Baking soda toxic for dogs! Who knew !

[Jennifer and Jack]

http://www.ehow.com/info_8784315_should-dog-eats-baking-soda.html


My friends dog had a rash....and she gave her dog a bath with baking powder and as it would turn out who knew it was toxic for dogs?????

I am super lucky because I have put baking powder down all the time when I had carpets if one of the puppies went potty in the house...who knew.


I had to pass it on because I had no clue....

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There is a difference between baking soda and baking powder, but both can be toxic to dogs in large amounts. 

Baking Powder and Baking Soda. Baking soda and baking powder are both leavening agents. A leavening agent is a common ingredient in baked goods that produces a gas causing batter and dough to rise. Baking soda is simply sodium bicarbonate. Baking powder consists of baking soda and an acid, usually cream of tartar, calcium acid phosphate, sodium aluminum sulfate or a mixture of the three. Ingestion of large amounts of baking soda or baking powder can lead to electrolyte abnormalities (low potassium, low calcium and/or high sodium), congestive heart failure or muscle spasms.

       

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

However, using it topically, as in a bath, shouldn't have caused a problem. 

[Jennifer and Jack]

She said it was mixed in the dogs bath Andre dog drank the water........dog got really sick ..but is okay now....I don't know....it must have been some bath!

[Jennifer and Jack]

This is the story she told.. She is not like me at all who overreacts to anything when it comes to dogs, she is calm and level headed......I am a total over reactor when it comes to Jack, just in case you haven't noticed.. but she isn't.. I wonder if the resp distress was from the rash as opposed to the baking soda, but either way it is good to know.. I could so see me giving Jack an oatmeal bath of some sort if he had a rash.

Finnegan’s girlfriend, Jitterbug, was rushed to ER last night for something I really never knew was a hazard. She had developed a simple rash on her belly – and her mom, who is a nurse, decided to give her a nice bath with a little bit of baking soda in the water… well, Jitterbug decided to dip her little tongue in the water and it almost cost her her life. I really never knew how toxic baking soda (or baking powder) is to our pups. That simple little lick suddenly affected her respiratory system, and she was vomiting and having trouble breathing… thankfully her mom rushed her to the local 24 Hour ER for pets and she will be okay. But I felt the need to spread the word to all pup parents. Here is a link I found that explains it a little bit better:

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, there's no link here, but this story sounds kind of fishy to me. Dipping her tongue in a little wouldn't cause that kind of reaction. Either somebody is exaggerating or something else caused the crisis. 

It would never occur to me to give a bath with baking soda, for a rash or anything else. I've never heard of that. Oatmeal, yes, but there's nothing wrong with oatmeal, it's in many high quality dog foods. Epsom salts are also used for bathing. 

But in either case, a tiny bit just couldn't cause that kind of crisis. 

[Jennifer and Jack]

I didn't post the link but this is from our breeders fan club page and the women that is telling the story is not one to exaggerate so many her friend did, but I am more likely thinking something else must have lead to the  reaction because the dog did spend the night in the hospital..so something happen and maybe they are missing it because they said they put baking soda  in the water and they all jumped to that conclusion .

I don't know.. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There is no way the dog had to be hospitalized because he dipped his tongue in bath water that had baking soda in it. That little tiny diluted amount could not cause this kind of reaction. It's not as if he ate pure baking soda. It was in a tub of bath water and he got a few drops. This is the problem with anecdotal accounts, especially when they are passed form one person to another. And on FB, no less.

Okay, drama and misinformation aside, it is good to know that dogs should not INGEST baking powder or baking soda. Coming into contact with it topically will not do any harm. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I just looked on-line and there are a million websites recommending the topical use of baking soda for all kinds of dog-related things, including bathing, insect bites, bleeding quicks, and brushing their teeth! And of course, it's use to de-skunk them. Many recommend sprinkling baking soda in their coats to freshen them between baths. Looks pretty safe to me.

Here are a few from reliable sites:  http://animal.discovery.com/pets/uses-for-baking-soda-pet-care-ga.htm

http://dogcare.dailypuppy.com/bathe-dogs-baking-soda-1306.html

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/ten-steps-your-dogs-dental-h... 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

I've used baking soda to deodorize Luna's feet in the Winter sometimes.  Never had any issues even when she licks her paws.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I used it once in my carpet, and even with his lousy immune system, it didn't affect JD one bit either. 

[Sarah Bennett]

I use baking soda on my carpets all the time now that I have Salvador (once every two weeks) and have not had any issues.  I usually put him outside while I do it, but last time I know that he was inside...

[Jennifer and Jack]

I don't think it was ever an immune thing.....baking soda is a bi carb..so really even if a human consumed too much of it, it would screw up your electrolytes...but it would have to be a lot....all the symptoms that were named are all symptoms of electrolyte imbalances.....which again consumed in super large portions could cause problems in humans and dogs..but not in a few licks... Or even a lot of licks....I went back to her and to the page to raise some questions just to see but have not heard back.