paint on tail

[baxterboy]

hi

just came back from a walk and Baxter ran off to see the neighbour. i hadn't noticed but he was painting his gate (white). Baxter managed to get his tail caught between the railings - in a panic i pulled quickly at the lead and a big chunk of hair was left on the gate and about half his tail was brushed white.

i quickly came in and wiped his tail with turps and then wiped again with water - he immediately started shaking and his tail was curled up instead of the usual down. he laydown in a corner for about 10mins which is unheard off and nearly refused food

he has calmed down now and taken quite bit of water but his tail is still curled up - has he just been given a fright or is there a chance that he's damaged his tail.

any help - similar experiences appreciated

[brownsugar]

Hello,

Having had a course of animal first aid in the past (long ago and sadly mostly forgotten) I seemed to remember not to use turpentine or other solvents when your pet gets paint on its fur. Looked it up right now to be sure and several websites are warning it can cause (severe) burning of the skin. Hope you got it all off again!

For dried paint or oil-based paint it is adviced to use something like vegetable oil, salad oil or peanut butter. And then try to get it off with your fingers.

Hope he is allright and just upset.

[harleys mum]

Turps is oil based and ordinary water will not remove it - you need to use some sort of shampoo/soap to clean it off properly.

[baxterboy]

seems to be just about ok now - tail still a bit sensitive.

lesson learned (at his expense) i guess he reaction was one of shock which would probably be the initial pain followed by the burning sensation - hopefully no damage done.

i guess i should have cleaned him with hot soapy water water

[harleys mum]

Poor thing - Harley has done exactly the same, can't resist investigating - being blue roan with a flash of white at the end it didn't really show so I waited til it was dry and cut most of it out 

So glad Baxter is feeling better now 

[Helen]

seems to be just about ok now - tail still a bit sensitive.

lesson learned (at his expense) i guess he reaction was one of shock which would probably be the initial pain followed by the burning sensation - hopefully no damage done.

i guess i should have cleaned him with hot soapy water water

I would give it a wash now with very mild dog shampoo and warm water just to make sure you have all the turps off 

[Lynne L]

Paddy got his nose stuck to a newly painted door shortly after we got him aged 10 weeks (sage green gloss paint all around his mouth and muzzle!), I took him straight to the vets and we both removed as much as we could using Surgical Spirit (definitely not white spirit which is caustic and potentially toxic). We had to shave the rest off. If Baxter's tail looks sore may be worth a trip to the vet for some pain relief as white spirit can burn - we had a friend who burnt his bottom after sitting in some - it soaked through his jeans and burnt his skin because he didn't rinse it off straight away . Hope Baxter's more comfortable today.
Best wishes
Lynne