Hi Boustany,
Have you gotten any relief yet? We had the same experience a few years back-- a direct blast to our German shorthair, and then, to make matters worse, he ran wildly into the house!
Chemically, essence of skunk is a collection of about a half-dozen THIOLS (aka mercaptans) which are organic chemicals containing the stinky sulfhydryl chemical group (-SH). Moreover, these thiols are not especiallly water soluble. There are only two ways to eliminate them and the odors they produce.
1) <font color="purple"> Solubilize the thiols </font> To do this you must raise the pH (i.e., make alkaline) of the wash solution above where the -SH group become ionized to S- at which point it will become more soluble and wash away. This is best done with <font color="green"> alkaline soaps </font> such as Spic n' Span, TSP, Boraxo, sudsy ammonia, and even Ivory soap. Harsher alkalis are available, but they may burn doggy's skin. <font color="red">FORGET the tomato juice!</font> It is a weak <font color="red">ACID</font> , and it will do ZIP to solubilize/remove thiols.
2) <font color="purple"> Chemically alter the -SH group </font> which will render the molecule odorless. The most easy chemical change for thiols is oxidation to sulfonic acids, which are both odorless and more soluble than the parent thiol. A mixture of hydrogen peroxide (1 qt) + baking soda (1/4 cup) + dish detergent (2 Tbs) will oxidize these thiols w/o being too harsh on doggy's skin. Apply with a sponge, rubbing well. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, then rinse with relatively HOT (not scalding!) water. Repeat several times. This concotion will release oxygen gas which is the actual oxidizing agent. It may bleach doggy's coat, but it will not have any ill effect on new hair growth. Do not try to prepare and store this mixture. At best it will deteriorate in a few hours after preparation. At worst, the bottle will explode /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif. For skunk odor that is not on doggy, good ol' Chlorox is the strongest household oxidizer around. Use 1/2 cup bleach per Gal water. Remember, it is bleach, so be careful with sensitive surfaces.
A final caveat. On damp days for as long as 6 months after the "incident" you may well smell a skunky odor on doggy /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif. Having experienced this at our house, and being a scientist, I was naturally curious. Turns out that in addition to the thiols, skunk essence contains a small quantity of thiol esters . In and of themselves they have a low odor. Unlike thiols, thiol esters cannot be easily solubilized with alkalis, nor easily chemically oxidized. However with exposure to moisture, these esters slowly break down (hydrolyze) into, you guessed it, stinky thiols. Since the quantity is minute, the smell is likewise only a minor annoyance. Over time, the residual thiol esters are broken down completely and you can look back and laugh about the experience /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif.
Why do some folks swear by tomato juice? The smell chemists and physiologists tell us that at high concentrations of skunk essence people experience what is called olfactory fatigue, i.e., so much stink that you can no longer smell it. That's when the smell of another substance such as tomato juice becomes easily detected. However, another person coming in the room where you are dousing doggy with tomato juice at this point will quickly affirm that the skunk essence has not been neutralized by the tomato juice.
Good luck, and don't be too harsh on doggy. I'm sure he's not feeling too good about all this right now.
