Exposure models and other relevant toxicology data are assessed when registering any pesticide, and the directions that end up on the label should be followed to keep people and pets from harm. Typically, once the product has thoroughly dried it is difficult to dislodge appreciable material from the surfaces. That is why most labels state to keep people and pets out of the application site until the spray material has dried completely.

I strongly urge you to do a little bit of googling on the active ingredient in Weed B Gone. The active ingredient is '2,4-D'. Use that exact chemical short-cut to obtain your information.

My only suggestion, after you do your research (on this or any chemical), is that you consider self and family members first....pets should come second!

Here is a link that might be useful: Just to get you started........

Hold on there! I merely meant to gently remind you that you need to think in terms of avoiding casual contact for you and your family, not JUST your pets. We expose ourselves to such chemicals when we walk on the lawn, and bring it in the house on our shoes (for example). Animals and humans do NOT have to eat the stuff in order to be exposed.

You see....we are exposed to chemicals every single day. Each little assault sort of builds upon the other. Pets have a hard time of it since they may be bathed in chemicals, etc., and then trot around on a lawn where they can absorb toxins through their skin. Cancer and tumor rates in dogs and cats have skyrocketed in recent years.

2,4-D is one of the very very troublesome chemicals. Don't be misled. If one is exposed, chronically, to chemicals on a daily bases (which most of us are), that makes us more vulnerable to problems when confronted with one of the 'big guns'. Acute exposures are not what causes the problems....it's long term chronic interface.

So....don't go elsewhere for some good information. I'm here to educate not prosthelytize! Or judge. I'm not gonna stop doing that anytime soon, but I promise that I won't jump in on your post(s) again. Okay?

Cancer incidence in dogs has been on the increase, from what I've read. I've lost too many beloved dogs to cancer over the years, and it's heartbreaking.

I recently had two dogs with cancer -- one with skin cancer and one with mammary cancer. I took them to see my naturopath/herbalist friend and the first thing she asked me is "what did you put on your lawn?" My answer... Weed B Gon. I won't be using it again, much as I'd love to just squirt my dandelions away.

The fellow next door to me on one side has a gorgeous lawn... he has a service out to spray it periodically. He's also had cancer and fortunately after much stress, suffering and expense is in remission. Is there a connection? I don't know, but is taking that chance worth it?

Anyway, just thought I'd pop this back up to the top because it's that season again, and maybe the excellent advice given above will save a life, who knows?

Oceanna,

A veterinarian here. 2,4-D is quite toxic, but I wouldn't blame your animal's cancers on it. Mammary cancers and skin cancers are the top 2 cancers in dogs, so it is not surprising you saw these 2.

Mammary cancer in dogs is far more prevalent than breast cancer in humans. In dogs, the cause of mammary cancers is almost entirely hormonal. This can be highlighted by these amazing statistics: the incidence of mammary cancer in dogs is less than 0.5% for dogs spayed before their first heat cycle (little time for sex hormone development). For dogs spayed after their second heat cycle, or not spayed at all, the incidence shoots up to 25% + !!!

Said another way, if your dog is not spayed, or is spayed after the second heat cycle, her chance of getting mammary cancer is 1 in 4 in her lifetime!!!! Almost no chance of cancer is she is spayed before her first heat!!!!

As for the causes of skin cancer..... well, it depends on the type of skin cancer.

I'm not defending 2,4-D, just letting you know that the product probably had nothing to do with your dog's cancers.

Cheers.

When I used weed be gone I always warned all pet owners to keep their animals out of my yard until a good rain. One neighbor did not take it seriously and had to take her dog to the vet when all it's fur starting falling out. I tried only doing sections of yard at a time so that the whole area was not toxic at one time. I made sure to water it well after the 24 hour wait period. I was told that they will pick it up on their paws especially in the late evening or morning if there is a heavy dew..then they ingest it when they lick those paws.

I JUST FOUND VOMIT IN MY BACKYARD ALONG WITH A GALLON OF WEED B GONE WHAT SHOULD I DO

When you think it might be poison
an you don't know what to do-oo-ooo-o
Call 1.800.222.1222

Sorry, the Poison Control Jingle has been going in loops through my head. I thought I'd inflict it on someone else.

I've worked around these chemicals for years and maintained an applicators permit for over a decade. I'm well trained in use and take every precaution but am very wary of most broad-leaf chemicals, especially 2,4-D.

I have dogs and like the original poster, I am concerned about the exposure from paw licking, eating grass and generally rolling around and playing. Common sense tells us this is not desirable exposure. Also, there is pretty good evidence that 2,4-D and many hormone type herbicides can act as an endocrine disruptor with exposure over time. (You can find published studies, look for NCBI PubMed, Wiley etc.) Below is a link to get you started:

It bothers me that the products marketed to homeowners contain cocktails of not just 2,4-D but Dicamba, Mecoprop, and Tricopyr. I think this is overkill for most home situations. At the same time, HOA's , peer pressure and the homeowners own desire to have a nice looking place often make it necessary to control weeds somehow.

This is what I've come up with for my home:
-Dogs do not have access to my front lawn and since I have neighbors who are lawn obsessed, I just buy a hose-end all purpose broadleaf control, trying to avoid the multi chem cocktails as much as possible,and use that when dandelions first appear in the spring. In the front yard only, one time per year.
-Back yard is a different story with heavy use by dogs, people, barefoot children, etc. For the back yard, I buy a hand sprayer and mix up a product called Quicksilver. I feel like it's the best chemical option out there but mind you, it is still NOT organic, it is still a potential poison. It is expensive. 2-4, D is available from farm stores without the cocktail, as an alternative. I will spot-treat and individually spray each weed, I never broadcast spray my back yard. I do this only in the spring for the first flush of weeds.

