Spring Cleaning – Make Sure That Your Dog or Cat is Safe!
It’s pretty great owning a pet, but it’s not a fantastic experience to nurture them back to health.
Did you know that thousands of pets in the Greater Vancouver area are rushed into an emergency veterinary clinic or die as a result of accidental poisoning around the home?
In many cases, the cause of poisoning is from simple household products that are used for cleaning. The numbers are alarming from these simple yet unfortunate events. In fact, all it takes is a little knowledge and implementation to prevent anything drastic from happening, such as your pet becoming unwell or even dying.
This is a clear case that prevention is better than cure, and knowing it can make such a dramatic difference. Of course, it’s human nature to have a clean home, but it’s your pet that does not understand that some cleaners are toxic to them, and most pets are curious by nature.
If only we could speak our pet’s language, or they could read our minds! Until science allows for us to do so, what we can do is gain some insights on alternative cleaning products which are pet friendly and great for your home.
So keep reading on to learn how a little knowledge can help save your pet from accidental poison ingestion and to learn about the Jet Pet Resort difference – how we clean our luxury boarding facility or our hotel for dogs and cats without any harsh chemicals or treatments whatsoever.
Many if not most household cleaning products are often highly poisonous to living tissues, and if a dog or cat eats or becomes otherwise exposed to the chemicals in the cleaner, there is a high likelihood they will become very ill. There are literally hundreds of home cleaners available to consumers. Items such as bleach, detergents, toilet bowl cleaners, caustics (Drano™, Ajax™), pine oils and many others. But how?
THESE CLEANERS CAN HARM YOUR PET BY:
- Absorbing into your pet’s bloodstream and causing generalized illness.
- Harm or destroy your pet’s tissue on contact by acid or alkaline burns.
- They can decrease your pet’s appetite.
- Contribute to a swollen abdomen.
- Dissolving through tissue membranes.
- Gastrointestinal upsets such as vomiting and diarrhea.
- Pine oils and electric dish-washing detergents particularly tend to be quite toxic, although the range of chemicals included in cleaning products can cause signs varying widely from:
- Mild local irritation (many detergent soaps).
- Deep penetrating tissue damage (alkaline products).
- Severe systemic disease (pine oils and others).
REMEMBER, THE BEST REMEDY IS ALWAYS PREVENTION.
- Keep pets out of newly cleaned areas to avoid paw injuries from walking in the newly applied cleaning solution and mouth burns from the animal then grooming itself.
- Keep all cleaners tightly closed when not in use to prevent accidental spills and ingestion.
- Be aware of the possible dangers of toilet bowl cleaners from dogs and cats who consider the toilet just another water bowl!
In case of accidental exposure to any cleaning product, it is generally recommended to flush the skin (or mouth) with plain water to wash away the remaining chemicals and then call into your veterinary clinic for further instructions.
What cleaning products are safe for my dogs?
It’s important to know that not ALL cleaning products are bad for dogs. In fact, you need to have some in your home. Otherwise, you would be living in such a messy and hygienic house. To help you know further about pet friendly cleaning products, we’ve devised the following list to help you:
- All purpose floor cleaner: If you have wooden or ceramic floors in your house, you can make your own all purpose floor cleaner. All you need is vinegar and water, and ditch the chemical cleaner. To do this, simply get 1 litre of water and a cup of vinegar, mix together and clean. You don’t even need to rinse your floor if you’ve cleaned it.
- All purpose cleaner: On the contrary, if homemade products aren’t your thing, a good all cleaner is Puracy Natural All-Purpose Cleaner. This is created out of an entirely plant based formula, is non-toxic, hypoallergenic, vegan, gluten-free and most importantly pet friendly! Similarly, it’s been created by doctors, and you can use it on any surface.
- Baking soda: We reckon most of you must have baking soda lingering around in your kitchen! As long as your dog does not eat the baking soda directly, it can be economical and easy to clean with.
