How To Find Paint That Isn't Toxic To Your Dog

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If you’re dying to slap a new coat of paint on your walls, whether it’s to refresh the old color or change it up completely, it’s important to keep your pet’s safety in mind.

If you aren’t careful, the paint you use — or even the fumes — could end up being toxic to your dog or cat.

The Dodo spoke with Dr. Alex Crow, a veterinarian with Happiest Dog, and Dr. Maureen K. Murithi, a veterinarian working with Pet Keen, to figure out how to find the best pet-safe paint.

A lot of paint isn’t safe for pets, which is why you need to be super careful when you’re giving your home a makeover.

“It might not be something you think about when painting your home, but some paint can actually be very toxic to your pets,” Dr. Crow told The Dodo.

A lot of paints contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are chemicals that turn into those nasty, heavy fumes that come from wet paint.

“Paints containing such compounds release fumes, which, when inhaled by pets, can cause serious harm,” Dr. Murithi told The Dodo.

Symptoms of paint poisoning in pets include:

Luckily, it’s possible to find pet-safe paint. But to pick them out, you’re going to need to know what to look for.

“Many paints do not say specifically on them if they are pet-safe or not, so you should instead be looking at the ingredients,” Dr. Crow said.

According to Dr. Crow, you’ll want to keep an eye out for products that are:

You’ll also want to avoid paints that are made with ingredients like:

“All of these ingredients are harmful to pets and, in some cases, to humans as well,” Dr. Crow said. “It is best to avoid a paint if it contains these chemicals.”

Dr. Crow and Dr. Murithi offered up a few tips for painting with pets in the house.

Even if you manage to find the most pet-safe paint in the world, it’s probably best to keep your pet out of the splash zone.

“When you begin painting your house, you want to ensure your pet is not around,” Dr. Crow said. “Keep them in your yard or a separate room, where they cannot get into the paint or breathe in the fumes.”

Now, that’s not always possible. So if your BFF needs to be nearby, you should still keep him contained.

“If you choose to paint with your pooch, place him in a crate to prevent accidents,” Dr. Murithi said.

And if you’re on the hunt for a good crate, we tried the Diggs Revol crate ourselves and absolutely loved it.

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If your pet’s in the room with you, it’s definitely a good idea to let some fresh air in — and some of the thick, stinky air out.

“Make sure the area is well ventilated to prevent inhalation of fumes that can be quite toxic to your pet,” Dr. Murithi said.

Honestly, it’s probably a good idea even if your pet isn’t in the room so you don’t get lightheaded yourself.

As a pet parent, you know pets will lick and chew anything. So the faster your paint dries, the sooner you can give your pet free roam of the house.

“Teething puppies run the risk of chewing either dried or wet paint, which can be quite poisonous if not safe for pets,” Dr. Murithi said. “Always go for quick-drying formulas.”

The Dodo rounded up some of the best pet-safe paint options so shopping doesn’t have to be so stressful.

So now that you know what to look for in pet-safe paint, you can take on that new paint job and keep your BFF safe while you work.