Other uses of hydrogen peroxide for dogs
Beyond cleaning a wound, Jennifer offers two other important uses of hydrogen peroxide for dogs —
What is hydrogen peroxide?
Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound which comes in a liquid form, it is slightly more viscous than water. In humans, hydrogen peroxide is used as an antiseptic, bleaching agent and oxidising solution. It is a household product which many people have stored under their kitchen sink! There are variable concentrations of hydrogen peroxide available to purchase and as a rule of thumb, the greater the concentration, the more hazardous and dangerous this is to your pets.
Spilling the Truth About Hydrogen Peroxide
For years, the brown plastic bottle of hydrogen peroxide has been a familiar sight in first aid kits for people and for pets.
Many people reached for a bottle of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide to disinfect skin wounds. The combination of hydrogen and oxygen molecules would generate foamy bubbles on the wound site, such as a scraped elbow or knee.
Some have applied hydrogen peroxide to clean minor wounds on their dogs and cats.
Guess what? It turns out that hydrogen peroxide causes more harm than benefit when used externally on pets – or people.
That’s why it is important that our Pro Pet Hero Instructors educate their students, pet professionals and pet parents about the real truth about hydrogen peroxide.
Research in recent years has determined that this clear liquid not only kills the bacteria, but it can actually irritate or damage healthy skin cells and impair wound healing.
Lisa Lippman, DVM, is a house call veterinarian based in New York City, who previously worked in emergency animal clinics and general veterinary practices. She is also the first veterinarian to complete our Pro Pet Hero Instructor program.
“One should only use hydrogen peroxide orally to induce vomiting and only under a veterinarian’s recommendation,” she says. “Never use hydrogen peroxide to clean a wound on a dog or cat because it stings and will damage the surrounding tissue. It also will slow down the natural healing process, making your pet more susceptible to infection.”
Hydrogen Peroxide – Should it be Used For Dogs? Cats? | A Veterinarian Explains!
During this time of the year, we are faced with a huge increase in the number of ingested toxicities in both dogs and cats! Would you know what to do and how to respond if your dog ate something they shouldn’t? A quick google search may suggest that you feed your dog ‘hydrogen peroxide’ to induce vomiting. The thought of doing this horrifies me. This article aims to explain why not to use hydrogen peroxide if your dog’s eaten something nasty.
