My Dog Safe Ice Melt Solutions During Heavy Snowfall This Winter in Milwaukee

We Wisconsinites are no stranger to winters filled with extreme cold and lots of snow; however, this year is slated to bring more of both. According to the Farmer’s Almanac’s forecast, the Northern United States can expect a long and cold winter, with below-normal temperatures throughout the Midwest and Great Lakes region, stretching across the Northern and Central Plains. 

So, winter Milwaukee is also expected to bring the below-normal temperature and a lot of snow.

Pets love to play in the snow, but the reality is winters can be very harsh on them. Injuries to a pet’s paws and skin are quite common in winters. They often get lesions on legs, cuts on paws, skin irritation, and diarrhea due to snow or chemicals in the ice melt products.

Last year I had almost given up on my search for a good ice melt that is dog safe when I discovered THIS product that I’ve been happily using ever since. But before that, I want to tell you why I didn’t want to use rock salt or ice melt, and why you should also not.

Ice Melt Safe For Concrete

3 Reasons Why You Should Not Use Rock Salt/ Ice Melt-

If you noticed, I mentioned rock salt and ice melt together as if they’re the same. Yes, because they are. You may already know that rock salt is nothing but sodium chloride with impurities. Another fact that you may not be aware of is that most of the ice melt is also similar to rock salt for the fact that they all contain chloride in one or the other form. 

And if you’re thinking that your ice melt is labeled pet-safe. Then I hate to break it to you dear friend, but almost all such ice melt also uses the same chemicals as other ice melt. They also have chloride in their composition. They only round off the edges to claim themselves pet-safe.

And here’s why you should not use chloride-based ice melt-

1- Dangerous for pets- Most brands use either magnesium chloride or calcium chloride, or potassium chloride. These chloride-based products may cause problems, like skin irritation, eyes, nose and lung burning, and nausea if ingested. Rock salt, which is the most commonly used ice melt, can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and extreme tiredness in your dogs and cats. The sharp edges of salt crystals can also injure the paws of your pets.

2- Rock salt or Sodium Chloride causes maximum damage to the plantation and nearby landscape. When dissolved in water, sodium displaces other minerals in the soil. Therefore, in place of other minerals required by the plant, chloride gets absorbed. And it damages the metabolic processes of the leaves. The damage appears gradually on the plants as dead needles, usually on the side of the driveways and walkways. 

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Weather Forcast

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Rock salt is economical to use but is not an ice melt that is dog-safe, plant-friendly, and environment-friendly. So, I wanted to minimize the use of rock salt-based ice melt. And then I found THIS product in my nearest Chewy store, which I tried and I haven’t looked back since then.

I was happy to find it wasn’t causing any skin or eye irritation. When I researched, I found that it does not have salt in its blend. Therefore this ice melt is safe for dogs. It uses a proprietary blend of ingredients that break down the structure of the ice to melt it. Therefore, I found it to be the safest option for my pet, property, and the environment as well. 

Now I recommend it to all my pet-owner friends.

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