# Pet Friendly Salt



## Hambrick & Co. (Nov 17, 2007)

Has anyone purchased or used pet friendly salt? I have several customers requesting that I use pet friendly salt on their drives and walks. I am not familiar with this type of salt. Any additional information about this topic would be great. Thanks


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## carcrz (Jun 5, 2006)

salt is a natural mineral. It's the special blends that you need to watch.


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

All ice melts even the "pet friendly" ones can harm your pets feet.
Some not as much as others but they all can.

It is like making Icream.
When you add chemicals or salt to melt ice it actually gets colder as it is melting.
It can get cold enough to hurt your pets feet.
(frostbite)or chemical burns.


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## Plowin in VT (Dec 7, 2007)

I use "pet friendly" ice melt on one customer's walk. This stuff is NOT cheap, and depending on where you get it, and how much you buy, you are looking at spending at least $0.60 - $1.00/lb! This is not something that you would want to use in a spreader, but should do it by hand (so that you can control how much or little you put down). I charge an additional $35 per time for pet friendly, and that's for a tiny 14' walkway.

Go to your local pet food store (PetCo, PetSmart, etc...), they sell this stuff. I haven't had much luck getting it anywhere else.

Evan


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## Clapper&Company (Jan 4, 2005)

You could use something with more Potash in it.


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## tinymitymo (Feb 23, 2007)

Hambrick & Co.;470684 said:


> Has anyone purchased or used pet friendly salt? I have several customers requesting that I use pet friendly salt on their drives and walks. I am not familiar with this type of salt. Any additional information about this topic would be great. Thanks


I use Safe-Step....

$23.50 for 40 pounds......

Better??Worse????

I don't know....

It melts the ice...

The wife is happy....

The puppy is safe...I hope

It ain't cheappayup


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## tinymitymo (Feb 23, 2007)

SnoFarmer;470712 said:


> All ice melts even the "pet friendly" ones can harm your pets feet.
> Some not as much as others but they all can.
> 
> It is like making Icream.
> ...


Good info....

Had not thought about the temperature aspect....

Only the chemical.....

Thanks..:waving:


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## JD Dave (Mar 20, 2007)

From personal expeirience from my own dogs, salt doesn't bother them much but I used calcium chloride once and my dogs started dancing around and holding their paws up.


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## Oasis (Oct 28, 2007)

I know the salt may irritate their paws a bit but that doesnt seem to do any damage. However I have customers that are concerned about there dogs actually eating the salt. I know my dog likes to lick my jacket when I get home from salting so i have to keep it away from her.

Try this stuff.... http://www.safepaw.com/


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## RacerBren (Nov 6, 2005)

Magic Salt is pet friendly. It won't burn the pets paws. We sell it to the local animal protection kennel and a pet shop. They both use it and sell it. And my dog runs around our shop and plays in it...The liquid is a buffer and changes when it becomes a brine..thats kinda why it is..


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## andrewlawnrangr (Dec 3, 2004)

An ex custromer of mine is involved with safepaw... they were cheap. extreemly cheap. i was supposed to salt their nighbors drive but then they cam over with some safe paw and that cust said can u use the stuff my neighbor gave me and still charge me just for plowing... i was like what the F but i guess it works..

sorry for the rant


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## JD Dave (Mar 20, 2007)

andrewlawnrangr;471094 said:


> they are the biggest jews


Dude. Just say they were really cheap. It is offensive!!


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## T-MAN (Jan 9, 2001)

I second the Magic salt for critters paws. 
If you market it right you could have a nice niche for residential.


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## Oasis (Oct 28, 2007)

JD Dave;471113 said:


> Dude. Just say they were really cheap. It is offensive!!


I am assuming that either the poster or admin removed that comment and I am really glad that I didnt read it. This site has great integrity and I hope that it is kept that way.


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## Hambrick & Co. (Nov 17, 2007)

Thanks everyone for your input. I was only able to find the Safe-Paw on the web just wanted to make sure there wasn't something else out there that I may have missed. Thanks again.


