Is this dangerous/toxic?

starryeyedtiger

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The apartment complex that I live in sprayed all of the lawn areas with these tiny little white balls today (about the size of a grain of rice). I'm assuming it's fertilizer?? I'm a little concerned because they are EVERYWHERE and the wind has even blown them up on the sidewalk areas.
I have 3 dogs, so I'm a little bit concerned (especially since Mykelti is only 3 months old and wants to investigate everything she comes across!). Macy and Ranger, my older dogs know the nose up command (it teaches them to walk with their heads held up and no noses down stopping to sniff everything). While I have little concern over the big dogs attempting to lick the stuff on the ground, I also don't want it getting on their paw pads or in their fur and risk them grooming themselves later and ingesting it. I've called the apartment complex and the manager said that it's non-toxic. I also called the landscaping company to double check, but only got their voicemail. Do you guys think I should be worried? I've been carrying the puppy to areas that have less of it around and keeping her on a tight leash so I can make sure she's not trying to ingest anything and I've been checking everyone's paws/fur before they come back inside of the apartment. I just want to make sure we avoid any kind of poisioning issue!
 

Draco

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I'm not sure, but I'd continue to call the landscaping company and get an answer.

I'd also clean the dogs' paws when they come in, just to be on the safer side. Outside, they should be under your supervision.

I hope you get your answer soon!
 
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starryeyedtiger

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Originally Posted by Draco

I'm not sure, but I'd continue to call the landscaping company and get an answer.

I'd also clean the dogs' paws when they come in, just to be on the safer side. Outside, they should be under your supervision.

I hope you get your answer soon!
Thank you for trying to help! I appreciate it. I've called the landscaping company several times and I'm still waiting to hear back. I plan to keep calling until I get an answer. In the mean time, I've been keeping a bowl of warm, soapy water in the entry way along with a towel to wipe their paws off with every time they come inside. I'm also getting them with a slicker brush to comb through and make sure none of what I assume is the fertilizer is sticking to their fur. Even if it's truly winds up being "non-toxic" I'm not crazy about them having any type of fertilizer on them...


While I do love our complex, I definitely get irritated with their lack of notifications on things like landscaping. Several months ago, they sprayed the lawn and didn't notify any of the pet owners they would be spraying things. My nephew spent the night that evening and when he woke up, he took Ranger for a walk outside while I was in the shower. Before my nephew had time to notice the lawn, poor Ranger had already stepped in the coloring/dye. Ranger left with pristine white paws and came back inside with blue/green dye all over them! I bathed him immediately and took him in to the vet for another grooming/check up just to make sure he wouldn't be harmed by anything on his skin/fur. Afterwards, I showed the complex the vet/grooming bill and requested that they please notify us better next time. This complex REALLY needs to notify the pet owners before they spray/do things so we can plan accordingly and keep our four-legged friends safe! (A lot of my neighbors have also complained as well) .
 
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starryeyedtiger

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Well I finally got through to the people at the lawn company! They were very nice and said that it's a non-toxic treatment and it should be safe even if the pets walk around it/ ingest it (I'm not planning to let them ingest anything if I can help it though and I am still planning to wash their feet/check them over until that stuff goes away!) The company said that the little white balls were part of a lime treatment used to help maintain a proper pH level of the grass, but that it shouldn't harm the dogs. (It was with TruGReen).
 

gailc

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You might check out TruGreen's website too. I checked out the stuff I apply and it does give alot of hazard warnings. But I'm many weeks temp wise on what we apply here in WI vs TN. I would think a lime treatment should be okay. Any liquid that is sprayed needs to be thoroughly dry be anything walks on the turf. In our area (might be entire state) the turf care people need to stick this little tags on the areas they treat. I can ask my highly knowledgeble turf product supplier any questions you might have!
 
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starryeyedtiger

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Originally Posted by GailC

You might check out TruGreen's website too. I checked out the stuff I apply and it does give alot of hazard warnings. But I'm many weeks temp wise on what we apply here in WI vs TN. I would think a lime treatment should be okay. Any liquid that is sprayed needs to be thoroughly dry be anything walks on the turf. In our area (might be entire state) the turf care people need to stick this little tags on the areas they treat. I can ask my highly knowledgeble turf product supplier any questions you might have!
Thankyou Gail!
Here's the link on their website if that helps. It's the little paragraph about "ph and soil quality" to the right of the screen. http://www.trugreen.com/Services/OptionalLawncare . It lists "lime, potassium or other micronutrients" in the ingredients for the little white ball things, but I don't know if those specific things might be toxic or not. They said as long as it had been out for an hour, it was completly safe for them to walk around it/etc. (They sprayed it early this morning, so it's definitely been out there for a while. The last time I walked Mykelti (about 15 minutes ago) it looked like some of it had dissolved a bit thankfully. I'm hoping it all goes away soon!). I'm just trying to be as cautious as possible! I would be soo upset if something happened to one of the pups or if they tracked something in that one of the cats could ingest...you just never know!
 

gailc

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On the bottom of their website they have4 a product use statement but it really doesn't say too much.
I'm sure they have their products trademarked so one cannot obtain their exact formulations. Maybe they have a brochere?
I'll still ask my turf dude though (might be know tomorrow after work though. )
 

feralvr

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I walk dogs for my job and a few of the complexes I walk the dogs in have done this recently too. The owner's told me to try to stay off the grass and wash the paws when the dogs come back in. They were told it is safe for pets, but I would be cautious anyway till it rains.
 

strange_wings

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As I said in another post, label statements of "Safe for pets" really only means safe for dogs or animals with livers that can filter out toxins more efficiently. It never means safe for cats. So definitely make sure none of it accidentally gets brought inside.
 

swampwitch

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The label "non-toxic" is pretty meaningless; you really have to check out all the ingredients to find out how "safe" something is. Last time I did the research, there was no federal standard for labeling "non-toxic" so manufacturers use the term whenever they want.

Sculpy clay is labeled non-toxic but is made plasticizers(!), plus it emits toxic fumes when baked. But if you eat it the makers claim the only immediate danger is intestinal blockage... they don't mention possible cancer down the road...

Most people wouldn't even think about the little white balls, kuddos to you for finding out, you are such a great momma to your little ones.
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by AmberThe Bobcat

If any ingrediant is listed as a pesticide, herbacide etc in other words, anything that ends with "cide" is a poison.
Ok. Fipronil is an insecticide. Who here has used it on their cats before?
 

gailc

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I talked with my turf supplier today-real knowledgeble guy. He said Trugreen used the least expensive stuff available but if they are changing the pH value its usually just lime based which is okay. Bottom line you should be ok but I would check to see if your state requires posting when treatments are done.
 
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starryeyedtiger

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Thank you everyone who has posed and tried to help! I really appreciate it.


Originally Posted by GailC

I talked with my turf supplier today-real knowledgeble guy. He said Trugreen used the least expensive stuff available but if they are changing the pH value its usually just lime based which is okay. Bottom line you should be ok but I would check to see if your state requires posting when treatments are done.
Gail, you are awesome!
Thank you for checking things out; The furbabies and I really appreciate it!
I'm definitely breathing a little bit easier knowing that they should be safe in the event that something does happen. I'm doing my best to be cautious and avoid and an issue like that though.

Do you know where I would be able to find state information as far as those treatments go? I looked on this website, but I'm not exactly sure WHAT I should be searching for as requiring a posting of when treatments are done? : http://agriculture.state.tn.us/
 

howtoholdacat

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Even though it's non-toxic (probably) you never know if a pet might have an unusual reaction. I like the steps you took with the water, etc. So much cheaper than an emergency vet bill.
 
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