Posted in plain text for Kathy: In a recent posting about canine acne it was suggested pure tea tree oil be used. A word of caution, there are different types (strength) of tea tree oil and on some animals and humans with sensitive skin the pure oil may "burn".
Also if the dog licks the oil they may become very ill. Just this weekend our vet passed along the following warning. One of her clients has three dogs on which tea tree oil had been used. The next morning two of the dogs were down and the third very weak. So with anything use caution. On a side note for hot spots a tea made with rosemary works overnight and is simple to make. Simply boil rosemary (fresh or dried) at approximately 1 to 3 ratio in water for three minutes, strain and let water cool. Apply the wash at the first sign of a hot spot. This was given to me by a Wheaton breeder. When I suggested this to a person, who called after their vet was closed, for their Berner it worked over night. I have a great book called All You Ever Wanted to Know About Herbs for Pets by Mary L. Wulff-Tilford and Gregory L. Tilford, ISBN 1-889540-46-3. I used this book to check out contraindications. As with tea tree oil, rosemary essential oil should be diluted as it is strong and can cause immediate irritation. Remember what works and is safe as a tea may not be as an oil. Kathy
