Question: We found poison ivy in the woods. If our cats and dogs touch it, will it cause them trouble? What if they collide with us humans?

Answer: Cats and dogs do not suffer from poison ivy rash, but their coats can easily transfer the oil from poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac to humans. This oil, called urushiol, causes the common poison ivy rash in people who are sensitive to it.

When my golden retriever Sam came into contact with the poison ivy that invaded our backyard without my knowledge, I learned about my difficulties. A red, itchy rash grows on my face, neck, and arms, which is unique to poison ivy.

Since then, I have learned that urushiol will persist on surfaces for many years, including clothes, furniture, and any other places where our pets settle. Therefore, your pet can transfer the oil directly to you, as Sam did to me, or indirectly transfer the oil to you by leaving the oil on other surfaces that you end up touching.

I solved this problem by using herbicides to kill the poison ivy in my yard. Don't burn it or chop it up with a weed-eating trimmer, because you will spill the oil into the air and bring yourself and others the worst poison ivy rash you can imagine.

Another option is to bathe pets with pet shampoo or Dawn dish soap every time they enter. If your cat cannot tolerate this situation, please clean them with pet wipes or let them get used to living indoors.

Some people use Tecnu to wipe pets to remove urushiol, and then use shampoo to remove Tecnu. For instructions, see teclabsinc.com.

Before there is no poison ivy in your yard, wash your hands with Fels Naptha laundry soap, Dawn or detergent and cold water immediately after petting your cat and dog. Washing with hot water can open the pores and allow urushiol to penetrate the skin more quickly. The skin will absorb urushiol within a few minutes, and once absorbed, it can no longer be washed off.

If you take these precautions into consideration, I hope you won’t be hurt by the terrible poison ivy rash that Sam gave me.

Q: I recently adopted a mixed breed dog named Bear. When I told the vet that I was feeding him grain-free food, she suggested that I switch to grain-containing dog food. She said that grain-free diets from small and boutique manufacturers have been linked to heart failure. Please tell me more.

A: Your veterinarian has given you very good suggestions, and I hope you will follow them. Let me explain the reasoning behind her suggestion.

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a common cardiac (-myo-) disease (-pathy). In dogs with this disease, the muscular walls of the heart weaken and the heart enlarges. As the disease progresses, the heart loses its ability to pump blood effectively. This condition is called heart failure.

Dilated cardiomyopathy has many causes and is inherited in some breeds. However, in 2018, cardiologists began to see this in other breeds of dogs, all dogs eating a small manufacturer's grain-free diet. These diets contain peas, lentils, potatoes and similar carbohydrates instead of grains.

That year, the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning to the public and began collecting reports of canine dilated cardiomyopathy. In 2019, they reported that almost half of dogs with this disease ate one of three grain-free diets: Acana, Zignature, or Taste of the Wild. The rest are eating one of 13 other grain-free dog foods.

It is not clear whether the cause is the harmful substances in one or more grain substitutes, or the lack of important nutrients normally provided by grains.

Despite this, the association between a grain-free diet and dilated cardiomyopathy is still clear, and this is supported by observations that diseases that occur in dogs fed a grain-free diet can be achieved by feeding a grain-containing diet part reverse.

Grains that are easily digested by dogs contain many important nutrients. In addition, dogs are rarely allergic to grains. If you follow the veterinarian’s advice to transition Bear from a grain-free diet to a grain-free diet, you will help keep him healthy.

VMD's Lee Pickett is engaged in companion animal medicine in North Carolina. Contact her

Print title: Pet's fur coat passes poisonous ivy oil to people

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