How do you get pine tree sap out of a dog's hair?

January 6, 2005 2:38 PM

My Old English sheepdog Max likes to sit under a pine tree in my backyard, and thus he often gets sticky pine needle sap stuck in his fur. Is there any way to easily get this stuff out, preferably involving natural ingredients? (mi+)

I've tried soap and water, but that only does the trick after lots of washing, which needless to say, Max is not too fond of. I've also tried cutting the chunks of fur out that get matted together from the sap, but if it's on a spot that's sensitive and hard-to-reach (i.e. around his ears, eyes, etc.) I prefer not having to resort to scissors.

Thanks in advance to everyone:-)

posted by invisible ink to Pets & Animals (7 answers total)

Use to get the same problem with my hair as a kid. My father's solution? Gasline antifreeze. Just a bit will break it up.

Now, that's definitely not the mild solution you're looking for, but you'll find rubbing alcohol or similar does the job just as well.
posted by furtive at 2:46 PM on January 6, 2005

I've heard peanut butter, but I think oil is the active ingredient. Some info here.
posted by one at 3:28 PM on January 6, 2005

Note on antifreeze: it's extremely toxic.
posted by deborah at 6:32 PM on January 6, 2005

Note on antifreeze: it's extremely toxic.

And dogs like to lick it because it tastes sweet to them, so PLEASE DON'T USE IT.
posted by lia at 9:46 PM on January 6, 2005

Best answer: A long time ago my grandmother suggested butter to get some pine sap off my hands. I laughed knowingly, because she was quite the kidder and I was certain she just wanted to watch the fun of butter mixed with sap. She kept saying she was serious, so eventually I tried it. Turns out she was right, it works quickly and cleanly.
posted by oldmanyoung at 11:20 PM on January 6, 2005

Best answer: Yup, oldmanyoung is right - butter will do the trick, completely naturally. We always used butter to get sap off our hands when we were kids.

Just rub the affected area w/a pat of butter until the sap has dissolved, then wash w/whatever soap you normally use on him. I haven't had to do this to our dog yet, but I imagine it would have the added bonus of making his coat nice and shiny!
posted by widdershins at 8:54 AM on January 7, 2005

Response by poster: Thanks for the fantastic suggestions everyone! Butter is exactly what I was looking for.
posted by invisible ink at 2:00 PM on January 7, 2005