Why it's dangerous
Ingestion of excessive salt leads to hypernatremia, causing fluid shifts that result in gastrointestinal distress and severe neurological dysfunction.
Toxic compound: Sodium
How vets treat it
There is no specific treatment. The main treatment is a drip (IV fluids) with electrolytes, and the vet checks your cat's blood sodium often. As in dogs, the sodium is brought down slowly, over 2 to 3 days, because a fast drop can make the brain swell. Seizures are controlled with medicines such as diazepam.
Outlook
None of the sources we checked gives recovery rates for cats. The sooner your cat is treated, the better its chances of recovery. Severe salt poisoning can lead to seizures, coma and death, and your cat may need to stay in hospital while its sodium comes down slowly.
Where pets are exposed
- Homemade play dough and salt dough, including salt dough ornaments made for the holidays. They contain a large amount of salt, and eating the ornaments has killed pets.
- Rock salt and ice melts (de-icers), whether spread on paths and roads, spilled or stored where pets can reach them. Pets also swallow them by eating snow treated with de-icer.
- Seawater. Dogs have developed high blood sodium after swimming or playing in the sea with no fresh water to drink.
- Table salt and sea salt from the kitchen.
- Salt or salt water given to make a pet vomit. Salt is no longer recommended for this, and it can cause salt poisoning.
- Paintballs, and enemas that contain sodium phosphate.
Prevention
- Keep homemade play dough and salt dough out of pets' reach, and hang salt dough ornaments where pets can't get them.
- Never use salt or salt water to make a pet vomit. If you think your pet needs to vomit, call your vet.
- Store rock salt and ice melt in closed containers out of reach, and clean up spills.
- At the beach, bring fresh water for your dog and keep it from drinking seawater.
- Make sure your pet always has fresh water to drink.
Good to know
Common sources include homemade play dough, rock salt, paintballs, and enema solutions. Salt is no longer recommended as an emetic.
Common questions
Is salt dough toxic to dogs?
Yes. Salt dough and homemade play dough contain a large amount of salt, and eating salt dough ornaments has caused severe salt poisoning and deaths in pets. Call your vet or a pet poison line right away, even if your dog seems fine.
Can I use salt to make my dog throw up?
No. Never use salt or salt water to make a dog or cat vomit. Pet Poison Helpline warns that it carries a high risk of causing salt poisoning, and the Merck Veterinary Manual says salt is no longer recommended for this. Call your vet or a pet poison line instead, and only make your pet vomit if a vet tells you to.
How much salt is toxic to a dog?
According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, signs can appear after 2 to 3 g of salt per kilogram of body weight, and about 4 g/kg can be lethal. The ASPCA also gives 4 g/kg as a dose that can kill a dog. Dogs with little fresh water are at higher risk, and so may pets with diabetes or other hormone problems. None of the sources we checked gives a figure for cats. Call your vet with your pet's weight and what it ate.
Is rock salt or ice melt dangerous for dogs and cats?
Yes, especially in large amounts. Rock salt and many ice melts contain sodium chloride, and pets can swallow it by eating treated snow or getting into a bag. During one snowy winter, a London animal hospital admitted several cats with signs of salt poisoning, possibly from salt on icy roads. If your pet eats ice melt, call your vet or a pet poison line and keep the package, and if it walked through the product, bathe it.
Can my dog get salt poisoning from drinking seawater?
Yes. Dogs have developed high blood sodium after swimming or playing in the sea with no fresh water to drink. Bring fresh water to the beach, and call your vet or a pet poison line if your dog drank a lot of seawater, or vomits, has diarrhea or seems wobbly afterwards.
Sources
- Merck Veterinary Manual — Salt Toxicosis in Animals
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center — Toxicology Brief: Ice melts are health hazards (Veterinary Medicine, 2000)
- Pet Poison Helpline — Salt
- Pet Poison Helpline — Play Dough (Homemade)
- Pet Poison Helpline — Is Homemade Playdough Toxic to Pets?
- Pet Poison Helpline — Can Dogs Have Sea Salt?
- Vet Times — Dealing with hypernatraemia in cats and dogs: a case-based discussion (2012)
- Pet Poison Helpline
This page is informational and is not veterinary advice. If your pet has been exposed to something risky, contact your vet or an animal poison control line right away.
