My dog got sprayed by a skunk and he came into my house. Now it's unbearable. How do I get the smell out of my house and off his face?
Lori from Bloomington, IN
As far as your house, you're going to have to rent a large OZONE generator. When we had a fire several years back the insurance company sent in an ozone machine to rid the house of that horrible smell of burnt campfire & nasty pervasive smoke. We ran it for 2 days (it was a VERY large 5 bedroom 3 bathroom 2 story home) and after those 2 days all traces of smoke smell were TOTALLY gone & the smoke had even gotten into the cold air intake of the furnace, so the smoke was EVERYWHERE in the home.
If I were you, I'd start calling around different rental places & see if they have them & what they rent for. You'll most likely only need it for half a day. If it's a large ozone generator, you'll have to leave the house while it's running because it can take oxygen out of the air. We just ran it downstairs & stayed upstairs in a room with the door closed. But they don't recommend this (but, like I said it was a large house).
If you can't find an Ozone Generator in a rental store then look up "Fire Contractors" in the yellow pages, because they'll be sure to have one or can point you in the right direction to find out where you can rent one. If you know someone who has several of those ozone producing air cleaners, they might also work, but would take much longer.
By Cyinda
I called a company that came and sprayed some chemicals around. My kids went to school that day and had to come home. Even my leather purse stunk. The chemicals worked right away. What a mess. God bless. (09/30/2008)
By Pat
My dog Mara got skunked yesterday at 5:30 in the morning and not knowing what to do we brought her inside the house.....BIG NO NO. We put her in the bath with tomato juice, ketchup, whatever we could find. Then I found this page and tried the Baking soda and peroxide combo and it seemed to work a bit better. We immediately took her to get shaved and now there is just a faint smell left on her.
Now as for the house, OMG! I wanted to run far away and never look back. I had to throw away quite a few things (carpets, shower curtain...) all of which I'm sure could've been washed but for me were tainted. I got really depressed when I opened my drawers in my bedroom and realized that it got into everything. I thought I was going to have to wash all my clothes. What I did do is opened all my drawers, closets in the house and all the windows and aired everything out for 24h.It looked like I was robbed.
I cannot get over that smell, it has to be the worst smell in the world! I had a mask on and it didn't help, I was very sick to my stomach and I think I still am...It may seem like there is no end but it does get better, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Good Luck! (10/03/2008)
By Jenny
When using the peroxide, baking soda, dish soap to wash your pet, be sure to put Vaseline jelly around the eyes to make sure none of the mixture gets in the eyes. Quite painful, I'm told. (10/04/2008)
By breadbag
I have 3 Siberian huskies that are inside/outside dogs. If anyone knows huskies, they like to hunt. So of course we have had a few run-ins with some skunks that have come onto our property. About a year ago, I bought BioWorld's BON-CC-41. It works the best. I can't keep my dogs from getting the skunks, but at least I don't have to stand the smell for long. I have a kiddie pool in my back yard so I just add the product to the pool, and wash them with the product and shampoo and it takes care of the problem! I'm a pro now at removing skunk smell, ha. (10/06/2008)
http://www.adbio.com/pet/skunked.htm
By Heather
Greetings Support Group!
I feel like I'm joining a meeting for skunked people and dogs! Like most of you, I just had my very first up-close-and-personal skunk experience -- of course at 5:30am when my husband let our two golden retrievers out before he left for work. Our younger dog, Mick, came bolting into the bedroom and began scraping his face on the area rug next to my side of the bed. The odor that launched me from the bed was unlike anything I'd ever experienced before!
