Poison Oak

[jjhack]

How many have picked up a dose of Poison oak from a hog? This can be a nasty little problem.

What are your best cures and preventions?

What do you do to clean it from your clothes, shoes, shoe laces, etc.

Plenty of poison Oak in the northern and coastal parts of California, how do you deal with it.

 

[sparky (akaT2)]

Take a cold shower as soon as possible after exposure. Wash with Technu and then with soap. Wash all your gear,truck etc with technu and soap and water. if you get a rash, go to the local pharmacy and buy some Zanfel. It's about 30-40 bucks for like 2 oz. but it is the closest thing to a miracle cure that is out. And the best advice I can give you is , don't touch your weiner. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy, it is pure hell. If you get a bad case (see sentence above) go to the doctor and beg for a steroid shot.

 

[muskeg]

Don't scratch !!!!!

Some people don't get it at all .... some barely get it and some just have to look at it and their eyes swell shut.

I think probably with all the rain cali has got that the Poison Oak is wall to wall.

 

[gonehunting]

just a note......I can role around in poison ivy and not get it, but I found out the hard way with poison oak that I can.....so for those of you who one doesn't effect you, doesn't mean the other can't either.

One false rumor is that scratching spreads it. That is only true if you still have the oil on you. It just seems to spread because the amount of oil concentration from different ares can appear later then others. technu like said before is good stuff, wash real good to get the oils off you as soon as possible with Technu, and hell as soon as I found out you can't spread it by scratching, I ain't gonna lie.....I was a scratchin mofo

but there are some good websites out there on this issue, they are worth a look

 

[wello]

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What are your best cures and preventions?[/b]

Cheetos!!

 

[Speckmisser]

No cure but time. There are a few good treatments for the itching. Maybe some of those high-powered steroid shots from the doc will help with itching and swelling, but as for a cure... ain't none.

For minor cases, I've found that I can take a scalding hot shower just before bed, and it gives me enough relief to get most of a night's sleep. A little Benedryl helps too, but makes it hard for me to sleep.

Immunity? No such thing. Take it from someone who has been "immune" for almost 40 years, until that one fateful day. If you've never had it, be glad. But don't push your luck... trust me.

My understanding is the best first treatment is cold water. But that's only gonna help if you can get it immediately. The oils run under your skin, so once you've got it it's too late. The good thing is, once you've bathed the oils off of your body, you're not contagious to anyone else, so don't let the significant other kick you out of bed. You can't give it away... no matter how much you may want to.

The washing machine seems to work fine for getting it out of my clothes, and a good washing with the hose takes care of boots and any gear that might have got down in it. I do prefer to wash the clothes separately, just in case some makes it through the rinse cycle. If I give it to the family, I WILL be sleeping in the doghouse.

Scratching is bad, not because it spreads the poison, but because of tissue damage and the possibility of infection.

Best prevention? Stay out of it! Learn what it looks like at all times of year, because it can even get you when there are no leaves. Like this photo right here...

 

[jjhack]

One of the reasons I posted this as I did was to alert folks that you can get it on your hands from the skin of a hog and then without knowing it itch your chin, cheeks, head, etc etc. then its going to be everyplace before you know it. JUst as another fella said gotta be especially careful if you plan to pee in the bush and it's on your fingers.

You will get it from ATV or truck tiresif you have driven through it. I pulled up a USAG web site that states the oils will remain a problem for up to 5 years off the plant if not washed with hot soapy water.

If you shoot a hog it's best to get the hide off with examination gloves. Since I use them to gut the hogs too it's not a problem for me. If you pack out a bear skin on a frame you can get it on the back of your neck or anyplace that hide touches you.

 

[wello]

Take a wild guess where I am itching at...

Went into the bush thursday.....You don't think it could be, do ya?

 

[BGH831]

Poison oak is thick for sure. Anyone hear of oral-ivy?

 

[jkvshooter]

Talk about being immune. Not!! I use to pride myself with being "immune" to poison oak. Down in Socal we have it in just about every creek. I have tried to shock friends by rubbing it all over me. Nothing happened. Well I live in Central Cal now and just got my first dose. I saw it. Knew what it was and sat right in it cause there was a big turkey coming my way and "that stuff doesn't bother me". Next morning rash rash rash. On my hip and butt cheek.
Question? Are there different strains? Why all of a sudden am I affected?

Best night time cure I found was Benadryl lotion. The pills do a number on me.

Thanks for all the info! very informative. Never had to pay attention to this stuff before.

jkvshooter

 

[wello]

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And the best advice I can give you is , don't touch your weiner.[/b]

Wish this topic was put up earlier..I am on fire down there!!...Its not all over mind you and I am not blind but it is not a pleasant feeling lets just say.
Is it common for it to not show up for a few days? I mean I was joking with my cheetos post in here but then like bad karma came and bit me less then a day later. I for sure had washed my good hand a hundred times since Thursday...
Good thing the pattern matches my habitual #1 form...as my girl would have a cow if the evidence looked questionable...

Haven't had poisen oak in long time, it must be a really bad year. One year my dad had it about every part of his body from control burning the stuff off some property. Took him along time to get rid of..
Now I'm itchin all over just thinking about it...

