Please share your knowledge about poison ivy!

[Gail and Bailey]

I need input from all my DK friends about poison ivy!  

My dog does not have it....I do...and I am sick and tired of getting it!  I live in the woods and my passion (besides my doodle) is working outdoors in our yard.  I will start by saying that I always walk Bailey in the street and only allow her to venture into grassy areas,  never into any brush or wooded places.  She is not the carrier.  I steer clear of all areas that could possibly have poison ivy growing.  When I work in the yard I have garden beds and a dry creek area that I have created and that is my focus.....never in the surrounding woods.

Despite all this I have gotten poison ivy three times this summer!  This one is the worst outbreak.

I have researched poison ivy on line and know that I must be coming into contact with the urushiol oil that the plant produces.  Here is where the "facts" get cloudy for me......the outbreak can continue to get worse ("spread") for days and I can't seem to get clear information on why and how.  

I have read that it is a matter of how much oil got on your skin and in what concentration that causes the breakout......the first and worst being where the oil was most concentrated....the "spreading effect" being places where the oil was not as concentrated and takes longer to show.

 I know the oil can be on inanimate objects (garden tools, gloves, doorknobs....) and it can be spread in this manner.

I have read that it is an "old wives tale" that itching and distributing the fluid in the blisters causes it to spread.

I went to the doctor today to get a steroid shot and even she left the room after not touching me or the doorknob!  Leading me to believe I am "contagious" (so to speak). (the nurse gave me the shot.)

Can anyone help me with the facts???   

[Gail and Bailey]

Thanks, Robin.  I tried Tek-Nu last outbreak and it did not help me.....hopefully the steroid shot will knock it out this time!  Interesting that your daughter gets it and does not know how or where either!  Maybe she and I need to figure this out! LOL

[Shoney & Ruby]

Sadly, I am an expert on Poison Ivy and Poison Oak.

First---if your dog gets any of the oil on his/her fur, paws, nose--you can get it from petting them. My first experience many years ago was a wretched blistering rash from holding a puppy who had tromped through PI. Over the years I've gotten both PI and PO many, many times--I try to avoid it and suggest that if you are sensitive to it--you do too. My reaction has gotten worse for me over the years.

My doctor said that it is very, very common to get it from pets and even from other people--not from the rash [which can ooze] but from the oils they get on their skin when moving through the woods. I  repeat the oozing rash is not contagious BUT all clothes, backpacks, leashes, collars, dogs can have the oil on them until it is removed and will continue to be a problem.

So: My advice, do not let your dog or people you love, get into Poison Ivy/Poison Oak. I have become fanatic about this because I am so allergic [including a visit to the hospital after breathing in dust/ash around the plants]. 

Also learn to recognize this hardy plant: it can be a vine, a bush, a twig. It can be green, yellow, red. It is contagious all year around. 

Finally--if you have been exposed, immediately use Technu [a product made for firefighters to remove  ivy/oak oils]. I often wipe down completely, including my shoes with rubbing alcohol if I think I've been exposed--then shower with Technu several times a day. Some people also take an aspirin or advil to try to ward off the big immune reaction.

Another finally---just because you have never had a reaction to date does not mean you are home-free----I've known people who had their first reaction in their 80s.....

Whew!

[Gail and Bailey]

First of all...Welcome to DoodleKisses, Bettianne!!    

Thanks the info and advice.  I am trying hard to avoid all plants that have not been planted by me!  I am just now beginning to suspect that some of the tiny "weeds" that I remove are poison ivy that has been spread by the birds eating the berries and flying over and depositing them.  I guess I need to let these grow a bit larger so I can identify them before I pull!  That being said....wonder if my doodle is stepping on really small "weeds" (in the grass and other areas) that could be poison ivy seedlings??  The mystery continues. :/

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Sounds like you are getting some great guidance here Gail. That PO can be particularly hard to get rid of and it itches like the dickens. Good luck!

[Gail and Bailey]

Thanks, Leslie.  Truer words were never spoken.... it itches like the dickens!!  LOL!

[Lynda Kamrath]

Well, I think I am a "specialist" in this area.  I have had poison oak systemically three times.  And, my doodles (labradoodle and ALD) both got poison oak.  Harpo has had it so many times that he got it systemically the last time and now I never leave him off leash unless we are in an enclosed area (like a dog park).  Of course, where we live, the oak studded hillsides are covered with oaks and under the oaks you find the poison oak.

So, first thing you need to do is get big bottles of Technu.  It is a soap that is a decontaminate.  It was designed to neutralize nuclear contamination and was found to also neutralize the enzyme in poison oak, poison ivy, and other things like cashew fruits, papayas, and mangoes.  Yes, if you are very allergic to poison oak, you should also avoid mangoes, papayas, and cashews.  As soon as you find you have been contaminated or when the rash starts, wash with the soap, leave it on for a few minutes, and then wash off in a shower.  You can also wash your dog, tools, clothes with it.  BTW, quart bottles are available at the pharmacy at Costco and other pharmacies.  Stock up.

When it is bad, the only thing to do is start on steroids.  Prednisone works well for both me and my dogs.  But early cleansing with Technu works equally well.  If you need any other information, please contact me.  Want to be a friend?  Sounds like we have something rather uncomfortable in common.

[Gail and Bailey]

Thanks for the info, Lynda.  Gosh it sounds like you have had some bad experiences with poison oak and I am glad you are keeping poor Harpo on a leash now...I bet he is secretly glad too!  I will be cleaning all my tools  while wearing throw-away clothes....will look for the big bottle of Technu!  Friend request accepted....good thing we also have the love of doodles in common! LOL

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

My husband's sure-fire 'cure' is a dip in the ocean, so I think a vacation is in order for you!  :-}  Seriously, I am sorry you have this.  I have allergic reactions to flea bites. Of course they don't spread and are self limiting, but I can empathize with your itch.  Truly, my husband and other family members take a swim in the salty ocean when they get Poison Oak and it dries it up. Lucky them.

[Gail and Bailey]

Oh man...that dip in the ocean sounds lovely right now!!  Too bad the closest body of water is the Ohio River!  Hmmmm...maybe a bath with Epsom Salt?  Sorry about your itchy reaction to flea bites!  I have never had a flea bite but my husband used to get them when he was a kid and says they were terrible.....so were the chigger bites he got!  

[Bren & Reagan]

Hi Gail, I can totally relate to you!!  I am severely allergic to poison ivy.  This is the first year I have been safe and sound.  It could be that my neighbor moved and the new people took care of the problem.  (11 years!)  I wish there was an easy answer, but I am reading the response also to get some additional insight.  I really hope the shot has helped you.  I haven't read all of the posts yet.  Bren

[Gail and Bailey]

Thanks, Bren.  The shot did the trick and I am on the mend!  Good thing because I have company arriving in 2 days!  Glad you got new neighbors who got rid of the poison ivy!!

[Kristina 'n Parker]

Our 15 year old boy has had poison ivy perpetually this year - he's covered in it right now - he can get it on a bike ride. He loves Hydrocortisone 2.5% cream - it's a prescription.   We have tried every preventative and treatment known - Tecnu, Zanfel, IvyDry, Ivarest, Fels-Naptha Laundry Soap, Bentonite Clay, Methylprednisolone, etc.   If he thinks he was near it - he washes down with alcohol, brown laundry soap & dove dish soap - we've given up on all the other products. A small nearby town accepted a donation of goats to eat poison ivy on school grounds this year.  And yes, I have gotten it when he has used my bath towel.  Best preventative:  Disposable Tyvek Coverall Suit.  I understand your frustration completely.