I was going to order styptic powder to have on hand for emergencies (cat wriggled/hand slipped while cutting nails, etc.) but I noticed something I never did before. A lot of the powders (not all) often have benzocaine as an ingredient for supposed pain relief. Since my older cat passed away a year ago from kidney disease I've paid a lot more attention to ingredients in food and other pet products. When I started researching various ingredients in styptic powder I found more than one site online that said something similar to this:
"Local anesthetics like lidocaine, tetracaine, benzocaine or pramoxine are found in many topical antibiotic ointments and suppositories made for people. Products that contain these local anesthetics may include the phrase “plus pain relief” in the product name. Concerned guardians often apply these topical medications to their cat’s cuts or abscesses, not knowing that the local anesthetics can be absorbed through the skin or ingested during grooming. Cats are at an increased risk for toxicity because of their unique hemoglobin structure, which is easily damaged by the anesthetic. In large amounts, seizures, tremors and cardiac arrhythmia can occur." It was from an article on petfinder.com but like I said, it was on more than one site. I had styptic powder (never needed to use it) on hand but threw it out when my old cat passed away. I was going to order the same brand but am re-thinking. Some sites say it's bad for the reasons quoted but other articles say vets prescribe things with benzocaine. Thoughts?
"Local anesthetics like lidocaine, tetracaine, benzocaine or pramoxine are found in many topical antibiotic ointments and suppositories made for people. Products that contain these local anesthetics may include the phrase “plus pain relief” in the product name. Concerned guardians often apply these topical medications to their cat’s cuts or abscesses, not knowing that the local anesthetics can be absorbed through the skin or ingested during grooming. Cats are at an increased risk for toxicity because of their unique hemoglobin structure, which is easily damaged by the anesthetic. In large amounts, seizures, tremors and cardiac arrhythmia can occur." It was from an article on petfinder.com but like I said, it was on more than one site. I had styptic powder (never needed to use it) on hand but threw it out when my old cat passed away. I was going to order the same brand but am re-thinking. Some sites say it's bad for the reasons quoted but other articles say vets prescribe things with benzocaine. Thoughts?
