Poodle Dog Bush - Help and Advice Needed

greg__lee · Post by **greg__lee** » Sun Jun 16, 2019 5:12 am

Hi all,

I did a 6 mile (roundtrip) hike on the Howard Creek Trail yesterday. This trail was filled with the poodle dog bush. I did not know what it was had a lot of contact with it.

I was looking through the internet to find treatments and landed on your page.

If you see this message, ANY information would help! I need to know what preventive treatments I can do before any rash start showing the next few hours/days. And when it does show, what was the best treatment plan that worked for you?

Thank you so much!

Greg

Post by **Sean** » Sun Jun 16, 2019 9:00 am

Hi Greg, wash everything you have touched (clothing, backpack, bed sheets, couch, chairs, etc.) and clean your car seats and arm rests, etc. Take a cold shower and thoroughly scrub your body with dish washing liquid, especially the arms and legs and face. If you start itching or breaking out, go to the pharmacist. You can try medicines like Tecnu. Cortisone cream helps with the itching. The important thing right now is to disinfect anything to which you've already transferred the plant oils, so that you don't keep getting secondary exposure.

greg__lee · Post by **greg__lee** » Sun Jun 16, 2019 9:36 am

Hi Sean,

Really appreciate your response and advice. Will take that shower right now.

I will look into Tecnu and wash everything today as well.

Thank you so much,

Greg

greg__lee · Post by **greg__lee** » Sun Jun 16, 2019 9:52 am

Another question:

Is there anything I can do to prevent or minimize the rash during this 12-3 day window before the rashes and itching start to appear?

Do you know if wiping my body with hydrogen peroxide will help? (This was the first thing I did right after I learned about the poodle-dog bush. I am also planning to jump into the ocean later today. Ocean water has helped me previously with rashes. ...I am trying everything to minimize and prevent right now.

Thank you again.

Tom Kenney · Post by **Tom Kenney** » Sun Jun 16, 2019 11:49 am

Benadryl might help, just make sure it doesn't conflict with anything else you try. I haven't run afoul of PDB or PO (not for lack of trying!), only used Benadryl for insect/spider bites, and it does quite nicely.

The salt water dip is an interesting idea. Usually, if I get nettles or have a 'more-than-gentle' encounter with some PO, I'll immediately scrub the site with mud. PDB I avoid as if it were a nest of rattlesnakes!

Post by **Sean** » Sun Jun 16, 2019 2:45 pm

greg__lee wrote: Is there anything I can do to prevent or minimize the rash during this 12-3 day window before the rashes and itching start to appear?

Do you know if wiping my body with hydrogen peroxide will help?

You might be okay if you thoroughly wiped your skin with hydrogen peroxide. Not because you killed any germs, but because you wiped off the oils that would have otherwise soaked into your skin tissue. You have to get the oil off your skin as soon as possible, which is why you use the dish washing liquid instead of regular soap. I doubt salt water will do anything positive at this stage. Sunlight and hot water will warm up the oil in your skin and help along the reaction. I suggest taking as many cold showers as you can tolerate. You can also run ice cubes on itchy spots. It might not hurt to start using Cortisone cream now on areas that were exposed during your hike.

If you do break out, try not to scratch too much.

greg__lee · Post by **greg__lee** » Mon Jun 17, 2019 12:03 am

Sean wrote:
greg__lee wrote: Is there anything I can do to prevent or minimize the rash during this 12-3 day window before the rashes and itching start to appear?

Do you know if wiping my body with hydrogen peroxide will help?
You might be okay if you thoroughly wiped your skin with hydrogen peroxide. Not because you killed any germs, but because you wiped off the oils that would have otherwise soaked into your skin tissue. You have to get the oil off your skin as soon as possible, which is why you use the dish washing liquid instead of regular soap. I doubt salt water will do anything positive at this stage. Sunlight and hot water will warm up the oil in your skin and help along the reaction. I suggest taking as many cold showers as you can tolerate. You can also run ice cubes on itchy spots. It might not hurt to start using Cortisone cream now on areas that were exposed during your hike.

If you do break out, try not to scratch too much.

Sean,

Thank you again for your feedback and suggestions on the ice cubes. Will also be taking cold showers for the next few days haha

Cheers!

RichardK · Post by **RichardK** » Mon Jun 17, 2019 8:16 am

See this YouTube video. You have to scrub the oil off with a bath sponge or wash cloth. Simple hand washing is not good enough. All of your clothes and everything you touched likely has the irritating oil on it as well.

Girl Hiker · Post by **Girl Hiker** » Mon Jun 17, 2019 11:27 am

Greg,
I feel you! Once I encountered both PO and poodle dog but that is a painful nightmare that includes being stuck in a canyon for hours. I'll save that story for another day. Technu is a more of a preventative measure to apply before you hike if you think you may encounter any PO. In my case, it was so bad that my face swelled and I had to go to the dermatologist for a shot of epinephrine and prescribed Hydrocortisone cream. I hope this doesn't happen to you.

