K-State Expert Suggests De-Skunking Home Remedy

MANHATTAN -- Crossing the path of a skunk can leave your pet smelling like the cartoon character Pepe Le Pew. To help alleviate the irritating, powerful odor, a Kansas State University veterinary technician offers a homemade recipe to have your dog or cat smell less like a skunk.

Karyl Brandon, animal science technician at K-State's College of Veterinary Medicine, has tried several experiments to remove the skunk smell from sprayed animals. As a grooming expert, she says many of the common antidotes that people try, but fail to do the job, are tomato juice, vinegar and different types of shampoos.

Brandon recommends an easy home recipe using ingredients that can be found in most drugstores.

* One quart 3 percent hydrogen peroxide

* One-fourth cup baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)

* One teaspoon liquid soap

She says to begin by wetting the animal down, then apply the mixture and work it through the animal's hair. Leave the solution on three to four minutes, and finish with a tap water rinse.

Caution: Make up only as much of the de-skunking remedy as you can use at one time. It is unsafe to bottle and store this chemical combination.

Prepared by Robyn Horton.

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Thursday, November 4, 1999