I have been out scouting nice little walks for my pup. There seems to be loads of stinging nettles, sometimes 10 feet or more deep alongside a little river near me. Would you avoid that? My instincts tell me to keep a pup away.
Re: Do dogs get stung by stinging nettles? Yes, they do get stung! It can irritate their paws quite badly. I stay well away from stinging nettles with my young dogs!
Re: Do dogs get stung by stinging nettles? Interesting. I might have said no, since Lilly seems to LIKE pooping in nettles : :
Re: Do dogs get stung by stinging nettles? Yes they do get stung. About a fortnight ago I thought Bess had gone lame but on reflection I remembered that we had been forced to walk along a verge full of nettles when the lane we were walking along was completely blocked by a road roller. It took her a couple of days to get back to normal and at almost two her pads are a lot tougher than a young puppy's will be. Having said that she is fascinated by nettles; she will give them a little nudge with her nose, jump back and then nudge again. Alice
Re: Do dogs get stung by stinging nettles? My two have stuck their heads into nettles sniffing : and got welts around their eyes. Like we do when stung.
Re: Do dogs get stung by stinging nettles? I think they only get stung on exposed areas don't they? I'm pretty sure their fur protects them most of the time but anything exposed eg. Nose, feet, eyes, ears etc would be at risk? Could be wrong, just a thought. Personally I would avoid because knowing my luck it would be me getting stung!!
Re: Do dogs get stung by stinging nettles? They definitely get stung, but it also helps them learn about stinging nettles! Pongo pounced on a patch of nettles when we first had him; next time he had a good (cautious) sniff and pawed them; now he avoids them by smell. (When he got stung he just limped for a couple of minutes then was fine - just like with us, a nettle sting hurts for a few minutes but then wears off.) So, without meaning to sound harsh, I think it is probably a good learning experience for a pup to come across nettles at some point - just as long as she is not forced / required to walk through them!
Re: Do dogs get stung by stinging nettles? Charlie got stung on his tummy as a pup, but seems pretty much immune these days. Mind, he's got more hair on his tum these days. Little lab pup tums are very exposed.
Re: Do dogs get stung by stinging nettles? [quote author=JulieT link=topic=5795.msg74390#msg74390 date=1399412370] Charlie got stung on his tummy as a pup, but seems pretty much immune these days. Mind, he's got more hair on his tum these days. Little lab pup tums are very exposed. [/quote] but so cute! Those little nudie round tummies - yum!! this thread is very timely! I was considering a new patch of ground for some training but there are quite a lot of thistles and nettles so I might give it a miss!
Re: Do dogs get stung by stinging nettles? [quote author=bbrown link=topic=5795.msg74401#msg74401 date=1399412976] Those little nudie round tummies - yum!! [/quote] I know! The best.
Re: Do dogs get stung by stinging nettles? When the nettles are young and just coming through, that is when they are worst. My Lab as a young dog used to get his pads stung and come home and scratch is legs on the carpet to try and stop the stings, I used to give him a Piriton. Now he is two years old, he will retrieve from nettles, when they have grown, with no problem.
Re: Do dogs get stung by stinging nettles? Many years ago , after a long walk, one of my dogs dog came home and lay by the fire , he heat must have accelerated the effects of nettle stings because he suddenly jumped up and did a full throttle circuit of the sitting room , I honestly thought he was having a seizure at the time :
Re: Do dogs get stung by stinging nettles? This is interesting. I've often wondered that. Meg has often walked on and sniffed nettles and never been stung. Well, she's showed no signs of anything, no limping, or shaking her head. So I always thought they didn't affect them. Maybe she's got high pain threshold or and this is naughty of me, too thick to notice. Don't mean that, honest. Love her to bits.
Re: Do dogs get stung by stinging nettles? Yes, especially in the spring when the new shoots are appearing. I have noticed that the older of the dogs when retrieving will make a compleat detour around a patch of nettles, so she has learnt to avoid them I also saw her a couple of years back doing a merry dance around an area of rough ground where a pheasant had dropped, it was a patch of nettles LOL
Re: Do dogs get stung by stinging nettles? Hmm...still confused about the nettles. Its the very young ones that are picked for nettle soups and such like. Googled it - not sure I have found the answer yet, but interesting info from The Herb Society I do sometimes see Lilly hopping back when she steps in the undergrowth but could equally be something jaggy rather than stingy.
Re: Do dogs get stung by stinging nettles? Yes, the new growth on nettles seems to do most of the damage.
Re: Do dogs get stung by stinging nettles? I always thought it was the big old ones that were worst... They certainly look nasty. Those little new ones fool you into a sense of false security....
Re: Do dogs get stung by stinging nettles? Well, I think I'll just avoid large patches and stick to grassy meadows! Interesting replies - thanks very much everyone.
