Swiffer and Yorkies
 

There have been quite a few posts on here about Swiffer products. There was one where the pup was diagnosed with pancreatitis. My Sassy was also diagnosed with pancreatitis. She had lethargy, vomiting, loss of appetite and diarrhea that progressed to very bloody diarrhea. She got better but has had a couple of bouts since then...these were only diarrhea and lethargy and loss of appetite.

I have been thinking and thinking about these episodes and have come to the conclusion that it was brought on by Swiffer mopping. I gave away my Swiffer pads and my Swiffer mop. I will never use it again. The one thread I read told of a pup that was diagnosed with pancreatitis and the only thing the poster could think of was having mopped with Swiffer.

I have long heard that the Swiffer problem is labeled an Urban Legend. I now believe it IS very harmful to our babies and will NEVER use it again. If this post helps prevent even one little one from getting sick, it will have been well worth the time it took to post it.

Sammi

When that was going around I stopped using mine. Sad that just a great thing can be such a dangerous one to our furbabies. I mop by hand now with dishsoap.

Good! I am glad you stopped using it!

I believe that companies do all they can to keep their products from getting a bad name and this one should be ratted out over and over again. Their concern is only the bottom line. Never mind our pets. Only the bottom line.

I had never heard about this before. What is it about them that makes them harmful?

and i was going to buy a swiffer mop guess i wont know i dont wanna hurt my baby

I use a swiffer all the time and Ive NEVER had problems with my furbabies. My friend has a child and did some research on the swiffer, she told that it USED to be deemed harmful to pets and children if ingested (crawling babies, etc...) but the company has since changed their formula and its now nontoxic. I wouldn't say to drink the stuff, but Ive never had problems with my babies and my swiffer.

I do not know if this is 100% true or not, this is just what my friend told me from her research on it.

Look it up on their website ....

Im sorry your baby was so sick, I hope she is doing better now! :D

The swiffer thing is an urban legend. This one has been going around for a long time.

Check it out:
http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/swiffer.asp

I'm sorry your baby was sick...:( but it wasn't caused by your swiffer.

When our babies are sick, there often is no explanation, and sometimes we need to have something to blame for it.

also here is the link from the swiffer website addressing this rumor

http://www.swiffer.com/swiffer/en_US/newspopup.do

The danger of Swiffers to dogs was debunked as urban legend several years ago:

http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/swiffer.asp

As with feeding an all natural "real" food, I clean and mop the same way. For moping, I trade off. One time with a little alcohol and water, the next with a little chlorine bleach and water. I don't think most cleaning products on the market are good for people or pets.

Well...I have to look at the evidence closely. Here is a closely related subject that influences my thought process:

My doctor prescribes Celebrex for me. It is an anti-inflammatory medication. It is much easier on the stomach than the others out there, which I need. Every time I got a prescription for it, I got flack because it is more expensive that the other stuff, like Vioxx, which is what they wanted me to take. (There's that bottom line.) I

t was the subject of much controversy and we were told over and over how safe it is. Finally, this was proven false. It was not safe. Folks were dying from it. They eventually took it off the market. Lots of folks lost their lives...if they had been more concerned with people than the bottom line, maybe it would't have happened. I am thankful I always did the battle and didn't cave in to the pressure to take the Vioxx instead of the Celebrex. Perhaps I would have been one of those fataliteis if I hadn't been so stubborn.

This is only one example of how hard it is to get the real truth. I guess I would rather be paranoid and safe than trusting and unsafe. Especially when my baby depends on ME to make these kinds of decision for her. Better safe than sorry.

JMHO

There are very few cleaning products on the market that are non-toxic to pets. Unless you are using products that are "green" and safe for the environment, they are not necessarily safe for our babies. There are some great, economical cleaning products that are safe both for the environment and our babies.

You can never be too careful with these little guys as they are not like other dogs and most testing is done on BIG dogs, not 4 lbers.

Another great alternative for floor cleaning is to use a floor steamer. I have one I got for $99 that does a great job and uses nothing but water. It is safe for all kinds of flooring.

I hope Sassy has no further symptoms. My Sissy was also recently diagnosed with Pancreatitis and her diet is already very low in fat. I have come to the conclusion that a virus caused this with her, but we will really never know!!!!

I've always used swiffer mop because i have a bad back and it's better and easier on me. I've never had trouble with it and my yorkie. they've never really bothered to go in the kitchen.. lucky i guess

ummm...
 

If you're close-minded enough to look at documented proof and STILL think you're right that's unfortunate. It states on the swiffer website that the ASPCA deemed the product safe, and they OBVIOUSLY are aware that there are 4 lb. animals... ALSO, They wouldn't post this if it were not true or safe if it weren't, there would be lawsuits like crazy if they had. A simple autopsy from ONE case could prove it to be not safe, therefore they would not be allowed to make the claim. So you must conclude, well a logical person must conclude, that it is perfectly fine to use. Just suck it up and admit that you fell for the rumor.

I'm sure it's way safer than your dog inhaling your freshly bleached floors...

I'm sorry if this offends anyone, but...COME ON.

Well, I am a fairly logical person. I believe that it could even be that perhaps different dogs have different reaction to it. Either way, I am not willing to take the chance. As I said, JMHO.

