I received an email this morning warning the Swifter WetJet is potentially toxic to dogs. The email tells about a dog that died due to their owner using this product. It claims anti-freeze, known to be toxic to dogs, is one of the ingredients.
Before I post anything I always try and verify the information, sometimes it turns out to be unfounded. I don’t know where the original letter started, or if it was done as a joke, but there seems to be no factual evidence backing it up.
Unfortunately, the rumor spreads quickly around the internet. These types of jokes prey on the feelings of honest people, knowing they can be used to help get the word out.
This is the original letter that is going around the internet.
Recently my neighbor 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,so 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, someones 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 paws, it ingested enough of the solution to destroy his liver.
Soon after his dog’s death, his housekeepers’ two cats also died of liver failure. She also used the Swiffer Wetjet for quick cleanups on her floors. Necropsies weren’t done on the cats, but he asked that we spread the word to as many people as possible so they don’t lose their animals.
This is an anonymous message, it’s unverifiable and filled with untruths. Go take a look at the snopes.com site, where they did a great job of going through each accusation and breaking it down. As you’ll see, there does not seem to be any truth to this letter.
