You've spent weeks, maybe months looking for the perfect little Yorkie puppy to welcome into your family. It only takes a moment for that precious little fur-ball to become a part of your heart. Now, you have to think about your little Yorkie's safety. When it comes to winter, one of the biggest threats to your dog is rock salt. Here, you will learn why rock salt is so dangerous to dogs, what you can do to protect your dog and how the issues that rock salt causes can be treated.
How Rock Salt Effects Your Dog
Whether your dog is licking the rock salt off of his paws or eating it directly off of the sidewalk, the risk is still the same. The consumption of rock salt can cause bloat. Bloat is the build-up of fluids and gas throughout the intestines. Once so much gas and fluid builds up, it can cause the intestines to twist and cease the ability to process food.
Determining if Your Dog has Bloat
It can be very hard to determine if bloat is effecting your dog until his condition worsens. The symptoms to watch for include:
- Pacing
- Vomiting
- Pacing
- Drooling
- Enlarged belly
If your dog begins to show any signs of these symptoms, contact your vet immediately.
Treating Bloat
Your vet will have to treat your dog to eliminate the bloat. Your dog will be sedated and a tube sent down his throat into his belly so that the fluid and gas can be drained. Once the gas and fluid is gone, the vet will send water through the tube so that the remaining salt residue can be rinsed off of the lining of the belly.
Some vets will keep the dog overnight or an extra day after the treatment to make sure that the bloat doesn't reoccur.
Protect Your Dog from Bloat
Awareness is the first step in protecting your dog from bloat caused by rock salt. Now that you know that there's a risk of your dog getting very ill, you know to keep him away from rock salt.
Avoid using rock salt on your own property. Instead, head out to your local home improvement or pet store to find pet-safe ice melting products. These corn-based products are a little more expensive but they work just as well as rock salt without putting your dog at risk.
Always clean your dog's legs and paws after you return from a walk. There could be enough salt residue remaining that could make him sick if he licks his paws clean.
Talk with your local pet expert or vet to learn more about protecting your Yorkie puppy from becoming poisoned by rock salt this year.