I quickly started to 'Google' while my husband panicked. I have to admit -- I found the solution to the smell on the dog on another site, but it worked fantastic. IN AN OLD PLASTIC MILK JUG -- About a half cup of dish detergent and a heavy pour of salt (I used kosher because I had a big box of it) -- fill the jug to make a half gallon of soapy water. Shake well and use the mixture to wash the dog. Mick just happens to be a very docile and obedient retriever and I was able to convince him to get into the shower with me (our downstairs shower is a double-wide with about a six-inch ledge to step over). I soaped him up good with the mixture. Got as close to his eyes as I dared. I rinsed him and let him sit under the water while I washed my own hair, etc. Sure, the bathroom got a good shower too when he shook off, but that was a much better alternative than the smell on the dog! I'm off to simmer some cider vinegar/cinnamon stix and maybe roast some coffee! (10/08/2008)
By Deb
Deb with two goldens: ditto for me, last night, 9 p.m.(!) I let my two goldens out, went upstairs to change, and heard my big male let out a very unusual bark. I knew immediately what it was. Smaller female came running for the house with tail between legs and head down - knew she'd done something terribly wrong.
Came into the house snorting and ran immediately into the living room to hide between the couch and ottoman/coffee table. Male had jumped the fence, so I had to cajole him back over. It's taken longer to type this than the whole episode took, but in that short time, Gidget (female) had made her way through the whole house, leaving a trail of vile stench. Tucker (male) luckily avoided the full-on hit.
I had a bottle of the skunk odor remover stuff, which helped some. Then, into the tub she went. A couple of washings, and more rubbing the odor remover, and she was better this morning. But, oh!, how the house and any clothes that weren't in drawers or the closet reek... The suggestions about washing things with coke and cooking cinnamon/coffee grounds/nutmeg are SO helpful - that will be the next step tonight. It really is like a support group thing. "Hi, my name is Amy, and my dogs were skunked". Ugh! (10/08/2008)
By Amy
'Tis the season! I was elbow deep in a turtle tank last night when the call came in from a furious husband. Our rat terrier decided to hop-scotch a skunk and it frightened her under everyone's bed and who knows where else.
I used the old trusty tomato juice. She's small, so we put her in a tote outside and rubbed her down in it. Brought her in and gave her a warm bath with Pantene in the tub - seemed to work for most of her. Her snout still reeks, but I am afraid to try to work that part for fear I'll drown her. The tomato juice worked great on my fat cat a couple of years ago when he got frisky with a skunk. He didn't appreciate the juice-in-tote bath, but reluctantly agreed.
We've been airing out the house all night with candles going and the pellet stove. My mom is saving me some coffee grounds to roast after I get the kids off to school. I seriously hope it works on this smell in the house. Everything has been washed and it's like it comes in bursts. Ugh. (10/10/2008)
By Smellanaberry - Howard City, Mi.
Yesterday, I noticed that a skunk was hit by a car and lying in the middle of the highway about a block away from my house. The smell is only going one way (the cars are driving over it are spreading the smell) and of course going in the direction of my house. All the windows are locked now, but the smell got in before we closed them and now everything smells.
Does anyone know how long skunk smell lasts in the air outside? I try using all the methods listed for clothes, carpets, and rugs, but I cannot open my windows to air the smell out or hang anything outside to air out. Any advice would be great. Also, did anyone else notice that it seems as though items like tissues, toilet paper, and books also absorb the smell? (10/14/2008)
Mara my dog got sprayed on the 3rd of October and I posted my experience. I am happy to say that she is all better now and we just laugh at the thought of it. Although at the time it was not so funny! We thought it would be appropriate and extremely funny for her to be a skunk for Halloween. Just thought I'd share and add a bit of humor to this page. Good Luck!(10/15/2008)
By Jenny
We have had skunks going under our house for over a year now. My husband has trapped 3 and killed them. Sometimes the smell is so bad in the house it makes me sick to my stomach. I have burned candles, used air fresheners, Febreeze, coffee grounds, vinegar and anything else you can think of. All of this just masks the odors, and mixed together it is sickening. We have bought 2 air purifiers and that helps some, but the smell is not gone completely. I've seen a couple of things on this site that I might use. Wish me luck. We're about ready to sell out and move on. (10/23/2008)
By Victoria
White vinegar removes odors from the air if you set it out in small dishes. Yeah, the vinegar stinks, but not as bad as skunk and it absorbs the skunk odor well. White vinegar in your laundry gets rid of lots of odors; sweat, mildew, etc. (10/23/2008)
By Regans97
Hi, my name is Kathy and my dog has been skunked! This website is really helpful to me in both practical application and also therapeutic application! I arrived home from 8 hours of work and 5 hours of class to what I thought would be a pretty routine night. Quite the contrary! My hound dog Lucy, decided to chase a skunk, skunk bomb! She made a bee line for the slider and went directly under my bed (her den). We bathed her in peroxide, baking soda and liquid soap which helped her but the house is putrid! I am at work now and according to my office mate, I smell of skunk. What do I do? (10/28/2008)
By Kathy Mac
Thank you so much for this site. My dog got sprayed this morning when he went to potty, ran into the house and just ruined the day. Both my children called home saying they smelled like skunk and had to change clothes. One is in the middle school, across town, the other further away in high school.
