This weekend we’re going to pick out our Christmas tree.
We always get a real tree and while they can be messy, the smell and beauty of it make up for the mess.
Besides the needles clogging my vacuum cleaner every year, the sap that comes from having a real tree in the house can sometimes result in a big sticky mess too.
Usually, it’s Leroy and me that somehow manage to get pine tree sap on us.
Probably because I’m the one who crawls under the tree to water it and Leroy’s the one who is always snooping under the tree looking for presents.
Leroy usually ends up with it on his head and I usually end up with it in my hair or on my shoulder.
While humans may use rubbing alcohol or WD40 to remove pine tree sap from themselves, that’s not always the safest for dogs who might try to lick the area and accidentally ingest some of the product.
Instead, it’s recommended to try something a little safer to remove that sticky pine sap from your dog.
Cut it out.
If the pine tree sap hasn’t made it down the skin and it’s just a small area you might be able to just clip it out.
Use scissors, thinning shears or clippers to remove the hair and sap.
Be careful not to get close to the skin and always clean the tool that you used after your finished.
Warm it up.
If you didn’t notice the tree sap right away it will get hard so you’ll need to soften it.
The easiest way to soften pine sap is to apply a little heat with a hairdryer.
Make sure the dryer is on the low heat setting and apply the heat until the sap softens.
This can take several minutes so keep checking to make sure that the hair and skin are not getting too hot.
Loosen it up.
Instead of harsh or toxic chemicals use something with oil in it like olive oil.
Rub the olive oil into the sappy area and let it sit for a few minutes.
Use a comb (preferably wide toothed) to gently work it out of the hair.
This step can get messy so have a paper towel on stand by to catch some of the oil if you are doing this indoors.
You can also use peanut butter(smooth NOT chunky) or mineral oil to loosen the sap.
Some people have had success using mayonnaise too… but I’m just not a fan of rubbing mayo on my dog. Olive oil has been my go-to for the past few years.
Clean it up.
Wash the area with a pet-safe shampoo and some warm water to remove all the oil from the hair and skin.
You might need to do this more than once depending on the size of the area that was covered in sap and how much oily product that you used.
If your dog happens to step in sap you can follow the same steps above but you might have to omit the dryer part if your dog has super sensitive paws.
In some cases the sap might have to be clipped out, especially if there’s a big gob of it stuck in between the pads.
You might need to ask your veterinarian or groomer for help if your dog won’t you touch their paws.
And done! Now you should have a sap-free dog that is ready to go lay under the tree again!
colbymorita
Thursday 27th of September 2018
We haven't had this problem with pine tree sap yet, but Linus did step in tar while playing at the beach. This was over 10 years ago and we used Goo Gone without a problem (we made sure and cleaned the area thoroughly after applying Goo Gone). However, I wouldn't recommend using Goo Gone because it's very harsh. Others later commented recommending vegetable oil, olive oil, peanut butter, and Dawn dish soap.
Jan K
Saturday 3rd of December 2016
We no longer get a real tree - mostly because we're lazy. We also have far less pine trees at our new house than our old, so luckily we haven't had to deal with this lately. But we do like to walk in the woods, so you never know when we might run into it!
Beth
Thursday 1st of December 2016
We don't have a real tree since we lived in an apartment for so long and they weren't allowed, but I never even thought of this as being a hazard of them! I guess it's a good thing we're sticking to the artificial one--the cat would be one sticky glob! Olive oil is our go-to goo remover, too :)
Emma
Thursday 1st of December 2016
Not long ago, we had to remove a glue trap for mice from cat bro Bert's face. We used Dawn which worked pretty well, and to finish the job some oil. It all came out, but he sure was not happy about the whole thing. Cutting it out was not an option on his face.
Two French Bulldogs
Thursday 1st of December 2016
Good post! We have some stuck on our feets Lily & Edward