I’ll say right off the bat that this remedy won’t be for everybody but it worked great for us and our situation. As we have to truck in our water, we can’t just give our dogs a bath whenever they piss off a skunk. This remedy is natural and works. It would also be perfect for those who are camping or would otherwise not have access to a bath.
It’s seems like our dogs tend to get skunked right at the end of the day when they are going potty for the night. I’m sure this is when the skunks are becoming active but it’s also right when we’re settling in and looking forward to going to bed. On top of that, imagine this happening in winter with snow . . . not fun.
An alternative remedy we had tried in the past that is common out there is bathing dogs with a solution of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dish soap. It gets the brunt of the smell, but there was always a lingering mild skunk scent still left behind. With this new remedy however, I noticed no odor the next day.
Something every household generally has on hand is baking soda and vinegar which are the two ingredients to this remedy. Here’s what you do . . .
Simply put, all you have to do is with a wet rag, wipe the vinegar over your dogs coat. You don’t have to soak your dog but put enough to cover the stink and to allow the baking soda to stick. I use apple cider vinegar as it’s known to be good for the skin.
Next, you sprinkle the baking soda all over your dog (or just the stinky parts) and then follow it up with another coat of vinegar. The two ingredients react together to remove the skunk smell.
If you’re worried about this being messy, don’t. The vinegar may have it’s own odor that you may or may not like but it’ll get rid of the skunk smell. As for the baking soda flaking off (if any), many household use baking soda to sprinkle on their carpets before vacuuming to neutralize odor.
This has worked for us and our three naughty dogs. I’d love to hear if this also works for you and your pup(s).