No need to be so rude. I don't feel I need to 'suck it up' for having my opinion. I didn't just 'fall for the rumour' as I have known about it for a long time. Way before I got my Sassy. I have been trying to figure it out by using logical deduction. It is my responsibility to do so. She hasn't had any problems since I stopped using the swiffer whereas she was having it once a week, at least and I was using the medicine from the first time she had to combat it each time.

I am sorry you felt the need to blast me but it was totally unnecessary. I am simply attempting to share my experience with others here. Who knows, it just may be helpful to someone. If you dont think so, that's okay. That's your opinion and you are entitled to it.

Best regards to you.

I would say its fair to state that some dogs may not agree with it, just as I dont agree with some seafood...but I just think that dogging a company who is trying to make a safe product is not the way to go about this, that's all. As I previously stated, and apologized for, I do not intend to offend anyone. And any rudeness was unintentional, just trying to defend a company that wants to make a good, safe product.

Also, someone stated she uses bleach and alcohol on her floors instead of bleach. Certainly you can't think this is safer, and isn't alcohol the reason we are debating swiffer in the first place?!

I use swiffer a lot and have for a long time and I have never had any problems with it. I actually use it everyday. Once a week I use Lysol or Mr. Clean and I have never had any problems with that either. I hope that it isn't really something harmful to dogs, but I have 2 dogs and I have never seen a problem with them, and I do use it every day.

Hmm, maybe I'll just stop cleaning my floors!!:D

I think it is wise to trust your instincts. If you are right, you are protecting your dogs, if you're not... well, so what? You can probably live a happy life without a Swiffer.:p You know what is right for you and your dogs and other people are certainly free to do as they wish.;)

Well - after reading this - I think sometimes people forget different dogs have different reactions to products - what may not bother one dog doesn't mean it's ok for another and it's up to us to read the signs - I think Sammiz is being smart taking out a possible source of problems in her home and I really hope little Sassy starts feeling better - they sure can worry us and with their size and all - we should be. Sammiz - you're a good mom - no doubt

Yes, this was false information...I always use snopes.com to find out things, as I get forwards all the time with very misleading info..I always check snopes out first..

Also, can't remember who it was, but, as far as celebrex, there was a lot of problems they were having with that too..I went off of it when they were having the problems awhile back..

Don't let the dogs eat the swiffer pad...but i can't imagine how using it would be harmful unless they ate the cloth??? and then yeah, i could see it? or are we talking about the one that squirts liquid?

I love the conveniece of a Swiffer as I am not a get down on my hands and knees type gal anymore. BUT, the Antibacterial cleaner does bother Tiki's feet, I do not allow her to walk on it when it is wet, but it seems if her feet get wet, and she walks on it (after a bath, or wet grass) she has problems. (Surfie has no problems, just depends on the dog). It's the only thing I can think of as the problem started when I started using it. I just thought of a solution that might still allow my to use my Swiffer, without their cleaning solutions. I'm going to drill a hole in the bottom of the bottle, pour in a less obtrusive cleaner, tape it up, and spray away. I'll let you know how it works. Stupid glued on lids anyway........:cool:

I use to do this...I cut an "x" shape into the bottom, (when put into place it's the top) and used a funnel to get in some cleaner and a lot of water. worked great!! and it's a lot cheaper... :D

I would also like to add, I use to live in a place with hardwood flooring...I stopped using the Swiffer squirt cleaner and did use, like Yorkiedaze, a litle bleach and water once a week but 70% alcohol every other day of the week. It got rid of any "doggie" smell and the alcohol dries up really fast. Now that I have moved, my smooth cleaning surfaces are only my "small" kitchen and 2 bathrooms and I have reverted to the Swiffer, wet cloths. I makes life so much easier...But since his came up again, I will start using non-toxic, household cleaning wipes or baby wipes, instead of the Swiffer wet cloths.

I am sorry your baby got sick...I hope she will be much better :p Thanks for bringing it to everyones attention.

The first time Sassy got sick, it scared me witless. First she had just diarrhea. She stopped eating. This happened Sunday night. She sleeps with me but since she had diarrhea, I didn't want to take a chance of her going on the bed and carpet, so I kept her in the kitchen (linoleum) and checked on her throughout the night.

When I got up in the morning, it had gotten so much worse! There was bloody diarrhea everywhere, plus vomit. I called the vet and took her in. When I rinsed her bottom off before taking her all I could see was blood, blood, blood. It was so very awful! I was so scared for her.

Three hundred dollars later we came home with a diagnosis of pancreatitis and medicine. It took some time for her to get better (I gave her the medicine for a long time) but finally she was alright.

She began to have regular bouts of diarrhea, though and I gave her medicine and it always cleared up. I decided I needed to find out what was causing it, I read here a lot. When I read that one post that stated the same problems Sassy was having, she also mentioned Swiffer. That was an aha moment for me. Although Sassy was never allowed in the kitchen until after the Swiffer had dried, she does lick her little feet. So I decided to discontinue using Swiffer and Sassy has not had diarrhea since.

My intent in posting was to perhaps save someone else the heartache and expense I had suffered through with Sassy. My love for her is immeasurable and I know everyone else feels the same way about theirs.

If you have no problem with Swiffer, then this would not be a problem for you. BUT...if your baby has had these same symptoms and you DO use Swiffer, it is definitely something to take into consideration. It may not be the cause in your particular situation, but if it is, you have saved your baby pain and suffering by finding out.

Thank you all.

Sammi