corgimom
04-15-2007, 10:25 AM
I sent a couple of emails regarding Poison Ivy and if Dogs react to it the same way we humans would and here are the responses I received. I was impressed that they responded. I was given permission to post the responses by Dr. DeBoer, Dr. Miller, and Greer.
This resonse below is from Dr. Douglas DeBoer, DVM ;Associate Professor of Dermatology at University of Wisconsin, Madison, School of veterinary medicine:
"Allergic contact dermatitis" is what you are talking
about, and it's very common in people but rare in dogs. In
part, this is due to protection by the dog's haircoat, so
the plant can't touch the skin, but in part, dogs just do
not react to poison ivy, latex, metals, concrete, etc. like
some people do, though we do not know why. There are a few
weird plants (lawn weeds) in Florida that some dogs are
reported to develop a sensitivity to, but that's uncommon
too.
It's not impossible, but most dogs if you rubbed poison ivy
leaves on their bare skin, would not react! On the other
hand, I've seen plenty of situations (including yours
truly, as I live in a rural area where my dog can sometimes
contact poison ivy) where the dog gets the 'oleoresin' from
poison ivy on their skin, then the owner develops a
hoirrible reaction from petting the dog! To my knowledge,
dogs will not develop a respiratory reaction either. "
This response below was from Dr William H. Miller, DVM; Professor of Medicine, Dermatology, Cornell University , school of Veterinary Medicine:
"Allergic contact dermatitis to any allergen is very rare in the dog. Under experimental situations, dogs can get skin lesions when poison ivy is applied to their skin. Sneezing should not happen. In the clinic, I've never documented a case of poison ivy in a dog so its got to be very, very rare. As far as dogs acting as a transport host so their owners get poison ivy when they pet the dog, it probably could happen but its very hard to prove."
This response was from Greer, In North Carolina, they do allergy testing and work with University Veterinary schools through the United States:
"Poison ivy/ poison oak sensitivity in humans is actually a type IV, cell-mediated reaction known as an allergic contact dermatitis. Unlike atopic dermatitis (atopy) which is a type I hypersensitivity in which we are testing for circulating allergen specific IgE toward pollens, mold spores and mites, Poison ivy allergic contact dermatitis is a reaction to the oils (not the pollen) of the plant. In simple terms, allergic contact dermatitis is a different type of immune reaction than allergies to environmental allergens.
Animals can have allergic contact dermatitis to certain plants, topical medications, ect. In Allergic Diseases of Dogs and Cats the author states “in North America, poison ivy and poison oak are the most common causes of plant allergic contact dermatitis in humans but, to date, poison ivy and poison oak contact allergies have not been reported to occur naturally in small animals. “
In reference to the book mentioned above, by Greer, "Allergic Diseases of Dogs and Cats"; the authors of that book are Dr. Lloyd Reedy, Dr. William Miller, Dr. Ton
Willemse(all veterinary dermatologists)
This resonse below is from Dr. Douglas DeBoer, DVM ;Associate Professor of Dermatology at University of Wisconsin, Madison, School of veterinary medicine:
"Allergic contact dermatitis" is what you are talking
about, and it's very common in people but rare in dogs. In
part, this is due to protection by the dog's haircoat, so
the plant can't touch the skin, but in part, dogs just do
not react to poison ivy, latex, metals, concrete, etc. like
some people do, though we do not know why. There are a few
weird plants (lawn weeds) in Florida that some dogs are
reported to develop a sensitivity to, but that's uncommon
too.
It's not impossible, but most dogs if you rubbed poison ivy
leaves on their bare skin, would not react! On the other
hand, I've seen plenty of situations (including yours
truly, as I live in a rural area where my dog can sometimes
contact poison ivy) where the dog gets the 'oleoresin' from
poison ivy on their skin, then the owner develops a
hoirrible reaction from petting the dog! To my knowledge,
dogs will not develop a respiratory reaction either. "
This response below was from Dr William H. Miller, DVM; Professor of Medicine, Dermatology, Cornell University , school of Veterinary Medicine:
"Allergic contact dermatitis to any allergen is very rare in the dog. Under experimental situations, dogs can get skin lesions when poison ivy is applied to their skin. Sneezing should not happen. In the clinic, I've never documented a case of poison ivy in a dog so its got to be very, very rare. As far as dogs acting as a transport host so their owners get poison ivy when they pet the dog, it probably could happen but its very hard to prove."
This response was from Greer, In North Carolina, they do allergy testing and work with University Veterinary schools through the United States:
"Poison ivy/ poison oak sensitivity in humans is actually a type IV, cell-mediated reaction known as an allergic contact dermatitis. Unlike atopic dermatitis (atopy) which is a type I hypersensitivity in which we are testing for circulating allergen specific IgE toward pollens, mold spores and mites, Poison ivy allergic contact dermatitis is a reaction to the oils (not the pollen) of the plant. In simple terms, allergic contact dermatitis is a different type of immune reaction than allergies to environmental allergens.
Animals can have allergic contact dermatitis to certain plants, topical medications, ect. In Allergic Diseases of Dogs and Cats the author states “in North America, poison ivy and poison oak are the most common causes of plant allergic contact dermatitis in humans but, to date, poison ivy and poison oak contact allergies have not been reported to occur naturally in small animals. “
In reference to the book mentioned above, by Greer, "Allergic Diseases of Dogs and Cats"; the authors of that book are Dr. Lloyd Reedy, Dr. William Miller, Dr. Ton
Willemse(all veterinary dermatologists)