be careful ?

[anneasquith]

my dog and his friend were running about in the snow this am, my very kind neighbours were clearing the paths and salting them.the dogs ran onto the salted paths and both started crying, and limping. obviously the salt had "burnt their paws" both fine after some tlc.just be aware !

[Nosha123]

really???? wow.. so what happens if a dog goes in the sea? with the salt water?
Perhaps the salt grit was scratching their pads on their feet? and grazing them??

[anneasquith]

i think salt sea water is slightly different from fresh salt...but im sure you knew that,nosha

[Nosha123]

so many paths are salted and gritted though.. surely they couldnt do that if it burns the feet of dogs all over the UK???

[Nosha123]

Well there you go....

Although the foot pads of dogs and cats seem fairly tough, salt is still very irritating to them. In addition, some pets may ingest the ice melt as they lick their paws, or may eat it directly off of the ground. In small amounts this could result in drooling and diarrhea. If large amounts are ingested, the pet may show excessive thirst, weakness or fainting due to low blood pressure, decreased muscle function and, in severe cases, seizures, coma and even death.
If you know your pet has been in a heavily-salted area, take a moist towel and clean off the salt. If your pet has very sensitive feet, you may want to consider providing boots for your pet. They come in various styles and sizes. Be sure to measure your pet's foot so you know what size will be best.

[Nosha123]

you learn a little every day eh!!

[redcrx]

wow, Ive never heard of that either. poor dogs, glad they got some fuss and feel better now

[anneasquith]

nosh...............i didnt realise nor did my friend that the salt would cause pain to our dogs and thought id just warn other pet owners,,,,,,,,,,,,you obviously feel im stating the obvious, but there is no need to be sarcastic.

[Nosha123]

urm Anneasquith - I hadnt realised salt burned dogs paws either... hence my posts stating
"surely they couldnt do that if it burns the feet of dogs
and stating the famous phrase 'you learn a little everyday'....

and there you go off jumping to assumptions that I was being sarcastic!!!

[anneasquith]

well nosha...................i owe you a big apology, after i posted i thought maybe i was stating the obvious!

[Nosha123]

ha ha anneasquith no not at all!!!

I was expressing genuine surprise... would never have thought that salt could burn the skin of a dog or cat!!!

Have a good day!!!

[dennisb66]

Anne,what type of salt was being spread?,household or rock salt which councils use.

[anneasquith]

just ordinary table salt,

[dennisb66]

I wonder if table salt is to severe,I have never noticed rock salt grit effecting animals.Possibly the dogs had very small wounds on their feet which the salt penetrated.

[anneasquith]

yes, they had been playing in the snow for ages. then when the salt was put down being the nosy things that they are, they came up to the path and walked on the cleared path with the new salt, combination of cold paws and the salt i suppose. but they were fine after they had their paws washed in luke warm water.