If your pet has ever challenged a skunk, you will be grateful for a real, doctor-recommended way to get rid of the horrible odor.  And if you have handled the sprayed pet, you may want to use this safe odor removal trick on yourself!

There has been a lot of research on the skunk’s defensive secretion responsible for the odor. No doubt perfume companies would like to unlock the secret of what chemical makes it last so long.

The skunk's distinctively rotten smell is technically named trans-2-butene-1-thiol. In order to get rid of the odor on your dog, the skunk's spray compound has to be neutralized and the old tomato juice routine just doesn’t work.

When cats meet a skunk, bathing is a little more difficult but the same formula applies and it will get rid of the smell.

If your dog is large or not used to being bathed in the bathtub, restrain him outside while you assemble a large container of warm water, a water hose, and large towels. 

In the container, mix one teaspoon of liquid dishwashing soap, ¼ cup of ordinary baking soda, and one quart of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide. Wet the dog thoroughly, right to the skin.  Then work the mixture through the coat so that it lathers, let it sit on the animal (or yourself but it may discolor clothing) for a couple minutes, and then rinse, rinse, rinse.

Do not use vinegar or tomato juice to get rid of skunk odor.

Vinegar and tomato juice are acidic and skunk spray needs an alkaline mixture, something most people don't know. That is why this slightly alkaline skunk bath neutralizes the offending chemicals in the skunk's stinky secretion.

Towel or blower-dry, groom as usual and rest assured your pet will avoid future encounters with a skunk!

Another method to remove odor from a "skunked" dog is to bathe that animal in a tub using Massengill's Douche solution!  One reader says "it took 4 boxes to do a dog the size of our 90 lb greyhound but it worked!"  One day after his unfortunate encounter with the skunk, followed by the Massengill's bath, Ch Shazam's The Journey Begins was BEST IN SHOW!

This tip on removing skunk odor came from Kim and Colin Fritzler, Windrock Sighthounds who says they first heard about it from a taxidermist.  They subsequently shared the skunk-smell remedy with the Colorado Division of Wildlife and Kim says "it has had hundreds applications on all kinds of dogs, kitties, pot bellied pigs, etc., and it really does work."

If you have a tip and you'd like to share it, send it to contact@thedogplace.org