How to De-skunk Your Dog; Save the Tomato Juice for Your Bloody

Maximus, my 90lb Labrador retriever, has had a long standing love affair with our local neighborhood skunk. It’s not your typical Disney Romance where boy meets girl, they fall hopelessly in love, and end up living happily ever after. It’s more like a Harlequin Romance where boy meets girl who has a bit of an attitude.

She likes to tease and string him along. She’ll lure him out into clandestine meetings under the cover of pines trees in the dark of night only to snub him and spit in his eye. Or in this case, spray his face and run away.

Of course, Maximus is NOT easily discouraged and finds this whole cat and mouse chase to be quite sporting! He’ll prance right up the back door, face full of skunk oil, smiling proudly.

Well, if you’ve never had the misfortune of having your dog sprayed by a skunk, let me tell you, it is the most pungent smell in the world. The spray, which is sulfur based oil, comes from the skunk’s anal scent glands. When freshly sprayed, the odor is so strong it burns your nose and makes your eyes water. It will stick to and ruin anything it comes in contact with…clothing, rugs, couches, and dogs.

Your best bet for removal is to wash your dog while the spray is still wet.

I have been knee deep in a bathtub with a skunked dog more times than I can count. Needless to say, I’ve tried a lot of remedies.

Regular dog shampoo doesn’t work.

Tomato juice doesn’t work. {save it for your Bloody Mary}

Vinegar doesn’t work. {and is stinky too}

The hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, dish soap combination just seemed too harsh for me to even try. {My dog has allergies and sensitive skin, so I left that one as a last resort.} However, it did give me an idea…oil attracts oil.

WD40 oil will get out oily stains on fabric, so why not use an oil-based cleanser to wash my dog?

That’s where the Murphy Oil Soap comes in.

Murphy Oil Soap is a vegetable oil based cleaning product used for wood floors, furniture, and leather. I always have a bottle on hand, so I decided to give it a try. I noticed right away the rich, soapy lather. It easily covered Max’s entire body getting into the hair and right down to his skin.

For his face, I used a washcloth full of the foamy suds.{Please note: the face is the hardest to clean.} It’s typically the point of origin of the initial blast (or spray). Sometimes it even gets in his mouth. Ugh! Be aware, the face may take multiple washings.

As I rinsed him down, the oily spray washed down the drain. Max’s hair was left smelling fresh (like a newly cleaned floor) and dried without any filmy residue.

The Murphy Oil Soap didn’t dry out Max’s skin or make him itch. I’ve been using it ever since. I don’t claim to be a pet grooming expert, but I have been around the block and I know how well it worked for me and I’m quite confident it would work for you too!

So, how do you de-skunk a dog?

“Save the tomato juice for your Bloody Mary use Murphy Oil Soap.”

Even Maximus knows the drill – after prancing proudly to the back steps to let us know he’s been skunked, he does his walk of shame straight to the bathtub and hops right in.

Now if I could just get him to shower himself….

Don’t forget to PIN THIS for later!! You never know when nature will strike again…

Guest Post Written By: Patrice Bushart