De-icing With Rock Salt

[Guest Ingear]

We had our first ice coating this year on our back steps. One of our greys slipped and fell. Thank God she is OK, only thing that got hurt was her pride. I am wondering what people do to de-ice their steps and walks and still keep it safe for the dogs. Is it safe to use rock salt?

[PrairieProf]

There are numerous brands of pet-safe ice-melter out there (they say it right on the label). They're more expensive and don't work as well in my opinion, but they're all I'll use.

[RobinM]

We do not use salt at all. Salts can burn.

We use only sand.

[Guest Carla]

I use only sand and you can also use kitty litter.

[PatricksMom]

If you do use salt, wipe their paws off when they come in, to avoid irritation and them licking anything off.

[Guest caiteag]

We use pet safe de-icer. There are a few brands out there and we find them very effective. This year we are using a brand called "Firestorm" that we got from our lawn care company.. but in the past we have used "Paw Thaw" and that has worked well also. They are not cheap, but for us, they are worth the expense.

[Guest ChasesMum]

we use salt but Chase rarely goes out the front door (and in the winter she is wearing boots), and we don't salt where she goes...we use sand.

 

 

One complication of walks in the winter is OTHERS that use salt or icemelt...most of them arent safe for dogs and yet walk down the sidewalk exposes my dog to it. So boots it is....plus she has sensitive feet so she needs them.

[Guest GiJenn51]

sand or a petsafe ice melter.

[Batmom]

I use a regular deicer (mostly a blend of potassium chloride and sodium chloride). If the pups walk thru before it's melted, I check their feet for chunks, and I do make sure they don't eat the snow/ice where I've salted. Been doing this for years, haven't had any problems with irritation.

 

The pet-safe ice melters not only cost several times as much; they don't work at cold temps.

 

I do use a lot of coarse sand as well.

[Chicocat]

Rock Salt isn't so good for puppy paws.

 

What works for me is to put a plastic tarp down when bad weather is coming. If you have a small area to deal with you can even cut them to the right size so they are easier to handle. They are a little bit of work, but nothing compared to clearing ice or having doggie paws burned from chemicals.

 

[Guest RSD_Ranger]

I learned about this while out on the search for Watson in the cold of Chicago: Musher's Secret!

 

It won't solve the melting issue, but if you have to take your dog on a walk or he/she has to walk through a salted area, this will at least give a bit of a barrier between their paws and the chemicals.

 

It's made from food-grade waxes, so if they lick it, it's safe. I got a 200g pot for $19 from a store on eBay.

[GeorgeofNE]

I use only sand and you can also use kitty litter.

 

Kitty litter will stick to their paws on the way IN, and get all over your floors and carpets. Kitty litter is a royal pain in the butt to get out of your carpets, so I'd not use that, personally except in a serious emergency.

 

Salt would hurt like heck on the feet if there was any kind of small cut. I'd go with sand or the pet safe de-icers...if I had a choice. I'm in a condo, so we have to contend with the regular de-icers, but fortunately George doesn't have sensitive feet.