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## SnowMelt2006 (Nov 27, 2006)

Safe Step = sodium/potassium
Safe Paw = urea

If you don't want to use salt, use either potassium or urea.

Calcium/Magnesium chloride will draw the moisture from the paws and will cause burning.


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## derekbroerse (Mar 6, 2004)

I have been using Lanscaper's Choice (www.kissner.com) on the sidewalks this year at the animal hospital. No complaints so far. Costs me $14.40/50lb bag and I only need about half a bag to do it. Regular Sifto Salt on the parking lot.

Landscaper's Choice is Calcium Magnesium Acetate, claims to be safe for children and pets, and I can tell you from experience you can spread this with your bare hands and not feel a thing, and not end up all shrivelled up like a prune afterwards like salt.

Honestly, I've been really pleased with the stuff! Urea is over $20 per 50lb bag here. Alaskan Ice Melt is around $26 for the same amount. Sand is too messy. This has been my solution for small quantity spreading, also supposed to be easy on concrete and vegetation.


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## JD Dave (Mar 20, 2007)

derekbroerse;473769 said:


> I have been using Lanscaper's Choice (www.kissner.com) on the sidewalks this year at the animal hospital. No complaints so far. Costs me $14.40/50lb bag and I only need about half a bag to do it. Regular Sifto Salt on the parking lot.
> 
> Landscaper's Choice is Calcium Magnesium Acetate, claims to be safe for children and pets, and I can tell you from experience you can spread this with your bare hands and not feel a thing, and not end up all shrivelled up like a prune afterwards like salt.
> 
> Honestly, I've been really pleased with the stuff! Urea is over $20 per 50lb bag here. Alaskan Ice Melt is around $26 for the same amount. Sand is too messy. This has been my solution for small quantity spreading, also supposed to be easy on concrete and vegetation.


Landscapers Choice is mostly rock salt and I think magnesium chloride. It contains less then 1 % CMA. We've used it in the past on properties that specifiy it and liked the product. I will try and find the exact %'s of that product.


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## SnowMelt2006 (Nov 27, 2006)

Here is a comparisons/lab results for the magical product....Landscaper's Choice.

You be the judge.


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## derekbroerse (Mar 6, 2004)

I don't recall ever saying it was magical, i kinda wish it was!

Those results don't look very favorable at all. Yet I can tell you for being mostly rock salt it doesn't bother my hands what so ever. I can only assume a dog's paws would be the same, right? Not that it matters really I guess if they have to walk across the salted parking lot to reach the sidewalk....!!!

I also know that the product keeps really well and I have never had a clumpy bag.

So what is the solution? Straight Urea is too expensive, am I better off blending my own mix of salt and urea with a scoop of sand thrown in to provide grit? Does Urea clump up like salt does? I'm assuming so, and I'm assuming any blend I make will do the same.

In which case, as long as there are no complaints, I'm probably just as well off with the Landscapers Choice... even if it seems overpriced for its contents.


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## RacerBren (Nov 6, 2005)

You should try the Magic. Other than getting a Pet friendly ice melt. You get one hel l of an ice melt. It says pet friendly right on the bags..


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## derekbroerse (Mar 6, 2004)

I would if I could buy it here locally. Closest dealer I know if is in Hamilton, 3/4hr away in good weather.

Actually, there was bags of "Magic Salt" at Canadian Tire in Niagara Falls (the farthest one away, of course, 25 or so mins away), but I figured it couldn't be the right stuff because the bags were all solid lumps....


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## RacerBren (Nov 6, 2005)

We ship to locations 45 miles away for about $40 with a common carrier. Might be worth it from them if you could take a pallet. Tim

The other thing a lot of our commercial guys do is buy a yd of Magic and then sell it to customers using buckets or use it on their sidewalks right out of their bulk in the truck. Here that is $3 for 50lbs. We charge our sidewalk customers 16.89 plus application. Plus the stuff out of the bulk pile has 8gal per ton compared to 4 gal in the bags. Just a thought..Hope it helps


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