Imagine this: A pet owner sanitizes his hands before doing just about anything. He spritzes on some alcohol or rubs on some sanitizer. Then suddenly, they decide to feed their pet fish or clean their tanks.
Bits of chemicals from the alcohol get into the fish tank's water, which gets ingested by the fish and poisons them. This is currently what's happening, according to sources in Australia.
Since the coronavirus pandemic started, people have been scurrying to buy sanitizers and alcohol for their own protection. Officials are now cautioning pet owners to be mindful of their fish when handling their tanks.
On Tuesday, a concerned customer paid a visit to PetStock in Zetland, Sydney, saying her pet fish had started acting weird. The manager on duty explained that it was a possibility that the fish was suffering from alcohol poisoning, an observation that wasn't uncommon during this time of the pandemic.
The customer told sources that the store had been aware of the spike in fish casualties throughout the pandemic.
Read Also : You Have Been Using Hand Sanitizer Wrong
The Mysterious Case of In-store Fish Deaths
The store manager recalls having several fish deaths in their store, but only later realized that it could be due to the increased usage of hand hygiene products. Additionally, she says the store management had raised concerns among team members.
Staff members are asked to wash their hands with soap and water before sticking them in the fish tank. Fish owners are also asked to take extra precautions and to be mindful when handling their fish tanks at home.
The manager warned people not to contaminate the water in their fish tanks with their alcohol-smothered hands. She hoped that by educating customers about potential dangers, unnecessary pet deaths would be prevented.
Hand Sanitizer Toxicity in Pets
While fish are virtually the only pet who could die from ingesting low levels of hand sanitizer, some say the substance could pose a threat to all pets.
According to the Pet Poison Hotline, ingestion of large amounts of hand sanitizer can cause vomiting, lethargy, incoordination, vital sign drops, and weak respirations. Furthermore, severely intoxicated animals could also experience respiratory failure and seizures.
In the past months, there have been posts circulating on Facebook warning pet owners not to pet their dogs after applying hand sanitizer or allowing them to lick their hands afterward.
On the contrary, Dr. Karyn Bischoff from the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine told Reuters that hand sanitizer does not pose a threat to pets if the owners use them in reasonable amounts.
She says that sanitizer could cause discomfort in pets due to its fumes and odors. Additionally, it could irritate if the substance comes in contact with their nose or eyes. Cats, who are particularly sensitive to smells, could be aggravated by the scent of the disinfectants.
However, she says that the allegations on Facebook posts were false. Although swallowing copious amounts of hand sanitizer could hurt a pet, touching or petting pets after application of the hand disinfectant does not put the pets in danger.
