As you may have seen on our Facebook page we have been made aware of a post circulating on social media stating that hand sanitisers contain ethylene glycol and are therefore toxic to pets. The post recommends that you should avoid letting your pets lick your hands if you have used hand sanitiser because it is toxic. Ethylene glycol is a component of many antifreezes for cars and other vehicles – it is not found in hand sanitizers.

Hand sanitisers have a high alcohol (ethanol, isopropranol or n-propanol) content and is potentially harmful if ingested in a large quantity (i.e. the contents of a bottle). It rapidly evaporates from the skin and if the skin is licked, it will not harm pets.