Skunk Spray Treatment

The smell of skunk spray is not only unpleasant, it can also be extremely irritating to mucus membranes like the eyes and nose. Skunks spray as a defense mechanism, to deter predators. It is very common for dogs to get sprayed by skunks. Dogs can be curious and may investigate, getting too close or barking, frightening the animal, resulting in a spray.

  1. Chemicals

    • Skunk spray contains several different chemicals. The strong smell is primarily caused by a group of chemicals called thiols, according to the website Pet Education. Thiols are acetate derivatives that linger, and tend to aspirate when they get wet.

    Tips Before Treatment

    • If your dog or cat has been sprayed by a skunk, you may want to put on some old protective clothing before bathing your pet. Skunk spray is oil-based and is difficult to remove from clothing and other fabrics. Keeping your pet from touching upholstery, carpets and pet beds will protect your home from the smell, according to the website Dog Breed Info.

    Bathing

    • Bathing in a mixture of 3 cups of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1 tsp. of liquid soap can help remove the skunk odor from you or your pet, according to wildlife specialist H. Lee Stribling. This bath will likely have to be repeated several times to remove the smell entirely. The peroxide in this mixture can bleach hair.

    Spot Cleaning

    • Because of the oil-based nature of skunk spray, if at all possible it is best to only wash the areas that have been sprayed, rather than washing your whole pet. If you wash your whole pet you run the risk of spreading the smell over his whole body, which can exacerbate irritation of his nose and eyes, and can make the smell harder to eradicate, according to Dog Breed Info.

    Tomato Juice

    • Contrary to popular belief, tomato juice will not neutralize the smell of skunk spray, according to William F. Wood, a chemist at Humboldt State University. Wood theorizes that this myth exists because of olfactory fatigue, a condition that results from long-term exposure to strong smells. When a person experiences olfactory fatigue, she may stop smelling the skunk spray. If she happens to be bathing in tomato juice at the time, she will smell tomato juice instead, and may think the juice has neutralized the skunk spray.