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This week's myth concerns something very important to us -- our sense of smell. You may have heard that tomato juice can neutralize the odor of a skunk. It sure seems to work. A bath of tomato juice makes your dog smell like tomato juice instead.

In reality, the skunk's smell is so overpowering that your nose simply gets tired from the stench. The smell receptors in your nose bind the skunk odor so tightly that eventually you stop smelling it so much. This is called "olfactory fatigue." At that point, the tomato juice you've just bathed your pet with is a new smell that your nose is not used to yet. After a while, though, the tomato juice smell will go away and that skunk odor will come back.

In order to really rid your pet of that stench, you need to change the chemical composition of the odor itself into a compound that has no smell. One idea is to make a mixture of a quarter cup of baking soda per quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide. Add to this a little liquid detergent and you're ready to wash that smell right out of your pet. If the smell is in the air instead of on a pet or clothing, you'll have to rely on the only proven method for odor control—open a window and be patient!

Additional Resources:

• Here are many suggestions for removing the skunk smell from your pet's fur. And some are very creative!
• How does our sense of smell work, anyway? This web site -- directed at kids -- explains all this technical information in easy to understand terms.
• Read more information about de-skunking your pet.

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