Skunk spray

[wintermom]

I think my dog just disturbed a skunk. The backyard has a typical skunk odor, but the dog's odor is fruitier and not the sour smell. Is it possible he got sprayed by a young skunk, or is the odor close-up-and-personal different than the odor that's been in the air a while? The odor is pretty strong, but doesn't burn the eyes or anything.

 

I wish I could open a few windows to get some fresh air in here, but it smells worse outside at the moment.  :crying:

Edited July 31, 2016 by tmoan

[The Girls' Mom]

It is possible, I suppose, but every time my dog has gotten sprayed it has been an eye-watering affair.  And it smells like the atomic version of the whiffs you get in passing outside..lol.

[hornblower]

My dd gets sprayed a fair bit at work as she works as a wildlife rehabilitator. The intensity of the scent varies partly with age of the skunk andt also with whether the skunk has recently sprayed. They don't have an endless supply of the stuff so sometimes what's sprayed is weaker. 

 

[wintermom]

My dd gets sprayed a fair bit at work as she works as a wildlife rehabilitator. The intensity of the scent varies partly with age of the skunk andt also with whether the skunk has recently sprayed. They don't have an endless supply of the stuff so sometimes what's sprayed is weaker. 

 

 

 

I think we all got really lucky then. The smell is no where near as bad as it could have been. 

 

What does your dd do to get rid of the smell on herself and her clothes?

[Guest]

Hmph. And here I thought this thread was going to be about Axe.

[JoJosMom]

For an emergency de-stinking (like, say, it's 10:30 at night and you just got home after driving your child a million miles away to camp and are about to collapse from exhaustion):  1 quart peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda, and 1 teaspoon dish soap in a spray bottle. Soak the stinky animal who is too stupid to leave a skunk alone with the spray.  If the stupid animal is a GSD with a dual coat, make sure it gets to the skin or the aroma will linger. For.Ev.Er.  After initial assault, during which much of the stink has likely rubbed off on you, bathe the stupid animal well.  In the middle of the night.  In the backyard with the stink (this last part is somewhat circumstance-dependent.  The conditions, not the bath.)

 

For non-emergent smelly conditions:  Nature's Miracle Skunk Odor Remover.  :001_wub:

 

Not that I have any recent personal experience, or anything.

[wintermom]

I would call my dog inexperienced and extremely lucky, and now he's hopefully going to use that new knowledge and avoid wild critters in the future. The smell is so mild (relatively speaking) and non-skunky than I'm not sure how to deal with it. Will it just wear out over time, or will a bath in something special be needed?

[JoJosMom]

I would call my dog inexperienced and extremely lucky, and now he's hopefully going to use that new knowledge and avoid wild critters in the future. The smell is so mild (relatively speaking) and non-skunky than I'm not sure how to deal with it. Will it just wear out over time, or will a bath in something special be needed?

 

To the bolded part:  I will join with you on the hope for your canine friend.  Mine?  No such luck.  :glare:

 

The smell will fade over time, but I think you could add baking soda to a regular bath to speed up the process.

 

Oh, and I would suggest that, if skunks live in your neighborhood, you might want to lay in an emergency supply of Nature's Miracle Skunk Odor Remover ( :001_wub:  Or did I mention that part already?)

 

[trulycrabby]

Our dogs seem to think that next time they chase the skunk will be different. :ack2:

[livetoread]

The formula JoJosMom mentioned above worked well for us. I made up gallons of it, soaked the dog several times, soaked the clothes that might survive the peroxide and threw out the rest, and sprayed it around in the air. I also opened windows, and put out bowls of vinegar. It took over a month before I was able to come in the house after being gone and not smell it.

 

The formula lightened and dulled her fur for awhile, but at least we could be in the same room with her.

[hornblower]

She uses two things: the Nature's Miracle skunk liquid, and Pure Ayre spray http://www.pureayre.com/products-dog.htm

The NM goes in the pre-soak & wash. The spray is used on everything, including dry clothing, hair, upholstery etc. We have skunks in our garden but my dogs due to sheer good fortune have never been sprayed.... But if a dog did get sprayed, I'd wash them with both of these things. Probably NM first, dry and then spray with the Pure Ayre to take care of any lingering stuff. 

If I only could get one product I'd get the Pure Ayre btw. I use more NM just because it's cheaper and easier for me to get but Pure Ayre is a superior product ime.  I've heard good things about their entire line.

 

 

oh & another thing - skunk odor is something that you can definitely get nose blindness about. When she's at work she frequently can't smell it at all even though she is skunky.   People also vary with how much sensitivity they have to it. Some of her colleagues start tearing up down the street and others will be in the room with the skunk and not affected. When she got nailed in the face tho, that did make her cry LOL