De-Skunking Kit

[LMITOUT]

It's that time of year where we take our favorite hunting partners out to the field but unfortunately sometimes that means a standoff with a striped kitty. I've put together this de-skunking kit that I'll carry with me throughout the hunting season...just in case.

All of the items you can get at any general goods store such as Walmart or Target but I happened to get everything pictured at Walmart. The hydrogen peroxide can be found in the health department near the first aid supplies and the Rubbermaid keeps everything together in a space saving container and also serves as place to mix your ingredients.

Here is the recipe for de-skunking your dog and I've also marked it down on the inside of the tupperware lid if I forget:

1 Qt Hydrogen Peroxide

1/4 cup Baking Soda

1 tsp liquid dish soap

Do not mix these ahead of time as they begin reacting immediately and will not be effective should you need it.

Make sure you use disposable rubber gloves when washing down your dog otherwise that wonderful smell of skunk will linger on your hands. Rub well into the affected area with a sponge or spare rag and try to keep it out of the dog's eyes. Let sit for about five minutes and then rinse well with fresh water. If your dog got it real bad you may have to repeat the entire process and is why I carry two qt's of hydrogen peroxide. You could also measure out the baking soda ahead of time and put into a small container for your kit.

Just like a first aid kit, you hope you never have to use it but glad you have it when you do.

[MuleShack]

Thanks,

I just heard the guys from fan outdoors talking about that last night. Billy said that he leaves the mix on the dog for 15 minutes and it seems to work a little better and he has a kit like you described.

Time to go shopping...I just got my first aid kit last week too...ready to go now.

[LMITOUT]

This is the second year carrying this particular kit but I had to use the recipe a few years prior to that. Last fall I figured I should put something together if it happened again so I could take care of the problem while in the field. Seems to do the job.

[herm]

Knock on wood, but this has not happened to my dog....yet. If - OK, when - it does, do you keep the dog dry before applying all this? Or do you wet her down first? Might be a stupid question, but I ask because that does not seem like a lot of liquid for a big dog. Thanks for posting this...very helpful!

[LMITOUT]

You can double the recipe if you have a large dog or add a little warm water (if you have it handy) to the mix. I would think that it would have to be a pretty bad episode with the skunk if you had to bathe your dog completely in it!

When my dog got sprayed it wasn't bad at all and was mostly on her chest and shoulders so it didn't take a lot of the solution to remove the smell and I believe we mixed in some water too. It didn't appear that she took a direct shot and most likely ran through some freshly sprayed grass since it seemed to happen while we were in some thicker cover and I never saw the skunk myself, and I'm not sure if she even saw it either as she just kept hunting away, although sneezing quite a bit while doing it.

Some say to wet the dog down while others say that will just spread the skunk oil more. I would probably just spot clean as needed. It isn't too hard to find the bad areas.

[CJH]

Great suggestion for the fall hunting season, that can be applied year round!!

[LakeDocktor]

I have tried this same formula last year and it didn't seem to anything. Unfortunately, my GSP was sprayed not once, but twice within a two week period.

The first time it couldn't have been any worse. She was sprayed dead on in the mouth and from head to feet in the front. I was a little worried as I was about a mile from the truck and she was foaming profusely from the mouth. I managed to get a little water to rinse the foam out in the field, but I was still worried about her future sense of smell and taste.

Although I tried this recipe, I wasn't able to use it to it's full potential. I was very cautious about getting the H2O2 in her eyes as it can causing blinding and therefore wasn't able to completely treat her face. I also used warm water with it and that may be the reason I didn't see results.

The second time wasn't as bad as the first despite the lingering odor from the first encounter was nearly gone and we had to endure this all over again. This time, I used the same formula a couple times after I gave her a tomato juice bath. For those who have never done this, it turns the tomato juice into condensed tomato soup. The juice curdles when it makes contact with the oils and pulls them from the dog's coat. Now while this spray wasn't nearly as bad and I am uncertain if the tomato juice bath beforehand was the key, I still keep this same kit with me for emergency tail lifts.

I just wish there was a method to get the odor out of her e-collar! It has been close to a year and I can still catch a hint of skunk on the plastic from time to time. I have tried everything from baking soda storage to keeping it in coffee grounds and nothing has worked other than letting the scent diminish on it's own.

[MuleShack]

First, I have never had a dog sprayed so no immediate experience.

I was just wondering if you carried a smaller spray bottle and mixed the concoction in the bottle or maybe have a spray tip to screw on the peroxide bottle with the mix in it.

Would the spray be a better way to apply the "antidote" while still using the gloves to rub it in?