Chloe was sprayed by a skunk before she got here. I have given her baths but the smell is still there. I bought a shampoo made for getting rid of the smell but it's not working.

Its really tough. There is a recipe including baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and dawn dish soap that we've tried on skunk dogs at work, but be aware it will bleach her hair. I'm not sure if it does that much more good, either, maybe a little. Skunk off helps a little if you can find the exact spot that they have the most on. Honestly, we usually end up giving them multiple baths with every shampoo and conditioner and skunk off and still don't really feel that great about how they smell when they send them home. I think its just a matter of time. Do be sure if you are giving lots of baths to make sure to use good conditioner too because it will dry out her skin. Oh, and don't be surprised if you feel like you got it out then she smells like it when she gets wet, wetness brings the smell out for awhile. It really does go away eventually though. I will be watching in case someone has a better idea, its a really frustrating thing!

Does the old tomato juice trick work for dogs? Worked for my brother once, but he has significantly less hair than Chloe.

Not sure about the tomatoe juice. The peroxide, baking powder and soap; wouldn't that irritate the skin? I can't imagine Chloe with bleached hair, lol.

It didn't seem to be too irritating but it did make a Rottie knd of brown...

The peroxide, baking soda, and dish soap works GREAT! Trust me, I had all three of my dogs spayed at the same time. I dilute mine with water so it goes further. I've never had a problem with it dying my dogs' hair not even Apollo. I only leave it on for 5 minutes, then rinse well.

For the face, use feminine douche. It's easier on the eyes.

Thank you! We'd had some success before the brown Rottie so I was sad to lose one way to try. Makes me wonder if someone had the formula off, or maybe we just need to dilute it down. That is a great idea for the face. It always seems to be the worst hit place and the hardest to make go away.

Tomato juice does not work.
If you use the correct concentration of hydrogen peroxide, the hydrogen peroxide/dish soap/baking soda mixture should not bleach the dog's fur UNLESS you leave it on too long.

A few things to note if you use this mixture:

1) Don't use Dawn dish soap.
The chemist who came up with this mixture says this specifically. I am not sure why this recipe became connected to Dawn, but he says to use the most inert dish soap possible. Dawn is not inert at all as it is made to cut grease, and it will cause the hydrogen peroxide to break down a lot more quickly and become ineffective. They recommend Ivory as an inert type, or Softsoap. When I've used it I used Ivory.

2) It's best to use a fresh, unopened bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide.
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) breaks down slowly over time to water (H2O) so if you use an already opened bottle or if it's been sitting in your cupboard for a long time, it might not be as effective in the mixture. It the mixture does not bubble like crazy immediately when you mix it up, you should probably buy a new bottle of hydrogen peroxide.

3) Don't leave it on the dog for a long time.
5 minutes is long enough for it to work.
This is where slight bleaching can happen. Since this is hydrogen peroxide it can cause lightening of the dogs' fur color if you leave it on too long. If the smell is really bad, instead of leaving it on the coat for a longer time, rinse it off and then reapply. My friend had this problem. Her black lab got sprayed by a skunk right on the head, so she left the mixture on for 10-15 minutes, she had a black lab with a dark brown head.


Here's the recipe if you need it (pasted from the chemist's webpage):

******************************
The Skunk Remedy Recipe

In a plastic bucket, mix well the following ingredients:

1 quart of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide

1/4 cup of baking soda

1 to 2 teaspoons liquid soap

For very large pets one quart of tepid tap water may be added to enable complete coverage.

Wash pet promptly and thoroughly, work the solution deep into the fur. Let your nose guide you, leave the solution on about 5 minutes or until the odor is gone. Some heavily oiled areas may require a "rinse and repeat" washing.

Skunks usually aim for the face, but try to keep the solution out of the eyes - it stings. If you have any cuts on your hands you might want to wear latex gloves for the same reason.

After treatment, thoroughly rinse your pet with tepid tap water.

Pour the spent solution down the drain with running water.

NEVER, ever, store mixed solution in a closed bottle, sprayer,etc. Pressure will build up until the container bursts. This can cause severe injury.

worked for my aunts boxer, Ruby.

Once skunk has sat & really had a chance to be absorbed by the hair it's almost impossible to wash out. Most of the time it has to wear off in it's own time, sorry to say.

If you put a couple drops of mineral oil in each eye it will help protect them while bathing.

It worked, 2 weekends in a row, for the Aussie/Rottie mix I had as a teen. Dummy dog liked to play with the black & white "kitties"...or at least corner them behind the AC unit in the backyard.

Actually tomato juice does not remove the odor causing compounds, all it does is fool your nose and temporarily mask the odor. You can read more about how this happens here:
Why Tomato Juice Doesn

Or just google Tomato skunk spray olfactory fatigue

Years ago my ex had a young intact male Boston Terrier. Dumbest and horniest dog on this earth. Caught him not once but TWICE attempting to hump a skunk he trapped against the garage box. Stupid, stupid and very stinky dog. I always wondered if he figured he was black and white and the skunk was black and white so why not try for some of that luvin' feeling. Gawd knows he humped every other thing, living or inanimate, within 10 miles.

That's just weird but funny in a way

I honestly wouldnt be surprised to learn that that was Bears plans for the skunks. That boy had issues and his rough start to life certainly didnt help him.

I got Bear from a HS friend after her old dog had pups. He was the only surviving puppy from his litter. His mom was an old dog, probably 12 years old, and someone in the family decided to kill the rest of the puppies (Im not talking vet...). Bear survived because his mom hid him in a wood pile. When he was 6 weeks old my dad and I drove out and picked him up. He looked like a little bear cub. He grew up to look like an Aussie sized Rottweiler....with a tail.