I woke up this morning at 5 AM to the sound of Barry hollering for Hank. As I walked down the hall towards the basement door, I was assaulted with the strongest, most rank skunk smell I have ever smelled. You guessed it- Hank got sprayed by a skunk this morning. The poor guy got sprayed right in the face.

Hank came in through the garage and ran into the basement before Barry had realized he had gotten sprayed. Luckily from there all he did was run across the basement to where our basement windows are. Barry was able to get him to go out the window. Unluckily the damage had been done and the awful, terrible skunk smell was in the house. Side note: Don’t freak out and call Dog Protective Services on me. The basement window is ground level on the outside, and only 3-4 feet off of the ground on the inside. Hank has no problem putting his front paws on the ledge and having us lift his hind end so he can crawl out the window. He has even jumped out through it unassisted a few times. 

Barry had to get to work so I took over Operation De-skunk Hank & House. In case you forgot, yes I did just spend 8 hours yesterday cleaning the house and giving the dogs baths.

I thanked the heavens Wal-Mart is open 24/7 as I made a quick trip there to get the necessities (baking soda and hydrogen peroxide). Once I got home I changed into some old clothes and got to work washing Hank in the backyard. I mixed up hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dish detergent and then used a wash cloth to wipe it over his face, head, and neck. Then I rinsed him off with the garden hose. Neither of us appreciated the fact that it was 48 degrees and still dark outside, although one of us was colder than the other (me).

After a lot of crying and head shaking (him), three baths (him), one case of being physically ill (me), and one shower (me), I just have the house to deal with. All windows and doors are open and all ceiling fans are running. The house is in the low 60’s, but the smell is dissipating a bit. I think it’s going to take at least two days before the smell in our house no longer gags us.

This was my first time dealing with a skunked dog. I learned some tricks in doing so, and now know from practical experience that they worked (for me, at least).

1. Do not let the dog in the house. Keep him outside so that none of the skunk smell can get in the house.

2. Try and wipe some of the oils off with a paper towel or an old towel (that you don’t mind throwing out). Getting the oils off as soon as possible is going to help get rid of any lasting smell, especially if your dog has a double coat. The sooner you can get some of it off the better. Do not spray the dog with water as it will make the oils spread. The only exception to this is if the oils are in the dog’s eyes. Then you want to try and flush them out.

3. Put on old clothes that you don’t mind throwing away.

4. Prepare a baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and dish detergent mixture in an open bowl/bucket. It’s very important to do this in an open container, because the mixture will give off a gas, which can cause an explosion in a closed container. Do not try and save any left over solution. The mixture should consist of 1 quart 3% hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda, and 1 teaspoon dish detergent. If you have to wash your dog’s head or face, use a wash cloth and be careful not to get it in his eyes, nose, or mouth. You can use this same solution to get skunk smell off of your own skin.

5. Rinse and repeat. Rinse the peroxide solution off with plain water and repeat as many times as necessary until you can no longer smell the skunk smell. Towel dry your dog with old towels that you don’t mind throwing away if need be.

6. Wash any clothes/linens as soon as possible. I washed them in warm water with laundry detergent, and added a half cup of baking soda. Instead of using the dryer, I hung the clothes outside to let them dry while airing out in the fresh air.
——————————-

As for the house, I am open to suggestions. So far all I have done is open all doors and windows and turn on all fans. Barry turned off our heat pump so the smell does not get into the vents. This is helping somewhat with the smell, but it’s definitely not gone. I have also turned all of our automatic air fresheners on their most frequent spray setting. I don’t know what else to do, but I am hoping the fresh air will help and in a day or two it’ll dissipate.

Hank seems to have gotten sprayed mostly on his nose, chin, and the front of his neck/chest. We were lucky it didn’t get into his eyes, as I have read that this can cause irritation. If your dog gets sprayed in the face, you should watch for redness, irritation, or your dog pawing at his face or head. If you notice any of these signs/symptoms give you vet a call.

Have you ever had a pet get sprayed by a skunk?

Have you ever been sprayed by a skunk?

Any tricks of the trade to get the smell out of my house and car?