Sadie (aka Smudge for her pig-pen-like characteristics) went out tonight below the retaining wall and immediately got skunked. Wow. Peeeeeeee-yewwwwwww. It was raining and so Buster the big wuss did not get off the porch, thank goodness.
A couple of weeks ago we got a new shower head, partly because the old one was all crudded up and partly so that we could have a hand-held for dog-washing purposes. What timing! A stripped down and got in the shower with Sadie to clean her off. Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients
- One pint of hydrogen peroxide
- One-half a cup of baking soda
- Two tablespoons of dish soap
- A bottle of vinegar
Directions
- Mix the hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and dish soap in a large bowl and stir until the baking soda is completely dissolved.
- Next, use a spray bottle or sponge to generously apply the mixture onto the pet’s fur. Work the mixture through the fur and onto the skin below, massaging the solution into the affected area for ten minutes. Be cautious when applying this solution to the face, as the mixture should not come in contact with the eyes.
- After ten minutes has passed, thoroughly rinse the solution from the animal’s fur and skin. Once the solution is completely rinsed away (there should be no soap bubbles remaining in the water as it flows off the body), towel the pet’s fur.
- If the odor is still relatively strong and skunky, repeat the above-mentioned steps. If the odor is largely eliminated, then continue on to the next step.
- Once the solution of hydrogen peroxide, dish soap and baking soda has been rinsed away, use a sponge or spray bottle to apply generous amounts of vinegar to the pet’s damp fur and skin. Again, saturate the fur and massage the solution into the fur and skin.
- After letting the solution sit for twenty minutes, thoroughly rinse the pet with fresh water.
- Often, the pet is left smelling vaguely of vinegar. To leave your pet smelling fresh and clean, follow with a gentle pet shampoo and conditioner.
Read more at Suite101: How to Remove Skunk Odor from Your Pet’s Fur: A Recipe That is Proven to Rid a Pet of that Skunky Smell
Frankly, I couldn’t care less if my pet is left smelling vaguely of vinegar. It beats the heck out of skunk.
takes me back …
Yow. How does Miss Smudge like baths, and does she put up with half an hour of sitting around with wet solution all over her?
Smudgie loves the water, but she was none too thrilled with the solution aspect of it. We didn’t leave the vinegar on that long. Today she does not seem horribly stinky, unlike last night.
Bleah. Simon got skunked a couple of times, once taking a full shot point blank in the face. That is one strong smell! I remember the vet saying that anything that will break down oils will get rid of it. It sounds as if Sadie’s bath had to have gotten rid of the smell and maybe even made her a little blonder?
Gus, who’s only been sprayed once, wouldn’t sit still for this treatment. He despises water, except to drink and perhaps retrieve sticks from. And the idea that he’d put up with the scent of vinegar is risible. I wonder what color his coat would be after the peroxide.
Tallis was an inveterate target of skunks, as Mom will remember: he got sprayed once on a visit to Rockland, and decided the best way to deal with it would be to roll on the rug in Dad’s study.
I learned from Tallis that enzymatic products like Outright and Skunk-Off DO work. So we keep a bottle on hand just in case.