Archive for August, 2011

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Beware of Foxtails!

Friday, August 26th, 2011

I don’t know if you have noticed it in your area, but here in San Francisco the number of foxtails that I am encountering while walking Simon has increased dramatically.

For all of you who are encountering them, make sure that you keep your dog away from these foxtails.  About 2 years ago, Simon kept licking his paws, but I could not find anything after examining them.  He kept licking and then started to limp so I took him to the vet.  Well… Simon had foxtail seeds embedded deep (and out of sight)  in all 4 paws and the vet had to surgically remove them. Poor Simon had bandages on  his paws for 3 days.

So, if you come across any foxtails on your walks or if you find them growing in your back yard or front lawn, avoid or get rid of them for your dog’s sake.

Quincy

 

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Common (Product) Sense

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

I wish I could have recorded my conversation with a woman I spoke with the other day who was educated about products by working in a vet’s office because she was saying what I have been preaching for a while …

READ THE LABEL before you buy a product!  Don’t assume that if it is on the grocery shelf that it has automatically been vetted by some governement agency and is safe.   A lot of products, especially cleaning products, contain solvents and strong chemicals which make them effective but unsafe…that’s why you wear gloves when using them and have rinsed away all of the solution once it has done its job.

If the label says, “ Warning!  Before using product throughout your house, use in one room and wait 24 hours to ensure that no one has any physical reactions to the product.” you may want to rethink using the product in your home.

If the label says, “Caution:  Prolonged skin contact may cause skin irritation” or “SKIN: Immediately rinse skin with plenty of water,”  you may want to reconsider using this around your pets who tend to roll on surfaces and lick them.

Now when you do knowling use a product that is toxic, keep your pets and children away from the area until you know that they will not be affected.  Remember, children (especially toddlers and younger) AND pets will crawl, roll and pick up things (or lick things) which all go into their mouths.  Areas to be really careful about are:

1)  Floor areas, especially carpet

2) Yard areas, especially your lawn (when you spray or fertilize)

3)  Furniture, especially your couches and chairs

Just use commmon sense and remember that our pets and small children go where we often do not!

Simon and Quincy

 

 

 

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Fragrance Free Day Follow-up #2: Are All Fragrances Bad?

Friday, August 19th, 2011

@missjrf: Are there any non-toxic and/ or all-natural perfumes? Or essential oils that can be used as perfume for women?#fragrancefreeday

Answer: There are but be careful, essential oils that limonene & lavender oil are natural but can be dangerous from #cats #fragrancefreeday.  Also,
without ventilation, they react with other compounds in the air & can form potential toxins.

I wanted to expand on this answer since we were not able to answer the question fully in a tweet.

The key is how much ventilation is available in the area where you find the fragrance.    Chemicals in  natural and synthetic  fragrances such as limonene, linalool (from lavender oil) and pine oil will react with ozone in the air forming indoor pollutants including formaldehyde (a toxic air contaminant) and secondary organic aerosol (a form of fine particulate matter).

In an indoor environment without proper ventilation, the reactive substances are health risks.  In an outdoor environment or a ventilated environment, the reactive substances will dissipate and not be harmful.

Since most of us and our pets are indoor environments, the use of fragrances, whether natural or synthetic, may be harmful.

I  hope this information is useful to all of you.

Quincy

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Sprayed by a Skunk! What To Do AND Not To Do.

Thursday, August 18th, 2011

I have been having a lot of call about what to do when a dog has been sprayed by a skunk so here goes with my tips.

Tip 1 – Do NOT run for the tomatoe juice or your regular shampoo to wash off the skunk spray – you are just going to spread the problem (spread the skunk oil) if you do not use a solution that is specifically formulated to get rid of the oil.  Water is not your friend here as all it will do is spread the oil to more parts of your dog — I say dog because cats are usually pretty smart and do not tangle with skunks.  Find cleaner that is specifically formulated for skunk spray like Clean+Green Deskunk Coat Cleaner.

Tip 2 – Keep your dog in an open (aerated) area and do not close him or her up in an enclosed area while the skunk spray remains.  Skunk spray can be toxic, and in an enclosed area the skunk fumes can build up.

