Things You Wish You Would Have Known?

[Folly's place]

Skunk spray is way worse than cat or dog AG gunk! Mary

 

[cream puff]

someone asked what skunk spray smells like... imagine how hell smells, that is what skunk spray smells like. My husband disagreed because he thought hell would smell more like rotting flesh and s***, so I had to change my definition to; rotting flesh, s*** , skunk spray, and sulfur.

 

[csneill]

We had our dog get sprayed one time during the night- he came back in the garage to sleep & my husband woke up literally gagging from the smell. Our whole house reeked for a week- the dog too! Even after we gave him about 100 baths!

 

[BradnerGirl]

We had our dog get sprayed one time during the night- he came back in the garage to sleep & my husband woke up literally gagging from the smell. Our whole house reeked for a week- the dog too! Even after we gave him about 100 baths!

In all of our experience with skunk spray we found vinegar to work best.

 

[User395221]

In all of our experience with skunk spray we found vinegar to work best.

I vaguely remember a tv show where they used canned tomato soup? Is that a thing? Maybe it was just for the sake of comedy. For getting smells out of things generally, vinegar works well. Also bicarbonate of soda, either by itself or with vinegar.

 

[Jensownzoo]

The science-y formula for de-skunking a dog is 1 quart 3% hydrogen peroxide mixed with 1/4 cup baking soda and 1-3 Tbsp dishwashing soap. The peroxide chemically reacts with the sulfur-containing thiols (the primary cause of the stink), the baking soda provides additional deodorization, and the soap emulsifies the oily secretion so it can be washed away. Work it into a wet coat, leave for 10 minutes to do its job, then rinse. Repeat if necessary. I've always followed up with a vinegar rinse for extra oomph.

 

[User395221]

I'm just glad I don't live in the US where there are skunks. I reckon my dog would be chasing them and getting sprayed every day. She wouldn't learn. I'm glad she's not got any to chase about or annoy.

 

[Bratsrt10]

This has turned into Things I wish had know before I got a skunk.

 

[Folly's place]

For skunk sprayed dogs; first, a bath in Dawn or Murphy's, then rinse, then pour on either Skunk Off, the above peroxide blend, or vinegar, and don't rinse. Usually at 2 am, while raging at fate. Wearing gloves is good, and essential if the dog killed the skunk, in which case have the skunk rabies tested. Mary

 

[AllynTal]

I vaguely remember a tv show where they used canned tomato soup? Is that a thing? Maybe it was just for the sake of comedy. For getting smells out of things generally, vinegar works well. Also bicarbonate of soda, either by itself or with vinegar.

Yes, that's a thing. That's how we did it when I was a kid.. .big cans of tomato product -- crushed tomatoes, usually -- not soup, but I guess soup would work, too. This was years before the advent of the Internet and decades before the Internet was available for public use so we didn't have information readily available at our fingertips. Tomato was the only thing we knew would work, so that's what we used.