Lime is commonly touted as a quick and easy way to mask the scent of dog urine and dog poop under and around your dog kennels but there is a large amount of confusion on what you actually have to do to get this process to work.
With the hope of being able to clear a few of these things up for our readers, we have decided to publish this article going over using lime in dog kennels.
Lime can be an quick, easy, and cheap way to deal with the build up of smells around your dog’s kennel with hydrated lime being the best option but pulverized lime can also work too.
There are drawbacks to using lime in this way and it can injure your dog if used incorrectly so you should always make sure that your dog will not come into direct contact with the lime.
Just to be clear, we are specifically talking about lime as in calcium hydroxide or calcium carbonate, not the type of fruit called a lime.
We have seen some people get confused and try to use lime juice to the same effect without having any success so always be sure to use a calcium based lime product when using lime in dog kennels to deal with the smell.
What Type Of Lime Should You Use To Get Rid Of The Smell Of Dog Kennels?
Both hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide) and pulverized lime (calcium carbonate) can both work well to get rid of smells in and around your dogs kennel. Hydrate lime tends to be the better option in most cases while also being the cheaper and easier to find product too.
Pulverized lime can also work well but most people will use pulverized lime to neutralize their dogs poop by making it too alkaline for flies to breed in.
Pulverized lime can still help to remove the scent of urine though due to its reaction with the ammonia in the urine but it does tend to be slow.
The majority of people who are specifically looking for something to deal with the strong smell of urine under or around their dog’s kennel should be using hydrated lime.
It is much quicker and easier to use while most people should easily be able to find it in their local construction supplier store but there are a number of branded hydrated lime pet products that are usually sold as pet deodorizers but often retail at more than double the price of a bag of hydrolyzed lime.
Is Hydrated Lime Harmful To Dogs?
Do to both hydrated lime and pulverized lime being strong alkaline products, they can burn the paw pads of your dogs as well as the dogs skin and eyes if they come into contact with it.
Due to this, you should only use your lime in areas that your dog will not come into contact with.
This is why you should only use these lime products on and around kennels that have their own, raised floor so the paws of your dog do not come into contact with the ground.
A direct to ground kennel is not a suitable option for lime use as your dog will come directly into contact with the lime and have problems.
Some people have built out their own floors for a direct to ground kennel and these can work well. The issue is, if you use wood for the floor of the kennel, dog peel will often react with it and destroy the wood quickly.
Still, once the lime has done its job of oxidizing the ammonia to remove the scent of dog urine, it should be brushed up and put in a container and then disposed of to prevent there being any risk of your dog injecting the lime.
Does Lime Neutralize Dog Urine?
Hydrated lime can be a great way to neutralize dog urine and get rid of the smell. Urine contains ammonia, which is what gives urine its characteristic smell.
When lime comes into contact with ammonia, it reacts and oxidizes it, removing the smell. This makes lime a great choice for neutralizing dog urine odor.
That said, hydrated lime is not the most effective way to oxidize dog urine and deal with the ammonia but it is often the cheapest and why it is such a common option.
If you do have the budget available, there are a number of non-lime based pet deodorizer products on the market that are much safer to use.
Most people who do use hydrated or pulverized lime to deal with the smell of their dogs urine will apply the lime during their kennel maintenance.
Hydrated lime works fast enough that it will usually oxidize the ammonia in your dog left over urine under the kennel by the time you have cleaned the kennel out allowing you to finish the job by brushing the lime up and disposing of it.
Does Lime Break Down Dog Poop?
While lime can help to break down dog poop, it is not the most effective way to do so. Lime will raise the pH of your dog poop making it too alkaline for flies to breed in but it does not actually break down the poop itself in the way many people think.
There are a number of branded pet deodorizer products that use enzymes to break down dog poop.
Unlike the alternatives available to breakdown dog urine, the sprays available to breakdown dog poop are usually cheap and can workout much cheaper and much safer than using lime.
If you want to use lime to break down your dog poop, you can do so by adding it to your compost heap too.
With the compost life becoming increasingly popular, this is also increasing in popularity but keep in mind that some areas specifically have laws against adding poop to a compost heap in a residential area.
How Much Hydrated Lime Do You Need To Use To Hide The Smell Of A Dog Kennel?
The amount of hydrated lime you need to use will depend on the size of your kennel as well as how often your dogs are peeing while in the kennel and how many dogs you keep in there.
Most people will spread a liberal helping of lime over the dried up urine stains under their dogs kennel once per week when they clean the kennel to deal with the smell.
The exact amount is up for discussion and we are sure there will be some very specific scientific method to work out exactly how much lime you should use too.
Due to the low price of hydrate lime, you can usually spread more than you need without having problems with your budget though.
We have seen some people say that they spread enough hydrated lime over their dogs pee stains so it looks similar to light snow fall over the area of the pee. Although you definitely don’t need to use this much lime, using this method can drastically increase the speed that the lime will remove the smell of your dogs pee.
