WARNING! Swiffer.

[Carrie]

Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences,
>>> Montgomery Regional Laboratory
>>>
>>> Phone Number: (334)-242-2938
>>> Fax Number: (334)-240-3284
>>>
>>>
>>>I asked Jeff to check out this story with SNOPES for validity.
>>>
>>>A friend recently had a neighbor who had to have 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 housekeepers two cats also died of liver
>>>failure. They both used the
>>>Swiffer Wetjet for quick cleanups on their floors. Necropsies 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!
>>>
>>

[Giny]

This is what I read on Snopes about it.
http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/swiffer.asp

[Carrie]

Whew! Well, that's good to know. That email freaked me out! I bet some other cleaning fluids are dangerous, as they are to us, in general...I mean, simply using some of these chemicals is probably very unhealthy. But at least it doesn't have anti freeze in it. Good heavens! Thanks for that link.

[kazkirkpatrick]

For your viewing pleasure!

http://www.globalpaw.com/thread8924.html

[Jamilupine]

Thanks Giny for that link. I appreciate it. I've been cleaning my floors with a wetjet for at least two or three years now, and was just about to freak out and take my oldest cat in to check his liver! How crazy am I? How do you check a liver anyways!? Off topic, but not really: my fiance says that when we have kids we'll be in the hospital weekly at the sing of any little thing! In the last three weeks I've had Lucy in the vets office three times, so he might not be that far off! Thanks to Giny though, Simba just got out of a trip to the vets office!

[Giny]

Tehehe! I think we are all overly worried when it comes to kids and animals. This same email circulated last year and I also use the swiffer and freaked out too until I read it on Snopes.

BTW, the liver function can be check though a blood panel testing just like kidneys. Which is what would be affected if an animal got a hold of antifreeze, the kidneys that is.