Rock salt can be hazardous to your pet when you apply large amounts to your outdoor pavements and driveway. It’s important that you understand these hazards and reduce how much you use or stop using it altogether by using alternatives instead. This can help keep your pet healthy and even save its life. Below are some things you should know about rock salt and your pets.
Rock Salt Can Burn your Pet’s Paws and Make them Sick
Have you seen what rock salt does to your lawn? It burns it. Imagine what it does to your pet’s feet. Spreading rock salt on your walks and driveway might be unavoidable when you are trying to remove the ice that forms on them. However, when your pet walks on this rock salt or even in the slush that it leaves after melting the ice, the salt can irritate and burn your pet’s paws if you don’t clean them right away. This can lead to soreness, redness, inflammation and bacterial infection.
In addition to this, your pet most likely will stop to lick its paws to clean the salt from them and ingest it. They might even drink the water puddle left from the rock salt and melting ice. When they ingest the salt, it can irritate their stomach and cause weakness, lethargy and seizures. It can even cause death if they ingest large amounts.
Minimize the Harm Rock Salt Can Cause to your Pets
After your pet has been outside, be sure to clean their paws really good. Make sure you get around and between their toes as well and rinse them well. If your pet has long hair, you should keep their coat trimmed during the winter season. You might wish to invest in paw booties for your pet to keep their paws covered and protect them from the rock salt. Your best bet is to try and keep them in unsalted areas as much as possible. When they need to go out, keep them on a leash and guide them to these areas instead of letting them loose on their own.
You can find various pet-friendly rock salt products. Be sure you read the labels to ensure the rock salt you are buying is pet-friendly. If it doesn’t come right out and say it is, chances are it’s not. If you see the products contain chemicals like magnesium chloride and calcium chloride, avoid them. Lastly, be sure that you have pet insurance in the event that your pet becomes ill due to ingesting rock salt.
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