Oregon Pet Sitter

Common, Everyday Products Can Harm. . .Even Kill Your Animals!

We wash them, we comb them and we protect them from insects. . . but who is protecting our four-footed friends from our devotion? Commonly used products – from shampoos and conditioners to fly spray and tick collars used to keep away bugs contain sometimes lethal doses of chemicals that can impair and even kill your animals.

There is no watchdog agency regulating the topical products you use on your pets and horses. Seems ironic, but according to the FDA, this effort was ceded back to an industry oversight group in the 1930’s and hasn’t changed since.

Everyday household products can be deadly

Not long ago, KATU 2 in Portland, Oregon, reported on an accident involving a dog and common detergent. A woman said her dog suffered serious chemical burns from a product most people would consider harmless. The owner didn't think it was harmful so she didn't have it locked away.

Now, you wouldn't think laundry soap could be harmful to your pet just by getting on their skin. But this Basset Hound's misadventure is a warning to all pet owners. She had a skin reaction all over the bottom of her body according to Veterinarian Chuck Hawkins. A bottle of liquid detergent was on the floor near the cage. Somehow the dog got to it and got the lid off. After perhaps hours of lying in the liquid detergent, the dog was found bleeding and in pain. The only warning on the label was: 'keep out of reach of children .