I had just laid down trying to sleep and avoid that smell. After picking up my daughter we mixed the solution and bathed the dog with it, and with his shampoo. He smells great. The house is sprinkled with baking soda, and I'm boiling apples and allspice. I used Vaseline around his eyes before bathing the dog. Good luck guys, and I really appreciate this site. We now have to figure out how to get the smell from my husband's wool, and leather coat. (10/28/2008)
By minnie
We were "skunked" early Sunday morning. We don't even know where the skunk hit, but it was the worst in the basement and came into the rest of the house, via, the vents. Today is Wednesday. The house still smells. We ordered an industrial strength ozone machine (400.00 plus 60.00 to ship overnight) and began using it yesterday. I couldn't stay out of the house for more than four hours, so that's all the first floor got. Tonight, the ozone machine is in the basement and we have the windows open upstairs so we can breathe. I hope this works. (10/29/2008)
By Elizabeth
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO POSTED, you kept me sane this morning.
Our dogs went out to use the potty at 5am. My dachshund was under the deck when she encountered a skunk. She started SCREAMING, like a baby, it sounded like she was dying. I opened the patio door to call to her when my Pomeranian started barking and chasing something across the yard. She ran in the house and dropped to the floor, rubbing her face on the carpet and rolling and "crying".
The burnt rubber garlic smell was overwhelming. I had no idea that it didn't smell like what you smell when you pass by one on the road, at least not at first. I grabbed the affected dog (only one got hit) and put her in the tub and rubbed a can of tomatoes all over her (all I had in the house that I thought would work). Then when it didn't do anything, I found this site. I had just enough of the materials for one bath with the hydrogen peroxide bath solution. It worked wonders! She still stinks around the muzzle, but much better. I then went to the grocery store and loaded up on apple cider vinegar, coffee grounds, cinnamon sticks, apples, Vick's, more hydrogen peroxide (I am sure the check out girl was thinking what the HECK). I also reeked of skunk. I ran home and did the bowls of vinegar, put the coffee grounds in the oven on a baking sheet and boiled vinegar with apples and cinnamon on the stove. BETTER. I am going this afternoon to get replacement air filters and will be washing everything in cold water and bleach the rest of the day.
The advice on this site is really helpful and it helps to know others have been here. I have called a wildlife solutions group that can hopefully humanely trap and release the skunk elsewhere, it isn't the skunks fault it is so stinky!
Good luck to you all, I hope when I go to work this afternoon I don't stink people out. Oh, and it is Halloween. I told my daughter to dress up like a skunk for school and she would already have the smell ;) Good Luck and God Bless!
The Kissicks (10/31/2008)
By Kay
Our dog got sprayed in the face around 1:30 am this morning, and quickly made his way through the house and down to his bed in the basement before we could get to him. We got him into the garage (by pulling him and his bed out there), and got onto the internet. I was ready to go to the store for gallons of tomato juice when my husband found the baking soda/peroxide/liquid soap suggestion. We went with that and it worked. Within about 10 minutes, the smell on the dog was neutralized.
