Detergent pods: A Washday Problem for Pets

When I write blog posts, I often feel that I admonish pet owners too much:  Don’t use rodent poison! Keep house plants away from pets!  Watch out for raisins and grapes!  Well, folks, that’s my job, so here’s an addition to that list of concerns:  laundry and dishwashing detergent pods.

We’re always looking for products that save us time and effort.  Hence the invention of the laundry detergent pod, which has become popular in the past couple of years.  I admit it’s a useful innovation:  Just reach into a container and plop a pre-measured packet of detergent into the dishwasher or washing machine.  No mess, no measuring. 

  

Unfortunately, detergent companies have made the pods enticing to both kids and pets.  Small children think the colorful ones are candy.  And dogs?  Well, anything left within reach is fair game to play with or feast on, and these pods are just the right size for munching.

  

Between March 2012 and April 2013 17,230 children under the age of six were accidentally poisoned by the packets (Pediatrics, December 2014).  Only 4.4% of the children were hospitalized, but of those, 56 had a “moderate or major medical outcome.”  Some victims stopped breathing and required ventilation support; one child died.

 

Dogs that eat old-fashioned laundry detergent powder react to the unpleasant taste; they drool and might also have a mild GI upset, such as vomiting and diarrhea, that will resolve itself over time.  But the reaction to biting into a detergent pod is more severe.  The product in the pod not only is highly concentrated but also explodes under pressure from the bite.  The detergent is forcefully expelled, and large amounts may be aspirated or swallowed.  Eating the pods, which are encased in plastic, may also pose a foreign body obstruction risk.

The symptoms in dogs are similar to those in children: vomiting (84%); coughing (21%); lethargy (17%); and gasping, wheezing, and other respiratory difficulties (13%).  The Pet Poison Helpline reports that 72% of pets exposed to the pods develop clinical signs.

If your furry friend gets into mischief and decides to chomp on a detergent pod, water is your friend; liberally rinse your pet’s mouth, skin, and eyes until the slippery, soapy feel is gone.  Any symptoms that persist, such as vomiting or respiratory abnormalities, warrant a trip to our office or a call to an emergency clinic.  There’s no antidote, but we can provide symptomatic and supportive care.  Don’t forget to bring the detergent container with you.

Making these products less colorful is a step in the right direction for preventing ingestion by kids but won’t help our curious canines.  Companies should explore measures that help not only children, but also pets, such as coating the pods with a foul-tasting substance.

    

I researched homemade laundry detergent as well as plant-based “natural” laundry detergents, hoping that they would be safe if ingested.  No such luck!  The safety information sheets for many of these products indicate that they can be severe irritants if inhaled or ingested.

So keep your fancy pod products (and all other cleaning products) safely out of reach of your furry companions.  Better yet, don’t buy the pods if you have small children or inquisitive pets.  It’s just not worth saving ten seconds of your time.