Leerburg's Skunk Cocktail - How to De-skunk Your Dog

My dog Buick got skunked recently in my sister's backyard on the East Coast, while HER dog just laughed and laughed!

It was Buick's second skunking, and I hope this time he's learned his lesson. My skunk remedy, both times, was a thorough bathing with the same product I've used for years, on all my dogs, for routine bathing: “Dr. Bronner's 18-in-One Pure Castile Soap.” Either the peppermint or eucalyptus variety will do the job.

Some of you may remember Dr. Bronner's from the '70s as the old "hippie soap" (we used to call it "Dr. Bummer's"); the label is covered with New Age and Essene Rabbinical propaganda, in VERY fine print, along with instructions on how to use the soap for brushing teeth (yeah, it tastes like peppermint SOAP!); washing vegetables; even as an aid to birth control (you'll have to read the label yourself to get the details on THAT)!

If you follow all the instructions and advice on the label, you'll not only be clean and healthy, but you'll live forever, help promote world peace, and attain true spiritual enlightenment! But I've used it for years and years as doggie shampoo, skunks or not, because the peppermint or eucalyptus scent acts as a natural flea repellent.

I carry a bottle of it in the "dog box" when we travel, right along with my Doggie First Aid kit and various leads, collars, nail clippers, brush, etc. It's also available in a bar, but that won't lather as well in hard water as does the liquid. I also carry a short (3' or so) length of rubber hose, with fittings on both ends, which comes in handy for anything from emergency dog washing to filling a cooler that doesn't fit under a spigot. Outdoor spigots are easy to find, but carrying your own hose really helps!

But I never knew how invaluable the Dr. Bronner's would be until Buick's first skunking, while we were on tour and staying in a motel in central Pennsylvania one September. The motel adjoined a woodsy area where I'd let the dog loose for his evening exercise. I didn't think there was much trouble he could get into; I wasn't thinking about skunks.

When I called Buick and saw him running toward me, the wave of skunk aroma that preceded him almost knocked me over. Something had to be done, and quickly. I was in no position, in a small town late at night, to go looking for a pet supply store, or even a feed store, that might carry a specialized skunk remedy. And as for old folk remedies like bathing the dog in tomato juice, well, how much tomato juice would it take to de-skunk a 105 lb. dog?

I decided to go with what I had, and I was delighted at the result. I lathered him up and really worked it into his coat, and left the lather on as long as possible. After I rinsed him off, I had to bury my nose in his fur to get even the slightest whiff of skunk-stink!

I'm happy to report that it worked just as well this last time. My brother-in-law had a bottle of a specialized skunk remedy, which we tried, but its effect was next to negligible. So I went to the dog box in my van and retrieved my hose and bottle of Dr. Bronner's!

I guess another lucky break, both times, was that the weather was not quite cold enough to preclude bathing the dog outdoors; had it been just a tad bit colder, this whole story might be different.

Anyway, not only was it a great source of amusement to my sister's kids and their dog to watch Buick suffer through his impromptu hose-bath, but Buick was de-skunked enough to spend the night indoors, and the next day (and night, and day) we drove back to KC in our van and he didn't stink at all!

Dr. Bronner's is available at most health food stores, and some supermarkets, making it easier to come by than more specialized preparations which may not even work as well. It also comes in almond and rose scents, but for the dogs stick with the peppermint or eucalyptus. You'll find a use for it whether your dog gets skunked or not; just a drop or two in a cup of water makes a great doggie ear-wash! And no, I don't own stock in the company!

Stu Tarlowe (and his minty-fresh doggie)