Last week, Oskar got himself in a right sticky mess. Oskar is a cream-coloured seven-year-old labrador with a gentle face that seemed to be laughing at me. Or maybe he was laughing at himself. Because when I met him, he reeked of marine engine oil and most of his face, chest, belly and all four of his paws were stained with an oily black gloop. In sharp contrast, his owner was less amused. She looked decidedly worried and exhausted.
The day had started out well enough with their usual morning walk across the garigue of Pembroke, but in the area close to the reverse osmosis plant, Oskar suddenly disappeared. After a frantic few minutes calling out his name, Oskar suddenly reappeared covered in black sludge. Having got him home, she spent a couple of hours trying to wash out the contaminant. To no avail.
The tarry substance had well and truly adhered to his thick fur; it had even seeped through to his skin. Despite the thorough bathing, everywhere he walked left a clear imprint of the tarry substance – evidence of how deep it had got into his pads. Even worse, Oskar would not stop licking his paws until he suddenly vomited a foamy white liquid and his owner knew he urgently needed to see a vet.
At the clinic, Oskar still stank, his fur was sticky and claggy and the patches of skin that had been exposed to the contaminant were a purpuric red which suggested contact with a harsh chemical. What was even more worrying was that Oskar had very obviously ingested a toxic substance and the level of danger had increased to that of possible internal poisoning.
Whether dog or cat, the nature of the chemical should ideally be identified as quickly as possible. In Oskar’s case, we could guess it was marine oil or something similar from the odour, combined with the fact that it had happened by the seaside.
With pollutants, it is important to first protect yourself by wearing rubber gloves. You then need to approach the problem on three fronts: fur, skin and inside the body.
Whether dog or cat, the nature of the chemical should ideally be identified as quickly as possible
If the substance has already hardened, like, paint, glue, varnish or chewing gum, your best option is to cut away the affected fur or to shave the area altogether, preferably under your vet’s supervision.
If it feels oily but runny, like petrol or diesel, a bath with warm soapy water repeated as often as necessary will suffice. But if the pollutant feels oily and has a thick viscosity, such as liquid asphalt, motor oil or tar balls, you must resist your first inclination to use soap and water.
Tar balls are those sticky blobs of oil that look like asphalt floating on the surface of the sea. They usually form after an oil spill of crude oil. The crude mixes with the saltwater of the ocean to form the tarry balls we see on rocky or sandy beaches. Anyone who has accidentally stepped on a tar ball would know how difficult it is to remove it from the skin. Just imagine when it gets into fur.
Oil does not readily mix with water, so soapy water might make some of the oily substance clump and the outcome will be claggy fur that stays oily. Your first line of action should be to start loosening up the oily or tarry substance by applying a similarly oily liquid such as vegetable oil. The thicker the viscosity, the better. Both almond and olive oil have been found to be very effective in such cases though corn or sunflower oil are a good alternative.
Begin by working plenty of oil into the affected areas. If the sticky areas are not large, or difficult to massage − as with, for example, the paws, you can use a facecloth to work the oil into the pads and between the toes.
Vegetable-based oils are perfectly safe to use, so you can repeat the process as many times as needed until you have got off as much contaminant as you can. You need to take care, as vegetable oils can be treacherously slippery – both for yourself and your pet. Having loosened the worst of the dirt, you can then bathe your dog or cat as thoroughly and as repeatedly as needed until the worst of the pollutant has been removed. The water must be warm to help loosen the substance and, ideally, you would use a shampoo that has been approved by your vet. If you’re caught without, baby shampoo is a good alternative. Then rinse, rinse and rinse again.
If your pet has ingested any of the toxins, it is vital that you visit your vet without delay. Oskar was given medication to help clean out his liver where all the toxins would naturally accumulate. His skin was also examined. Luckily, the dark reddish colour was a by-product of the tar itself and no chemical burn was evident. Given that he had already been washed, the question was now how to further loosen up the residual tar in his fur and skin.
The possible use of paraffin was very reluctantly mooted and quickly dismissed. Chemicals such as paint stripper, thinner, artist’s turps and other similar products are highly dangerous and can result in serious skin burns. In the end, we resorted to surgical spirit to dissolve the remnants of tar.
The rest was accomplished by the determination of Oskar’s owner to clean him up – both inside and out, and a good heavy duty vet-approved animal shampoo designed to cut though grease. The day after, and on a distinctly more cheerful note, Oskar’s owner reported very good progress. Oskar might just stay away from tar balls from hereon.
thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com
Dr Martin Debattista is a veterinary surgeon.