Ask Dr Claire

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

It depends on the spray but most regular fly/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 far less than the level 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/ingested.

So whilst it’s unlikely to be a problem if Jodie’s not behaving normally, is drooling, or vomiting take her to your local bricks + mortar vet for a hands on  examination.

More information on fly spray and pets here.

If you’d like to chat in person, you can get a vet on a live video call or start a chat to discuss in more detail now.

We’re here to help!

Chat soon,

Dr Claire