Dog Health Problems

Is your dog a little nosier than he should be?  Is he likely to walk up to strange animals?  If so, then your dog may be a candidate for a spraying from a skunk.  What you’ve heard about skunks is true.  When pestered, a skunk will let go with a punishing spray that will make your dog wish he’d never poked another animal.  And your dog will seriously stink.

So, what do you do if your dog comes home smelling like eau de skunk?  First of all, don’t let him come in the house if at all possible.  It’s best to handle your dog’s odor problem outdoors.  Otherwise, anything your dog comes in contact with inside is going to smell like skunk.  That includes you.  As soon as you realize that your dog has been in contact with a skunk you should put on some old clothes to handle the situation.  Chances are that you may need to throw them away afterwards.  Grab some paper towels or some towels that you don’t mind tossing out after you finish washing your dog, too.

The spray that a skunk releases onto your dog is an oily substance and it’s possible that it may have only hit one part of your dog.  You may be able to use paper towels to blot some of the oil from your dog before bathing.  This will keep the oil from being spread all over your dog.  Try to blot and remove the oil from the localized area in this way if possible.  Try not to rub the oil into your dog’s coat or skin or spread it all over your dog’s hair.

There are several products you can buy that claim to remove skunk odor.  It’s a good idea to keep one of these products in your home if you live in an area where there are skunks.  Nature’s Miracle Skunk Odor Remover is one product and another product is Earth Friendly Skunk Odor Remover.  You will probably have to bathe your dog more than once to remove the scent however.

In addition to these products there are several homemade recipes for removing skunk odor from dogs.  According to people who have tried them they work well, but you will need to bathe your dogs several times.  The sooner you bathe your dog after being “skunked,” the better these recipes are said to work.

Tomato Juice

Some people swear by using tomato juice to remove skunk odor.  You will need enough tomato juice to soak your dog and you will need to let it sit on your dog’s coat for several minutes each time you bathe your dog in the juice.  Wash your dog with a good dog shampoo when you are finished to remove the tomato juice and the skunk odor.  Your dog may be a little pink afterwards, particularly if you have a white dog, but the pink will wash out.  It’s better than having your dog smell like a skunk.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Another de-skunking formula that many people use is made up of ingredients that you probably have in your home:

• One quart of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide (the kind of hydrogen peroxide that is used for treating wounds)
• 1/4 cup of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of dishwashing detergent such as Dawn or Ivory Liquid

Mix these ingredients in a bowl and then work them into your dog’s coat.  Then rinse thoroughly.  Again, you will probably need to bathe your dog with this mixture more than once but people who use it claim that it works very well.  Be careful not to get this mixture into your dog’s mouth or let it get into your dog’s eyes as it can burn.

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