Poison Ivy, Oak or Sumac

What did you get for Christmas?  I got poison oak, ivy or sumac; nice eh?  I'm not sure if I will post an image or not, it's pretty scary.  Yesterday I had to run out to the store for a few things but opted not to because my face was oozing.  Even a split second having to glance at an oozing face is a bit much to ask of the general public I believe.  So I stayed home and slathered calamine lotion all over it.  A thick pink coating that eventually peels off isn't a whole lot better as far as nice visual is concerned.

This case of erupting rash is smack dab on my face.  It covers the left side of my face from my collar bone to my eyebrow.  Each morning when I open my eyes or try to open my eyes I feel around to see what has changed.  This morning my lip is also fat, something I just commented on before falling asleep last night.  "At least my lips are fine," I stated.  Hmmmm.

I am highly sensitive to the stuff, it sucks big time.  Years ago when we lived in Canada I had it several times and narrowed my acquisition of the lovely oozing rash to my dogs.  Having gotten it in some strange places like the middle of my back I realized it was indeed being delivered to me via the dogs.  Dogs run through the bushes, bushes have poison in it, dog jumps on me with the poison on their feet, voila.

This left me pondering as to why my dogs never got any itchy, oozing poison yet generously gave it to me.  Can dogs get poison ivy, oak or sumac?  After much research it seems as though they can although very rare.    It doesn't happen often as they do not seem to be sensitive to it.  And much of it remains on their outer coat being shed off quickly over just a few days.

The toxic substance in any of these poisons is urushiol, the dreaded oil that delivers the rash.  Just touching the stuff can leave you with a nasty rash that is crazy itchy.  After reading scores of pages on these poisons and dogs it seems highly unlikely that they themselves will acquire a full blown case.  If your dog has bald spots in their coat they can get it but more likely they will just carry it to you on the outer layer of their coat.  Take care when walking through wooded areas that are known to house these dreadful plants.  And if you are unaware that they are lurking as I was then you may suffer the wrath of the poison ivy, oak or sumac platn.

Poison ivy, oak, sumac and dogs

Poison ivy facts

Pets and native remedies