Burke Animal Clinic Veterinarians Help Their Dogs With A Homemade Remedy

Doctors Herrity and Marsh Use a Homemade Skunk Spray Remover with Success

 

Dr. John Herrity with his dog, Bradley, a Burke Animal Clinic stemcell patient.

One of the joys of living in Northern Virginia is our suburban locale. We are close to some larger cities, but still have a bit of wildlife in our surroundings. That same wildlife, that is joy to watch, can also be a drawback when your dog gets sprayed by a skunk. Right now the temperatures have cooled a bit, so some of the wildlife is a bit more active. More skunks wandering around increases the chance your dog will encounter one.
 

Three weeks ago around 11:30 p.m. Dr. Herrity let his Labradoodle, Bradley, out into the yard for a final trip outside before bed. While outside, Bradley was sprayed by a skunk. Dr. Herrity was tired and chose to wash Bradley up in the morning. Dr. Herrity needed to see appointments in the morning so Bradley needed an early bath. Not having any product in the house to cut the smell, Dr. Herrity turned to the internet for a solution. He found a homemade remedy that worked pretty well.
 

This week he got to try the solution again as both his dogs, Bradley and Rosie, were skunk sprayed. This time he used the solution immediately, while the skunk spray was still wet, and the solution worked much better.
 

Dr. Marsh has a farm in the Blacksburg, VA area where his dogs get to run around. He too has used the homemade remedy with success four different times. Runa has been sprayed 3 times in the past and Ara was just recently sprayed. Then there's Joey, I don't know how many times he's been skunked.
 

Burke Animal Clinic can't vouch for any commercial skunk spray removers, but both veterinarians have had success with a recipe you can quickly mix-up at home. The one below is used by Dr. Marsh.

1 quart of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide (use a fresh unopened bottle for best results)
1/4 cup of Baking Soda
1 teaspoon of dish soap (something like Dawn)

Apply the solution right away (it will still improve the situation if it's later, it's just not as effective)then rinse the coat thoroughly with water.