Sanitizing wipes for dogs, yes or no?

Hey there everyone!

So I am curious about this nifty little subject that I am posing to you all. I recently came across the concept for dog sanitizing wipes. I have 3 of my own, and the problem I have is that, like most dog owners I let my pups sleep in bed with me, mind you this is after I've walked them and they step in this nasty grassy area of my apartment complex where NOBODY picks up their dog's poo. Anywho, I hate germs and hate sleeping in poo, so sanitizing paw wipes to me are an amazing idea.

I was researching a couple different brands, and I found this particular brand called Pawtizer, which really stood out to me. They use no alcohol in their formulation, and the ingredient they use kills 99.9% of germs and bacteria. Did you know dogs can be carriers and reservoirs for human borne illnesses and in turn re-transmit them to yourself and whoever else may come in contact with our lovely four legged friends? A somewhat alarming fact considering the germaphobe I am. Anywho, does anyone plan on trying out these wipes? Would love to hear all your feedback!

LMAO - things I don't want to think about.. especially when helping premie puppies do "their stuff" and getting it all over me...

It sounds like a neat idea in your situation though. Not sure what ones would be best. Something gentle for sure. Also really watch for potentially poisonous ingredients in case your dog licks his/her paws afterwards. Or perhaps setting up a simple paw-wipe bath when you get in? My guys don't sleep in my bed (and admittedly I am as far from a germophobe as you get - neat freak I am not - despite the fact I wish I could be) nor go on my furniture, so I generally don't fret too much here. Plus we are on a farm - so it's mostly just my own guys here.

unless you walk your dog thru a sloppy manure pit filled and roll in dead and rotting carcasses in your yard, I think i'd just accept that most of this world is made up of bacT and "germs". In fact you have 10X's the number of bacterial cells in your body right now than you have cells that make up you. you'll be buying lots of wipes and never make a dent. I don't care how many times they want to state 99.999999999999% kill rate they want to advertise.

My dogs run around the barn, eat manure and feet, and crawl into bed with me nightly. As long as there isn't anything caked on, I don't stress about it.

I worry far more about the over use of sanitizing products than I do about the odds of me getting sick from my dogs.

Foster does these things as often as he can get away with it...

He sneaks over the the "Spa" (Manure pile next door) as often as possible and slides through dead things with amazing vigor!!

We love him but he is the most disgusting dog we have ever owned:rofl1:

We do bath him often for the sake of our ability to breathe... But I have never worried about sanitizing him....

Much cheaper (and more environmentally friendly) then wipes, which is what we used to use, is to do is to keep a spray bottle and brush or wash cloth by the door! (zoom groom is great and dogs love it so you won't get a fight)

Here is a recipe for a great leave in spray I found on another forum

1 spray bottle
4 1/4 cups water
1 tsp dried rosemary leaves
2 tsp dried mint leaves
1 tsp vinegar

In a small saucepan, pour roughly 2 cups of the water (I used one bottle of spring water). Add 1/2 tsp vinegar, 1 tsp dried rosemary leaves, and 2 tsp dried mint leaves to the water, then bring to a rolling boil. Boil for 2 - 3 minutes, then remove from heat. Allow to steep for another 2 - 3 minutes.

Pour the liquid into a bowl - through a strainer to catch all the rosemary and mint leaves - then add the remaining water. Once it has cooled to a reasonable temperature, pour into the spray bottle. Add remaining 1/2 tsp of white vinegar, and shake vigorously.

It's ready to use right away - always shake before using. Just spritz it all over your dog and rub dry with a towel. It doesn't smell vinegar-y at all, and is a very mild scent that doesn't "perfume" your dog. It's just the trick for getting out mild bad odors. Oh, and rosemary is supposed to have some anti-flea and anti-insect properties as well.

http://www.dogforums.com/dog-grooming-forum/45286-homemade-leave-cleansing-spray.html

Thank you everyone for your replies! I loved reading each and every one of them.

Personally being the germ freak that I am, like I mentioned in my last post. I really am looking forward to the release of this product!

Sure dogs getting dirty and rolling around in god knows what is about as likely to happen as the sun will shine everyday, I totally get that, but for my own piece of mind, and I like to think my babies would appreciate it too, I love that I can let them sleep in my bed and roll around all my clothes and such without the thought that what if there's a big ol nasty poo/pee germ waiting to grace my sensitive skin.

I am loving the price as well, I checked it out on Amazon and the 100 count wipes is only $5.99 and the 45 count wipes are $4.99! Not a bad price at all!

I don't bother. My dogs sleep in bed with me, one of them under the covers, and it doesn't bother me at all. They haven't made me sick yet lol

Hate to break it to you, it's already gracing your sensitive skin. Wipe and disinfect all day long, it will still be there, because it is everywhere and that is normal.

For me it's more about smell than germs, but germs are still a factor, not so much for my sake..

from someone who walks their dogs at a local dog park every day, I worry about what those other dogs at the park could have and it's nice to just be able to give their paws a good cleaning so that they don't lick their paws later and ingest whatever feces, germs, disease or whatever else they step on during our walks.

Especially on days when I let them off lead to play.. they get other dogs saliva all over them playing somehow lol so it's nice to kind of..get it off haha

I'm really not worried about germs at all. Like RTH said, the germs are already all over the place.

I'm more bothered by a visibly dirty or smelly dog than I am by one that's been walking on the same ground other animals poop on.