How To Get Wax Out Of Dog Hair

Candles can be a soothing way to add some ambiance and warmth to your home, but they can be a challenge if a big, wagging tail sweeps the decoration off the table, spilling wax on your dog's fur. First, make sure your dog isn't burned by the wax and then patiently remove the wax from his fur.

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Candle wax in its liquid state is hot enough to give your dog a scalding burn, so cooling the wax that made contact with your dog as quickly as possible is the first and most important step. Pouring cool water over the candle wax will immediately cool it, hardening it in the process.

Once the candle wax is solidified so it can no longer burn your dog, take her in the bathroom and run cool water over the area where the wax landed on her for a minimum of five minutes. Apply a cool pack to the area — not an ice pack. A cloth run under cold water from the faucet is usually sufficient. Using ice or even ice water can cause ice burns and can further damage the skin and cause pain to your dog.

If the wax is adhering to your dog's skin, don't pull it off, as this can tear the tender skin. Instead, hold the cool pack in place and wrap her in a warm towel to prevent shock. Contact your veterinarian for an evaluation. Your vet has the knowledge of how to get wax off skin without causing damage or pain.

If your dog dragged the long hairs of his ears or tail through melted wax and there is no contact with the skin, removing wax might be as simple as trimming the hair. If removing the wax in this fashion would leave your dog with an unsightly appearance, prepare your patience to remove wax manually.

There's no easy way to remove candle wax from hair. Although it seems logical to use heat from a hair dryer or very warm water to soften and remove the wax, you can burn your dog's skin using either method, especially if it is already tender from coming in contact with hot wax.

Ice can sometimes cause wax to crumble, making it easier to rub between your fingers and remove. Don't use chemical-based products, like shampoo, that could irritate tender, burned skin.

Oil is the easiest way to remove wax from hair. Mineral oil or baby oil are best, but you can use another nontoxic oil, such as olive oil or coconut oil. Apply it to the wax with a cotton ball. The wax will become gummy in texture and begin to break down. Massage the softened wax with your fingers and try to loosen it as much as possible as you massage the oil into the hair.

Use a fine-bristle brush or shedding comb to gently pry the wax from your dog's coat. Pinch the hair between the skin and the wax between your fingers so you're not pulling your dog's hair where it joins with the skin. If you discover that the wax penetrated to the skin, consult your vet to determine how to get the wax residue off the skin without causing injury to your dog.

After you remove all the wax from your dog's hair, give your dog a bath to get any additional wax residue off the skin and fur. Beware of blow drying your dog after removing wax from the fur, as it will further injure any small burns you might not have noticed.