 

[muledeer07]

35 years of wallowing in the stuff and never once got it down here is So Cal. Went hog hunting up in Central Cali a couple years ago and had to drag my sow out of the worst oak you ever seen. Arms legs covered. No body is immune. I agree Speck no cure. Any body know of any native american cures. They had to live in that stuff they had to have something that kept em from getting it.

 

[jawtightener]

i think i am pretty much immune. not that i never got it or get it. i got it bad as a kid (noth'in abnormal though). our families place is filled with the stuff (it is unavoidable if you want to hunt). so i think i built up an immunity (if possible)? i can fall in it, roll around in it, cut wood with it around, and nuth'in anymore. unless the PO draws blood (a scratch) i won't get it. even when it i do get it from a scratch it doesn't really itch much and goes away in a day or so.
i dunno if it has to do with any sort of chemical change in my body as i got older or a built up immunity.
oak on the hog (not a pig) is the worst...

 

[wmidbrook]

I've read only 50% of the population gets it. I've only had a "slight case" of it if you can call it that...I've cut it tons of it with chain saws getting poison oak dust all over my body, darned near rolled in it while hiking through it, burned it, etc.

Just once in the spring when cutting it did I get possibly a little patch of it with 1 little blister.....so, I consider myself lucky. It can cause nasty reactions.

 

[jjhack]

I found this on the web in about every place I searched for Poison Oak info. The wording may be different one way or anther but the intent is the same.

"Q:Aren't Some People Immune?

A:There are only two kinds of people: Those who get Poison Oak, and those who are going to get it. In other words, though there are those who are immune to Poison Oak, their immunity does wear off with repeated exposure. Contrary to popular belief, the more you are exposed to poison oak, the worse the rash gets. You can't become used to it or immune from repeated exposure, the exact opposite is true.

 

[Rancho Loco]

Not only do I use kitchen gloves to skin them out, I always use those cloth gloves with the blue rubber "grippy" palms and fingers to drag them out. Great gloves - whoever invented those deserves a million dollars.

I also make sure I strip my pants and as soon as the hunt is over and toss them in the back of the truck. If not, the oils would get on the drivers seat, and then next time I wear shorts when I'm driving - WHAM. I'll get lit up on the back of my legs.

Now if I could just teach the dogs to not go running through the stuff, and then rub up against me, or demand pets and belly rubs, I'll be allright.

Poison oak is really a remarkable plant. Grows in full sun or full shade, wet soil or dry, under oaks and rewoods, on hillsides, as a bush, vine and I've even seen what I would classify as a poison oak "tree" it was so big. Good thing roundup knocks it down pretty well.

 

[Rancho Loco]

Hey JJ...What about South Africa? I know they have some pretty thorny acacia types out in the bush there, but anything like poison oak?

 

[wmidbrook]

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Although 50% of the population is clinically sensitive to poison oak and poison ivy, about 75 to 85% can potentially develop an allergy if exposed to a sufficiently high concentration of the toxin. Once a reaction to the toxin has occurred, the body responds with a cell-mediated immunity, which is a delayed hypersensitivity. Those individuals who have developed delayed hypersensitivity are sensitive to the toxin and repeated exposures further increase sensitivity. Conversely, long periods with no exposure will reduce an individual’s susceptibility to the allergen. There is no known difference in sensitivity to poison oak among races or between sexes. Animals do not usually suffer skin irritation from contact with poison oak because they are protected by fur; dogs, however, can contact poison oak on their nose or underbelly. On the other hand, livestock may graze on the tender foliage with no adverse effects.[/b]

From a different source....UCD usually has good info too:
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7431.html

Anyway, since I got a very minor case, I'm in the 75% - 85% group that was insensitive to it but my days of reaction-free playing in the poison oak are numbered...

 

[Rancho Loco]

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On the other hand, livestock may graze on the tender foliage with no adverse effects.[/b]

Ya - Goats eat the stuff like candy. Another good way to keep it knocked down.

 

[Orygun]

Technu, most definately, use it as soon as you know you've gone through and as soon as you can wash it off. I used to carry a tube industrial barrier cream designed for keeping a variety of oils off your skin. The problem is that it would clog pores and you would overheat quickly. I used it only when I had to go through the stuff and couldn't get around it. The other probleem is that it looks like, well it's white and creamy.

Kenalog - Steriod spray. Keeps the swelling down.

Benadryl - I have the opposite problem of Speck. it puts me out for the night within an hour or two

Cortisoid shots - I have been given these on severe cases. Bad for the heart but the worst of the rash is gone in a day or two.

If you usually go a few showers between changing towels, don't. Each time you get out of the shower use a fresh towel. Don't take a bath you'll just be sitting in the oil.

I have some from last weekend, hit a vine against a fir tree I was chain sawing.

I've seen gawdawful stuff all over Cal and Western Oregon. The worse kind, the stuff you can't see. Scariest place is the open "grassy" hills facing the ocean where the road through Hunter Liggett goes meets 101. The hills are blanketed in foot high plants. Slipped there and your done for.

Wash your gear after a trip chasing hogs, especially your boots.