Winter Fall Prevention

[Adrianne Matzkin]

Since the winter freeze has hit, what do you use to keep the walkway free from ice but safe for the doodles - both their feet and if they lick it off their feet?
Has any heard of Magic Ice?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The most common ice melt products are just rock salt; magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, sodium chloride or potassium chloride. They're not chemicals. There are chemical products that some people prefer because they don't etch concrete, and those are dangerous if pets ingest them. The December bulletin from Cornell University Veterinary School has a winter safety guide for pets, and it says that the salts are safer than the chemical products (dare I say synthetics?), which can be toxic. But according to Larry J. Thompson, D.V.M., clinical toxicologist at the college's Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, the salts at worst may cause mild irritation to paws, which is easily solved by washing it off, or can cause mild stomach irritation if ingested. The antidote to the latter is to feed a small meal and give some milk or water.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

We use water softner salt. Safe or Not?
I have to buy huge supplies. My mother is 85 and I do her sidewalks and mine so I buy in large quantities. I wipe off the dog paws as he comes inside.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I agree. My driveway can be very icy and I need to at least keep a walking path to take out recylables, etc. The dogs do cross the driveway to get to the rest of the yard. I doubt any of these chemicals are safe in large quantities, and I don't what large is.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Sorry, Adie, my "you" was the generic "you" and not addressed to any one person.
But how would Sammie and Charli be "ingesting" any kind of snow melt product if they're supervised in the areas where it's used?

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I live 8-10 miles south of the Lake Erie snow belt. We have only dusting. Go figure

[Adrianne Matzkin]

No Karen, my dogs are not unsupervised on pavement anywhere. I need to buy some kind of product that can be used on my driveway because my area freezes before the rest my town does. I will be using sand on the steps that lead down to the doggy pen.
I need to find something that will be safe for the girls ingesting it while 'washing' their feet and the driveway.

So, has anyone used a safe product??

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

For those who are concerned about this, most pet supply stores sell snow melt products that are supposedly safe for animals.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The article that Kyoko linked to is supplied by a manufacturer of ice melt products...not necessarily a great source of info about any products other than their own.
I've used the plain old salt or whatever it is they sell in the grocery store since 1978. I had dogs the whole time, and there was never a problem. BUT...my dogs are never unsupervised on pavement or any other areas where you would use snow melt product. Are yours?
A supervised dog won't be eating anything on the pavement. If your dog is doing that, you have much bigger things to worry about: a few drops of antifreeze will kill a dog before you can get him to the vet, and it is very appealing to dogs. Ther are an awful lot of cars leaking antifreeze on driveways and streets, especially in this economy at this time of year.
The biggest problem I ever had from a dog walking on any snow melt product is that they bring it in the house on their feet sometimes. Easy solution to that is, wipe their feet when they come in, which you're probably doing anyway to dry them and get all the snow off. Jack has extremely sensitive paw pads...he has been treated at the emergency vet for paw pad abrasions three times in the past 18 months, just from playing ball at the dog park...and even he isn't bothered by plain old sno-melt stuff, whatever it is.
Wipe your dog's feet, relax, and enjoy the season.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Okay so I have not even thought about this - we don't get tooo cold her. It was 20 this morning and we do get salted where I walk the dogs (only a few times per year). So I guess I need to clean their feet after coming in? Peri is the only one that has ever licked her feet - she cleans herself.

[Sue & Willy Babe]

where do you get the pet safe ice melt???