Tip 3 – Dogs usually get sprayed in their face and chest.  Make sure you check his or her eyes because skunk oil is toxic.  If your dog is rubbing his eyes, blinking fast and has redness or tearing, your dog may have gotton some spray in his or her eyes.  Flush the eyes out with clean water,  If this does not work, try and stop your dog from pawing or rubbing the eyes and take him or her to the vets ASAP.

Hope these tips help!

Quincy

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Fragrance Free Day Follow Up #1 – Essential Oils Toxic To Cats

Wednesday, August 17th, 2011

Why Essential Oils are Toxic to Cats…

Most essential oils are made up of hydrocarbons and terpenoids. In dogs, horses and humans, the terpenoids are transported to the liver to be metabolized after the oils have been absorbed through the skin or inhaled into the lungs.  After the necessary metabolic processes occur in the liver and bloodstream, the remaining water-soluble metabolites are eliminated through the urine and feces.

But cats are different. Cats lack the liver enzyme (glucuronyl tranferase) that would allow them to break down these compounds.  So it takes much longer for the metobolites to be eliminated from the feline system.  In cats, these otherwise harmless substances can build up in the liver, sometimes very quickly, depending on the amount of exposure. This can cause toxicity problems and liver damage.  It’s usually a slow process and doesn’t show up until it’s too late.

Here is a partial list of essential oils that should be avoided with cats from Holistic Aromatherapy for Animals by Kristen Leigh Bell. (This list is not necessarily inclusive and there are no assurances of it’s accuracy).

Essential Oils High in Monoterpene Hydrocarbons

Lemon Lime
Orange Bergamot
Tangerine Pine
Mandarin Spruce
Grapefruit Fir

Essential Oils High in Phenols

Cassia (cinnamon) Thyme
Clove Savory
Oregano

Other sources list additional oils as toxic to cats.  According to GreenPaws.org, the following essential oils are very toxic to cats:

Citrus oils
Bay
Cinnamon
Citronella
Clove (Eugenol)
Eucalyptus
Geranium
Lavender
Pennyroyal
Rue
Tea Tree

GreenPaws.org also states that any products containing linalool (found in lavender and coriander oils, or d-limonene, found in citrus oils), are toxic to felines.

Essential oils that are safer for use with felines include:

Cedarwood
Lemongrass
Peppermint
Rosemary

According to Dr. Nancy Brandt, DVM, Thyme should not be used on cats as it is high in phenol.

I hope this sheds a little more light on essential oils.

Quincy

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Fragrance Free Day Panel Q&A

Sunday, August 14th, 2011

Thanks to all of you who spread the word about Fragrance Free Day!   This is gaining momentum each year we organize this day to spread the word about how fragrances can harm your and your pets health.

Special thanks to our panelists, Dr. Patrick Mahaney, Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist and author of the upcoming book, The Uncomfortable Vet (http://www.patrickmahaney.com) and to Dr. Steven Ziman for taking the time to answer questions.

In case any of you were not able to join us for the panet discussion, I have recapped the Q&A from Fragrance Free Day, August 11, 2011:

Question 1 from @alexisel: I Stopped using harsh cleaners in my house, but could those chemicals still be in my carpets/furniture/etc.?
Answer: Yes- You need to use a professional, who will use a 3 step process (clean, rinse, and extract). Make sure they use a biodegradable
shampoo!

Question 2 from @thespottedduck: Can fragrances cause illnesses like asthma in my pets? #fragrancefreeday
Answer: Fragrances can cause a variety of allergic conditions in #pets, including ocular, respiratory & others #fragrancefreeday

Question 3 from @maureensharib: Are fragrances bad for animals?
Answer: Yes, inhaled, ingested, or contact allergies can occur from #pets coming into contact with gragrances #Fragrancereeday

Question 4 from @jeanBNickerson: Which household cleaning products should a new mom be especially cautious of?
Answer: Fragranced cleaning products (Detergent, hand soaps, baby wipes) all come in direct contact with baby’s skin!  Steve Ziman says- Most important may be where you use those products. Best tip is to avoid contact with baby as much as possible.

Question 5 from @missjrf: Are there any non-toxic and/ or all-natural perfumes? Or essential oils that can be used as perfume for women?#fragrancefreeday
Answer: There are but be careful, essential oils that limonene & lavendar oil are natural but can be dangerous from #cats #fragrancefreeday. Also, without ventilation, they react with other compounds in the air & can form potential toxins.

