LOS ANGELES (AP) — As the time nears for spring
cleaning and companies offer more environmentally friendly alternatives
to toxic cleaners, veterinarians say pet owners should keep in mind that
what's green to a human can be dangerous — even deadly — to animals.
"People expose their animals without even realizing the risk," said Dr. Karl Jandrey, who works in the emergency and critical care units at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital
at the University of California, Davis. "That's the most common thing
that happens when you come to our emergency room — the clients put their
pets at risk because they were unaware of how significant the damage
could be."
Most household cleaners are safe if used as directed on labels, but
pet owners who make their own cleansers using natural ingredients don't
have the warnings or instructions that come with commercial products.
Cats, for example, can get stomachaches from essential oils added for
orange, lemon or peppermint scents in cleaners, said Dr. Camille
DeClementi, a senior toxicologist at the Animal Poison Control Center
run by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in
Urbana, Ill.
Most commercial green products are safe for animals, DeClementi
said, but owners should still exercise the same precautions as with
chemical alternatives, such as keeping pets away from an area being
cleaned, not using sprays directly on a pet and making sure that dogs
don't chew on the products.
If a product says "Keep out of reach of children," keep it away from pets too, DeClementi said.
Caroline Golon, an Ohio mother of two children under 5 and owner of two Persian cats,
said she became concerned about cleaning products before her children
were born, when she noticed how often the cats jumped between floors and
counters. The Columbus resident uses only unscented green products
or vinegar and water to clean, a water-only steam mop on floors and
washes the cats' dishes and litter boxes with hot water and green dish
soap.
"There are varying degrees of green, and there are a lot of
mainstream brands now that have a green version. You have to do a little
research to see what you like best," said Golon, a pet blogger.
The "green" label on products can be misleading because it still can be dangerous, Jandrey
added. "Some still have their own toxicities. In general, they probably
are a little less toxic, but not free of toxic potential. They just
have a need for a larger dose to cause the same kind of symptoms," he
said.
He cited antifreeze as an example. The pet-friendly version of antifreeze, propylene glycol,
is "still an antifreeze product. It's still intoxicating to patients,
our dogs and cats. It's just not as intoxicating as ethylene glycol."
It takes more of the propylene glycol to be as deadly as the ethylene
glycol, "but it is still intoxicating though it might say pet-friendly
in the ads or on the bottle," Jandrey said.
Labels can't always account for every reaction, Jandrey said. "Each
intoxicating product has different concentrations and each dog or cat,
each species, has a different sensitivity to that product. So what might
be intoxicating to a dog is really, really intoxicating to a cat
because cats might be more sensitive," he said.
Nancy Guberti,
a New York City nutritionist and healthy lifestyle coach for the past
15 years, said some products will say green when they are not.
"Natural means nothing. The consumer has to be educated. It's all about awareness," she said.
Extra care also should be taken when cleaning around a pet's area,
such as its toys or bedding, the experts say. Don't use fabric softener
sheets that contain cationic detergents because they will give your pet —
especially cats — stomach distress, DeClementi said, referring to a
type of chemical soap that kills bacteria.
Such detergents and soaps, normally associated with helping to get
clothes clean and fresh-smelling, can have chemicals that can sicken
humans and pets alike.
Guberti switched to green cleaners out of necessity when her youngest
son developed a liver disorder and many allergies. Guberti said the
whole family became green — even their family's 6-year-old Shih Tzu,
Flower, because her son can't hold Flower "if she is full of toxic
chemicals or perfumes."
She recalled how she took the dog to a groomer for the first time,
and Flower came out covered in perfume. Guberti washed her again at
home, and now she brings her own bottles to the groomer.
"I have a bottle of shampoo and a bottle of conditioner with her name
on it. I always remind them: 'No perfumes whatsoever,'" Guberti said.
Golon, who uses a maid service once a month, said she had the same
problem when they brought their own products when they first started
cleaning the house.
"I hadn't thought about it but the smell was so overpowering, it
really bothered me. I can just imagine what it was doing to the cats
with their sensitivity to scents," she said.
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Online:
http://aspca.org
http://www.vmth.ucdavis.edu