Watch out for Wandering Jew
It's near impossible to warn your dog to not step in that, don't lean against that to pee, and certainly don't stick your face amongst it! Despite our best attempts to avoid it, Wandering Jew is everywhere and George is oblivious to the fact he should avoid it so its up to me to keep an eye on what he gets amongst on our walkies.
Wandering Jew is a ground cover weed that has glossy leaves, soft stems and white flowers in Spring to early Summer. It grows best in shady spots so hence its quite common to see on bush walks, under trees, or in shady spots in your garden at home.
For dogs, it can cause an allergic reaction on contact such as pustules surrounded by irritated, red skin. Symptoms are most commonly visible on your dog's belly, armpits, groin, ears or face.
If symptoms are mild, you may be able to wash away the allergens just by giving your dog a bath. George gets bathed with a medicated wash due to his allergies anyway (link below), but even a bath with some regular shampoo helps to remove any traces of contact your dog may have had. If your dogs symptoms are more severe, see a vet as further treatment may be required.
While you should try and avoid your dogs contact with Wandering Jew, as a dog owner, im realistic that its not always possible. So other than bathing your dog after contact or at least washing your dogs paws, you can also use other treatments to help control the reaction.
George has suffered from allergies for the last few years, and wanting to avoid further immunotherapy injections, I started looking at natural remedies for his itchy skin through the warmer months. I came across Spring from Natural Pet and have noticed a difference in his scratching after just one bottle. If you have a dog thats prone to reactions from grass, wandering jew or pollen, its worth giving this a go.
Here are some links that might be helpful: