
I came home from work very late last night and my dog reeked of skunk. So did my front porch. I googled and found your site. I did the apple cider vinegar and it totally worked! No skunk smell. The front porch however, still reeks.
Thanks for the information.
I’m very grateful for finding this information. My two Pit Boys were out last night and both got sprayed pretty bad. I used the hydrogen peroxide baking soda and Dawn dish soap method and it worked like a charm. Both dogs are odor free and again I’m very grateful for finding this information. Thank you so much!
i so enjoyed the site…. misery loves company….. seems we acted like the only poor souls dealing with something like this… but after calling the emergency care last night, vet today, and trimmer…. ( i do remember my daughter went through this last winter in southern Illinois)…. finding the site, reading the suggestive remedies…. some new, and some we were advised to…. this is such a great site. read it all line for line…. word for word. the vanilla was new… and undiluted even after the repeated shampoos. we did the baking soda, peroxide, dawn, soaks, and rinses…. all posters seemed to remind us to be careful of the eyes. one girl said to put peppermint around the house, and another poster said skunks don’t like strong odors suggesting putting BAR deoderizers around outside, and room deodorizers… i’m not sure i know about the BAR DEODERIZER, but i’m certainly gonna look. thanks all of you so very very much. the douche— powder suggestion was even confirmed by someone who was a trimmer. thanks again.
Our husky has been hanging by our shed almost twenty four hours a day, didn’t want to come in or barely was eating. One night I was on the phone and thought I smelled garlic but after opening the sliding door I realized it was a skunk,:(. I quickly called for the dog and I couldn’t find him anywhere,:(. I went in and grabbed the flashlight as we live on five acres and called him again. I went to the front and called him again and here he came running bringing me a present, a SKUNK! I was horrified! I quickly googled and found your site with many positive comments. I quickly combined hydrogen peroxide 3%, baking soda and dawn together. After letting him rub himself in the grass for about five minutes I brought him in directly to the bath! After two applications in a row, he was smelling wonderful. However, we can’t get the odor out of his collar,:(. I’m soaking it in milk as my last try before we spend another $75.
Vanilla worked great on my German Shepherd. Made 2 gallons, soaked her in it let it stand for 10 minutes and finished with her gentle shampoo. Worked like a charm! Thank you
I agree Bob! It’s nice to really know where something originated from. It allows me to go to the source as the mixture didn’t work on our two. Despite repeated attempts. Perhaps they were too close. I know one must’ve had ahold of it’s back quarters and the other was too dang close. Two weeks later, eight baths and I’m still gagging:)
Two very large dogs, one a Pyrenees, were sprayed this evening. After applying the solution, how does one bathe a very large dog in the winter?
I feel you! We are in the same situation right now 🙁
I to have a large dog who got sprayed and what I have to do is get in the tub with him with shorts and flip flops I have sliding shower doors so I close them and also a removable shower head I get a little wet when washing him but is definitely much easier this way!!
With the cost of vanilla nowadays, I wouldn’t use that method. The Dawn, peroxide solution sounds best.
So many skunks in the area, this is the second time my dog dog sprayed. What worked both times is pickling the dog in vinegar. This time was potent! Her fur was yellow, I used organic make up remover pads to remove the yellow stain. Soaked the dog in vinegar and had her sit in a bath of 1 table spoon 90% alcohol, 7 drops lavender and 5 tablespoons of coconut oil. Scrubbed the area with the same mixture + 1 tablespoon of salt and let in soak in. Scrubbed the area a second time with the mixture and after washing in soap mixed 7 drops of lavender with 5 tablespoons coconut oil and dotted on the area to mask the rest of the smell. The hydrogen peroxide method seemed to intensify the smell. My dog smells like lavender after working for two hours. Thank you Jesus!
For those who asked, yes, imitation vanilla works as well as the real thing. And contrary to several posts, you don’t need a full cup of vanilla; whatever you have on hand will definitely improve the situation.
My Chow recently got skunked bad. Tried the sciencey way to get rid of it but was so much work and my chow was not happy being pickled. Got news of a skunk shampoo from a friend it did the job in one wash, I highly recommend. It’s called kin+kind skunk shampoo
Have done the hydrogen mix and the vinegar. Neither worked. Thank god she wasnt soaked in skunk. But she smells just as much as she did initially. Boo.
Sceptical at first, read and followed directions to the tee. Did not have to do any extra washes. Used the tbsp dish soap, baking soda and hydrogen peroxide method. Worked great! Thank you!
