detergents

chloelogoa

Detergents and Disinfectants

talalogoa

Detergents have a large range of compounds, normally used for domestic and commercial use (household cleaners) and can include a range of product such as: bleaches, toilet cleaners (do not allow your dog to drink from your toilet as bacterial-related gastrointestinal problems could occur from drinking stagnant toilet water), detergents and caustics, all these compounds are corrosive and contain either acids or alkalis which are dangerous as they will destroy tissues upon contact. These compounds will dissolve through tissue membranes and are then absorbed into the bloodstream which, as well as causing local tissue damage or injury, causes general illness to a variety of body systems. Depending on the substance injury can occur from a mild irritation (many washing powder detergents) to severe internal disease (pine oils and others).

Detergents are divided into several categories	PRODUCTS	TOXICITY	SIGNS
Soaps	Bar soaps, laundry soaps, and homemade soaps	True soaps are usually not toxic	Vomiting and diarrhea. Homemade soap may cause corrosive GI lesions (burns).
Anionic detergents	Laundry detergents, shampoos, dish soaps, and electric dishwashing detergents.	Slightly to moderately toxic; may result in illness but generally not fatalities.	Irritated mucous membranes, vomiting, lack of appetite, diarrhea, and GI distention. May have corrosive injuries in the mouth and GI tract. Eye exposure may result in edema around the cornea, reddening and swelling of the conjunctiva, and corneal erosions or ulcers.
Cationic detergents	Fabric softeners, sanitizers, disinfectants, and rust inhibitors in petroleum products. This category includes quaternary ammoniums	Highly to extremely toxic; 1% solutions are damaging to mucous membranes.	Vomiting, lack of appetite, drooling, muscle weakness, depression, seizures, collapse, coma, and burns to the mouth and GI tract. Eye exposure may cause redness and severe corneal erosions and ulcers. Skin exposure may result in hair loss and skin irritation.
Non-ionic detergents	Dishwashing detergents, shampoos, and some laundry detergents.	Less toxic than the anionic and cationic detergents.	Vomiting and diarrhea.

It is recommended to flush the affected area with warm water to rinse the chemical away and also seek urgent veterinary treatment.
DO NOT induce vomiting if ingested. It may cause more harm. In the case of skin contamination, flush the affected area for at least 30 minutes with running water. In the case of eye contact, flush the eye with sterile saline or water for 20 minutes. Seek veterinary attention whilst you are carrying out the decontamination.

Once at the vets your veterinarian will administer milk or water in the case of soap, anionic, or non-ionic detergent ingestion, or milk, water, or egg whites in the case of cationic detergent ingestion. If dermal (skin) or ocular exposure occurred, the affected areas will continue to be flushed with sterile saline. Pain medication may be administered, hydration is maintained through IV fluids, and other treatments for symptoms may be given.