Now that you know you can get poison ivy even if you never see the stuff (darned dogs) and that even if you see it you may not recognize it, it’s time to talk about treating poison ivy. What you are treating is actually the allergic reaction caused by your skin coming into contact with the oil produced by the plant. It isn’t contagious to other people unless you still have some of the oil on you , so the first thing you need to do is wash the affected area thoroughly with cold water. If your hands haven’t been affected make sure you put on rubber gloves first, so the oil doesn’t affect your hands too. You will also need to wash any clothing or items that may have been exposed, as the oil can stay potent for a very long time and you wouldn’t want another occurrence after treating the first.

Don’t scratch! You won’t cause the rash to spread, but you can tear the skin and allow bacteria to enter which may cause an infection. Bad, really bad. Don’t do it! Instead, use cool wet compresses when the itching is really bad or an over the counter corticosteroids or other products like calamine lotion that reduce itching (don’t combine them and use them as directed.)

Sometimes, a rash caused by poison ivy will need medical attention. If you have a fever over 100F, pus appears, the rash covers more than a fourth of your skin, or if the rash is in or near the eyes or mouth you should visit your doctor. Also, if the rash is so severe that you aren’t able to sleep even using the over the counter medications and cold compresses you should consult your doctor.

Unfortunately, the only way to completely get rid of a rash caused by an allergic reaction to poison ivy is to wait. The rash will typically resolve within three weeks.

Have you had poison ivy? How long did it take for your rash to dissipate? What did you use to control the itching?

Photo Credit Anoldent

As mentioned in my previous post, poison ivy isn’t the most fun you’ll ever have. What should you do about this annoying plant? First, make sure your pets aren’t exposed (as illustrated by the puppy story). Is that all there is to it? No, of course not. You need to be able to recognize the plant too, so you won’t stumble into a patch while you are hiking with your dog. The picture above is a close-up of the plant so watch out for this plant of misery masquerading as a harmless bit of forestry background. (Fair warning, it can vary in appearance depending on location so do a bit of local research before heading out into the woods)

Where is poison ivy typically found? So glad you asked! Most of the time it grows in vines on trees or along the ground. Sometimes, however, if it is desperate to go up with nothing to climb it will become a little shrub. It can be found (in various forms) all over the United States and in some parts of Canada.

Now for the really bad news, even if you know what it looks like in your area and where it could be found, it can still be really hard to avoid. If you have a serious allergy to poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac (variations of the plant) then you may want to take a few extra precautions like wearing long sleeve shirts and pants tucked into shoes. Shirts tucked into gloves aren’t a horrible idea either? If you (or your pet) is exposed was off the oil as soon as possible to prevent itching and avoid further contamination.

What do you do to avoid poison ivy exposure?

Photo Credit Cygnus921

One of my friends had an unexpected surprise this weekend, and really, not the good kind. She came home Friday night looking forward to a relaxing weekend with her boyfriend preceded by a girl’s night in with her roommate, some ice cream, and a chick flick. All was going really well, even the dog was up on the couch enjoying the estrogen fest. Can you guess where this is going?