Cleaning Products & Pets: Tips from Experts

DELMARVA – It’s the time of year where many people are deep cleaning their homes or dealing with pesky bugs.

While many are making the switch to non-toxic products, experts say there are still products out there you should be cautious of, especially if you have pets. Dr. Marianne Bailey with the Queenstown Veterinary Hospital says checking the ingredients of a product before using it is always a good idea. Another tip is to remember to pick up and put away all cleaning supplies you do use so that your pets can’t get to them.

“It’s going to be important that you don’t leave them out where your pet can get into it. A lot of times they’re curious, so they could knock over a bottle of something and it spills and then they go to lick it up.”

When it comes to pest control products, Dr. Bailey says you should always keep the packaging, and make sure you read the labels before putting them out. You should ideally keep an eye on where you place items such as ant traps, so your cat or dog doesn’t get ahold of them and accidentally ingest something.

When in doubt, Dr. Bailey recommends keeping the Pet Poison Hotline number handy. They will take your information and start building a case to pass over to your vet, making the process quicker and smoother.

“Nothing is more helpful than when someone calls and they say my dog ate this rat bait at this time, he weighs this much, pet poison helpline said I have to come in. They give us the exact treatment plan, so then I don’t have to go look it up. And when we’re in an emergency situation, it’s nice when I’ve already got it. I don’t have to stop and look it up.”