{"id":1923,"date":"2013-03-08T00:12:14","date_gmt":"2013-03-08T00:12:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.net\/blog\/?p=1923"},"modified":"2013-03-08T00:12:14","modified_gmt":"2013-03-08T00:12:14","slug":"green-household-products-may-not-be-entirely-safe-for-animals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2013\/03\/green-household-products-may-not-be-entirely-safe-for-animals\/","title":{"rendered":"Green household products may not be entirely safe for animals"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Green cleaning products are gaining popularity, but owners should know that even environmentally friendly products may pose threats to pet health. “People expose their animals without even realizing the risk,” said Karl Jandrey, an emergency and critical care veterinarian at the University of California, Davis’ Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. Veterinarian Camille DeClementi, a senior toxicologist with the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center, said any product with a warning for children isn’t appropriate for pets and recommended keeping animals away from any cleaning activity.<\/em><\/strong> San Jose Mercury News (Calif.) (free registration)\/The Associated Press<\/a><\/p>\n

LOS ANGELES\u2014As the time nears for spring cleaning and companies offer more environmentally friendly alternatives to toxic cleaners, veterinarians say pet owners should keep in mind that what’s green to a human can be dangerous\u2014even deadly\u2014to animals.<\/p>\n

“People expose their animals without even realizing the risk,” said Dr. Karl Jandrey, who works in the emergency and critical care units at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of California, Davis. “That’s the most common thing that happens when you come to our emergency room\u2014the clients put their pets at risk because they were unaware of how significant the damage could be.”<\/p>\n

Most household cleaners are safe if used as directed on labels, but pet owners who make their own cleansers using natural ingredients don’t have the warnings or instructions that come with commercial products.<\/p>\n

Cats, for example, can get stomachaches from essential oils added for orange, lemon or peppermint scents in cleaners, said Dr. Camille DeClementi, a senior toxicologist at the Animal Poison Control Center run by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Urbana, Ill.<\/p>\n

Most commercial green products are safe for animals, DeClementi said, but owners should still exercise the same precautions as with chemical alternatives, such as keeping pets away from an area being cleaned, not using sprays directly on a pet and making sure that dogs don’t chew on the<\/p>\n

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