Girl Hiker · Post by **Girl Hiker** » Mon Jun 17, 2019 11:29 am

Also, if you have a pet and take your dog hiking it may have been exposed and can also spread the PO.

greg__lee · Post by **greg__lee** » Mon Jun 17, 2019 3:36 pm

@Girl Hiker @RichardK

Wish I saw that video before I took my first shower!

If my rashes get any worse, I will talk to my primary care doctor regarding taking any shots.

Thank you both for your response and suggestions!

David R · Post by **David R** » Mon Jun 17, 2019 6:02 pm

I've gotten poodle dog and it works a bit different then poison oak in that it has hairs that stick to you and the hairs have the irritant on them. Not to be a debbie-downer but once you got those hairs on you, you're pretty much toast. I did everything I could after I got home and it was too late. It also took longer to come out then poison oak in my case. It also lasted longer and was more severe then poison oak. Everyone is right about washing the clothes as those hairs will still be on everything you wore and can be transferred including backpack and shoes. Hopefully you only got a minimal dosage because it ain't fun. Definitely get some topical creams that have lidocane in them it makes a big difference in the itch. There will literally be heat coming off your body which is kind of cool. The final great piece is that once you got it, if you ever touch it again your body may do an immune response on the places where you got it the first time and you can explode with swelling in any spot poodle dog touched you, good times!

Girl Hiker · Post by **Girl Hiker** » Sun Jun 23, 2019 3:56 pm

This is how beautiful and deceiving PD can look like. I hiked on Wednesday in Los Padres and there was tons ot it.

greg__lee · Post by **greg__lee** » Mon Jun 24, 2019 12:08 am

This was Howard Creek Trail when we went... Had no idea what poodle dog bush was...thought we were lucky walking through the pretty flowers

Little did we know it was a trap! haha

My rash is getting blistery by the way. I have been using Domeboro. Doctor prescribed me hydrocortisone. Do any of you recommend other treatments?

Thank you all again for your responses!

greg__lee · Post by **greg__lee** » Mon Jun 24, 2019 12:09 am

@Girl Hiker I hope you turned the other way! haha

greg__lee · Post by **greg__lee** » Mon Jun 24, 2019 12:11 am

@David R Thank you for the cream suggestion...I got hydrocortisone. DEFINITELY NOT FUN

It's about Day 8 or 9 for me now and my rashes are becoming blisters. Should I expect more rashes and blisters coming on in the next few days or is this the peak? Your experience helps! Thank you!

Post by **Sean** » Mon Jun 24, 2019 12:34 am

As long as you don't scratch too much, you're probably not going to break out any more. But you might develop swelling. Try applying ice to the areas to reduce blisters and potential swelling.

greg__lee · Post by **greg__lee** » Mon Jun 24, 2019 1:16 am

@Sean Good to know! Thank you again for sharing, Sean. Will apply some ice tomorrow.

Girl Hiker · Post by **Girl Hiker** » Mon Jun 24, 2019 6:34 am

@ Greg as Sean suggested ice or cold compresses helps. If you do feel "itchy" then Benadryl or any other antihistamine OTC will help but most important do not scratch. I know it is very tempting.

JerryN · Post by **JerryN** » Mon Jun 24, 2019 7:38 pm

Unfortunately you just have to wait it out. The hardest thing to do but the most important is don't scratch no matter what.

Post by **Sean** » Fri Jul 05, 2019 12:56 pm

How's it going, Greg?

bsmith · Post by **bsmith** » Sat Jul 13, 2019 5:36 am

sorry for being late to the party.

yes, poodle dog, in the ojai ranger district’s area, is found on many of the trails impacted by the thomas fire.

some people have little to no reaction - most have mild to severe reactions.

for me, i found that covering the areas, once the rash shows, with cortisone cream and / or benadryl cream followed by a bulky dressing - 4 x 4s and kerlix - keeps the itch down and helps prevents scratching.

the cure is time.

please spread the word as most people are unaware and right now it is in full bloom. as a plant it is pretty. and the hillsides are covered.

walker · Post by **walker** » Fri Sep 13, 2019 7:17 am

I had my first encounter with this in a bad way after the Station Fire - Now the chaparral has largely recovered and things are just about back to normal 10 years later.

As the burn areas recover, the plant will gradually recede and the blooms will be less obvious. It has a very distinctive fragrance, so get familiar with it. After my first painful encounter with this, I could usually smell it long before I could see it and so avoid any contact - At least the flowers and the smell give you a fair chance, like a rattlesnake!