Removing Skunk Smell from Pets

I'm sure you've all had that experience of driving down the freeway and all of a sudden you smell the pungent smell of skunk. The skunk smell is vile, permeating, and persisting. Once you smell it, it seems to stay with you for extended periods of time; you feel like you can smell it forever after the fact and it's just disgusting in every possible way. Fortunately for me (and I'm hoping most of us), I've never actually been the victim of a skunk attack, and I can only imagine the sensory horror involved with that. Unfortunately, pets are much more prone to the skunk attack than we may be, and that's something that, as a pet owner, you need to be aware of and know how to deal with if that time ever comes.

If your pet comes home smelling completely vile and odiferous, then you need to act immediately. The longer the smell stays on your pet, the harder it will be to get rid of (and the smell will become even more pronounced). You'll need to act fast to be effective in your odor extermination. There are multiple remedies for skunk smell out there, which include tomato juice baths, but you can make a recipe of a solution that will help move along that smell removal.

• 1 quart of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide
• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 1 teaspoon liquid soap or dish-washing detergent

Take the above ingredients and mix them all together. Your objective will be to wash or soak your pet completely in the solution. To do this, you might want to put your pet in a bathtub or somewhere outside, so the solution doesn't get everywhere. Pour the small amounts of the solution on your pet, while at the same time, rubbing it into the fur so it really soaks in. Do this until the entire solution is gone. Don't dump it over your pet all at once, because then most of the solution won't get on your pet, and thus won't do much of anything.

While you're washing your pet in the mixture, be careful to keep the formula out of the eyes, nose, and mouth. Use a sponge to carefully wet your pet's face with the solution. After you're finished coating your pet with the formula, give it a real bath with a heavy-duty soap and lots of water. As you wash the solution out of your pet's fur, you'll also be washing the smell out with it. If your pet still smells like skunk, you'll want to either try the solution again, or take your pet to a groomer, where they'll have special procedures to take out the smell.

A smelly pet is no fun for anyone, and so if your pet is the victim of a skunk smell attack, act quickly, and take the necessary measures to bring your pet back to normal. It's not difficult to remove those smells—you just have to persevere in your washing and you'll find smell elimination success!