Effect of boric acid on animals

Letter 11228

Effect of boric acid on animals

What will boric acid do to animals? Is it harmful or deadly?

Juanita Oakes
- Little Rock, Arkansas

Boric acid is widely used in the plating industry, so search engines started finding us. Apparently we rapidly became the 'official boric acid page' although most of these questions have nothing to do with the finishing industry :-)

As for your pets, I'd guess that boric acid will clean their eyes like human eyes, rather than harm them, but what would happen if they gobbled it down, and whether they would do so, I don't know :-)

Ted Mooney, P.E.
finishing.com
Brick, New Jersey

Home made roach killer made from boric acid [link is to product info] and whatever typically will cause a cat or dog to froth at the mouth and possibly barf. It is possible for an animal to die from it, but not very probable. Two cats and one small dog have lived thru it quite nicely, but it sure made a mess on the rug. Typical additives like sugar, condensed milk, peanut butter and bacon dripping will be eaten by animals if they can get to it.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida

Here is a link to some info published by the National Cotton Batting Institute about the safety of Boric Acid. Turns out, the toxicity is somewhere between Aspirin and Table Salt. Also they state, "It is important to remember that there have been no known deaths resulting from the use of boric acid or Boron No. 10 in mattresses or upholstered furniture or even in their use as an insecticide."

http://www.natbat.com/docs/boron.htm

Nicholas Jankowski
- Baltimore, MD, USA

July 7, 2007

Hello,
Most recently my calico kitten has attracted a type of eye infection. I am concerned that it is spreading to her other eye. Please help. I have purchased a bottle of Boric acid powder from a Cayce's drugstore. I have heard that applying boric acid will stop the infection from spreading and help the healing progress. Please notify me as soon as possible to inform me if this is true and will help my kitten or if it will kill her. I will be greatly in your debt.
Most graciously;

Mari-Alice Jasper
- Pembroke, KY, United States of America

Ed. note: Just remember that many of the potential responders in a public forum are strangers to us as well as you. There is always the possibility of deliberately harmful advice from a fictitious name.

July 28, 2008

use regular eye drops on your kitten. its much safer and it cleared up my son's kitten over night.

Vera L Taylor
Iguana's Cave - Taylor, Florida

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