Question 6 from @jordan_feeny: What are some good resources for consumers to educate themselves about chemical fragrances? fragrancefreeday
Answer: Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (www.safecosmetics.org) & PollutedPets (www.ewg.org/reports) are great resources! #fragrancefreeday

Questions to the panel spurred Dr. Patrick to tweet the following tips!

#1: Avoid cleaning products not deemd #petsafe, as your #dog and #cat ingests while grooming coat/paws.

#2: Use fans & other ventilation systems to circulate household air instead of relying on spray refresheners

#3: #pets’  eyes, nose, throat, & other systems are susceptible to harsh effects of #secondhandfragrance

Because we did not have time to answer any of the questions in more depth, Dr. Patrick and I will be following up on ths blog with more information in response to the questions posed…so look out for more blogs from Dr. Patrick and me around the questions posed on Fragrance Free Day, August 11,2011!

 

Quincy

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Fragrance Free Day is Today!

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

Today is the one day we ask that you go without fragrances – around your pets, in your home and on our bodies!  If you want to know why, listen to our panel — Dr. Patrick Maheny, Dr. Steve Ziman and me (Quincy Yu) – for the reasons you should be fragrance free.

Anyone with questions on the safety of products they’re using for personal care can Tweet them with the hashtag #fragrancefreeday on Thursday, August 11th from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EST and have their question answered by one of the experts through SeaYu’s Twitter account (http://www.twitter.com/seayu).

Quincy

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Fragrance Ingredients – Hormone Disruption Potential

Wednesday, August 10th, 2011

“A growing body of laboratory and epidemiology studies of fragrance chemicals indicates a wide-ranging spectrumof risk from immune toxicity to effects of the endocrine system.” The Health Risks of Secret Chemicals in Fragrance

The following chemicals were identified as causing hormone disruption in the study:

  • Oxybenzone (benzophenone-3)
  • Benzyl salicylate
  • Octinoxate (octyl methoxycinnamate)
  • Benzophenone-1
  • Octisalate
  • Benzophenone-2
  • Avobenzone
  • Diethl phthalate
  • Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)
  • Synthetic musks Galaxoide, Tonalide and musk ketone
  • Butylphenyl methylpropional

It may not show up on the ingredients list, but if these do be concerned!

Quincy

 

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Fragrance – Top 5 Allergens in North America & Europe

Tuesday, August 9th, 2011

“Fragarance is now considered among the top 5 allergens in North American and European countries (de Groot 1997, Jansson 2001) and is associated with a wide range of skin, eye and respiratory reactions.  Repeated, cumulative exposure to chemical sensitizers like allergenic fragrance ingredients increases the chance that a person will develop allergic symptons later in life (Buckley, 2003).” The Health Risks of Secret Chemicals in Fragrance by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and Environmental Working Group.  May 12, 2010 www.safecosmetics.org.

Join our panel of experts on Thursday, August 11, 2011 from 12 Noon to 1 PM Eastern Standard Time for Fragrance Free Day by sending in your questions via Twitter to #fagrancefreeday on Twitter.  Watch the live feed of questions and answers on http://www.twitter.com/seayu.

Quincy

 

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2nd Fragrance Free Day – August 11, 2011!

Friday, August 5th, 2011

Fragrance is now considered among the top five allergens in North America and European countries and is associated with a wide range of skin, eye and respiratory reactions according to the study commissioned by The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

The more I discover about the health effects of fragrances, the more fervent I get about getting information in front of people! Fragrances are ubiquitous in personal beauty products and cleaning products that we use in our homes. It is almost impossible to find products that are fragrance free! Last year, we organized a Fragrance Free Day and brought together a veterinarian, a chemist and moi to answer questions posed via Twitter…and we are doing it again this year!

I am hosting the 2nd Annual Fragrance Free Day on Thursday,  August 11, 2011, which will include a live Twitter chat from 12 Noon – 1 PM Eastern Standard Time.

Like last year, we will have a panel – a veterinarian, a chemist and me – to answer your questions.  So mark the date and time, and send in your questions to #fagrancefreeday on Twitter.  Watch the live feed of questions and answers on http://www.twitter.com/seayu.

Please join us so we can answer your questions.  Keep getting educated on why you should NOT purchase and use fragranced products in our home around your pets and family.

Quincy

Please join us so we can answer your questions.  Keep getting educated on why you should NOT
purchase and use fragranced products in our home around your pets and family.

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