Skunks can be a real nuisance to humans, as they can cause damage to the premises and release an obnoxious odor. In fact, these animals can secrete a foul-smelling liquid from their anal scent glands, as a defensive weapon. Skunks has strong muscles near the anal glands and these muscles help them in spraying this liquid to a distance of around 2 to 5 meters. This smell is found to be capable of repelling many animals, including some large predators. In some areas, skunk menace can be a persistent problem. Apart from damaging the premises, they may also spray the scent with the foul odor. It may happen that your pet dog face an encounter with a skunk and get sprayed. Once you realize that your pet is being skunked and the dog is the source of this foul odor, you may start searching for methods for skunk smell removal from dogs. This article will provide you some tips that can be helpful in removing skunk smell from dogs.

How to Get Rid of Skunk Smell on Dog

You might have heard about the use of tomato juice, mouthwash or vinegar as skunk smell remedy for dogs. But, most of these remedies are found to be ineffective in countering this problem. The skunk smell may stay on the animal for a few days. Apart from that, if it is sprayed on the eyes of the dog, the animal may also experience severe pain. As soon as you realize that your dog has been sprayed by a skunk, check the animal for any signs of bites, scratches, irritation or redness of the skin and eyes. If there is any, contact your vet. But, the first task is to remove the skunk smell from the dog. The following are some tips and guidelines about skunk smell removal from dogs.
  • Keep the dog out of the house, so that the smell does not linger inside. Wear hand gloves and wipe of the spray from the dog's body. It will be better to change to some old clothes, as you have to bathe your pet for removing the smell.
  • You have to act really fast, because delay in cleaning the dog may result in a long-lasting odor on its body. So, wipe the dog's coat before bath. If you are living in an area with skunks, then, you may probably have de-skunking sprays or shampoos, that can be used for skunk smell removal from dogs.
  • Never wet the dog's body, beforehand. Start with applying the product on the affected area. Scrub well, before washing the whole body. After that, apply the de-skunking product all over the body and rinse well. Repeat this once more before drying your pet's body.
  • It may also happen that you don't have any such de-skunking products. In such case, you can make one with hydrogen peroxide solution, baking soda and a small amount of liquid soap. Mix one quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide solution, one teaspoon of liquid soap and cup of baking soda.
  • Mix these ingredients just before use. Make sure that the mixture does not enter the dog's eyes, ears or mouth, while applying it on its body. Apply the mixture all over the dog's coat and scrub well with a sponge. Rinse well after five minutes.
  • You can repeat the process, if the smell is still there. Once you are done, dry your pet's body. If you want to prepare this homemade de-skunking product, make sure to mix the ingredients in a plastic container and never close the lid or store the mixture for future use.
Now, you know more about how to get rid of skunk smell on dog. The most important point is to act fast, so that you can get rid of the foul odor at the earliest. Otherwise the dog may carry the smell indoors and it will linger on for sometime. It can be more horrible, if the dog lays down on the bed or other furniture. If you do not have any of the above said materials, then, you may also try the age-old home remedies. One is tomato juice or paste, other is mouthwash, like, Listerine, etc. Some people use freshly purred oranges mixed with some dish soap for skunk smell removal from dogs. So, act fast and get rid of the foul smell. If skunk problem is persistent in your place, resort to some ways to get rid of skunks, so that you can save yourselves as well as your pets from the foul smell.