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Antifreeze-Coolant Protects Your Car, But Can Kill Your Pet

Conventional antifreeze contains approximately 95% ethylene glycol, a highly toxic chemical that can be appealing to animals because of its sweet smell and taste. If accidentally ingested, it attacks the kidneys and can cause irreversible damage. A mere two ounces of EG antifreeze can kill a dog; one teaspoon can be lethal to a cat; and two tablespoons can be harmful or even fatal to a child.

Today there are safer propylene glycol (PG) based antifreeze-coolants that provide excellent protection for vehicle cooling systems and afford an additional margin of safety for pets and people. They are comparably priced to EG-based antifreeze.

With a freeze point of –26 degrees F and a boiling point of 221 degrees F in the typical 50-50 solution with water, PG-based antifreeze provides comparable protection to EG-based antifreeze. Even greater protection can be obtained by using a higher concentration of antifreeze to water.

Reducing Risks of Pets Poisonings

•  Use a PG-based instead of an EG-based antifreeze in your vehicles.

•  Watch for leaks, accidental spillage and boilovers and clean them up immediately.

•  Walk dogs on leashes and supervise them closely when they are outdoors.

•  If you know or suspect you pet has ingested EG antifreeze, take the animal to a veterinarian immediately.

•  Do not wait for signs of toxicity to appear – immediate treatment is necessary to prevent a painful death.

•  Keep the telephone number of your veterinarian near your phone.