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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsMy oldest doggo just got skunked, BAD.
I let her out of the back door w/o leash for one more pee before bed. She always pees and comes right back in, but tonight she took off after something and within seconds I knew exactly what that something was. Just spent twenty minutes in the shower with her and shampoo and lemon juice. The skunk spray seemed to be limited to her face and I think I did a good job getting it off with shampoo and lemon juice. Still, the entire house reeks.
cayugafalls
(5,631 posts)Lots of good tips here. We have skunks in our yard, so we keep things like this handy.
https://www.thespruce.com/getting-rid-of-skunk-odor-2656337
Laffy Kat
(16,356 posts)Vinegar has loads of uses. Household hack best friend.
Kali
(54,990 posts)quart of peroxide, quart of warm water. sponge on and let sit for a few minutes then rinse.
det cuts oil, baking soda for pH, peroxide oxidizes the stench chemical
you can use a tablespoon of bleach instead of peroxide, but it is harsher on fur and skin.
Laffy Kat
(16,356 posts)I also don't have H2O2 on hand. The regular shampoo with lemon juice did a pretty good job and I'm going to get some skunk shampoo tomorrow.
Kali
(54,990 posts)as we are a green palmolive house, but I ALWAYS keep peroxide around just because of the effing skunks. and it I haven't had a bottle go old and lose its foam ability yet that's how often we need it.
another tip is never get anything sprayed wet with just water and no soap/bleach. water just seems to lock it into the surface. no matter what that surface is - wood, grass, fur, concrete, stone, rugs, clothes...
the one husband shot the other day (rabid!!!) let go on the front patio. he knew better but there was blood, so he hosed it off. I was at the ER with my son or I would have tossed some soap and bleach on it first. now we will have the stench every time it gets wet for months.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)Green Palmolive forever!
Hekate
(90,202 posts)I think chlorine bleach plus liquid detergent releases toxic fumes (distant memory from college days kinda gassed myself before I figured out those two dont mix).
This skunk treatment is so good I keep a bucket in the garage with a quart bottle of hydrogen peroxide, baggie of baking soda, plastic apron (for me), and the rest of the directions on a card. None of my dogs ever learned that a skunk in the backyard wasnt going to be their friend this time, either.
Kali
(54,990 posts)and it is often recommended in veterinary situations, but I always use Palmolive and it works fine
bleach can be fume-y but a tablespoon in a bucket with detergent is fine, I have had to resort to it a few times, when we have had a run of dog skunk interactions and I am out of peroxide. usually in the winter when I cant force them to sleep outside as punishment.
Laffy Kat
(16,356 posts)The house still reeks, though. Someone suggested boiling vinegar for the house and I'm going to do that. I had to wash the towels and the clothes I was wearing twice with two extra rinses.
Kali
(54,990 posts)I can't stand the smell of vinegar, I have never adopted cleaning with it other than to dissolve hard water in a coffeemaker. I would try baking soda or activated charcoal set out in saucers or shallow bowls. also feed stores have enzyme skunk odor eliminator liquids. there used to be a product called odorgone that worked well, I don't know if it is still the same product.
https://www.odorgone.com/shop/professional
when they fire in or near the house it takes a couple weeks to dissipate. we are just used to it. like I said, though don't get it wet with plain water or it will be around for a lot longer.
Laffy Kat
(16,356 posts)In our last house, we had a different doggo that got skunked and two years later we could still smell it inside on humid days.
lastlib
(22,981 posts)"Skunks ALWAYS have the right-of-way."
Cirque du So-What
(25,812 posts)Despite getting doused numerous times, some dogs cant resist whatever thrill there is in pestering skunks until they get sprayed again. Several times Ive heard the phrase dont let the dog out! when the scent of skunk betrays their presence.
Laffy Kat
(16,356 posts)The last time was years ago in our other house before the divorce.
Skittles
(152,966 posts)when I lived in a farm, a couple of skunks go into it under the house and let loose ..... it's just terrible
I feel for you
Laffy Kat
(16,356 posts)Skittles
(152,966 posts)I heard a lot of noise and went outside and one skunk came out, chased by another one and they seemed agitated with each other.....then I noticed the smell
Laffy Kat
(16,356 posts)Male skunks will spray each other when fighting.
Skittles
(152,966 posts)Kali
(54,990 posts)Wawannabe
(5,580 posts)Poor LaffyKat! And doggie!
Laffy Kat
(16,356 posts)I don't have a fenced yard, so I take the doggos out on a leash. She almost always stays in my sight, does her business and comes right back. I was standing at the door watching her until she took off down the alley and I had to go fetch her.
Hekate
(90,202 posts)...at night. Oddly enough, she hasnt been skunked in that time, either. Hmmm. Perhaps it was myself who needed to learn to leash her and escort her at night in our former suburban small fenced yard.
Kaleva
(36,147 posts)Laffy Kat
(16,356 posts)I'm going to get up early and wash my hair.
