Does Vaseline help dog scratches

Is Vaseline safe for dogs?

Vaseline is not toxic to dogs, so yes, you can use Vaseline on or around your pets. You might be put off by the fact that its a byproduct of the oil industry and is made from processing oil (petroleum), but its still safe as a topical for pets. Most commonly, Vaseline is used to protect dogs pawsTrusted SourceAmerican Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)Nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing cruelty to animals.Go to source or cracked noses in cold weather and might even be helpful when trying to heal a wound. Trusted SourceAmerican Kennel Club (AKC)Registry of purebred dog pedigrees.Go to source

If youre in a pinch and have some Vaseline in the house, its fine to use on your pups paws or nose. But there are better alternatives out there, like balms specifically formulated for dogs.

Tips for using Vaseline on your dogs cracked and dry paws

Since Vaseline can be messy and your pup might be tempted to lick it off, it should be used with a bit of caution. Use the following tips when applying Vaseline to your dogs paws:

Only use a thin layer of Vaseline Remember: A little Vaseline goes a long way. When applying a coat of Vaseline to your dogs paw pads, avoid globbing it on since your pup might track it all over your house.

Pro tip: Vaseline can also make wood floors slick, so be sure to clean up any paw prints or spills so that no one slips.

Consider applying the Vaseline outside Dont want your pup tracking Vaseline all over your floors? Try applying it outside. If youre using it before heading out in nasty weather, stay just inside the door and head out for your walk as soon as youre done applying.

Wipe off the Vaseline when you come in from a walk After your pup comes in from the elements, wipe any leftover Vaseline off their paws. You might want to keep some pet-safe wipes or a towel by the door for this purpose. Another good reason to wipe your dogs paws when you come in from a winter walk is that any ice, snow, salt, or de-icing chemicals will also be removed.

Use booties Another way to stave off the mess is to have your dog wear booties after applying Vaseline. Once the petroleum jelly dries, you would then remove the booties and wipe any excess off their paws. You could also skip the Vaseline entirely and use a pair of booties to shield your dogs feet from the elements or protect a cut or blister as it heals.

Never leave booties on your pup for more than an hour. They can tighten around your dogs ankles as they walk, causing loss of circulation, swelling, irritation, and even skin infections.

Can I Put Vaseline on My Dog?

Tessy, now a 5-year-old black Labrador retriever mix, spent 1,007 days at a Delaware animal shelter before being adopted into a forever home. This cute pooch arrived at Humane Animal Partners (formerly Delaware Humane Association and Delaware SPCA) on January 17, 2021, hoping to be adopted in no time.Unfortunately, finding her people proved challenging for Tessy. Days, weeks, months, and years went by, and Tessy was still living at the shelter with no prospective adopters in sight. Tessy is loyal, goofy, snuggly, and remarkably smart, said Leigh McKinley, a director at the Humane Animal Partners, according to PEOPLE. Like many other shelter dogs, Tessy had some trust issues and was wary of new people and experiences. These problems were the reasons for Tessys longer stay at the Humane Animal Partners shelter. Tessy exhibited fear-reactive behaviors in the form of lunging, barking, and growling towards unfamiliar stimuli. Our goal was to help her overcome those fears and learn to trust humans and her surrounding environment, essentially changing her emotional response from a negative to a positive, McKinley explained.The shelter used a behavioral modification plan, which consisted of positive reinforcement training techniques to help Tessy overcome her fears. Fixing a problematic behavior takes a lot of time, patience, and effort, but the shelters staff didnt give up on Tessy.Changing an involuntary physiological behavior takes dedication and consistency to be successful, and while we were determined to see this through, the nature of being in a shelter, with different staff members working with her on any given day, and for varying amounts of time, means the change would take time, said McKinley. We also needed to make sure her adopters were the right fit for her. We took a very thoughtful and careful approach to introducing her to people, and it took time for the right family to find her.Then, almost three years later, all of Tessys hard work paid off! After 1,007 days at the shelter, this cute pooch has finally found her forever home. The family who adopted Tessy, met her several times to help her feel at ease. For the adopters, it was love at first sight, and Tessy instantly felt safe around them. When her adopters Jeanine and Jeff first met her, we all tried to keep a level head about it, not getting our hopes up too high. After their third meeting, though, we could tell Tessy had already established a level of trust with them that we had never seen so quickly before, said McKinley. Jeff and Jeanine adopted the pooch shortly after the third visit, and the shelters staff was ecstatic that Tessy had found a loving home.It was a rollercoaster of emotions leading up to the adoption day, everything from celebrations to disbelief to sadness, excitement, a bit of anxiety, and everything in between. Mostly, though, we felt proud. Proud of her, proud of everyone who helped get her to this point, and proud of the results, McKinley shared.  We all know shed do okay, we are also quite aware that going from three years in the shelter into a loving home is a big adjustment, and it will take her a while to fully acclimate. We tried to instill in her adopters to be confident and patient but never to be complacent. the shelters director added.Its important to know that not every visit to an animal shelter ends with love at first sight. A lot of adoptable dogs have experienced some level of trauma and neglect, and are generally more anxious inside the shelter. Keep an open mind when visiting your local shelter and remember that each of these pups deserves a loving family and a forever home. Join the PetGuide community. Get the latest pet news and product recommendations by subscribing to our newsletter here.

Is Vaseline Safe for Dogs? (Paws, Nose, Ears or Eyes)

When we have dry skin or a wound that is healing, most of us will slather on some vaseline to help. Can your dog use it too? Is Vaseline safe for dogs? Lets take a look and see!

