I Can't believe this..

[drizzt_19]

I had this emailed to me yesterday. I can't believe people would actually use this product. Here is the email.

Fw: EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO PET OWNERS!!!
For those of us with animals......I recently had a neighbor who had their 5-year old German shepherd dog put down due to liver failure. The dog was completely healthy until a few weeks ago. They had a necropsy done to see what the cause was. The liver levels were unbelievable, as if the dog had ingested poison of some kind. The dog is kept inside, and when he's outside, someone's with him, so the idea of him getting into something unknown was hard to believe. My neighbor started going through all the items in the house. When he got to the Swiffer Wetjet, he noticed, in very tiny print, a warning which stated "may be harmful to small children and animals." He called the company to ask what the contents of the cleaning agent are and was astounded to find out that antifreeze is one of the ingredients. (Actually he was told it's a compound which is one molecule away from antifreeze).Therefore, just by the dog walking on the floor cleaned with the solution, then licking its own paws, it ingested enough of the solution to destroy its liver. Soon after his dog's death, his housekeeper's two cats also died of liver failure. They both used the Swiffer Wetjet for quick cleanups on their floors. Necropsy's weren't done on the cats, so they
couldn't file a lawsuit, but he asked that we spread the word to as many people as possible. EVEN IF YOU DO NOT OWN A PET PLEASE FORWARD THIS ON!


I have seen this happen. My mother-in-law's cat died shortly after using swiffer. Now we know why........


Tiffany

 

[Hurley]

Hmm, odd.

Antifreeze does not cause liver failure, it's metabolized by it to no more harm than someone having a beer. It is broken down into harmful metabolites that lead to the kidneys to be clogged with calcium oxalate crystals which leads to kidney failure. No treatment, no cure if it's not caught within a few hours. Signs don't show up for days.

I'm not saying the above story is or isn't true, just curious what the real story is. Antifreeze is broken down by the same enzyme that breaks down alcohol and doesn't become toxic until it's metabolized. It also doesn't hurt the liver at all. The kidneys, however, get so jammed with these breakdown products they'll show up bright white on ultrasound and the kidneys quit making urine altogether. Many cases are fatal.

I remember this same type of email scare going around with Febreeze a few years back, just wondering if more will come to light soon.

 

[MegF.]

The above story is actually a hoax. It's posted on www.snopes.com if you want to check out the actual story, and what the company had to say.

 

[Mary-Beth]

The above story is actually a hoax. It's posted on www.snopes.com if you want to check out the actual story, and what the company had to say.

You beat me to it! Here is the link.

*Whoops you posted a link too. It's past my bed time. lol

 

[TrpnBils]

For all this talk about how the world is so fast-paced and nobody has any time for anything other than work nowadays, it amazes me what some people come up with in their free time. People never fail to amaze me anymore... :eek1:

 

[drizzt_19]

Thanks for the input...I was wondering if this was a true thing...I searched for it on google but must have missed the link that was posted...Nice to know it is safe to use...

 

[Taceas]

I've been using a Swiffer Wet-jet on my kitchen floors since they came out with it a few years ago. I also have 3 cats who spend a predominant amount of time indoors and particularly in the kitchen where their waterbowl is, however, I think I might have noticed something out of the ordinary by now.

Although I think hoaxes like this do serve as a reminder. When reading the labels, whether it be food for a cleaning compound, I am TRULY annoyed to see a generic title for mysterious ingredients.

Like on a box of "Seasoned Salt" in my cabinet "secret seasonings"...well if it contains MSG I'd really like to know. Or..on a bottle of cleaning fluid "cleansers and surfactants"...I'd really like to know what they are that I'm cleaning my bathtub with. Some cleaning fluid the custodians at Indiana University used cause me to break out in hives all over from taking a shower, so it really worries me. =/

Other companies rip off chemical formulas all of the time, why not just disclose the information to make us, the consumers, more aware? I mean its not like those competing companies couldn't use technology to figure out whats in it anyway..

Btw, thanks Connie for the enlightening lesson on how antifreeze works. I was wondering that not two weeks ago when the husband was draining the old stuff out.

 

[Shep151]

Btw, thanks Connie for the enlightening lesson on how antifreeze works. I was wondering that not two weeks ago when the husband was draining the old stuff out.

:noevil:
Got a pretty good chuckle out of how you worded that one, Misty! Sounds like you were thinking of using it for something... :sidestep:
Remind me to stay on your good side!

 

[Taceas]

LOL, well I wasn't even thinking of that, actually!

I was thinking because there is a cat door in the walk-in door of our garage, and was thinking about why animals die when they drink it. I can see why they would, it smells so sweet and somewhat maple-y.

So I was wondering how it did its "deed", what processes exactly. Like when I was in school we were being taught the intricasies of distilling, yes I learned in school! And how if the temps aren't just right you can end up with more Methyl in your moonshine than Ethyl, which is bad. And if I remember correctly your liver metabolizes Methyl alcohol to Formaldehyde, and you die in a pretty short time frame.

But as I was watching "House" on Fox last Tuesday night, he was drinking with a patient who had ingested toner fluid (mostly methyl alcohol) and he said something to the effect that the ethyl will bind to the methyl and your body will just flush it right out. Whether that's true, I dunno. But it made for an interesting scene in the show. =P

While I may not be the most analytical mind out there, I do like to know WHY things work. Like sitting there after I purchased some old-fashioned lye soap.How can something made primarily of fat de-grease my hands? Gotta love those hydrophobic-hydrophilic ends.


