WARNING tea tree oil can be toxic

[Tia Maria]

I know this isn't chicken related but I bet a lot of you have dogs - please learn from my mistake

Just a word of warning Don't use tea tree oil on your dogs or cats
My wire-haired pointer has a bad case of eczema for which we have tried most things

The other night her belly was looking really inflamed and sore so I mixed 4 (honestly only 4) drops of tea tree oil into half a cup of almond oil, I then massaged this into her belly
It quickly soaked in and she stopped scratching. Approx 3 hours later I massaged some more in as she was scratching again. The evening passed and we went to bed as normal.

The following morning my dog was in a dreadful state, hardly able to stand, her legs would give out on her, she stood totally hunched up with her back arched and her head dragged on the floor!!!! Straight off to the vet went we. It turns out that tea tree oil can be fatal to cats (always) and small dogs (often), fortunately my dog is large.

The vet gave her charcoal but said there was nothing he could do but wait, she had probably licked herself and therefore ingested some but even absorbing it through the skin can cause liver and kidney failure!!!!

Slowly over the next couple of days she returned to normal - but what a scare

Please be aware - in innocence I almost killed my dog

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

I'm sorry you had to learn this way, luckily your dog is large, like you said, and she is ok. Too often people give their pets medications, (or herbal supplements/treatments) that are intended for humans and the consequences are MUCH MUCH worse. If I had a nickel for every time I answered the phone at work (vet ER) and have someone ask if it's ok to give their pet some human medication, and when I say NO, they say "oh, what if I already did?"...

To anyone reading this post: PLEASE NEVER GIVE ANY MEDICATION OR "NATURAL" REMEDY TO YOUR PETS WITHOUT YOUR VETERINARIAN'S SPECIFIC OK TO DO SO!!!!!!!

Again to the OP: I am SO glad she is ok, and you were able to learn this very important lesson without losing your beloved pet!

 

[FlipFlopFarmer]

Also, communicate with your vet, and in some instances, you will be able to use certain lotions for humans, and meds like diphenhydramine, most vets are very very hesitent to offer advice about non prescription meds or remedies because of the liability in this sue happy world, and some vets ( ive worked for a few) wont go along with anything that would take money away from their clinic, I live rurally, and our vet does all he can to help us when it comes to saving money and doing whats best for the animal. You may have to "shop around" for a vet or even a really great tech that is willing to offer advice. Before u try anything new, just ask, even if its online in a forum, most of the time if anyone has had a problem, as u did, they are quick to warn other loving pet owners. Take care, and good luck with ur itchy dog, oh and p.s. oatmeal based shampoos work good for skin.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Quote:
Agreed, just make sure the advice you take is truly knowledgeable advice, and not someone who tried something once, and it happened to work for them...

And I DEFINITELY agree about shopping around...our ER freely gives out advice (that we legally can) but there's another ER clinic fairly close that won't tell people ANYTHING, they just say they need to bring their animals in to be seen by a Dr...but it's all about the allmighty dollar at that clinic...

 

[speckledhen]

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