Rock salt ice melt swap to Pet-friendly ice melt

Why make the swap

• Why switch to pet-friendly ice melt

  These picks skip rock salt and other chloride salts, and ASPCA says pet-friendly ice melts are typically made with safer ingredients. Your own steps and driveway become a gentler walk home.

• What's the concern with rock salt ice melt

  Most ice melts are chloride salts that irritate paws, and pets swallow them by licking their feet or eating treated snow. Too much can raise sodium enough to cause tremors and seizures, and calcium chloride can ulcerate the mouth.

• General information, not veterinary advice. Ask your vet before changing what your pet uses.

• Good to know before you buy

  It costs much more than rock salt, so save it for the steps and path your pet walks. Neighbours’ sidewalks may still be salted, so keep wiping paws. Wipe up any antifreeze drips on the driveway straight away: regular antifreeze tastes sweet, and 1–2 teaspoons can kill a cat, the Merck Veterinary Manual says. Ask your mechanic about propylene glycol coolant at your next service.

• Sources (4)

  1. ASPCA: rock salt is harsh on paws and, if swallowed, can cause dangerously high sodium levels (opens in a new tab)
  2. ASPCA Poison Control: swallowed ice melt can cause vomiting, tremors and seizures; pet-friendly melts are typically safer (opens in a new tab)
  3. Merck Vet Manual: ethylene glycol antifreeze; lethal dose 1–2 tsp for cats; propylene glycol is less toxic and not sweet (opens in a new tab)
  4. ASPCA: pet-safe antifreezes use propylene glycol, which has a much wider margin of safety (opens in a new tab)

  Health and safety facts on this page come from these sources. What a pick is made of comes from its maker's listing or website, as stated on the date we checked.