Field Trials Canada

From Cornell Riney Canine Health Center

Ingredients

• 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide
• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 1-2 teaspoons of dishwashing liquid, such as Dawn

Instructions

1. Wear gloves. Rinse the dog's eyes with cool water if sprayed in the face.
2. Mix the ingredients in a bowl and immediately apply the solution when it starts to bubble.
3. Lather the mixture throughout the skunked area on your pet. Be careful to avoid the eyes.
4. Let sit for 5 minutes, and then rinse thoroughly with warm water. Repeat as necessary if the odor is still present.
5. Finish by bathing with regular pet shampoo (optional).
6. Towel dry and let them finish drying in a warm area.
7. Discard all unused solution. Do NOT store or save.

DON'T

• Don't make the mixture beforehand or store it in a closed container. The chemical reaction between hydrogen peroxide and baking soda will make the container burst.
• Don't save any unused mixture. It can't be bottled. The chemical reaction of pressure from combining hydrogen peroxide and baking soda will make it burst, and the subsequent explosion can cause injuries.
• Don't smoke while shampooing, since this mixture is flammable.

DO

• Do use the homemade solution right after it is mixed and still bubbling.
• Do repeat bathing with the homemade solution a few times to remove the smell completely.
• Do wear old clothes and use towels that you don't mind getting bleached. Hydrogen peroxide will lighten black hair to a bronze color, which will not return to its usual shade until it grows out.
• Do keep the solution out of your pet's eyes. It can be irritating enough to cause shallow corneal ulcers.