When Something Stinks…and It’s the Dog (or Cat )!

 

Uh oh!  A skunk sprayed your dog or cat!  The smell is obnoxious and overwhelming, plus, it can linger for quite some time.   I keep some products on hand - just in case.

 

My favorite product that has proven to be far superior to all others I've tried in the past 30 years -- for safe elimination of odors -- is PurAyre.  The first 'test' of it was when I'd picked up a box full of turkey backs and giblets which leaked -- in my husband's new jeep. Oh, what an awful smell!  So, I sprayed it with  "PureAyre", and to my amazement (and relief) it was totally gone by the next day!  I like the fact that it is non-toxic and contains 100% plant enzymes which digest odors instantly.

 

The second 'test' was while fostering a cat for a friend and to my dismay, found that he was 'marking the territory' by spraying urine.  The PureAyre completely eliminated that odor within minutes -- which was imperative because I live with other cats who could have 'responded' to his 'message'!  Fortunately, he was placed in his new home without further 'communication'.

 

Should any of my animals have the unfortunate experience of being sprayed by a skunk, my next 'test' will be to use PureAyer, as I received the following helpful information from James Mitchell, the company President: 

 

"... please test PureAyre on skunk odor on an animal and you'll find you can literally eliminate the skunk odor from the animal by spraying and brushing them thoroughly with PureAyre.  In fact, one customer called us from the East Coast and said their dog got skunked and his mouth was open.  She assumed since PureAyre is 100% food-grade, that is was safe to even de-skunk her dog's mouth/breath.  She called us to confirm the safety factor for that application and we of course, said she could."

 

 For more information on that great odor remover, PureAyre, to follow is an excerpt from their Web Site (no financial affiliation):

 

If you're looking for an odor eliminator that really works, without exposing you or your family to risky chemicals, choose the healthy alternative. Choose PureAyre. PureAyre is the strongest, most effective odor eliminator you can buy, and it's completely safe.

PureAyre is strong because biotechnology has made it possible for us to bottle a potent combination of plant-derived enzymes without the use of chemicals or alcohol. When you use PureAyre, these enzymes break apart the molecular bonds of odor-causing compounds to eliminate both odors and harmful contaminants.

PureAyre is safe because it's natural. In fact, PureAyre is the only food-grade odor eliminator available. That means PureAyre is the safest and surest way to get rid of disgusting smells, even around food, and on people and pets. It lets you control the smells in your environment while being friendly to your environment

PureAyre is made from plant-derived enzymes, purified water and essential oils. It eliminates odors and cleans the air so you can breathe easier. You can't get any more natural than that.

Clean Earth, Inc.
P.O. Box 50381
Bellevue, WA 98015

877/ PUREAYRE  (877/ 787-3297)

E-mail: info @ pureayre . com (omit spaces when addressing)

 

 

While we're on the subject of dealing with smelly problems, I'd like to pass along a helpful tip about using boot trays when carting around meat and other items. These are large, flat plastic trays intended for placing on the floors or carpeting to protect them from the debris (dirt/mud/salt) commonly tracked in on shoes or boots.  They're usually sold in department stores such as K-Mart and Wal-Mart.  The tip about using them under the meat packages sounds like a good idea -- they might work well for preventing the meat juices from leaking and stinking up the place.  Another hint: use large plastic containers or pails in the refrigerator when defrosting the meat, it will save you from a time consuming and stinky clean up!

 

Getting back to dealing with Skunk odors, there's another couple of ideas I'd like to share with you, one is a product specifically made for the job, Nature’s Miracle Skunk Odor Remover, which is available at most pet shops. Another is said to work when everything else fails, the  "Skunk Remedy"-- a concoction by Paul Krebaum, which follows.

 

How I learned about the "Skunk Remedy":

Well, back in 1995, as I explained in the first edition of my book, my Golden Retriever, Paco, was sprayed by a skunk. A friend, Bill, Gill, faxed to me a “Skunk Antidote” which he read in Popular Science magazine.  I had already used some Nature’s Miracle Skunk Odor Remover and bathed him, which worked, but I thought others might appreciate the information contained in that fax:

 

“Chemistry: Skunk Antidote”

            by Steve Nadis

“Paul Krebaum knows a thing or two about smells.  As a chemist at Molex, Inc., in Lisle, Illinois, he occasionally tangles with vile-smelling substances.  When the stink becomes overpowering, Krebaum relies on chemical tricks to spare his nose.

 

Krebaum faced perhaps his biggest challenge when a colleague came to work fretting about a pet cat that had waged a losing battle with a skunk.  The recommended antidote, tomato juice, had failed to rid the cat of its repellent odor, and the still-reeking pet had been banished from the house.

 

Krebaum leapt to the rescue, prescribing a concoction – a quart of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide, a quarter cup of baking soda, and a teaspoon of liquid soap – that saved the malodorous feline from exile.  The man bathed his pet in the solution and applied a tap-water rinse, an the smell instantly vanished.

 

The success of the recipe stems from Krebaum’s extensive experience with “thiols” – chemicals that impart a stench to skunk spray, decaying fecal matter, and decomposing flesh.  The remedy Krebaum prescribed neutralizes thiols by inducing them to combine with oxygen, supplied by the hydrogen peroxide.

 

Krebaum has not tried to market his skunk potion, because there is no way to store it.  “If you put the ingredients in a bottle, the whole thing would explode,” he warns.

 

~~ More on Paul Krebaum and the Skunk Remedy ~~~

 

"If your pet's been skunked then you've come to the right place. Tomato juice doesn't work, this does. Best of all, it's free!!!"

 

"The Skunk Recipe & Directions"

 

"Recipe FAQ's"

"4 out of 5 e-mails say that their pet was not bleached. ... What about that fifth e-mail ?"

"If bleaching was observed it was slight. Your black terrier won't become a platinum blonde. I have heard (1 instance) of a black Lab turning chocolate brown, but have no further info. Perhaps prior use of tomato juice helped (black + red = brown)"

"The quicker you treat your pet the less work you'll have to do later. The peroxide mixture must come in contact with the skunk spray in order to neutralize it. As time passes the skunk spray soaks deeper into the hair shaft and skin, making the washing a lengthier process." [Note from Helen: I don't recommend "Febreze"]

 

"It was while working on the first patent that the skunk remedy was invented. Part of the research involved a reaction which produced hydrogen sulfide gas...and was not appreciated by others in the building. I used a much stronger version of "the recipe" to scrub this waste gas stream, to much success. One of the guys I worked with in the lab, Maciej Pike-Biegunski, told me one day that the family cat had just gotten skunked. I wrote down a much milder formula for him to try on the cat, and it worked ! I sent my tale in to Chemical & Engineering News, K.M. Reese published it in the "Newscripts" section on Oct. 18, 1993. And as they say, the rest is history. Actually, things were kind of uneventful until Peter Kendall of the Chicago Tribune caught the scent of the C&EN article and published a piece in the Trib. 15 minutes of fame does wonders for the ego, more than that is a pain in the ass...the last thing parents of a newborn need is the local UHF station wanting to drop by with a camera crew because it's been a slow news day."