Poison Ivy or Oak Touched Your Pet's Coat? How to Clean It Off and Remain Rash-Free
Our dogs and cats are generally not allergic to poison ivy, sumac or oak like their human guardians, but they sure can transmit the toxic plant oil sticking to their fur to any humans who pat and hug them afterwards.
The offending urushiol oil on these plants is very hardy and persistent. Even if someone doesn't get anywhere near the plants, contact with the oil on any other surface can still cause the miserable blisters and rashes on human skin.
If you have ANY reason to suspect your pet's coat has touched poison ivy, sumac or oak, unless you want to scratch and suffer for a week or two, don't mess around. Tips from Getting Rid Of Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac on Pets| About.com Veterinary Medicine:
Getting Rid of Urushiol Oils on Your Pets
A bath is in order. Here are some tips to make the pet bathing as effective as possible for removing this stubborn plant oil.
- Wear rubber gloves.
- Use a barrier cream, such as a lotion containing bentoquatum, on your arms and skin not protected by gloves. Ref: CDC prevention tips
- Use copious amounts of cool water, for a long period of time.
- Use a "degreasing" soap, such as Dawn
dishwashing detergent, to remove the oils from your pet's coat.
Any soap that effectively cuts oil such as Burt's Bees Poison Ivy Soap
should be effective on your skin and their coat.
Read More in: Dogs | Health and Safety | Problem Solvers
Share this Article with others: 
Related Articles:
Came straight to this page? Visit Super Cool Pets for all the latest news.
Posted by Molly & Jessie at August 2, 2012 1:28 AM
Mailing List
Subscribe - RSS
Site Navigation
