Pet wipe safety: what to check before you wipe

Three rules cover most of pet wipe safety. Do not use household disinfecting wipes on a pet. Do not use a wipe on a cat unless its label says cats, and even then read the ingredients. Keep wipes out of the ear canal and away from the eyeball. The guides below explain each rule and the cases around it.

Not veterinary advice. This page has not been reviewed by a veterinarian; it summarizes published veterinary sources, linked in the text. If your pet has a skin problem, a wound, or symptoms that do not clear up, talk to your vet.

A wipe is a small thing, but pets lick what is left on their coat and paws. That is why the ingredient list matters more than the front of the pack.

Three rules to start with

Never use disinfecting wipes

Wipes sold for counters and hands are not pet products. Pet Poison Helpline says some disinfecting wipes contain quaternary ammonium compounds, which "can cause corrosive injury to any tissue they contact", and that cats are especially sensitive. A wiped paw leaves residue, and the dog licks it off. Our guide to baby wipes and other human wipes on dogs covers which ones are a problem and which are fine once in a while.

Cats are not small dogs

The MSD Veterinary Manual says tea tree oil is the essential oil most often reported to poison pets, and that oils are absorbed through the skin and swallowed when a cat grooms. VCA lists tea tree, peppermint and citrus oils among those poisonous to cats. So a dog wipe is a cat wipe only if the pack says so. Read are dog wipes safe for cats before you borrow one, and see wipes labeled for cats and cat ear and eye wipes for the cat side of ears and eyes.

Ears and eyes have limits

For ears, VCA says to clean only as far as your finger reaches and never to use a cotton-tipped applicator in the canal, because it can damage the canal or eardrum and push debris deeper. For eyes, a wipe belongs on the fur and skin around the eye, never on the eyeball. VCA notes that excess tearing can have medical causes, so new or heavy tearing is a reason to call a vet, not to buy another wipe.

The guides

Human wipes and household products

Can you use baby wipes on dogs? Which ingredients in baby, hand and disinfecting wipes cause trouble, and when an occasional wipe is fine.

Cats

Are dog wipes safe for cats? The ingredients to check first, and what a label has to say before a cat is wiped with it.

Reading a label

Pet wipe ingredients is a table of common ingredients with a note for dogs, a note for cats and the sources behind each.

Medicated wipes

Chlorhexidine wipes for dogs covers strengths and uses. VCA says chlorhexidine is sold over the counter but should be used under veterinary direction. Dog wipes for yeast looks at what the wipes contain. VCA describes yeast dermatitis in dogs as a problem that needs its cause found, so a wipe alone will not settle it.

Body parts

How to clean dog paws has steps for mud, road salt and hot pavement; the ASPCA keeps a page on winter dangers from ice melts. Dog ear wipes separates cleaning wipes from medicated ones and lists the signs that mean a vet visit. Dog eye wipes covers tear stains and how to keep a wipe out of the eye. For teeth, dog dental wipes covers what those wipes can and cannot do. Cats have their own page for ears and eyes. For the rear end, dog butt wipes covers what to check.

When to skip the wipe and call a vet

A wipe cleans the surface of healthy skin. It does not diagnose anything. Red, painful, swollen or discharging skin, ears or eyes need an exam. If a pet chews or swallows a wipe, or licks a lot of a product, call your vet or an animal poison control line right away: ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (888) 426-4435, Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661. Younger animals need extra care, so check the minimum age on puppy wipes, and sensitive skin is covered in hypoallergenic dog wipes.

What these guides rest on

Most health statements in these guides link to the veterinary or toxicology page they come from. Some practical advice is ours and is marked as such, and the ingredient risk levels are our summary of the sources, not lab results. No veterinarian has reviewed these pages, and we have not tested any wipe. Our method, including what we cannot verify, is on how we research. Once you know what to avoid, the Wipe Finder filters wipes by pet and need.