Summary
Tree sap can mat a dog’s fur, smell unpleasant, and some types, like pine sap, can be toxic if ingested, causing vomiting, digestive upset, and weakness. To remove sap, first assess if it’s hard or soft. Soften hard sap with a low-heat hairdryer. Apply olive, coconut, or mineral oil, or xylitol-free peanut butter to loosen the sap. Gently comb it out. If stubborn, carefully trim the affected fur. Bathe your dog to remove oily residue. If your dog seems unwell or you can’t remove the sap, consult a vet or groomer. Keep your dog calm during removal with soothing voices, treats, or vet-approved CBD oil for anxiety and pain.
How Does a Dog React When They Have Sap in Its Body?
Saps of trees and many other things like pine, rocks, etc., have a very unpleasant smell due to the dead cells of the tree and the toxicity in their liquidity.
When these saps get attached to a dog’s fur, the unpleasant smell goes through the nasal cavity, after which the dog will give some response that the owner can notice to identify if the dog has saps in his body or not.
Ingestion of the toxic saps will cause your dog nausea, vomiting, irritation, and weakness.
Suppose you can see such behavioral changes in your dog. In that case, you should take your dog to a veterinarian to get proper medication for a fast recovery of your pet.
How to Get Sap Out of Dog Fur? – Directions to Follow for Removing Saps from Dog Fur
Dog owners must be very careful when removing the saps from their dog’s fur, as a little mistake can cause pain, discomfort, and irritation to your dog. Furrs are very sensitive, so pulling them can cause severe pain, and your dog will try to escape.
Here are the steps that you can go with:
Noticing the Type of Sap
The owner should carefully notice if the sap in the dog’s fur has hardened or not. If the sap was hardened, softening it in the fur was really important. This is because it can stretch the cells holding the roots of the fur, causing pain for the dog.
Use of a Hairdryer
A hairdryer can soften the hard saps but should be checked before applying to the dog to make it adequate as per the pet’s body temperature, as using an overheated hairdryer can burn your dog’s fur.
Use of Oils
If the sap in fur is soft, then some oils can be used to remove it. Olive oil, coconut oil, mineral oil, or some smooth peanut butter can be rubbed on it to detach the microparticles, leading to the attachment of the sap in the fur. The owner can massage the affected areas with one of these products and keep it for a few minutes. Your products should be based on your dog’s skin type to avoid further skin and fungal infections.
Use of a Wooden Brush
After keeping the oily product on your dog’s fur for the required time, you can now use a wooden brush to create a slippery surface in the surface of the fur so that the microparticles of the sap start to slip from the dog’s coat. After brushing your dog’s hair two to three times, you will be able to notice the saps getting separated from your dog’s hair.
Use of a Trimmer
After completing the third step, if all the sap is removed from your pet’s body, you will have no other option but to trim some of the hairs where the sap remains.
Using a Shampoo for Cleaning
Finally, you can use a dog-friendly shampoo to improve your pet’s skin condition. You can even use the shampoos available on the market, specially made to remove debris from the dog’s fur.
After following all the steps, if there is still some sap in your dog’s fur, then you might have to take your dog to the groomer as they have access to more powerful tools than you have at your home, which will be effective in removing the saps without causing any harm to your dog.
The saps can even get attached to the hair at the side of your dog’s paws and in the tail, which is the most sensitive area of a pet’s body. That is why some extra care and more accuracy are required while removing saps from that part of your pet.
What are Tree Saps, and are They Harmful to Your Dogs?
Tree saps contain a mixture of the tissues of the plant’s vascular system named xylem and phloem. The vascular system is responsible for transferring energy to the buds that were newly formed during spring by photosynthesis. The tissue gets dead while the trees are cut and converted into the form of saps.
Even though tree saps can not hurt dogs if it is not ingested, if the dog consumes the sap attached to their fur, then some tree saps can cause them illness as the bacteria that have developed in the sap are more powerful than the one’s presence in the immune system to neutralize the toxic substances entering the stomach.
In such cases, the owner must take their pet to the veterinarian to take the proper medication for the illness their dog is suffering from.
How Can Some Saps Be Dangerous for Your Dogs?
As we have discussed above, not all saps are harmful to dogs. In contrast, some saps, like pine saps and tree saps, can be detrimental and even dangerous for your dog while ingested as they contain some toxic substances.
Pine Saps
As per the research on pine saps by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, pine saps contain some toxic substances that can cause mild irritation to your dog. In addition, if the dog consumes pine sap, it may result in gastrointestinal infection and depression in the minor nervous system.
The pine oils can even cause a certain kind of disturbance to the mucous membrane, can damage the liver and kidney, and can sometimes be responsible for the failure of the respiratory system, which may result in the death of your pet.
Tree Saps
Tree saps were not harmful, as per the research. Still, when ingested, they will cause severe irritation as the powerful bacterial cells of the vascular system will get into the stomach, which can interrupt the smooth regulation of the digestive and respiratory system, causing some stomach discomfort to the pet. But there is nothing to worry about, as tree saps will never cause any serious issues to your pet.
How to Keep Your Dog Calm While Removing Saps from Fur?
Suppose your dog makes some unnecessary movements while you are trying to remove saps from the fur. In that case, it will cause even more difficulties for you in moving ahead with the process. That is why keeping your dog calm during the process is very important.
Here are some steps that you can follow.
- You can play music near your dog, which will keep tracking the pet while you saps.
- You can also call them by soothing or giving them some cuddles to make them feel loved.
- Giving them some treats during the process will also be helpful as the dog will engage in eating and will forget about the process that is going on.
- The use of CBD oil is also a great choice to go with as it was scientifically proven that it is effective in calming dogs with anxiety and pain.
The above-discussed steps are experimentally proven to get genuine results and comfort while removing saps from your dog’s hair.
How Can CBD Oil Be Used While Removing Sap from Dogs’ Fur?
CBD oil is a product that has been recently introduced as a beneficial product for animals. The mixture of the constituents named cannabidiol and tetrahydrocannabinol in CBD oil works as a wonder for your pet during anxiety and pain as it can bind the specific sites of the brain with the nerves, which is effective in reducing pain and stress.
CBD oil can be essential while removing sap from dogs’ fur, as the procedure can be quite painful due to the use of brushes and certain hair dryers. CBD oil can reduce pain by controlling the nerves responsible for transmitting the pain signal to the conscious brain through neurons carrying the signal, preventing it from doing a further reaction.