PoindexterOglethorpe
(25,750 posts)I have never been remotely up close to a skunk spray. The closest was when some decades ago, when we were first in Golden, CO, and a skunk took up residence in front of our front door. He (she?) stayed there for three days. Fortunately we could come and go through the garage on the lower level. But every time I'd cautiously open the front door, there was the skunk, quietly exuding skunk odor. Thankfully, after three days, it decided we weren't going to let it in, or whatever it wanted, and left.
A few months later a neighbor told me that our part of Golden was known as Skunk Alley.
Laffy Kat
(16,356 posts)It's kind of a strong chemical odor and reminds me of burning rubber. My son gets off work at midnight and he just walked in a few minutes ago. He said he could smell it two blocks away.
PoindexterOglethorpe
(25,750 posts)My experience with the skunk on the front porch was that it was the standard skunk smell I'd already known. But I must emphasize that I've never been up close with an actual spray incident. And honestly, I hope I never am.
Alliepoo
(2,196 posts)Weve had that happen a couple of times with our doggos. Its disgusting. We usually go out with a flashlight and look around the yard before we let Ziggy, the current canine, out. I dont ever want to deal with that horrid stench in my house again. Took weeks to get rid of the smell. Ive bookmarked so I can keep all of the good suggestions coz it very likely could happen again-despite skunk-looking with the flashlight those sneaky little skunks can squeeze in thru the fence pretty darn well! Lol!
Laffy Kat
(16,356 posts)On humid days for at least a year.
Niagara
(7,407 posts)from your yard. I have no idea what your yard looks like or if Pepe has a den near you or was just passing through.
Restrict food access. For example, If you have bird feeders place a tray under the feeders so that it's an easy clean up. If you leave cat food out for neighbor or stray cats you may want to pick up the cat food starting in the evening. Any food left out will attract skunks to a yard.
Restrict shelter access. Inspect porch areas, shed or garage foundations, or any building where they have access to borrow to make a den. If you see any den access, wait until they leave at night so that it can be filled in.
Skunks hate strong scents. I purchase paprika from the dollar store for $1 instead of the grocery store for $8. I sprinkle the border of my yard and reapply it after the grass dries out after it rains.
Skunks also hate the smell of lemon and orange peels, bars of strong-smelling soap, room deodorizers, mothballs and ammonia. If leaving mothballs out, make sure to keep them out of reach of children and pets. Bar soaps like Irish Spring can be cut up and placed on the border of the yard, some people grind bars of soap in a food processor and reapply it after it rains to protect their gardens from mammal pests.
Motion activated flood lights will scare away a skunk and so will motion activated sprinklers. Although the motion activated sprinklers will also drench cats and other critters.
I hope that these tips help you and your fur babies to be able to enjoy your yard and your dogs are able to use the "bathroom" when necessary.
Laffy Kat
(16,356 posts)Every now and then I pick up a skunky odor back there and it looks like there is a path going underneath the steps. Yikes.
Niagara
(7,407 posts)My next door neighbor has a storage shed and another building that has a wood fired hot tub in it. She's in her 90's so she doesn't use these buildings anymore and they both need repaired around the foundation. Last summer there was a family of raccoons living under them and this year it's skunks.
I had read a blog recently and had forgotten about it until now. It's interesting reading. I don't agree with the method that they used, but I do like the suggestion of calling local Wildlife Control. I'll leave the link here. https://www.wisebread.com/how-to-get-rid-of-a-skunk-without-losing-your-dignity
Good luck and please keep us updated.
Atticus
(15,124 posts)kinds of dogs that get skunked: those that will never go near another skunk and those that will not pass up any opportunity to "get even". Time will tell which you have.
By the way, tomato juice removes a lot of the smell from the dog and is safe around the eyes.
photokath
(47 posts)She had not been allowed to roam free for a few years due to 3 or 4 skunk and/or porcupine incidents. We got a fenced in yard. One night both dogs were out and we smelled skunk and heard barking so we rushed out with our flashlights and here was a skunk INSIDE the fence... well we could not call her off (Abby, the other dog, was a cheerleader and no where near the skunk) and eventually she killed it BUT the stink and being upset that she did such a thing didn't wear off for weeks and every time it rained the yard would smell like skunk!!!
Paladin
(28,204 posts)I'd take a dog sprayed down by a skunk any time---compared to encounters with either a rattlesnake or a porcupine. I believe your vet can confirm this.
Laffy Kat
(16,356 posts)Ahpook
(2,747 posts)I've had that happen before!
It does dissipate after a few days
On edit: I went to work the next day and people were wondering what the smell was. We tried all the gimmicks to get rid of the smell. Time was the best!
Our poor dog caught it right in his face. He slept in our bed as well, but sadly we were moved to a spare bedroom for a couple days. Have to deal with it ...
Laffy Kat
(16,356 posts)After a bath last night and a shower this morning, I could still smell it on myself. It was like I was sweating it out or something. My co-worker said she didn't smell it but she may have just been kind. Man!
Ahpook
(2,747 posts)I think they can only spray once every few days, so you are ok for a bit
We enjoy watching the wildlife and even deal with the displeasure it can cause.
Laffy Kat
(16,356 posts)My Aunt Jayne had a pet skunk named Jezebel. I remember it being rather cat-like in disposition. She slept in my Aunt's lingerie drawer!