Hi all,

My Corgi managed to find a dead bird to roll in when the husband was out walking him yesterday. I'll spare you the description of the smell, but suffice it to say that it makes my eyes gush water at a distance and makes the gag reflex HIGHLY active.

I can handle terrible odors (you have to get used to them with dogs and kids) but I have to say I don't think I have EVER smelled anything this potent or horrible. This even beats the dead fish the Corgi rolled in on the beach. Rank, rank, rank. If you've ever been around a dog that's been hit at close range by a skunk, then imagine that potency only with rotting animal smell instead of skunk, and you'll get some idea of how strong this is. I have no idea why it's so lethal.

So, I have washed him three times and I have even resorted to spraying him a bit with Nature's Miracle (the spray and the skunk odor remover) Nothing seems to be working.

I don't want to wash him to death, but believe me when I tell you that you can't get within 20 paces of him before you have to beat feet. And being wet does NOT improve the odor, let me tell you.

Has anyone had good luck with any particular shampoo? I'm open to any suggestions as I'd like to allow him back in the house at some point within the next year or so.

amber, have you tried the Nature's Miracle shampoo? i've used it in a similar situation to great success.

i wonder if the good ol' standby, tomato juice, would help at all?

good luck!

Amber,
I think this is a great chance to really, really bond with your Corgi and simply lick off the offending odor.....

Failing that, you might want to get a bottle of Nature's Miracle Skunk Odor Remover and have at it.

If it helps, my ten year old Corgi *still* does that sometimes.....
Fetz cuts out the middle man and simply eats the offensive item and then promptly vomits it up onto the rug......

When I was a groomer we would get dogs that had been skunked & unfortunately the only thing that really worked was time & repeated washings. One thing that helped neutralize the stink from skunk & may help with the dead animal smell is vinegar & lemon juice. Get a bottle of apple cider vinegar & a bottle of lemon juice. Mix them together & sponge it all over the dog, saturating the coat. Don't rinse it off, just let the dog air dry. Other than this, I have tried a lot of different shampoos & stuff and this seemed to work the best for me. I know what you mean about it being worse when they are wet - it's awful. Good luck, my friend!

Hi Amber,
Here is a "hint from heloise" - it says that the tomato juice does not really make all that much difference, and that this formula is "vet approved".

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/heloise/odors/neutralize-skunk-odor-mar02

Good luck!

I would stay away from the dishwashing detergent and hydrogen peroxide as both are extremely drying to the skin & the dog has already been washed three times.

 Quote: will rambeau

If it helps, my ten year old Corgi *still* does that sometimes.....

I just KNEW it was a Corgi thing! Damn imps.

If licking off the offending odor is what it takes then I'd be happy to let Carbon bond with the Corgi for awhile!

 Quote: will rambeau

Fetz cuts out the middle man and simply eats the offensive item and then promptly vomits it up onto the rug......

As disgusting as this is, I would prefer it. Blech. At least you can throw out the rug. I can't throw out the Corgi...can I?

I have already tried the skunk remover. Doesn't work. I think that's because the "skunk-funk" is oil based and the skunk formulas (including tomato juice) are designed to break down the oil. Whatever it is that's living on the Corgi's coat doesn't seem to be oil based OR fazed by modern science. Maybe he rolled in an alien. This is the weirdest thing. I've never had such a hard time getting dead animal smell off before.

Susan, I'll try the lemon and vinegar. If nothing else, he'll at least taste better! And Diane, I didn't even think of baking soda. I could certainly try that as well. Hopefully I won't accidentally mix the vinegar and the baking soda or I'll have a volcanic Corgi! Heh.

 Quote: susan tuck

I would stay away from the dishwashing detergent and hydrogen peroxide as both are extremely drying to the skin & the dog has already been washed three times.

Maybe I could just make a paste of baking soda? That should crumble off when dry and rinse off with plain water or an ocean swim.

Good idea, since baking soda is a neutralizing agent it should help.

I wonder how smelling like a dead animal has helped dogs survive . . . . .