8 Dangers of Borax on Pets You Should Aware

Industry has become very familiar with the use of chemical. Almost in all section of industry, any kind of chemical be it organic or inorganic is utilized to improve or create certain reaction to the product just like carbon uses in daily life. One of the chemical is borax.

Borax is a commercial name of sodium tetraborate. Sodium tetraborate is a salt mineral of boric acid compound with chemical formula Na 2 B 4 O7. Many sectors use this chemical including those related to pets.

The Uses of Borax for Pets 

Borax sometimes used in small quantities to treat some of pets’ disease. When vets using it with the right dose, it helps to get rid of mange, bacterial infection, or yeast infestation. However, further study found out borax to be hazardous to animal’s health. Indeed, if you ever questioning it, please read the information below carefully!

The Side Effects of Borax on Pets 

Here is the list of dangers of borax on pets you should aware.

1. Digestion Problem

Borax when injected to either dog or cat will cause digestion problem. The toxicity of borax or sodium tetraborate will injure the digestion organs from the flank to the intestines. As a result, the dog or cat will vomit once it consumes borax above the maximum dosage. Vomiting is only the early symptom of poisoned ingestion caused by borax.

Further symptoms involving digestion system is stomach pain. As the borax is treated as strange substance, the digestion will react to it by trying to pump it out from the system. The pets may start whimpering and followed by growls. The more fatal effect of borax in digestion system is diarrhea and exercise thirst leading to dehydration that may lead to death.

2. Skin Irritation

Another effect of borax that will endanger pets is skin irritation. The problem arise because borax in certain dose is not supposed to be a dermal friendly substance. The immune system will fight it out and try to prevent it to reach deeper in the system of the body. Skin irritation occurs when borax is absorbed through dermal contact.

The first symptom of getting skin problem from borax contamination is redness in the skin. There will appear some red patches on the body of the pet. The red patches are products of allergy that the borax caused. A more serious irritation will involve burned skin and infection from chronic itchiness. To know more about chemicals that are actually allowed as food ingredients for both human and animals, read Chemicals in Food.

3. Body Tremor

The dose of borax or sodium tetraborate that is tolerated by dog and cat is below the minimum. Only small dose of it is allowed for some bacterial and fungi related diseases. Otherwise, borax is toxic just like it other chemicals that endanger human in the list of banned food additives in many countries. The toxicity of borax will disturb the nerve system that the body may experience tremor when pets are exposed to high amount of borax.

Exposure to borax that is beyond the permitted dose causes the nerve to react aggressively as nervous response. Thus, the body will start trembling with unpleasant feeling on stomach. Dog may start whimpering, or pouring loudly if it’s the case with cat. Notice the trembling to prevent further sickness. 

4. Shortness of Breath and Coughing

There are many ways in which borax can be transferred in the body of the pets and infected the body system. One of them is through inhalation. When a dog or a cat inhales sodium tetraborate in a high dose, some respiratory problem may occur. This is because the strange substance invaded the lung and what was once only pump out and in oxygen has to work harder to get the stranger away. (Related to: List of Banned Toxic Chemicals)

As a result, the pets will experience shortness of breathing or coughing. The pets may stop walking and curled up when this happens followed by spasm of coughing. The cough itself is a distinct one that clearly show that something unhealthy disturb its respiration process.

5. Lethargy

One of the dangers borax exposes to pets is that it will slowly kill the pets’ stamina even if it is still being exposed at minimum dosage. If it is exposed in a constant exposure, the dog or the cat will experience lethargy. The sign for this symptom is not as apparent as the other symptoms but it is gradually increasing as the frequency of exposure increased.

The pets do not walk as fast as usual, tend to eat less and sleep all the time. It is also sluggish to respond to anything. Basically the pets lose the energy as well as the general fitness as the toxin eats away their bodies. The symptom will develop to a sever one if the owner does not take immediate action. That’s another dangers of borax on pets you should aware.

6. Heart Seizure

A more severe danger that pets have to risked on when they are exposed to sodium tetraborate is heart seizure. This danger can occur when the chemical reach through the cardiovascular or through blood in which it eventually end up stored in the heart. As this chemical is not acceptable within the blood stream, it will cause the heart contracted and trigger seizure.

Heart seizure often occur when the borax is injected directly to the blood stream. The substance will contamine the flowing blood until it reaches the heart. As the heart denies such substance to enter it, the heart muscle uncontrollably try to pump them out and cause heart attack. 

7. Coma

While the chemical entering the blood stream can cause seizure, when it eventually reaches the brain, it will cause the pets (any kind or breed of animals) to be in coma. Coma happens when the injection of borax happens too sudden some of the nerve cells in the brain stop working.

If this occurs, the pets will first experience high trembling followed by sudden pain in the head. If the owner does not take quick action, the pets will end up in coma.

8. Death

The worst thing that could happen to pets who get overdosed of borax is death. Even though it is rarely happen, if a direct injection of borax in high concentration occurs, the pets will have all of their body’s function damaged. As a result, the body can no longer sustain itself and the pets will die.

This case is a rare one since not one case a pet is exposed to borax purposefully. The only purposeful act to let the pets die is when the pet has terminal illness in which no cure can let it be healthy again that the owner decides it is best to let them die.

Cautions

Surely, borax or sodium tetraborate generally is unacceptable to be inside the body of any living beings including animals. As precaution, only use borax when it is under strict instructions by the vets. Also only use trusted and healthy pet food instead of using the cheap one that’s safety is questionable. Indeed, there are 8 dangers of borax on pets you should aware.

Also read:

• Dangerous Chemicals in Everyday Products
• List of Banned Toxic Chemicals to Avoid