So our German Shepard/Husky mix discovered skunks yesterday morning on a run with my wife. After reading over all the comments I washed him with Dawn soap to remove the oil of skunk, then dowsed him in apple cider vinegar. I then covered his coat in backing soda and again used the Apple cider vinegar to work the soda through his fur. After letting him sit for 10 minutes we rinsed him off and sprayed him down with a vanilla and water mixture. He smelled great. We left him alone for a couple of hours before letting him in the house and immediately I could smell skunk so out he went (I have a very sensitive nose–no one else could smell it). I then bought some more Baking Soda and Hydrogen Peroxide. We wet him down again, covered him with the baking soda and used the Hydrogen Peroxide to work it through his thick fur. We let him sit again for about 10 minutes while it dried and then rinsed him off. We then used an entire bottle of Listerine and applied it to his neck, back, chest and belly–we let him sit for another 2-5 minutes before his final rinse. He smelled minty fresh. We took precautions to keep all of this out of his eyes, but think that his shaking might have got some backing soda and HP in his eye for a short time. There is a slight smell of skunk around his neck, but that is due to the fact we didn’t remove his fabric collar till after the second washing. He is odor free, and I feel like all of it helped, but I think we will skip the Apple Cider Vinegar next time. I would use dawn to remove the oil, HP and Baking Soda, followed by Listerine again. We did spray his neck down again with the vanilla spray after taking off his collar.
This looks interesting
My dog chased and got sprayed by a skunk last night. We did the cup of vanilla extract with a gallon of water, and washed him with shampoo after he sat in the mixture for 10 minutes . It actually worked! His face still smells a bit but we think it got him straight in the face . We didn’t want to scrub too close to his eyes. But otherwise worked extremely well and he smells delicious !
I had a shepherd chow mix that was sprayed 9 times in 10 days. We had a skunk family under the shed. I used the peroxide, baking soda, Dawn soap mix. Worked like a charm. I now have a shepherd mastiff mix (yep 140lbs of him) as well as a 65lb Amstaff. Both got sprayed this morning, and I may have as well. Will be using the same mixture on them, and probably me as well. Oh well, that’s what vacation days are for, right?
8 year old German Shorthair Pointer mix skunked last night. Immediately washed with Dawn dish soap, but didn’t have any of the other ingredients for tips shown here available. We definitely removed some of the skunk oil, before it had a chance to sink deeply into fur and skin. This morning I zipped to the grocery for apple-cider vinegar, peroxide, and a new box of baking soda.
Our first step was the apple-cider vinegar wash, soaking time, then a rinse. We followed that with the peroxide, baking soda, and Dawn dish soap, but I also added a teaspoon of vanilla. After that wash, and another waiting period, we rinsed her until there was no trace of suds. Finally, she stayed outside in the sunshine until dry. Once back in the house, almost no sign of skunk. Only a hint when sniffing directly over her face– which didn’t get as much vinegar or as much of the peroxide/soda/soap solution. Still, it isn’t noticeable from a couple of feet away.
So, I can’t speak to the effectiveness of either of the cures singly, but together (as steps in one process) they were very effective.
Our Belgium Malanois chased a skunk over the fence tonight and got hit. It mostly hit the left upper side of her body and luckily the skunk wasn’t at ground level so she didnt get hit as hard as some of our dogs in the past. I did 1/2 quart (as I didnt have a quarts worth) but still did same amount of baking soda and dawn soap that receipe calls for. It worked IMMEDIATELY!! Had to touch up a couple spots I missed the first time but WOW! Much better than the “old fashion” tomato juice trick which neve worked for us. Thank you so much!
How do I get the smell out of my house. It has permeated everything. I went to store with a coat on that wasn’t near the dog and told the clerk why I was buying stuff. He told me he could smell it on me but it just smelled liked Id been smoking weed, lol, but I don’t
Boil vinegar. It works awesome to take the smell out of the house
Has anyone tried OXY CLEAN SPRAY FOR LAUNDRY ?
I have not seen this mentioned but it removed a stinking mess from a cooler of
shrimp that spilled in our RV ! completely removed smell–but I am not certain if it is toxic to dogs or cats !!?
My German shorthair was skunked the other night, second time in a month. The first time the peroxide/Dawn/b soda concoction worked. But not the 2nd time. We did the bath immediately, but he must’ve been sprayed in the face because his muzzle still smells. I washed him this time with dog shampoo, including his nose. Still stinks. I might try the vanilla spray. I hope the dog, or the skunk, have learned their lesson and stay away from each other.
The most effective de-skunking method we have used is Massengil douche. Using one package, then follow up with a second if the oror persists. It is safe and very effective.
Also, Orange flavor makes a decent Emergency Screwdriver with vodka.
My vet gave m and Dawn soap e a recipe for the hydrogen peroxide, baking soda mixture. I never remember the exact combinations but I always just use Dawn soap and HP and it has worked wonders on my black lab.
Years ago our dog was sprayed while walking with us. As we were staying temporarily in a very small cottage we had none of the mentioned remedies. Tried Johnson’s Baby shampoo with perfect results. On repeat skunk encounters, our dog would run right into the shower for his shampoo!
A good tip to do before washing your dog is to blot the dog with paper towels to remove the oil the skunk sprayed. Skunks actually spray a very small amount of this oil from a fairly close distance (up to about 10 feet). Immediately washing the dog can spread that oil over more area of the dog making it harder to de-skunk. First use paper towels or towels you are okay throwing away to blot the area where the dog was sprayed to get as much oil off the surface of the fur as you can prior to wetting the dog down.