- In particular, it absorbs bad odours quickly and effectively. Similarly, it removes stains as well and is good to use if you need to get anything out of your couch. To use baking soda effectively, you will need to add warm water to it, vinegar or cleaning powder.
- Laundry detergent: Seventh Generation Laundry detergent is one that’s eco friendly and non-toxic for your pet. This product does not contain any harmful chemicals or additives, allowing you to safely wash your dog’s beds, clothes, toys and more.
- Carpet cleaner: Remove any household stains safely using the dog friendly Clean and Green carpet cleaner. This cleaner can remove many stains such as red wine, vomit, urine, pet stays and more from your carpet. The formula is natural, non-toxic, pet friendly, hypoallergenic and does not contain any phosphates, dyes or ammonia.
THE JET PET RESORT DIFFERENCE
Jet Pet Resort is proud to be the first (and as far as we know the only) pet hotel, daycare and pet spa in Canada to be 100% chemical-free. We utilize the Lotus Pro™ water system to go far beyond simply being a ‘green’ company.
Our water system is 100% non-toxic and allows us to clean, sanitize and deodorize virtually every surface in one step – with water! There is no residue or harmful vapours, and the chances of your pet developing skin irritations from a harsh chemical are all but eliminated. We take great pride in creating not only a clean space but offering a truly safe environment for your pet during their stay at Jet Pet Resort. It makes us wonder, what are the dog kennels in Vancouver using and do you really feel confident now leaving your dog or cat anywhere but Jet Pet Resort?
FAQS
Is ajax safe for dogs?
In case you didn’t read this earlier, Ajax is not safe for your dogs. So if you’re thinking about asking the questions of “is ajax dish soap safe for dogs?” or “can I use ajax to wash my dog?” then it’s a bit fat NO.
The reason for this is this will dry out your canine’s skin and also cause the skin to dry out. Ajax will strip lots of grease and natural oils from their skin, putting them at risk of skin infections.
What are the cat friendly cleaning products?
Just like dogs, you have to be cautious cleaning your house when cats are around. You don’t want to be using toxic products that can cause serious harm to your cat and increase your vet bills. But, at the same time, you don’t want to ha
ve hairballs, vomit or dead birds or anything your cat catches lying around your house. So to help you clean effectively and keep your cat safe you can use the following:
- Litter Box scrubbing wipes: Just like our own toilet, we have to clean a cat’s litter box; the smell and the bad bacteria won’t go away on their own! To do this effectively, you will want to empty the litter box and use scrubbing wipes.
A great brand to use is Nature’s Miracle which usually comes in a pack of 30 wipes. All the ingredients in this pet friendly cleaning product is made up of plant based enzymes that work together to control the odour from the little box and do not aggravate your cat.
- Kitchen and bath scrub: When you own dogs, it’s a bit easier to protect them from certain surfaces. However, with cats, you can’t prevent them from jumping on top across the kitchen or bathroom countertops.
Sometimes they can easily rest there or even lick them, which can be highly dangerous if you use toxic detergents. One safe detergent to use is Better Life Natural Kitchen and Bath Scrubber. All the ingredients in this product are plant-based and are cruelty-free; it’s leaping bunny certified. Similarly, it’s been proven to leave surfaces shiny and squeaky clean.
- Carpet cleaner: If cats leave any mess or bring anything into your home, they can easily leave stains on your carpet. There are some household products that clean up residue and cause extreme reactions in cats. One effective and safe carpet cleaner for cats is Earthworm carpet and upholstery cleaner. This product is fragrance-free pet and environmentally friendly.
Cleaning products toxic to dogs, what are they?
We’ve highlighted in this article what cleaning products are safe for dogs, but what about the ones that are toxic? To give you an idea, they are the following: alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, bleach any chemical compounds that include the word phenol in them.
These chemicals are extremely dangerous to dogs and can cause burns to their paws, throat and inside their stomach. This can cause permanent damage to your dog and can also lead to more fatal problems. If you think your dog had consumed any of these, take them to a veterinarian immediately.