Perth vets warn dog owners against danger of salt paste home remedies

VETS are warning pet owners against using home remedies such as salt paste as a treatment for animals that have eaten something they shouldn’t have.

In a Facebook post, Perth Vet Emergency in Yokine said while a paste mixture of salt and liquid can induce vomiting it can also potentially lead to life-threatening hypernatremia, or too much sodium in the blood.

The result is too little body water for the amount of total body sodium.

Bullsbrook Veterinary Centre owner Lyn Dunstan reiterated the concern, suggesting that acting on misinformation from the internet might cause more trouble for the animals and their owners.

“We have a lot of trouble with ‘Dr Google’ because people will find home remedies to do themselves but you’re better off getting them straight to the vet,” she said.

“If they do a home remedy, it would cost them a lot more than if they just took them to the vet – it could cost thousands.”

Dr Dunstan said using salt or Epsom salts would throw off the pet’s, especially a dog’s, electrolytes level.

“The trouble with salt is it gets absorbed whether you need it or not even if the body already has a lot of it,” she said.

“It could cause them more trouble and diarrhoea as well.”