Warning to pet owners: road salt can be harmful to animals

Warning to pet owners: road salt can be harmful to animals
Mia

Pet owners have been warned that the road salt used to grit roads during periods of ice and snow can be dangerous for animals. The danger was discovered by Tessa Cnops from Kortenberg in Flemish Brabant, reports Het Nieuwsblad. Her bull terrier Mia, a rescue dog not even one year old, died after ingesting a tiny amount of road salt, as confirmed by an autopsy carried out by the university of Ghent.

According to the experts, the levels of sodium in road salt can, even in small quantities, be dangerous to animals.

“She hadn't licked anything, and I had even cleaned off her paws afterwards,” Tessa told the paper. “There must have been a tiny amount hanging on, and that was apparently enough to put her in a coma and kill her.”

Tessa determined to spread the warning as widely as possible on social media, including Facebook. “In the meantime my original message has been shared more than 2,000 times,” she said. “It' unbelievable. The more people who understand the danger, the fewer people will have to suffer the loss and sadness I feel now with my other dogs.”

Animal experts advise smearing a dog's paws with Vaseline before taking it for a walk where the roads and paths have been treated with road salt, even after the snow has disappeared. This creates a protective layer, and the Vaseline can be washed off later with warm water.

Alan Hope
The Brussels Times


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