Keep Them Safe: Where to Find Pet-Friendly Ice Melt in the Hudson Valley
If we had a doorbell camera, I'd be on America's Funniest Home Videos. I was taking our new puppy, Arthur, out in the middle of the night, stepped on ice, and did the perfect cartoon-style slip and fall on our walkway. There may as well have been a banana peel.
It was all my fault. The ice had been building up for a few days, but I was nervous to use my 50-pound bag of industrial ice-melting salt out of a fear that it would be dangerous for our little furball. According to the ASCPA, most ice melts contains some sort of chloride, and this can be a problem for our pets. Dogs licking their paws after being outside, or straight up eating the salted snow or ice (Arthur loves to lick ice, while I desperately try to avoid a Christmas Story-style tongue-stick to our sidewalk), can lead to several unfortunate complications.
While it shouldn't be life-threatening, eating salt can lead to digestive issues on both ends of your pet. Vomiting, diarrhea, or even mouth ulcers are possible. If there is a large ingestion, or they start to snack directly out of the salt bag, dehydration and even seizures are a possibility. So, how do we avoid both hurting our little buddies AND breaking ourselves at the same time? Pretty easily, it turns out.
The answer: pet-safe ice melt. Using either magnesium chloride or a naturally occurring compound called urea, companies can now provide us with a solution that works for people and animals. You can of course order online, but if you're like me and like to keep your money local, here's where you can pick some up today in the Hudson Valley.
Petsmart
Morton, the same company that makes edible salt, provides a pet-friendly ice melt as well, and you can buy in-store at several Hudson Valley locations:
Newburgh: 156 Old Ltl Britain Rd
Poughkeepsie: 2534 South Road
Middletown: 88 Dunning Rd Ste 25
Kingston: 501 Frank Sottile Blvd
Home Depot
Road Runner reminds me of my slip-and-fall... maybe that's who set the trap for me. Luckily they also provide a melting solution. This pet-safe option is available in-store at several locations:
Newburgh: 1220 Route 300
Fishkill: 450 State Route 9
Wappingers Falls: 1570 Route 9
Wallkill (but actually in Middletown): 474 Route 211 East
Walmart
Everyone is getting in on the action, even Walmart. You can pick up Snow Joe in-person at these locations:
Fishkill Supercenter: 26 W Merritt Blvd, Fishkill
Monroe Supercenter: 288 Larkin Dr, Monroe
If you think your pet has had an unsafe salt snack, call your vet or the Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435