**EDIT**

I did some Googling of methyl poisoning and came up with this on emedicine.com:

Methanol

Methanol (methyl alcohol) is found in cleaning materials, solvents, paints, varnishes, Sterno fuel, formaldehyde solutions, antifreeze, gasohol, "moonshine," windshield washer fluid (30-40% methanol), and duplicating fluids.

A CNS depressant, methanol is potentially toxic in amounts as small as a single mouthful. When metabolized by hepatic alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenase, methanol forms formaldehyde and formic acid, both of which are toxic. The eyes, CNS, and GI tract are affected. Formic acid is the primary toxin that accounts for the majority of the anion gap, metabolic acidosis, and ocular toxicity. Lactic acid also contributes to the anion gap.

Formic acid inhibits cytochrome oxidase in the fundus of the eye. Disruption of the axoplasm is due to impaired mitochondrial function and decreased ATP production. Swelling of axons in the optic disc and edema result in visual impairment. Degradation of formic acid is folate dependent. Thus, if a folate-deficient person ingests ethanol, toxicity may be more severe due to the increased accumulation of formic acid.

Approximately 90-95% of methanol metabolism occurs in the liver, while 5-10% is excreted unchanged through the lungs and kidneys. Methanol is primarily metabolized by alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenase. Formaldehyde has a short half-life, lasting only minutes. Formic acid is metabolized much more slowly

Its scary when my mind actually remembers stuff so useless! :crazy02:

 

[CJBianco]

The good folks at Swiffer would NEVER release a product until it was proven ABSOLUTELY SAFE for all animals and thoroughly tested on lab mice, lab rats, lab bunnies, lab puppies, lab kitty cats...

Chris

 

[amcgltdchix]

From Veterinary Experience

I can honestly say this.

Ethylene glycol is the most common and the most dangerous form of antifreeze. Ethylene glycol can cause metabolic acidosis and acute renal tubular necrosis.

Fomepizole is the preferred treatment given IV. Even ethanol can be used. And of course LOTS of IV fluids.

I do remember my very first treatment on a dog, the vet made me run into his house (next door- this guy had $$$) and get a new bottle of vodka from the cabinet. This was given to the dog- what it does is forces the body to get rid of the alcohol while not binding to the antifreeze

 

[Hurley]

Yep, Ethylene glycol may make them drunk in the short term (just like good 'old Vodka/ethanol) but is relatively harmless until they break it down. If you give the animal Vodka (yep, even IV), it competitively inhibits the breakdown of ethylene glycol simpley because there's not enough alcohol dehydrogenase available to break it all down at once. Some antifreeze will still get metabolized, but in a much reduced amount and over a much longer time frame so the kidneys aren't overwhelmed. You may still have some damage to the kidneys, but they are amazing organs and can take a lot without ever showing clinical signs. The hope is that more of the ethylene glycol will be passed without being metabolized (in its harmless state).

Antizol-Vet (Fomepizole) is a cool drug and if you get to them immediately can virtually be an antidote for antifreeze toxicity. It's a synthetic alcohol dehydrogenase inhibitor which means it prevents the breakdown of ethylene glycol (antifreeze) by alcohol dehydrogenase so that the antifreeze gets excreted in its non-toxic form. Sweet, huh? Same rules still apply, though. You pretty much have to see the animal drink the antifreeze to be able to help them in time. You've only got a few hours, but it will save their life. (It will help up to 8-10 hours out, but a 3-4 hour response carries a much better prognosis.)

Case in point, a couple went up to the cabin with their dog. They heard the dog drinking from the toilet and though not much of it until the lightbulb went on and the husband remembered that he'd filled the toilet with antifreeze to keep it from freezing over during the winter while they were away. The dog ingested probably a quarter to half a gallon of antifreeze (yes, the ethylene glycol variety). They got the dog in within 3 hours (too late to induce vomiting and it was a 2+ hour drive for them), IV's were started and the dog got a series of 4 doses every 12 hours (to inhibit the enzyme for 2 days). He acted drunk for a few hours and gradually recovered. The urine was monitored and no tell-tale calcium oxalate crystals appeared, no signs of renal tubular necrosis (casts), and kidney failure never set in. The dog went home none the worse for wear after ingesting a dose of antifreeze that should have killed him many times over.

Obviously prevention is the preferred scenario. The stuff is sweet, animals will drink it. Preventing access is essential. A cat pretty much only needs to walk though it and lick their paws.

Although a good treatment exists, the drug alone costs a good $300-400 dollars and large dogs may need 2 vials. Add to that hospitalization, urine and bloodwork monitoring, and IV fluids and the bill can get pretty pricey in a short time. Keep that stuff away from your pets.

 

[jbkd]

Hey, It looks like someone else watched 'House' this past week on FOX!! :sidestep:

 

[Preita]

It does serve as a good reminder to read lables as mentioned above. I know that my dad's cat had an allergic reaction to the "oust" air deorderizer product. They had to bring her in to the vet with a really high fever. Though that product does say not to use around animals or children.

Though for anyone that is intrested there is a posion control hotline just for animals, as my husband and I found out at 11pm one night when our cat tried to jump on a table holding my husbands oil painting supplies and got a face full of paint thinner. "Dawn" does amazing things