Skunk smell - What are your best solutions ?

[French Spaniel]

I went 10 years without getting my dogs sprayed by skunks and the last two years my dogs have had more than their share of square-offs with them nasty creatures.

I use a mixture of a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, a cup of baking soda and a couple TSP of Dawn dish soap. It works pretty well. Gun Dog magazine rated it the best home made or store bought concoction. I always keep that in a ice cream bucket with a set of rubber gloves in my truck whenever I go hunting. Sometimes it takes two treatments.

However, it doesn't work on plastic. I have a regular collar and a shock collar that I can't get the smell off. I've tried everything on them. I have one plastic collar that still stinks a year later.

One lady told me that cat litter works. She said if you have to travel with a skunked dog to throw it in the bottom of your kennel. The litter will soak up more of the smell and not your kennel. Well it doesn't work on the plastic collars but it might work to absorb some of the smell off the dog.

So if anyone has suggestions how to get it off the plastic let me know.

French Spaniel

[Guest]

You might try burying them in sand for 10 days. I've done that with clothing and shoes/boots and it works amazingly well. Never tried it on a plastic collar though. Good luck Skunky!

[Crossin' Eyes]

Skunk spray has an oily base. One of the only ways to get rid of oil is to soak it up with something. That is why the cat litter thing works good. It's also why dawn dish detergent works good. Another great way to get rid of skunk smell is toothpaste. I have had very good success with it in the past.
It's kind of expensive, but it really works. I keep several tubes of it in my truck for such emergencies.

Oh yeah, and since this is a fishing site, keep a tub in your tackle box, it does wonders on your hands or boat carpet to get rid of fish smell too.

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Good Fishin!
Crossin

[Navigator]

Toothpaste?? Okay I've never heard of that one. Mike....your dog has that minty flavor I would imagine that you need to shampoo out the toothpaste afterwards. Excellent tip. Nav

Mike,
Oh yeah how is cheese-head land? You're talking to a Stout grad so I know all about that area. Good grouse hunting! AND ton's of deer ticks. My lab would be covered with them after hunting. She was a choc. so the little devils would blend in with the coat.

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Jon Navratil
Navigator Guide Service
www.naviguides.com
Central MN rivers & lakes

[blue_healer_guy]

This one comes from a vet tech, try scope mouthwash. It happened to a buddy of mine and he said it worked great.

[French Spaniel]

Crossin Eyes,

I tried the toothpaste thing . I left the toothpaste on all night. Now I have a collar that smell like a skunk who just brushed his teeth. Maybe like my skunk solution it takes two doses sometimes.

Skunks would probably be a beloved animal if they sprayed toothpaste and mouthwash.

[g'eye pilot]

You should get your hands on a bottle of "Skunk-off". Most vet's should have this product. It works on everything from your dog, to your vehicle, to your clothes. It's a very concentrated, but safe product.

[Crossin' Eyes]

Hey Nav... You're right about the deer ticks. They have been everywhere this fall. My wife is being treated for Lyme Disease right now and having a tough time with it. The antibiotic make her break out in an itchy rash. The Doc said, too bad, you'll have to tough it out if you want to cure the Lyme Disease.
As for as the toothpaste trick, if you add water, it lathers up sort of like shampoo (just like it does in your mouth). I've never used shampoo afterwards. I like the minty freshness!!

Hey French...Sorry the trick didn't work for your collar. It works great on dogs!

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Good Fishin!
Crossin

[leechlake]

I've always used a bleach/water solution about 5 parts water 1 bleach on dogs. Works great and then they smell like the Holiday Inn!

[Navigator]

Mike...man that sounds tough for your wife, hope she gets better. Nav

[French Spaniel]

Pete,

I'm trying your approach of burying it in sand I will let you know. I will work my way down the list and let you know which ones work the best.

We were hunting in South Dakota. One of my buddies yelled skunk and he was hesitant about pulling one of my dogs away from the skunk. It was surprising how fast he grabbed the dog when I shouted to him that if the dog got sprayed it still had to ride all the way back to Minnesota in his Suburban.

[Scott Steil]

Lemon Juice and Lemon Dish soap. You need some accidity to break down the oils. I have had to use this mixture 2 times on the dog and on my clothes. It works great!

My dog got sprayed a few years ago in SD and after using this mixture he was able to sleep in our hotel room with us.

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Mille Lacs Guide Service
www.millelacsguideservice.com

[greenman]

I've heard that Masengill Disposable Dushe (sp) works really well. It comes in a powder form that must be mixed together with water. Just buying five or six boxes of the stuff along with a scrub brush would be funny enough at the check out counter.

[French Spaniel]

Let me see now- So far we have Hydrogen Peroxide- baking soda- cat litter - toothpaste - mouth wash - Skunk off - bleach & water - lemon juice & lemon soap - powdered douche - and finally burying it in the sand.

What the heck kind of concoction would you get if you put it all together.