Eddie's healthy pet tips

Choose pet food without the chemical preservatives

Choose pet food without the chemical preservatives BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin, vary cats’ diets to limit their exposure to mercury in seafood, and choose organic or free-range ingredients rather than “by-products.”

Use a faucet-mounted or pitcher filter

Use a faucet-mounted or pitcher filter to fill your pet’s water bowl. 

Replace older foam pet bedding

Replace older foam pet bedding, and replace or reupholster furniture with exposed or crumbling foam. 

Vacuum often with a HEPA-filter vacuum

Vacuum often with a HEPA-filter vacuum, and take off your shoes at the door to minimize your pets’ exposure to toxic chemicals in house dust. 

If you suspect your deck was made with arsenic-treated wood

If you suspect your deck was made with arsenic-treated wood, treat it with a sealant every six months and don’t let pets play or sleep underneath it. Wash with mild soap and water, but never power wash!

Don’t get optional stain-proof treatments

Don’t get optional stain-proof treatments on couches, carpets and car upholstery – they’re loaded with toxic perfluorochemicals.

Avoid nonstick pans

Avoid nonstick pans. An overheated nonstick pan can kill pet birds, and it gives off chemicals that may be bad for other pets and people too.

Care for your lawn without using insecticides

Care for your lawn without using insecticides, which may cause nervous system damage in pets that walk on the treated lawn, eat the grass, or breathe in the chemicals.

Use kitty litter made of plant sources

Use kitty litter made of plant sources like wheat or recycled newspaper. Clay-based kitty litter is strip-mined, causing extreme environmental damage during extraction.

Get biodegradable, compostable doo-bags

Get biodegradable, compostable doo-bags for when you go on walks with your pooch – or just reuse bags like plastic newspaper wrappers. 

Not only are flea collars generally ineffective

Not only are flea collars generally ineffective, they’re also a source of constant toxic exposure for your pet and family. Instead, vacuum often and thoroughly, bathe your pet regularly, and ask your vet or local pet store about safer flea treatments and repellents.

Read grooming product ingredient labels

Read grooming product ingredient labels, and if there’s no ingredient label, don’t buy it! (Pet product manufacturers are not required to list ingredients on labels.) Some ingredients to avoid are those that include the terms “paraben,” “-eth,” “PEG,” “urea,” or “fragrance.”  For more information on ingredients, check cosmeticsdatabase.com.

Did you know that 63% of all households in the US have pets?

Did you know that 63% of all households in the US have pets? Together, us pets can make a lot of noise—so spread the word! Visit our website to sign up for Eddie’s email and action update list, tell your pet friends about Pets with an ecard, or make a donation to keep Eddie’s work going!