Chance Of Dog Poisoned By Licking Insect Spray

ASK DR CLAIRE

Is there the chance of our dog being poisoned by licking a surface that has been treated with a household insect spray?

It depends on the spray but most of the regular over the counter insect sprays (the kind you buy at the supermarket) are pyrethrin based and have a very low concentration of the active ingredient (<1%, a side note: this is less than is in cat and dog flea medications).

For a dog, levels less than 1% are very unlikely to cause a problem. After all, it’s the dose that makes the poison.

If the spray was still wet (i.e. just applied) potential complications from these sprays are an upset tummy (signs like drooling, vomiting) when it’s licked. So whilst it’s unlikely to be a problem at all – if Jodie is not behaving normally, is drooling, or vomiting, do take her to your local bricks + mortar vet for a hands on examination.

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