While vaseline doesnt have toxic ingredients for your dog, vaseline isnt safe for your dog, either.If your dog eats it (which happens when it inevitably lick the vaseline off), they can quickly eat enough of it to cause vomiting and other symptoms of stomach upset.

Youll want to know if or when you can use it and what to use instead, as discussed below!

Can I use vaseline on my dog?

As discussed above, no. Vaseline is a petroleum jelly made from waxes and oils that will be rich in your dogs stomach and cause some serious digestive problems in a hurry.

If you have a way to keep vaseline on the outside of the dog, its essentially harmless. There are no toxic ingredients to the vaseline itself.

But dogs will almost always lick it off of their paws/nose/wherever else you use it, making it tricky to use effectively!

How toxic is vaseline for dogs?

You can breathe easier knowing that vaseline isnt toxic to dogs.It is refined and processed thoroughly between being a petroleum product and the final salve that you have sitting in your medicine cabinet!

Most experts say that vaseline is unsafe for dogs but not toxic. Even in situations where your dog gets sick from it, its a short-term complication, and dogs will make a full recovery.

Is vaseline good for a dogs dry skin?

Many dogs will have dry patches that are just begging for you to layer on the vaseline, right?

However tempted you might be, youll need to resist it! Not only is it not recommended, as mentioned, but theres also no proof at all that it works on your dogs skin.

It creates a barrier to lock moisture in, but it also prevents the skin from breathing.If anything, it irritates the problem more than it helps!

The other main concern is that the dry skin may be more than just a random patch of chafed skin. There could be an underlying condition such as allergies, injury, or even a bump or growth that needs further help.

If you notice a patch of skin that is unusually dry, youll want to book an appointment with your vet to make sure that everything is okay.

The use of Vaseline on dogs

Despite not being recommended for use with dogs, there are a lot of common questions surrounding vaseline use. These include: Is vaseline safe for a dogs paws, nose, ears, eyes or wounds?

Can you guess the answers to all of these questions? Of course you can! A dogs eyes are the worst place to consider for vaseline, which should go without saying! This sensitive area wouldnt handle any kind of petroleum jelly product, even if recommended for dogs!

The bottom line: dont use vaseline on your dog! This leads us to figuring out what we should use instead!

What to use on my dog instead of vaseline?

To match the FAQ above, weve put together a list of suggestions to help you care for all of their in-need parts! Take a look:

What can I use with my dogs paws?

There are many different kinds of paw balms out there that you can roll or massage into their pads rough skin, which will help keep them smooth and fresh.

You can also use it on their paws themselves if they need a little TLC from a worn section, but just make sure you understand whats causing the problem!

What can I use with my dogs nose?

Many balms, as introduced above, will say paw and nose balm. In this case, you can use it on their nose or their snout/face and know that it is perfectly safe.

You will want to double-check that it does state nose on it, of course, since sometimes you can just get paw balms and nose balms separately.

A dogs nose is amongst its most sensitive parts, so be careful to only use safe products on it.

What can I use with my dogs ears?

Most will want to use a product on their ears to help with chafing or dry skin (particularly if they have stand-up ears).

However, youll want to only use medicated products or balms for this that have been approved for use by your vet.

The ears do need specialized care with wipes and creams. You can buy eye and ear wipes if you want to use at-home, non-medicated products!

What can I use with my dogs eyes?

Simply, eye drops. Your vet will be able to recommend ones that will help keep the eye and its immediate area as comfortable as possible while a wound or injury recovers.

However, you can also use specially formulated wipes for the delicate eye area, such as tear stains or dry, irritated skin. Just make sure they are commended for eye use!

What can I use with my dogs wound?

If your dog has a wound thats healing, youll need to consider the wound itself. Is it healing on its own, or is something else going on? Has it been checked over?

If both of those things are approved and your vet has seen your dog, you can use a healing balm similar to the paw and nose one.

Your vet can recommend one with antibiotics in it, too, to help keep the area safe as it heals and scabs over, which will speed up the healing process.

Some important tips on dog skincare

So, now that youve learned all about dog skin care, there are a few last-minute pointers to help you always prioritize your dogs health and safety which is what this is all about.

Firstly, ask your vet before trying any kind of pet-safe product. Theres a lot to be said for online shops and reviews and in-depth articles, but your dogs regular vet is still going to be the chief professional opinion on what is safe and not safe for your dog.

If you buy a product for your dog, bring it in to show your vet before you use it on your dog. Allergic reactions can be severe very quickly in dogs, so having your vet give it a professional look and even a trial right there in the office is a good idea.

Secondly, youll always want to do a test before you simply use it on sensitive, healing skin! This is what humans call a patch test.

Pick an area of skin on your dog and use a tiny amount of the product on that area. See how the skin reacts over a few hours or days. If the skin is okay, you can use it on those sensitive areas. If your dog reacts to it, its best to know that on healthy skin rather than unhealthy, healing skin!

In closing

Vaseline isnt harmful to your dogs skin, but it isnt recommended either. When ingested, it can cause short-term stomach upset and digestive concerns.

Luckily there are plenty of dog-safe products that you can use for all of their skin concerns and needs that will do the trick much better with no risk!

Treating your dogs skin right is all about understanding whats safe and unsafe. As discussed, vaseline is not as safe as we think, so understanding its potential risks and what to use instead will be a crucial piece of information!

Why not pass it onto someone else who might not be aware of this seemingly innocent products risks?