I don't know if this is the proper forum for this or if the sandbox would be better but as this forum deals with animals and livestock.... here goes:
I just wanted to get a warning out about exterior paint in case anyone is doing maintenance this fall. We are having some touch up painting done around the house and barn areas and, yesterday, our Boxer was poisoned (she will be okay as she received immediate emergency care - within 20-30 minutes of ingestion - and exposure was limited but she will be on meds for a while).
We are using a big-name. exterior paint and we found out that it contains ethylene glycol - similar to the sweet, anti-freeze compound that is responsible for poisoning pets and children. Only 17 states require that manufacturers add a bittering agent to products containing this chemical to prevent accidental poisonings - ours is not one. The gentleman who was painting set his cup down just for a moment (he turned to speak with my husband) but it was long enough for our Boxer to get a couple of licks in - enough to be toxic. The exterior paint that we are using contains 5% ethylene glycol - anti-freeze is 90%. 'Just wanted to get the word out.