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Skunked
How to get skunk smell off a dog
Skunk spray is an oily, sulfur-heavy musk, which is why water alone spreads it and perfume only covers it. The fix is chemistry, done outdoors and quickly, with the eyes looked after before the coat. This is the method Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine and the AKC both publish, with every caution that comes with it.
Eyes first
Before anything else, check the eyes and mouth, because spray in either one means a call to your vet
MassWildlife describes skunk musk as a strong irritant to the eyes and nose, and a curious dog often takes it full in the face. Cornell's guidance is to rinse the eyes with cool water before you start on the coat if the face was hit, and the AKC's veterinary source suggests sterile saline. Squinting, redness, swelling or pawing at the eyes after the rinse means your vet, that night.
Cornell says spray in the eyes can cause swelling, redness, damage to the cornea and temporary blindness, and spray in the mouth can cause nausea, drooling and vomiting; both need prompt veterinary care. Check for bites too. Rabies spreads through bites rather than spray, and a dog bitten by a skunk should see a vet immediately. After hours, Gloucester's list of emergency veterinary offices and the 24-hour Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital in Woburn are the places to call.
- Eyes rinsed with cool water or sterile saline
- Squinting, redness or swelling: the vet tonight
- Drooling or vomiting after spray in the mouth: the vet
- Any bite: the vet immediately
The steps
Wash the smell out in eight steps, outdoors, with a mixture made fresh and never stored
Keep the dog outside and do not wet the coat first; the AKC notes that water before the neutralizing mix can make the odor worse. Put on gloves and old clothes, because peroxide bleaches fabric and skunk oil clings to it. Mix in an open bowl, never a bottle or jar: Cornell warns that the reaction builds pressure and a sealed container can burst and injure someone. Use the mixture while it is still bubbling.
Work it into the sprayed fur, usually the face, neck and chest, with a cloth around the muzzle so nothing runs into the eyes. Cornell's timing is five minutes, then a thorough rinse with warm water, repeated if the smell remains. Peroxide lightens dark fur, and black hair can turn a bronze shade that lasts until it grows out, so stick to the time. Cornell adds that the mixture is flammable, so nobody smokes nearby.
- 01
Rinse the eyes with cool water or saline if the face was sprayed, and keep the dog outdoors.
- 02
Leave the coat dry, and put on gloves and old clothes.
- 03
In an open bowl, mix 1 quart of fresh 3 percent hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1 to 2 teaspoons of liquid dish soap.
- 04
Work it into the sprayed fur while it bubbles, using a cloth near the face and keeping it out of the eyes and mouth.
- 05
Leave it on for about 5 minutes, no longer, then rinse thoroughly with warm water.
- 06
Repeat once if the smell is still strong, then wash with a regular dog shampoo.
- 07
Towel the dog dry and let it finish drying somewhere warm.
- 08
Pour away any leftover mixture; never cap it or keep it for next time.
Tomato juice
Tomato juice does not work: it hides the smell for a while without breaking it down
The tomato juice bath is the remedy plenty of families swear by, and the AKC's answer is plain: it masks the odor for a while but does not neutralize the sulfur compounds behind it, and the veterinarian it quotes calls it ineffective or irritating. The AKC also notes that some of the compounds in skunk spray can reactivate with water, which is why a dog that seemed fine can smell strongly again the first time it gets wet.
The peroxide mixture works differently: it neutralizes the smell rather than covering it, which is why it has to be fresh and fizzing. Humane World for Animals offers vinegar diluted with water as a fallback if there is no peroxide in the house. Ready-made skunk products made for pets are another option, and Cornell points out that some contain no peroxide, so they will not lighten a dark coat. Follow the label exactly.
- Tomato juice: masks the smell, does not neutralize it
- Peroxide mixture: neutralizes, used fresh
- Vinegar and water: a fallback
- Pet skunk products: follow the label
Mistakes we see
The mistakes we see are a bottled mixture, a first bath indoors and a dark coat left too long in peroxide
Mixing a batch to keep in the garage is the dangerous one, for the bursting reason above. Bringing the dog straight into the bathtub is the expensive one: the oil gets onto towels, the shower curtain and the dog's whole route through the house, and Cornell recommends washing outside for exactly that reason. Reaching for peroxide stronger than the 3 percent sold at the pharmacy is another; the AKC warns that it can irritate the skin.
Letting the mixture sit for twenty minutes on a black Lab is how dogs come out bronze, so stop at the time. Forgetting the next few days is the last mistake. Cornell asks owners to watch a sprayed dog for one to three days for weakness, lethargy, a lost appetite or gums turning a chocolate-brown color, which can signal anemia appearing hours to a day after exposure, and to see a vet if any of those appear.
- A mixture stored in a closed container
- The first bath indoors
- Peroxide stronger than 3 percent
- The mixture left too long on a dark coat
- No watch on gums and appetite for three days
When to call
Call your vet for eyes, mouth or a dog that seems unwell, and call us before you book a bath
On Cape Ann, skunk season does not end with the frost. MassWildlife says skunks are not true hibernators and come out when nighttime temperatures rise above 30 degrees, so dog owners should take care on unusually warm winter nights, and their breeding season runs from February through March. Turn on a floodlight and look around the yard before letting your dog out after dark, and feed pets indoors, as MassWildlife suggests.
Once the eyes are fine and the worst is out, a groomer can help with what lingers. A bath at Dogtown is priced by size, from $55 up to 25 pounds to $95 for an extra-large long coat. Call the front desk at 978 491-5922 before booking a dog that was sprayed recently, so we can tell you when the studio can take it. Grooming needs no evaluation, and daycare requires a current rabies vaccination, which matters after any skunk encounter.
At Dogtown
After the first rinse
A bath by size in the grooming studio once the eyes are fine, booked after a quick call to the front desk.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Does tomato juice get rid of skunk smell?
What do I do if my dog was sprayed in the eyes?
Can I make the skunk mixture ahead of time?
Will the peroxide mixture bleach my dog's fur?
Does my dog need a vet after being sprayed?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine: when your dog gets skunked
- AKC: cleaning a dog that has been sprayed by a skunk
- Humane World for Animals: de-skunking your dog
- MassWildlife: learn about skunks
- City of Gloucester: local emergency veterinary offices
- Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Eyes first, then the coat.
Once your dog's eyes are fine, call the front desk at 978 491-5922 and we will tell you when the studio can fit in a bath by size.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
