Is Melting Ice, Approved for Use With Pets, Safe for Pets?
Rock salt that is sprinkled on sidewalks to melt snow is bad for your pet’s paws . Rubber booties can help , but if you salt the lanes yourself, you can buy ice that’s pet-friendly. But these products have their own caveats.
Regular salt is definitely bad for pets.
Sodium chloride is what is found in table salt and rock salt. It’s cheap and the snow melts pretty well. But it can dry out pets’ paws and even cause burns, and dogs that eat or lick it can vomit and have diarrhea. If they eat large amounts of salt, it can cause hypernatremia (which in Latin means “too much salt”), including heart and nervous system problems and possibly death.
Urea is safe, but does poorly at melting snow.
Urea doesn’t burn dog paws like a regular can of salt, so that’s an advantage. However, urea is harmful to pets. The Pet Poison Helpline writes : “Ingestion of urea usually results in salivation and mild gastrointestinal irritation, but large doses can cause weakness, tremors and methemoglobinemia.”
Another disadvantage is that urea does not melt snow well. Morton Safe-T-Pet, a manufacturer of carbamide, claims it is good in temperatures up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, making it useless in cold winter weather.
Other salts can cause vomiting and diarrhea.
The Pet Poison Hotline notes that magnesium salts are irritating enough to cause gastrointestinal upset. Potassium salts are more irritating and can cause bloody vomiting or diarrhea. Calcium chloride is most irritating to both the paws and the digestive system.
These salts are not necessarily marketed as being safe for pets, but some pet products do not disclose their ingredients. Salts may still be present along with other ingredients, so it is good to be aware of the symptoms these salts can cause.
Some ice melts contain sweet ingredients.
Glycols and sugar beet chemicals can help melt the ice, but they also taste sweet, which may encourage some pets to lick it. Propylene glycol is safe enough for dogs, according to PetMD, but can be toxic to cats. In some products, it is used together with urea, which, as we discussed above, has its own problems.
Regardless, protect your pets’ legs
Pet salt is usually just as good as rock salt, but nothing is completely safe. If possible, it is best to prevent melting ice from getting on your pet’s paws, for example, by putting on rubber boots before going outside. (Yes, they can be tricky to apply, but we have a way to do it .)
Veterinarian Robert Sharp has another option, which he explained to Consumer Reports : Place a tray of warm water at your door and have your pet step on it as they walk outside. This will wash away anything they might have stepped on, so you don’t have to worry about what the salt will do to their skin or stomach.