Calcium Chloride & Dogs
Winter can be a fun time for your dog, especially if it enjoys playing in the snow. However, icy conditions can bring unexpected consequences. Chemicals used in products that keep ice from building up can be dangerous to dogs, so it is important to be aware of these conditions and take proper precautions in order to keep your dog safe and healthy.
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Calcium Chloride
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Calcium chloride is used in many ice-melting products. For example, it may be in the salt that you use on your own porch steps and walkways, or it could be in the road salt that your city uses in the winter. A 2001 report released by Health Canada declared road salts to be toxic because of the chlorides they contain.
Irritant
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Your dog's feet can easily pick calcium chloride when it walks on steps, sidewalks or streets where ice melt products are used. The salt can cling to the pads of the feet and to the hair in between its toes. Calcium chloride can be painful and irritating to a dog's paws and skin.
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Toxin
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Calcium chloride can be toxic if ingested. Your dog may experience diarrhea, tremors, stomach upset, nerve damage and depression as a result of ingesting ice melt. If your dog displays any of these symptoms, or you believe it may have swallowed ice melt, call your veterinarian.
Alternatives
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Look for nontoxic ice melters that you can use at home. If you have a container of sidewalk salt, check the label to see if calcium chloride (or any other chlorides) are an ingredient. There are several brands of pet-safe ice melt that you can use instead.
Prevention
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Take precautions to protect your dog from calcium chloride and the negative side effects of ice melt. During winter, wash and dry your dog's feet thoroughly after it comes in from outside. The most common way for a dog to ingest ice melt is from licking it off its paws. Consider using booties on your dog's feet when you walk it during the winter. While walking, do not allow your dog to drink from puddles; the puddles may contain calcium chloride and other toxins from road salt (or antifreeze). Do not allow it to eat snow that is near a road or walkway where ice melt may be used; if it plays in snow that may contain ice melt, thoroughly wipe down its entire body.
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References
- Photo Credit dog image by Zbigniew Nowak from Fotolia.com
