Ugh, that smell! You know it anywhere; and if your pet is outside and you smell it, there's a chance your pet that got sprayed.

What do you do? Dr. Susan Konecny, RN, DVM, tells PetMD.com that the first thing you should do is check your pet's eyes and ears and clean them out with a cloth with cold water. Using pet eye solution is ok too. My Grandma told me they always get sprayed in the face because they were chasing the skunk or they were looking at it and BOOM it was sprayed. Their eyes might be burning, the best thing to do is calm them down.

One solution Dr. Konecny recommended to PetMD is mixing these together:

  • 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide (never use stronger than 3%)
  • 1/4 cup of baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon of dish soap

There are some steps and warnings on PetMD when using this method, including avoiding their eyes and being sure they don't lick the solution you've mixed up. It is also important to note that you should mix this solution only when you need it. The mixture creates gas and could expand to a point of damaging the container or exploding.

After your dog gets sprayed, you should try to treat them with this mixture as quickly as you can. Wear gloves and a shirt you don't care about or the smell may transfer. Your pet is going to want to shake, but you have to leave this in for 20 minutes. Rinse the mixture out, then bathe with pet shampoo. You may have to repeat till it's gone.

Dr. Konecny says to PetMD you shouldn't let the dog lick or eat any of the mixtures, it will make them sick. When you are done, get rid of the mixture, there is a chance it could explode if left in the container. Also, as anyone knows that has dyed their hair the cheap way in summertime, there may be some bleaching or lightening of the pet's hair because of the Hydrogen Peroxide. You may have to live with a punked-out dog or cat, but at least you won't have that smell following you.

Another way to safely treat your dog of the skunk smell is one my late Grandma June told me about when her dog and my dog were sprayed. Tomato Juice will work. First, you bathe the pet (we used Dawn dish liquid, but you can use pet shampoo) then pour tomato juice on the pet and work it in. Leave the tomato juice in, don't let them shake, it will create a mess. Then, rinse out the tomato juice with water and then bathe the pet again. Do as many times as you need to get the smell out. With this method I do remember the smell being done in the house, but not on my dog.

Third way to get the smell out just purchase some skunk smell shampoo at a pet store. This has the same steps to clean your pet of the smell. Put the skunk shampoo in, let the pet sit for 20 minutes then rinse out. (There might be directions on the bottle, better to follow them instead of what I say).

Any other methods that you know of, please send them along to me, or put them in the comments.

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