I don’t know about you, but this time every year, when hints of spring are all around, when the temps are rising a bit and the sun is shining more, I get the urge to spring clean and refresh my home. If you’re reading this column, chances are you’re a pet-lover, so you may be interested to learn that there are lots of ways you can spring clean and refresh so that your pet is happier and more comfortable. The most important thing to keep in mind is that pets are, in general, much more sensitive to toxins, fumes, and irritants than we humans are. Consider the results of this study, by the Environmental Working Group, of products used in the home: “Dogs and cats were contaminated with 48 of 70 chemicals tested, including 43 chemicals at higher levels than those typically found in people, according to our study of plastics and food packaging chemicals, heavy metals, fire retardants, and stain-proofing chemicals in pooled samples of blood and urine from 20 dogs and 37 cats collected at a Virginia veterinary clinic. In dogs, the average level of stain- and grease-proof coatings (perfluorochemicals) was 2.4 times higher. In cats, fire retardants (Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers or PBDEs) were 23 times higher, and Mercury was more than 5 times the amounts compared to average levels in people found in national studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and EWG. The study is the most comprehensive investigation of the chemical body burden of companion animals conducted to date, with 23 chemicals reported in pets for the first time. The results reinforce findings from prior studies showing that pets’ unique behaviors may place them at risk for elevated exposures and health risks from chemicals pollutants in the home and outdoors,…