Sprayed by a Skunk! A Guide for Preventing and Treating Skunk Spray

Bowser bounds through the door and into your lap carrying an unmistakable odor! It's [gag] Everywhere! What do you do now?Few odors are more offensive, or lingering, than the defensive spray of the ordinary skunk. Eliminating the odor on pets, furniture and yourself is easy using three common household products, properly combined and applied. Preventing further encounters is also a relatively easy task when you learn a little about the skunk's habits.

Skunks are quite common in rural, suburban and even some urban settings, making knowing how to eliminate their odor an almost inevitable necessity. Your dogs, cats, children and even you can get hit with their noxious defensive spray that, without treatment, can linger for days. If the event occurred at home, your treatment should include steps to discourage the curious little creatures from taking up residence and making more encounters likely.

Dealing with the odor on yourself and your pet is the first concern and should be attended to immediately. Quick treatment increases the effectiveness on skin, cloth and hair. Just for the record, tomato juice does not work. You and your dog will only end up smelling like spoiled tomato soup. Tomato juice is incapable of breaking down the chemical components of the noxious, oily liquid a skunk produces. It only seems to mask the smell to the user because the nose becomes less sensitive to odors with extended exposure.

A standard formula for killing the scent of a skunk (that makes enough to treat most average to large dogs) is:

1 quart 3% Hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
1 tablespoon liquid dish detergent
shake and use immediately
rinse well and re-apply if needed