Skunked!

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osagebow

osagebow

Minister of Fire
Jan 29, 2012
1,685
Shenandoah Valley, VA
Got up at 4:30AM to hunt. Kicked dog out of bed, sent her outside to do her thing. "Guess who I met?" look on her face when she came back. Here is my rundown on the techniques I have used:

-Tomato juice- meh. Works on your nose, not the smell. (see link below)

-Hunter's "scent away spray" - swing... and a miss.. This stuff is effective for human odor (mostly acidic bacterial waste) but won't oxidize sulfur containing thiols in skunk spray.

-Baking soda/peroxide/dish soap - pretty good, and safe for the pet. This was handy and got me started. Can work by itself with repeated applications. Recipe and chem geek stuff about skunk spray is here:

(broken link removed)
(
"Nature's Miracle" skunk remover - (white bottle with red graphics) very effective,safe, good for spraying furniture, carpets, etc. I KNOW I've smelled this cleaner before...maybe in a hair salon? Maybe it's a peroxide-based hair bleacher?
Of course, this stuff was out in the camper near where the skunk was, so i had to wait to get it.:mad:

Interesting to note this skunk smelled markedly different than her last run in - skunks also use scent for communication, and she was tagged in February last time (mating season)
 
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Yikes!
 
Glad you found something Osage. That smell hangs around for months it seems so any how.
I'm making a note about nature's miracle too.
 
That link and recipe is from my Organic chemistry prof Dr. Wood
 
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Make sure you throw away her collar and get a new one. My own dog got sprayed a few years ago, and I smelled it for months afterwards, until I figured out that his collar was the source of the "aroma".
 
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Hills Hoard said:
foul!!!!!!!...is it wrong to be curious about what they smell like?...haha
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Yes.
Funny thing is, skunk smell, the one you smell when driving down the road and a dead skunk is nearby, or the smell of a skunk passing through, doesn't bother me at all, but when my dog got hit and came in the house it was one of the most foul, vomitous smells... Its not so much the smell, but the taste you get in your mouth when the smell is so strong.
 
What about shaving the dog, I know its going into the wrong time of year but that would remove the smell.
 
bmblank said:
Yes.
Funny thing is, skunk smell, the one you smell when driving down the road and a dead skunk is nearby, or the smell of a skunk passing through, doesn't bother me at all, but when my dog got hit and came in the house it was one of the most foul, vomitous smells... Its not so much the smell, but the taste you get in your mouth when the smell is so strong.
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When I was in high school we had a skunk wander into our basement/garage and spray . . . woke up with my eyes and nose watering, gagging . . . smelling a nearby skunk while driving down the road pales in comparison when experiencing a fresh spray close up. Everything in the house reeked of skunk . . . it was not much fun going to school the next day as I smelled really, really bad.
 
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Hills Hoard said:
See, you read about how bad it is, and its clearly beyond my imagination so I think I have to experience it first hand...haha
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I think rotten eggs mixed with rotten fish,wet leather and bad human gas is a good start. I could send you one...got any Quolls around to trade? My son loves them.;lol Stinky SOB is outside now- digging my lawn up for grubs, I think.
 
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mithesaint said:
Make sure you throw away her collar and get a new one. My own dog got sprayed a few years ago, and I smelled it for months afterwards, until I figured out that his collar was the source of the "aroma".
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She rarely wears one at home, but we've tracked down several contaminated items to scrub wash or pitch. Her nose / face still faintly smells a bit. Brushing her teeth with baking actually helped.
 
I hit one with my truck last night. Driving on a dark, back road... I saw something whitish coming from my left & it didn't register what it was until the thump-thump. I'll be damned if I'm gonna crawl under there to spray it down...I'll drive with the windows up for the upcoming months anyway. I DID get to see a startled look on the face of the security guard when he leaned in close to see the badge I had to show coming in the gate this AM...
 
My dog got hit by one Friday night the baking soda/peroxide thing worked good and then the next day we went out and got the natures miracle and that seems to have cleaned up the rest of his smell. Theres still some faint odor on his nose but hes allowed in the house now.
 
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+1 on the peroxide, baking soda and soap formula. Collar definitely goes into a bucket, and the dog's head is hard to do because the solution will burn their eyes. Just have to wait that out, and it's weeks.

In general, for dog blankets and bed comforters that get doggy, I make a two quart solution, pour that into the washer, add the fabrics and wash. It really is a fresh start.
 
Skunk on you clothes dogs ect, GO-JO hand cleaner ( no pumice in it) This lanolin based so safe. for the pets. Rub them down with working it in good rinse about 98% gone or better. Been doing this way for some 40 years worth of skunked pups and kids and myself.
 
blades said:
Skunk on you clothes dogs ect, GO-JO hand cleaner ( no pumice in it) This lanolin based so safe. for the pets. Rub them down with working it in good rinse about 98% gone or better. Been doing this way for some 40 years worth of skunked pups and kids and myself.
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I'll have to try that- I remeber gojo from my gearhead buddies growing up
 
We've had numerous run-ins with skunks and use the H30, dishsoap, baking soda mix with pretty good results.
Not sure but I think the:
- H30 (hydrogen peroxide) mineralizes the organic components in the skunk oil through oxidation
- Dish soap as detergent breaks down the the oils and makes them more soluble in water and available for oxidation
- baking soda acts as an abrasive to help strip the oil from hair and skin (it may absorb the smell like it does fridge odors but not sure)
 
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