The ABCs of Healthy Pet Care in the New Year

Start the new year clean with a health-conscious cleaning regime that doesn’t endanger your pets. Your beloved little furball may not look like Cerberus, but, enthused by this or that New Year’s resolution about cleanliness, you don’t want to make a mistake that looses the underworld upon your happy home either.

If they are swallowed or their fumes inhaled, several ingredients in everyday household cleaners such as disinfectants, fresheners, and scrubs, are potentially hazardous for dogs, cats, and birds. To make the point, last month two veteran veterinarians listed five of the most common troublemakers in alphabetical order on the Martha Stewart website, www.marthastewart.com.

Starting with A: Ammonia. On its own, ammonia, commonly found in glass and floor cleaners, is a serious irritant. But worse yet, as Jamie Whittenburg, DVM, veterinarian director at Senior Tail Waggers, warns, if combined with bleach, the result is chloramine gas, which can be fatal to both people and pets.

Next up: B for Bleach. Swallowed or spilled on the skin, this liquid may cause chemical burns. In addition, cats and birds are seriously sensitive to fumes even from diluted bleach. Even fumes from reed diffusers, sticks that release fragrance into the air, spread dangerous fumes as well.

Ditto for E: Essential oils, essences from plants. Even one as seemingly safe as lemon oil may be hazardous for cats and dogs, animals lacking the enzymes needed to metabolize some of the chemicals that give the oil its delicious scent. The point is that these oils are totally natural—but that’s spelled “natural” not “safe.” Dr. Whittenburg notes that she once had a canine patient nearly die after being anointed with topical tea tree oil.

Eleven letters on, we get to P: Phenols. These are antiseptics often included in cleaning products to stop the spread of germs and bacteria, which they do efficiently. But Angela Silva, DVM, CVA, chief veterinarian at Petco, explains that they’re toxic to larger creatures as well for whom “ingestion of these products, may lead to liver failure and death.”

Last but definitely not least, the same applies to Q: Quaternary compounds that contain ammonium, a form of ammonia that can burn the skin, making them particularly dangerous for felines due to cats’ characteristic and sometimes constant grooming behavior.

Even in homes run by the most cautious pet parents, accidents happen, so it pays to be prepared. That means keeping cleaning products safe in cabinets with solid doors even the most persistent prying cat can’t open. If an animal does get into a product and has swallowed something dangerous, the vets say the first signs of trouble are likely to be watery eyes, sneezing, coughing, and rapid or difficult breathing. These symptoms may be followed by vomiting, diarrhea, excessive drooling, disorientation, and pawing at the mouth.

While the humane human instinct may be to help the animal vomit up the nasty stuff, that’s a bad idea because in coming up, the product may cause more damage. So in an emergency both vets recommend the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435.

In the end, clearly the better bet is to pick safer product. Whittenburg’s suggestions, commonly found in every home both with and without pets, are plain diluted white vinegar, baking soda, and dish soap. And even then, she adds, “Keep pets away from the areas to be cleaned until they are totally dry, and be extra careful with the potential inhalation of cleaning supplies and air fresheners.”