For context, there are two stray dogs at our local city park that we can’t outright adopt, apartment rules say no pets, but we’ve been doing our best within our means to care for them at the park in the meantime.
More details here: https://lemmy.world/comment/11362479
If push comes to shove and none of the other alternatives work, turpentine is the solvent extracted from pine. It smells terrible and you need to wash it with soap afterwards, but I doubt it wouldn’t work.
Do try detergent and mineral oil first, though. They’re much easier on the animal and your hands. And the environment.
I ended up giving them a hand sanitizer bath with a hair brush, then mostly dried them off with paper towels. They’re so much cleaner now, and they loved it!
Neat!