When your home gets sprayed by a skunk, you can close the windows, light some candles, and circulate the air to get rid of the bad smell. However, when your dog gets sprayed by a skunk, a little air and some candles just doesn't cut it. You are going to have to get that smell off your dog.
Flush Your Dog's Eyes
The first thing you need to do is check out your dog's eyes. Do they look irritated or red? If they do, you need to flush your dog's eye's out right away. The oil from the skunk may have gotten in their eyes.
You can flush your dog's eyes with cool water. There are also eyewash products that are safe for dogs, which may be smart to keep on hand if you live somewhere where skunks are prevalent. You want to get your dog's eyes clean first before you worry about the rest of your dog's body.
Clean Your Dog Off
Once you take care of your dog's eyes, it is time to get the skunk oil off their coat. You want to do this as quickly as possible so that the smell doesn't sink in more.
When it comes to giving your dog a bath after they have been skunked, you are going to want to bath your dog outside or in the garage. You don't want that smell hanging around your home.
Before you start washing your dog, be sure to protect yourself. Get some rubber gloves so that you don't just transfer the oils to your hands.
Although the classic treatment for getting skunk out of a dog's coat is a tomato juice bath, a tomato juice bath is usually only moderately successful. Instead, you are going to want to mix a container of hydrogen peroxide, like the kind you can get at the pharmacy, with a fourth of a cup of baking soda, and a few drops of liquid dishwashing soap.
You want to use liquid dishwasher soap, as it will help remove the oil from your dog's coat. Don't use regular dog shampoo; it will not lift the smell off your dog.
Put the cleaning solution on your dog, let it sit for a minute or two, scrubbing it in, and then rinse your dog off. You may need to wash your dog a few times before the smell dissipates.
Cleaning Up
After you wash your dog, towel dry your dog a little bit so that they are not dripping wet. Then allow your dog to dry off the rest of the way in the sun.
You are going to want to take whatever clothing you have on and wash your clothes with laundry detergent and some baking soda. This will remove any smell that got on your clothing.
If you need more help getting your dog smelling good again, see if local pet services can help you clean your dog up.
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