Beware of road salt, dangerous for dogs

When it snows, the first instinct of many individuals and municipalities is to pour road salt on the roads to facilitate the movement of vehicles and pedestrians. If it is effective in dissolving snow and ice, road salt is a plague for animals, starting with dogs that can ingest it during their walk or suffer injuries and wounds from its simple contact. But that’s not all, because this salty product also poses a danger to ecosystems and human health. Let’s look at this case.

What is road salt? Why is this a danger?

Widespread in the United States since the 1940s and increasingly popular in France, de-icing salt is intended, as its name suggests, to combat the snow that settles on roads and sidewalks. Inexpensive, it has the advantage of allowing melt snow and ice to facilitate the rapid movement of vehicles and pedestrians. Sand, on the other hand, makes it possible to reduce risks by promoting better adhesion to the road for cars and other means of transport.

If road salt seems so magical, it remains vague in the eyes of ordinary citizens. In fact, here it is not a matter of pouring fine or coarse salt on the tracks that we can use in our dishes, but a dedicated product which consists, depending on the weather situation, of:

• sodium chloride (which is very similar to table salt) when the temperature is above -6°C, which corresponds to its effectiveness threshold;
• magnesium chloride, effective down to -20°C;
• calcium chloride, effective down to -30°C.

Of course, de-icing salt melts ice or prevents it from forming, absorbs moisture from the snowpack or even promotes better adhesion to the road, but it is far from guaranteeing maximum safety for people and animals traveling on public roads , contrary to popular belief. While it is – fortunately – rare to see humans licking tracks or walking barefoot on snow, dogs are more easily confronted with this type of product through contact or ingestion. However, if contact can cause injury, ingestion can cause bloating, loss of appetite, hypersalivation, fever, vomiting, diarrhea or even bloody stools, or even death. .

The dangers of road salt for dogs

You got it, road salt is a danger to dogs. It can cause injury to the animal when it comes into contact with it or have much more sinister consequences if ingested.

The risk of contact injury

Road salt is a snow removal solution that allows humans to move better in case of snow or ice, but it’s a plague on our canine friends. Irritating to skin and mucous membranes, is recognized as a danger to the bearings of our little companions, in permanent contact with the ground. Indeed, these small protective cushions intended to absorb shocks and to promote good support and balance can be weakened on contact. The antifreeze salt tends to infiltrate under the epidermis, between the fingers and the hair and therefore to irritate the tissues at the level of the paws. These irritations can be particularly profound in case of prolonged contact and very quickly dehydrate the skin to the point of making the pad painful.

Furthermore, any part of the body in contact with salt is exposed to the same risks. Therefore, the genitals and anal parts of our pooches can be affected when they are released and relieved, or even when they are simply in a sitting position.

When in doubt, after each outing in such a context, it is best to avoid complications by cleaning the dog’s paws with warm water as soon as he returns home. It is therefore necessary to dry with a soft cloth. If then injuries or wounds are observed, it is essential to disinfect the injured skin surface well and apply a balm for dog care, especially not for humans, babies or cats!

In prevention, applying protective ointments, tanning lotions or wax for dogs before going out is also a good idea to protect him from the drawbacks of this type of product. The use of protective slippers can also be a solution to protect some dogs.

Be responsive so these cleaning treatments are done as soon as you get back from your walk. Your little companion shouldn’t have time to lick his paws off the saltbecause it risks aggravating skin lesions and ingesting this product harmful to your health.

Finally, let’s not forget that splashing snow or water containing road salt in your dog’s eyes can cause serious eye problems.

The risk of death by ingestion

Dogs can ingest road salt when playing in the snow or simply licking their wet paws after a walk. However, it is imperative to be careful to prevent your little companion from ingesting this product, as it can be really harmful to his body. Salt is in fact dangerous for the dog, to the point of being fatal in case of significant ingestion. Road salt is therefore a real danger, as is sea water or any other source of salt. It is enough to ingest 4 grams of salt per kilo of dog for ingestion to be toxic. The animal then quickly suffers from considerable digestive disturbances, such as diarrhea or vomiting, burning and abdominal pains and the situation can then continue to worsen and irritate the gastric mucosa.

In addition to salt, snow also contains a whole lot of dirt that can be dangerous for the dog. In a frail dog, ingestion of salt can be fatal.

If you notice after a winter walk that your dog is feeling unwell, contact your vet. In the immediate future, and if symptoms remain mild, you can stop feeding for 24 hours, but you must give him plenty of warm water to drink. However, if the situation does not improve or if it worsens, consult your vet immediately, as your little companion’s kidneys or pancreas could be affected.

How to limit the risk of poisoning?

As you may have understood, it is best to prevent your pet from coming into contact with road salt. Here are some tips to limit the risks.

On the one hand, during your outings with the dog, be careful not to swallow the snow and prevent him from licking his paws or wet coat. As soon as you get home, clean his paws with warm water and dry them well. Don’t hesitate to do the same to his hair if he’s been rolling around in the snow. In the event of an injury, provide him with the necessary care. Remember you can too prevent risks by applying a protective ointment suitable for dogs before going out to protect its bearings.

If you use road salt yourself for your outdoors, be sure to store it up high, in a safe space out of your pet’s reach. Ideally, avoid using it and replace it with sand, shavings or sawdust, ash, gravel or snow cleaned with elbow grease !

Finally, it should be noted that de-icing salt is not only a danger to dogs and animals, it is also a harmful product for ecosystems. Indeed, deicing salt does not disappear and ends up in streams, ground water and more. By increasing their salinity, it impacts ecosystems as a whole by depleting the oxygen supply of fish and aquatic organisms and slowing the regrowth of vegetation burned on contact.

And if that’s not enough to convince you, so is road salt harmful to your vehicle as it accelerates corrosion. Not to mention that the rise in river salinity has an impact on human health and increases the risk of hypertension and its consequences.

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