DE-Skunk solution that works

So skunk season has hit and with local people trapping up to 11 skunks on thier acreages, people need skunk solutions that work.

As a groomer I have tested EVERYTHING on dogs, every product, every recipe. This one works the best. The faster you apply after spray happens the better the results.

What You Need:

1 quart (32 fl oz, nearly 1 liter) Hydrogen Peroxide 3% (U.S.P)
1/4 cup baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) *NOT baking powder or washing powder*
1 to 2 teaspoons liquid soap (such as Ivory™ Liquid Cleanser or Softsoap®)
1 quart lukewarm water (only needed for very large dogs)
A clean plastic bucket, bowl or other mixing container (do not cover)
Clean plastic utensils for mixing
Protective eye ointment or mineral oil (for your dog's eyes)
Latex or rubber gloves
A protective apron and eye goggles if possible
Plenty of towels

Instructions:

Bathe the dog outside or, if it's too dark or cold, in the bathroom with the door closed and window opened. or ask your groomer to borrow their tub!
Combine the ingredients in an open container (do not store in a sealed bottle--it will explode).
Using gloves, wash your dog with lukewarm water and the mixture while the mixture is bubbling. Work the mixture well into the fur.
Be sure to concentrate on the area that was sprayed.
Keep mixture away from your dog's face and eyes (it's a harsh solution). (If your dog has been sprayed in the face, try Tricotine Liquid Douche Concentrate or any over-the-counter douche.)
Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes or so before rinsing off.
Rinse the dog with lukewarm tap water. Don't wash the mixture into your dog's eyes (use a washcloth to cover the eyes if you're rinsing the head).
After bathing, check your dog's eyes. If they are red and watering, your dog may have taken a direct hit in the face. Skunk spray won't blind the dog, but it's very painful. Contact a vet.

How it works

First a quote from Dr. Caceci of Texas A&M University:

Forget what you have heard about tomato juice--it doesn't work. Skunk spray is mainly composed of low molecular weight thiol compounds. ("Thiols" are compounds with the "-SH radical" attached to a carbon atom.) In industrial applications, alkaline hydrogen peroxide (HO) is used for scrubbing similar compounds from waste gas streams.

Hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, when combined, become a "chemical engine" for churning out oxygen. That's why it has to be used immediately after mixing. The soap breaks up the oils in the skunk spray, allowing the other ingredients to do their work.

The hydrogen peroxide mixture must be used immediately after mixing and will not work if it is stored for any length of time. DO NOT STORE IN A CLOSED CONTAINER - it releases oxygen gas so it could break the container. This mixture may bleach the pet's hair.

WHY TOMATOE JUICE DOESN'T WORK

Tomato juice does not work to neutralize or deodorize skunk spray. Bathing an animal in tomato juice seems to work because after lengthy exposure to strong odors, the human nose quits smelling the odor (olfactory fatigue). When this happens while bathing a pet in tomato juice, the odor of tomato juice can easily be detected. A person suffering olfactory fatigue to skunk spray will swear that the skunk odor is gone and was neutralized by the tomato juice. Another person arriving at this point will quickly tell you that the skunk smell is still present.

(Paul Krebaum's Recipe from Chemical & Engineering News , October 18, 1993, p. 90).

Wash colorfast inanimate objects ( buildings, decks, etc.) that have been sprayed with one cup of liquid laundry bleach per gallon of water. CAUTION - THIS MAY BLEACH THE BUILDINGS, DECKS, ETC. Try it on a small area if bleaching may be a problem. The bleach must come in contact with the spot where the secretion was sprayed. Repeated applications may be necessary for large amounts of the skunk spray. DO NOT USE BLEACH ON HUMANS, PETS OR CLOTHING.

The yard:Spray that has drifted over a large area can be neutralized by mixing 1 gallon of clear vinegar and 1 cup of non-foaming cleanser (such as liquid dishwasher soap) in a backpack garden sprayer. Spray down the area with the skunk smell; it will be neutralized on contact.

If a skunk has sprayed underneath a house, place a plastic tarp in the crawl space and put 25 pounds of charcoal on the tarp. The odor in the air will be soaked up by the charcoal. Be sure to ventilate the living space within the house. (These last two odor solutions were provided by Pete Bromley, Fisheries & Wildlife Coordinator, NCSU Dept of Zoology.)

Other products that work to a degree and help "finish off" the smell and make the coat nice are "Skunk Off" brand shampoo and soaker, also TKO orange cleaner, and Murphy's oil soap(most recommend this one for dogs with skin issues as it is gentle & made from vegetable oil)

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