How to Remove Skunk Odors From Your Dog

Table Of Content

• Cornell Richard P. Riney Canine Health Center
• Need to speak with a veterinarian regarding your dog getting sprayed or another condition?
• The 5 Ways to Prevent Your Dog Getting Sprayed by a Skunk
• Step 4: Shampoo
• Dog Shampoo for Dry Skin: A Closer Look at Great Coat Aloe and Oatmeal Dog Shampoo
• Follow up with some TLC

Dogs don’t understand that skunks can spray or bite, so it’s up to us to protect them. Skunks will usually issue warnings, whether by hissing, arching their tail, or stamping their feet, says Dr. Klein. “Though many young or inexperienced dogs will be unaware of what these signs and warnings mean,” he adds. Once you’ve mixed the solution, Dr Klein recommends applying it immediately to your dog and working the mixture well into the coat. Dr. Klein says it’s a good idea to follow up by bathing your dog with a normal dog shampoo. Despite what you may have heard, tomato juice isn’t all that effective when it comes to deodorizing your skunk-sprayed dog, says Dr. Klein.

Cornell Richard P. Riney Canine Health Center

If your pet’s eyes seem to be affected, rinsing them with copious amounts of tepid water for 20 minutes may relieve some discomfort. Your dog can hear your mood in your voice and is likely to react positively to happiness and negatively to sadness and fear. Dogs can also match the mood of your voice to the look on your face, knowing that a happy voice matches a happy expression.

Need to speak with a veterinarian regarding your dog getting sprayed or another condition?

Those with sensitive noses can detect it up to 20 miles away. Here’s what every pet parent needs to know about dealing with a skunk-sprayed dog. You'll probably want to keep your dog outside while you get it together so they don't carry the smell indoors. Check their eyes; if they're irritated or red, immediately flush them with cool water. As anybody who owns a dog with separation anxiety knows, dogs learn every step of daily routines.

The 5 Ways to Prevent Your Dog Getting Sprayed by a Skunk

If you’re in a pinch, you can mix up your own deodorizing solution to remove the skunk smell from your dog, says Dr. Klein. Eye injuries – Dogs that get sprayed by a skunk at close range are more likely to show signs of physical distress, especially if the spray gets into their eyes or mouth. In these cases, Dr. Klein recommends calling your veterinarian for guidance.

If sprayed in the face, the dog can inhale the spray and experience respiratory irritation. Or if they get it in their mouth, it can cause nausea, drooling and vomiting. Instead, Dr. Klein recommends pet parents use a commercial cleaning product specifically designed to combat skunk odor, such as Thornell’s Skunk-Off Pet Shampoo or Skunk-Off Liquid Soaker. Though it’s very rare, dogs that ingest or inhale enough skunk spray may suffer damage to their red blood cells, which could cause anemia, says Dr. Pitt.

The easiest way to handle a skunking is, of course, to avoid those little black-and-white creatures in the first place. Dogs basically show the same symptoms as humans when sprayed by a skunk. The most apparent is the foul smell from the sulfurous compounds in the spray, often persisting for a long time. Sometimes the smell is too strong and causes breathing difficulty to those affected by it. Keep your pet outside while washing them because the oils from the skunk’s spray can be difficult to remove from fabric. In rare cases, severe anemia can develop a few hours to 24 hours after exposure.

Dog Shampoo for Dry Skin: A Closer Look at Great Coat Aloe and Oatmeal Dog Shampoo

While not as effective, it may still help clean some of the skunk oils off of your dog and reduce the smell. For example, they can hear high-pitched sounds people can’t and their sense of smell is unbelievably powerful. Wyn may have heard something different about Dr. Burch’s heartbeat, but it’s just as likely he smelled something wrong. The human body is a complex cocktail of chemicals that gives off odors our dogs can easily detect. In fact, a scientific study showed that dogs can tell identical twins apart even if those twins live in the same house and eat the same food. So, dogs know a person’s individual smell and when illness changes that smell, dogs can notice that, too.

Do Dogs Know When You’re Sick?

(Plus, it’s messy.) “Vinegar solutions may work better but are still relatively ineffective,” he notes. Most skunk encounters amount to little more than a smelly inconvenience for you and your pet. However, getting sprayed by a skunk can be harmful to your dog’s health.

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Follow up with some TLC

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Some vets will be able to bathe your dog for you if you are unable to do it at home, if you are struggling it is always worth asking. Here are some fast tips to quench the stench and make sure your dog is okay. Make sure to close your garage doors and lock the doggy doors when you’re not monitoring them. It might be best to keep your pet contained in a fenced yard or on a lead or leash to limit the chances of them encountering a skunk. There are also commercial cleaning products to choose from at your local pet and grocery stores.

But don’t worry, you can remove the skunk odor from your pup and anywhere else it might be lingering, with a few simple steps and products. As with any skunk treatment, dog owners should wear protective gloves in order to avoid getting the odor and chemicals on their hands. In rare, severe cases, skunk spray can cause systemic signs of illness in dogs. It’s important to closely observe your dog for a couple of days after being sprayed, as signs of illness usually don’t show up until a few days later. Systemic illness signs seen in severe skunk-spray cases include weakness, pallor, lethargy, and loss of appetite.

Ultimately, there's no immediate relief from indoor skunk smell, so you might have to wait some time. Skunks are carriers of rabies, but most dogs that a skunk spray are not in close enough proximity to get bitten. Depending where on their body a dog gets sprayed, being skunked can generally be handled at home by decontaminating your dog with a special bathing formula. However, in some scenarios, a veterinary exam may be necessary.

Over-the-counter products do not contain hydrogen peroxide, which means they won't change the color of black dogs’ fur. Dogs should be closely monitored for 1-3 days after exposure and taken to a veterinarian immediately if these signs occur. They may require IV fluids or other supportive measures, including a blood transfusion.

Skunk shampoo is the best option for removing the spray from their coats. When combined, the ingredients need to be used immediately and they cannot be premade and stored. Do not put this concoction anywhere near your dog’s eyes and do not allow your dog to lick it. If your dog will tolerate it, keep it on for 5 minutes before rinsing off.

When a dog returns from his outdoors adventure smelling worse for wear, owners should first check their dog’s eyes, looking for redness, watering and irritation. If it seems the dog has been sprayed in the face, rinse his eyes with cool water, and head over to your emergency vet for further treatment. Weissman recommends boiling a pot of vinegar to eliminate the odor from your house. At first, he says, the house will smell like vinegar, but once that dissipates, it should smell much better. If you have any skunk smell on your clothes, try tossing ½ cup baking soda in with your regular laundry detergent when you wash them. As many pet parents can attest, skunk smells often return with a vengeance when a skunk-sprayed dog gets wet.