I was out with friends on a very jolly walk. The sun was shining, the skies were blue, pubs on the route were open and I didn’t have a jumper on, it was that lovely. After locating a very non–discreet spot for a wild wee (embarrassing!), I hopped over a wobbly wooden stIle to catch up with the group. On the downward side, I hit the ground weirdly and I rolled my ankle, however – that was the least of my worries.
I fell sideways onto the ground and into a huge blanket of young, fresh stinging nettles. Ouch! Stinging nettles hurt. My whole left forearm, left hand, left leg and both bum cheeks got the full impact of those tiny little hypodermic needles injecting fiery chemicals into my body.
Ouch – Youch – Ouch!
I frantically rub all the affected areas and searched for doc leaves – no! Oh well and off I trotted to the next pub. I hasten to add, I didn’t have my beer coat on, so it bloomin’ well hurt. After a lovely day & evening, I went to bed still stinging. What I wasn’t prepared for was being woken up by the stinging. It was just as sore as after it happened. Ouch!!!
The next day..
I was still sore. Bumps were visible all over my hand & arm. I didn’t have any antihistamines in the house so I bravely waited it out. Three days!!! Yes, three days it took to calm down. During this time my family and I decided to take our pooches out along the old railway track near our home. I saw tender young stinging nettles everywhere and I was very careful. LJ (my springer) was her usual nutty self, working both sides of the old tracks’ embankment. We got to the pub for a well-earned rest, sneaky drink and snack. LJ couldn’t settle. Her limbs were constantly flicking out. She was gnawing at her pads. I sat watching her thinking that’s how I felt after the nettle incident. If they could hurt me, surely they’d hurt her. As per most typical Springer Spaniels or other Gun Dogs, she has a very fine coat and hardly any fur on her pads or underbelly – not much protection. It took a while but she settled and I thought some Nettle research was in order.
The science bit.
The stinging Nettle or common nettle is a weedy perennial (continually recurring!!!) plant of the nettle family (Urticaceae), known for its stinging leaves. They are an herbaceous plant (simply meaning related to a herb in the botanical sense!) and can grow up to 6.5 feet high – eeeeeekkkkkk!
Both stems & leaves are covered in numerous stinging and non-stinging trichomes (plant hairs). The stinging hairs have bulbous tips that break off when brushed against – revealing needlelike tubes that pierce the skin. (Have I said ouch yet??) They then inject a mix of acetylcholine, formic acid, histamine & serotonin (wow!!!!) causing an itchy burning rash in both humans and animals that can last up to 12 hrs. Thank you Britannica.com!
I must have got a double dose then!!
Check out this fab infographic created by Chemist Andy Brunning.
Image courtesy of – https://i0.wp.com/www.compoundchem.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/The-Chemistry-of-Stinging-Nettles-2016.png?w=1323&ssl=1
Soooooo, back to LJ. Stinging nettle rash then on her paws? Yes probably. Signs to look out for are itching, swelling and redness – especially in areas that have minimal fur coverage. Other signs LJ exhibited are frantically licking her paws and digging at the ground (LJ was kicking her legs out as she was so pooped after running 1000 miles in her normal mad spaniel style).
If you are out walking, see if you can find a water source and try and wash all areas that came in contact with the nettles. Encourage your pooch not to gnaw or lick affected areas – as this creates a cycle of irritation. There are other things you can try like calamine lotion & bicarb paste but I would ask your vet first for any advice. Again – be careful of helpful people who say ‘Joe Bloggs from down the road said their friend gave their dog an antihistamine tablet’ Yes – vets have been known to give dogs an antihistamine and/or anti-inflammatories– but only a VET can prescribe human medication. Don’t self-medicate your dog– phone your vet and ask for advice.
If your dog ingests nettles, think of poisoning them and getting them to the vet. The signs of nettle poisoning are Vomiting, drooling, pawing at the mouth, difficulty breathing, twitching muscles and ataxia (lack of coordination). Also, think EYES! Our pooches are much closer to the ground than we are and therefore have a higher chance of their eyes coming into contact with these stinging beasties. Phone & get to your vet.
Is your dog a ball lover? Stick lover? Just be mindful of where you throw these items for your pooch. In my professional dog walking days I regularly walked a handsome boy rescued from Ireland. He was very good at avoiding nettles. If I’d thrown his ball in a patch he would stand and wait patiently for me to retrieve his ball, what a clever boy! I’ll talk about those evil ball launchers another day – be warned if I see you using one!! I know it’s difficult to aim when throwing but again just be mindful.
Be nettle aware of our fury best friends – my thorough stinging reminded me of that!!
Happy ‘safe nettle’ hiking peeps & pooches.
Thank you for reading today’s article.
Louise James, Momentum Clinical Canine Massage
