Did You Know Dryer Sheets Are Toxic to Dogs And Cats?

We all terrible stories of little kids and some really misguided teens eating tide pods in the past, but did you know that dryer sheets pose a huge health risk for your dog or cat? I love the smell of dryer sheets which of course is from the chemicals that you can feel on them, and I must say 1 or 2 have inadvertently ended up on the floor of the laundry room, but I am going to be more careful from now on.

The chemicals on a dryer sheet that cling to your clothes from the heat of the dryer are toxic to your pets, even used ones if they happen to chew on it or god forbid eat one. Formulas vary depending on the brand, but for most of them they contain benzyl acetate, camphor or even chloroform.

If ingested these dryer sheets could cause intestinal blockage which could lead to surgery, even if they just chewed on it according to The Merck Veterinary Manual they can present a variety of problems for animals" ranging from minor skin irritation to widespread systemic distress and pulmonary edema. Kidney failure is also one of the problems that can occur after ingestion of dryer sheet chemicals." If your pet has ingested chemicals from a dryer sheet or swallowed the whole thing, contact your veterinarian immediately.

Also, do not use dryer sheets to groom your dog or cat. It has been reported on the Internet that this helps with static, but animals groom themselves and so they will ingest the chemicals off the dryer sheets. If you wash your pets bedding try to use an all natural detergent and never use fabric sheets or liquid fabric softener. For more tips on how to keep your pets safe in your laundry room area click here.