The house is another story. After we got the dog taken care of, we lit Yankee candles (and any others we could find), and I febreezed every carpeted and upholstered surface. I had to put Vick's under my nose to fall asleep, and even that was a struggle. In the morning, my husband roasted his coffee and I simmered apples and cinnamon all day, while febreezing, lighting Glade and Febreeze candles, carpet freshening the carpets, and cleaning the hardwood floors with ammonia.
It's now 2:00 p.m., roughly 13 hours after the skunk bomb, and my mother and neighbor came over and said all they smelled was candles. The dog has small traces of skunk smell on his nose, which I swab away with witch-hazel and baking soda. We bought him a new bed, and while I still can smell the skunk, others cannot. I'm sure I'll be able to smell it for weeks, but hopefully others won't. (10/31/2008)
By Heather
Exactly the same thing happened to me tonight. My buddies and I were playing Rockband and we started smelling a skunk, then it progressed into the garlic, onion smell. My dog got sprayed, then came inside and started rubbing all over our carpet. No amount of Oust is satisfying. (10/31/2008)
By Michael
I guess 10/31/08 was a good night for skunk bombs. My dog got hit last night as well. I don't think it was a direct hit but was still bad enough. This is a first for me. My wife and I started to smell the burnt rubber smell but didn't realize what it was until the dog had already been in the house for a while. I found the peroxide/baking soda/detergent mixture here and gave the dog a bath. It worked well except for his nose. I tried the witch-hazel mixture there and also some vinegar. It seems better now.
As for the house, it was a combination of Febreeze, open windows, candles, steam cleaning the carpet, and washing clothes. I only seem to notice the smell in certain areas now. It's good to know I'm not alone in this. It's not fun. (11/01/2008)
By Kevin
My Great Dane, Layla, was skunked last weekend and I have spent the past week getting the smell out of the house with candles, Febreeze, and Nature's Miracle. Luckily the weather was mild here last week and I was able to open some windows. I am going to try the bowls of vinegar throughout the house because every once in a while I get a whiff of skunk, especially when opening closets and cupboards. As for Layla, I used tomato juice and dog shampoo on her and that seemed to work. I still smell skunk around her mouth, so I am going to try some vinegar and water in that area. What a nightmare! (11/07/2008)
By Kelley
Thank you for all the tips! I put my dog out at 2:30 am last night and there was a skunk, basically waiting, about a foot and a half from the back door. Got hit instantly. It stinks, so now I'm off to the grocery store for all the recommended items. My roommates are less than thrilled, the entire house smells. Oh well, what can you do? This should be a 'cheap' grocery bill. (11/11/2008)
My dog got skunked last week, it was a horrible experience. My first time. I came on this page and did some other research and found a product from BioWorld Products called BON-CC-41 that worked AWESOME. I had tried some of the other methods. The peroxide method worked okay but I really didn't wash my dog around the face because of the risks it has. It really only lessened the smell but I could still smell the skunk. I ordered the BON overnight, which was pricey but worth it! I washed by dog with the solution like they had instructed me to.
I added a little to my bath water and also to the shampoo I was using. I was surprised at how well it actually worked. I noticed a difference right away. I also like the fact that I could use the product around the house as well. I washed all my floors with the product and even added it to my laundry to get rid of the skunk smell in my towels. Unlike some of the other products, I can also use it for other things around the house so it won't just go to waste! This product saved my life.
http://www.adbio.com/pet/skunked.htm (11/12/2008)
By Elliot
Ok guys, here is the best solution I have found. My lab got sprayed for the very first time 3 nights ago. So you guys know how hideous the smell was. I have a very sensitive "sniffer" so needless to say, it was not good. I was about to pack and get a hotel room until my husband saved the night. He used his hunting "Premo no scent shampoo and body wash" on the dog and it worked wonders. Got the smell right off of her even though it was 3 in the A.M. and it was a half effort job. Still has a little odor around her face, but we will re bathe her today.
