For those of you with outdoor-loving dogs and cats, pay attention to the bushes and wooded areas they frequent. It would not be a bad idea to bathe your dog or cat immediately after they come inside — especially if you or someone in your household is sensitive to Poison ivy or oak. Your pets can carry the poison (an oil) on their fur. This oil, as we know, can be highly toxic to certain people, causing painful boils and pustules that can become badly infected. My first encounter with the rampage that can be caused by Poison ivy was as a small child. I didn’t get it on this occasion — but my father did. He was the kind of tough guy that didn’t believe in pain unless you were missing a limb. He was a carpenter, a roofer, a World War II veteran. He thought he was immune to the effects of Poison ivy and pulled the vines out with his bare hands. One day he pulled out a bunch of the ivy around our cabin in Wisconsin so my sister and I wouldn’t get into it. And he was right — he wasn’t harmed… until he threw it in a pile to burn. Shortly thereafter he came down with boils over his entire body and he was very nearly unable to combat the resulting infections. We couldn’t move him for two weeks. Do not take this stuff lightly. Just be aware that your pet can bring this oil in on his coat and take the necessary precautions.
One home remedy is Jewel Weed. The leaves and juice from the stem of the plant are used by herbalists as a treatment for Poison ivy, Poison oak and other plant-induced rashes, including dermatitis. Poultices and salves from Jewel Weed have been used as a remedy for bruises, burns, cuts, eczema, insect bites… even sprains and ringworm.
The following web page details where to find Jewel Weed and some of the methods for using Jewel Weed as a home remedy.
http://www.hbci.com/~wenonah/hydro/jewelwed.htm
…and now some Poison Ivy afterthoughts…
I’ve read a number of articles about poison ivy in preparing this blog post and I’ve come up with the following conclusions:
Dogs can get poison ivy but not nearly as readily as humans. The cases of poison ivy infection in dogs are also not nearly as severe.
The oil that attaches to our skin and hair is urushiol (sidenote: the Japanese use another form of this to make lacquer finishes). It takes about 15 minutes after exposure for the oil to attach to our skin. For the most part, if we wash our hands thoroughly after contact with the oil we can prevent the potential reaction.
If your dog really gets into the stuff don’t pet him. Love him from afar until you can hose him down thoroughly with tap water or wipes. After that you can give him a bath using shampoos. Some recommendations use an oatmeal shampoo to neutralize the oil; this may or may not be a good idea. Why is it recommended then? A good question. Oatmeal shampoo will disperse the oil because the shampoo acts as a surface action depressant. Spreading is not the same thing as neutralization. Really sensitive people could merely expand the breadth of their exposure. The oil is insoluble in water so water will have a better chance of rinsing the oil off your dogs fur through its mechanical action. The oil is completely miscible in alcohol so that would disperse the oil as well. Plain cold water seems to be the best way to disperse the oil. Follow the cold water rinse with shampoo or soap and water.
