Our dog got skunked

[jcwade]

Last night, as we were sitting in the kitchen, the dog came in and started vomiting white mucus. After this, the smell hit us.
It didn't smell like the normal skunk smell; it was way worse.
I went outside and saw a skunk in the corner of the yard and knew what it was.

The poor dog was traumatized. He was rubbing his face on any soft object in the house.

We eventually caught him and herded him into a tub.
I had to hold him while Irina shampooed him multiple times.

He seemed to calm down and this morning is back to normal, although a bit lethargic.

Luckily, the smell went away and was not a problem.

Or so I thought. I was apparently nose blind and didn't smell anything. My wife, on the other hand, smelt skunk all night and into the next morning.

It seems that I really stunk up the house and she retched, more than usual, when I asked her to smell my arm.

So, it would appear that I am the problem.

Now we are trying the hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and blue dawn soap remedy.

The only other option is to abandon our house and burn all our belongings.

I'm sure many of you have experienced this problem and have found solutions.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Oh, and we live near downtown Long Beach and do have a skunk problem.

[Scott Douglas]

Tomato juice is what my mom used to use on my sister's Lab when he got sprayed. Unfortunately it was under the house and there was no getting that smell out. It just took a while.
Good luck!
My nose feels for you and your wife.

[Rodsrsr]

Happens at least every couple years up here in Nor Cal. Best bet is to immediately wash the dog, nothing fancy just dish soap, and leave her outside for a few days if possible otherwise everything she rubs against will pick up the smell.

This product actually works very well too after washing the dog. It will smell like orange at first but completely neutralizes the smell. Hope this helps!

https://www.amazon.com/odor-eliminator-for-strong-odor-pet-supplies/dp/B00OI20SXA/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=orange+concentrate&qid=1687736171&sr=8-5

[Alan A]

We’ve had a bunch of skunks spray a bunch of dogs over the last 15 or so years here. Tried a bunch of stuff.

We’ve had an issue with a family of skunks over the last two weeks at the in-laws, so this is especially germane. There are fewer than there were, and their mutt is very pleased with himself…

Peroxides the best option I know of.
It makes it “better”. It doesn’t “fix” it. Tomato juice does very little.

You have to rub it into the fur then hose it down - a lot - for maximum efficacy. The dog doesn’t like it much so mr martingale is your friend here if the dog - like theirs - gets mouthy.

Yeah yeah train him - but he is a rescue, he was abused and he fear bites.
He’s a million times better than he was, but for something like this he’s on a short rope…

Also - the smell takes weeks to fully dissipate if you are sensitive to it.

[jhynesrockmtn]

It happened to our Dog several years back. Late at night, while I was on a business trip. Boy did I get in trouble for not being there. She was hit good, as you described, throwing up, etc. Luckily my wife had the presence of mind not to let her in the house, only in the unfinished basement. She had to make a late night trip to get cleaning supplies like hydrogen peroxide and dawn. We keep a bunch of Nature's Miracle Skunk odor remover on hand now. My wife has read good reviews.

A few months later, she got into it with a porcupine. That was an expensive vet bill.

[flatbutt]

Road trip! Either you or the wife till the stink fades.

[masraum]

I have smelled skunk 1000 times, maybe more while driving. I'd always thought "that doesn't smell that bad. WHat's the big deal?" Then one night driving home I drove through a skunk smell. I think the skunk had just been hit in the road or had just sprayed VERY near the road. NOW I "get it"! The smell when full power is impressively bad. I guess it's similar to the difference between a subtle hint of perfume vs being sprayed in the face while walking through a department store or being stuck in an elevator with a woman that bathed in perfume.

Good luck!

[Steve Carlton]

Agree. The faint version isn't that bad, and it's different from poop stink. I don't hate it.

[speeder]

A certain part of LA always smells like faint skunk and it’s not bad. It’s called Los Feliz, which is at the base of Griffith Park, a massive wildlife area. It’s kind of amazing that a skunk or two can put out a smell that is noticeable over many square miles. Up close, it’s unbearable. My sympathies.

[Tobra]

Gallon of water, 1 T Dawn dish soap, dissolve 1 cup of baking soda in soapy water, add quart of hydrogen peroxide, Prepare immediately prior to using to wash dog

[mpeastend]

Originally Posted by masraum

I have smelled skunk 1000 times, maybe more while driving. I'd always thought "that doesn't smell that bad. WHat's the big deal?" Then one night driving home I drove through a skunk smell. I think the skunk had just been hit in the road or had just sprayed VERY near the road. NOW I "get it"! The smell when full power is impressively bad. I guess it's similar to the difference between a subtle hint of perfume vs being sprayed in the face while walking through a department store or being stuck in an elevator with a woman that bathed in perfume.

Good luck!

I also thought that the smell wasn't that bad but never really thought about how that smell was diluted over many square miles. We had rental property in Ft Lee, NJ and the tenants started complaining of a smell. I knew we had a hedge hog that lived in a crawl space under the house and I kinda liked him so never tried to brick up his entry/exit. Well, it got cold and a skunk must've been looking for someplace warm, ran into the hedgehog and gave him both barrels. I went into the crawl space like an idiot but fell into the hedgehogs tunnels collapsing under my weight. I beat a hasty retreat and just bricked up the opening. The smell while in that enclosed space was excruciating, even a week later. Made me nauseous and I felt like I was maced.

Called exterminator who baited a trap with cat food, caught him and then euthanized him with CO2. Much respect for that chemical weapon. Don't ever want to smell that again up close.

[oldE]

When we had 5 dogs (one of them blind), we always had hydrogen peroxide on the shelf and a couple of boxes of baking soda. Some dogs learn to avoid the critters, some never do.
Scrub deep. A couple of treatments usually work. It's funny how the dog getting wet a few days later can seem to reactivate the smell.

Best
Les

[berettafan]

And people spend their last unemployment dollar to smell like this on purpose now!


But seriously i feel terrible for you. My dog rolled in what i'm pretty sure was fox poop a couple years back while hunting. It is an evil smell but doesn't carry like skunk does. He had a gps collar and a point collar on at the time and that crap got imbedded in every little nook and cranny of the devices. Man was it rough. Can't imagine having to deal with full blast skunk!

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by oldE

When we had 5 dogs (one of them blind), we always had hydrogen peroxide on the shelf and a couple of boxes of baking soda. Some dogs learn to avoid the critters, some never do.
Scrub deep. A couple of treatments usually work. It's funny how the dog getting wet a few days later can seem to reactivate the smell.

All true. We have never owned a dog on the farm that did not get skunked. Only one got skunked twice: Red Heeler, Cassie, as stubborn as the skunk odor