As for the house, we used "NO SCENT" spray on the furniture and clothes. You can get both these products at Bass PRO Shops or any hunting goods store. We also use "Renuzit Super Odor Eliminator" from Home Depot for only 20 dollars. A whole lot cheaper than $120/ night hotel room. Those 3 things with lots of candles and fresh air, you will have your house back to normal in no time. Oh, and we tried the vinegar also. UGHH! Coffee beans were much better. Try this guys, it works. (11/24/2008)
By Kay
I forgot to mention that along with the products from the hunting goods store, you can buy a box of BOUNCE dryer sheets and put several sheets in each dresser drawer and in between your clothes that are hanging up. It's amazing how it completely eliminates any skunk odor from your clothes! (11/24/2008)
By Kay
What is it with the coffee grounds? What does that do? How are they used? And the vinegar in the separate bowls? I yelled at a cute little skunk in my laundry room and it sprayed the laundry room (which adjoins my kitchen/house) just the other day. Now my entire home stinks, thus so does my clothes, my purse, stuff in my freezer, etc. What will the coffee grounds in the oven do? I have set out a skunk trap (it came through the cat door) and I have locked the cat door for the time being. (11/26/2008)
By Tena Boese
I am going through the same thing as all you folks. My dog blasted 2 nights ago under my back porch. I cannot get rid of the smell under the porch, I guess when "pepe le pew" sprayed it went every where up in my wood floor. How do I get rid of the smell? Please help, I can't even sit and watch football on Thanksgiving in my house. IT STINKS. Any ideas? (11/27/2008)
By Steve
Okay, misery does love company. I feel so much better after reading the information on this site. I am actually laughing instead of crying. Last night my husband, son, and I all lay awake thinking we smelled skunk. We finally all got up and proceeded to search the house. We found the strongest smell was in our basement. I shut down the furnace, as I thought it was starting to smell like burning rubber.
My husband called the fire department and before we knew it about 12 firemen were at our house. They said they smelled skunk from the end of our driveway (we have a long driveway) and then they were smelling garlic. We had eaten dinner out that night. They checked everywhere and convinced us that it must have been a skunk. Sure enough, the one night our cat was out a little late, he must have gotten in the line of fire, as shortly after the fire trucks left I let him in and he had a yellowish area on his leg where his fur is usually impeccably white. He smells strange, kind of chemical-like. Anyway, I grew up on a farm, but I don't think one can ever be prepared for something like this. I will give the ideas from this site a try. Thanks to all. (12/01/2008)
By Angela in NJ
Hey. We have this trap door full with sand in it and we think our new neighbors are scaring this skunk my mom sees every day at 5 in the morning. And we also think they are living in the trap door. We are afraid to check, like they might jump out at us. We had the same problem with raccoons. They pooped near the trap door.
My sister and I (don't know about my brother) went to school smelling like skunk. We are very embarrassed. But it's kinda good to know you're not alone in this situation. Tomorrow is my birthday and I don't wanna smell at school so I wanna stay home in the funk. We read about some other people's experiences so right now we are putting small dishes of white Vinegar where we smell it most.
Hopefully it works, otherwise I'm not going to school tomorrow. The guys at my school (well most of them) are very rude about the smell. But I have a lot of friends to help me out. And I smell everything that people smell too. I put lotion on our vent and that smells a little bit better. HELP US! (12/10/2008)
By Deanna
I had the same ordeal as Angela in NJ. The first odor I smelled was skunk, then Garlic, and then some indescribable smell. I too, called the fire department who also (from the street) informed me that I had been introduced to skunk. They laughed, and called the animal control officer over. My basement is ground level to the street, but the crawlspace between the basement and house is where the animal control officer thinks he is.
She said that the smell really won't ever go away, and will permeate our clothing and upholstery. She recommended washing our clothes in a vinegar and water douche, and if we find the spot where he sprayed, washing that in vinegar. She also said that soaking rags in Banana extract and setting them in bowls around the house should help alleviate the stench. In four days we are having company over for Christmas... should be interesting! (12/14/2008)
By Kaytee C.
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