2024-01-27 16:05:28
“Snow road salt is often made from sodium chloride or a mixture of sodium chloride and calcium chloride, which allows the salt to remain effective even at low temperatures,” explains Patrick de Cock, communications coordinator at the Antipoison Center. And if he is not “dangerous in itself”, it may cause irritation in case of prolonged contact with skin or in case of eye contact. If for humans we don’t normally come into contact with it too closely (be careful with children), for our dogs or our cats it’s a different story.
Don’t let them lick their paws following the walk
“The dog and cat may lick their paws following a walk, so that a large amount of salt suddenly ends up in their stomach. This can lead to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea…even salt poisoning, leading to death in the worst case (from 4 grams per kilogram of body weight). Some dogs and cats stop licking when they taste salt, others continue to do it precisely because it hurts them.”continue Patrick de Cock.
Symptoms include “vomiting, diarrhea, drunken gait, fever, followed by convulsions and coma.” They may appear shortly following ingestion, between 30 and 60 minutes.
“According to some sources, road salt is – understandably – toxic to birds, if they drink from melted snow, for example.”
What to do if swallowed?
“If following excessive salt ingestion your dog shows signs of intoxication but is still able to drink alone, you should start by giving him water in small quantities and repeatedly. On the other hand, rapid administration of “A large quantity of water is dangerous. Salt should certainly not be administered to induce vomiting.” Either way, contact your veterinarian directly.
Protect their paws
Furthermore, grains of salt can seep between the toes and irritate the animal’s skin, he notes. In case of lesions or cracks in the skin, contact with it can be very painful.
To protect your dog’s paws before a walk, “You can also lubricate your dog’s paw pads with petroleum jelly or a special solution before going outside. This protects the dog’s paws and repels moisture and salt.” When you get home, rinse your dog’s paws with lukewarm water and dry them well.
Pay even more attention to small dogs, who are also more fragile, and who are more likely to receive salt splashes when walking. “These splashes can get into their eyes and cause considerable irritation.” If this is the case, then rinse his eyes for 15 minutes with a light stream of salt water in the eyes. “Compared to large dogs, small dogs require very little road salt to be affected…”
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