Dog Skin Irritations

Hitchhikers are Foreign Objects

"Hitchhikers" are foreign objects hidden in your dog’s coat. Anything from burrs to chewing gum counts as a hitchhiker, and must be removed from your dog’s coat if it is to stay beautiful and healthy. Here are some tricks to make removing hitchhikers more easily.

Burrs
Some burrs will just brush out, but if you have a more stubborn burr, you may have to cut it out. To lessen the impact on your dog’s coat, use a seam ripper (found in the sewing section of most grocery and discount stores) to pick the hairs around the burr, until you can pull the burr out. To prevent future burrs, apply a little bit of mink oil conditioner on your dog’s coat. (It has the added benefit of making his coat shiny, too.) You can buy mink oil conditioner at most pet supply stores.

Chewing Gum
First, try placing an ice cube on the gum. When it stiffens, you should be able to lift the gum out of your dog’s hair fairly easily. If the gum has been rubbed in, pat some peanut butter on it, let it sit a minute, then lift everything off with a soft cloth. If all else fails, cut the gum out with blunt-tipped scissors.

Paint
If you see the paint while it’s still wet, wash it out of your dog’s fur right away (assuming it’s water soluble, like latex). If water and a little soap doesn’t work, wait for the paint to try and
then cut it out. Don’t wait too long, because you don’t want your pet to chew on the paint. Do not use turpentine or any other chemical on your dog’s coat.

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