Thanks Matt! I will try this for Lexi - she has it AGAIN!

It really does work Ernie. It worked better than when I would take pills and get a shot.

matthiasj

The DAWN dish soap is really effective at getting the oil off your skin. Used it in place of hand soap for your initial washing, its grease cutting capabilities get the oils off quite well.

Here in Oregon we have poison oak, the symptoms are quite similar. Those of us who know about using dawn always keep it on hand.

One more tidbit, Prednisone dries the blisters up fast. If you're on good terms with your local veterinarian, they are also able to prescribe certain useful medicines for your "pet" ;-)

Thanks for the tip AWM. I don't visit our local vet but will look into that.

matthiasj

I use Preparation H on the rash. It dries it up and stops the itch (laugh but its true)pop the blisters and wash your arm with dawn dish soap to remove the oil first.

Never heard of that one rridgeoutlaw. I'll have to give that a try next time I get it. Thanks for the tip!

matthiasj

My husband got poison oak a couple of years ago and ended up with a very bad infection in his leg. After a cortisone shot and a round of strong antibiotics, it cleared up. Now we know how to treat it.

Last week he got into some again. He washed with Dawn to remove the oil, did not scratch it, and treated the rash with a skin salve my friend makes. I use it on almost everything! Here's the link to it:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26574411&ref=sc_2

The rash has not spread at all and is slowly fading! I keep a tub of the salve in our first aid kit, one in my purse and one in my bathroom for everyday use.

Thanks for the link PreparingMama. Sounds like some good stuff.

matthiasj

An even better oil remover than Dawn is good old alcohol. Just use a rag and gently slather rubbing alcohol all over any place that might have come into contact with the plant (obviously avoiding any body parts that might hurt if you got alcohol on them) and let it air dry.

The other thing to use for those have a real problem with it is the stuff that prevents it from bothering you in the first place. Can't remember the name off the top of my head, but the manufacturer let the US Forest Service test it out before they sold it to the public and they liked it so much that they bought out the whole next year's production of it.

@GunGeek that's interesting...I would like to find out what it is. I found a site that said eating small leaves of the plant and working your way up to a whole leave will give your body immunity for up to a year.