For the remainder of the year, I have a separate sprayer that I use for Horticultural Vinegar. I zap the weeds with vinegar only for the remainder of the year, using harsh chemicals only in the spring when there are a lot of fast-growing weeds.

Other hints that may help:
-I try to time that spring application for when I'm out of town for a weekend. Put it down Friday night and take the dogs for a fishing holiday. That gives the chems time to break down some and then I can water by the time I come back.
-Mow your lawn a little higher. It can make a huge difference. Short-cropped turf makes it easy for weeds to invade.
-Space out your watering. A deep watering, followed by dryout makes it harder for weeds to germinate where constant sprinking grows weeds very well.
-Mulch those clippings back in! That will also suppress weeds in your lawn.
-Try to use turf varieties that are adapted to your area. My turf was Kentucky bluegrass originally. It did not handle the hot summers well at all, and I constantly had weeds and grub infestation. I got tired of that and overseeded with Bonzai 2000 truf-type tall fescue. The fescue handles the hot summers so much better and chokes out a lot of weeds on its own. It is also resistant to grubs, a characteristic of fescues = no more lawn moths.
- Consult your extension about what fertilizer you need and keep your lawn happy then it can choke out some weeds by itself and cut down on what you have to do. Here, I only use occasional nitrogen and Ironite and my lawn looks way better than the lawn obsessed neighbors:) They can't figure out why because they spend a small fortune every year. They also overspray 2,4-d even in the heat of the summer. When I see their kids run across the grass barefoot and then jump in and out of the swimming pool, I just cringe....

Here is a link that might be useful: Cornell university paper, endocrine disruption and herbicide

Weed b gon killed my grass when i sprayed it now i just have dirt it also gave my dog a rash when he rolled in the grass! i do not recommend weed b gone and if you use it you are putting your lawn and your family at risk!

Read the label, and read sources outside the US, where government agencies aren't (necessarily) almost entirely populated with schills from the companies that profit from such products.

Just a note about chemicals, in reference to the "bathed in chemicals" comment: ALL THINGS on this planet have a chemical makeup. ALL. Humans too.

This is the chemical makeup of an item most people consume several times per week, with absolutely no ill effects.

That said, yes, of course pay attention to labels and application directions as they apply to humans and other animals, because yes, some chemicals are not healthy to consume.

I bought weed b gone but now am not sure Im going to use it , mainly because I have lot size yard and a flower garden in front and veggie in rear, Im afraid of the drift of the herbicide.

I have a young dog and generally do all my gardening organically but we live on a farm and we're getting invaded with poison ivy. All our walking paths are crawling with it and I am wondering if weed-b-gon would be ok to use on our dog walking paths. She does eat bits of grass and leaves as we walk and there's dew almost every day. How long should we wait after application before using that path? Weeding it out is not an option, there's too much of it.

Honest to god, not one person gave an answer to the original question. Assuming there is no rain, how long (approximately) should you wait before you allow your dog onto a lawn applied with this product.

• Indeed, THANK YOU Patricia, you're right, original question has not been answered directly. Sooo here's the answer directly FROM the ORTHO WEED B GON label: "Do not allow people or pets to enter the treated area until sprays have dried." PERIOD -- Nothing more / Nothing less.
• OK, now I'll wander off in the weeds... for anyone who has nothing better to do than listen to / read my rant... LOL ;-)
• We've had dogs all my life, AND have used it on our yard for many years -- usually just in the spring to knock down new broadleaf growth. Obviously we keep our dogs (and kids when they were young and at home) OFF until it's dry; AND have not had any cancers in/on any of our canines -- German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Irish Setters, and a Collie -- nor ANY family members.
• FYI, I grew up farming (3rd generation large family farm) -- dairy, beef, hogs and crops; and have used herbicides all my life -- now 63. Dad is 93, Mom is 90, and no cancers... We've harvested / eaten our own produce, slaughtered / eaten our own beef & pork as well as plenty of RAW whole milk from our Guernsey dairy herd...
• YET, nothing surprises me anymore these days... with so many that are paranoid, even "hateful" of anything that doesn't say "organic"! We NEVER buy organic products at the store -- a huge waste of money in my book. IMO, folks today are being flooded with so much BS in social media, in grocery and "health food" stores, etc. and I'm simply fed up with it! My degrees are in agriculture from Iowa State, including teaching Ag, and have had many "discussions" with folks who get on their high horse about only buying "organic"... and they usually end up walking away... unable to "defend" why they think organic is the "only way". LOL
• To each their own, I respect what others wish to eat and use in their homes, etc.... simply encourage them to "educate" themselves from actual biological, chemical, physical, etc. data that is verifiable -- NOT all the social media hype AND so many of the businesses that are reaping ridiculous financial profits from "organic" sales.
• AGAIN, "until sprays have dried" are the operative words here!!! I just sprayed my backyard this afternoon (spot sprayed areas as needed -- not entire surface area) about 3 hours ago AND will be letting our 3 dogs out as soon as we finish supper... so will be about 4 hours. I've already gotten down and checked -- all is dry, but will give it an "extra" hour. ;-)

Just a note. My husband switched from using especially toxic Round Up to Weed B Gone. Currently he sprayed the WBG two days ago. He says the recommendation is at least 48 hrs or until it is completely dried. However, he will MOW after the 48 hrs. We have 2 dogs and 3 cats that like to go in our yard, so we don't let them out until after he has done the mowing after the 48 hr application has dried up. If it rains in the meantime, we wait an additional day. I walk my dogs on those days. We have read that vinegar kills weeds, but you have to use a lot of it for a large yard. But..it's still probably cheaper ! Hope this helps !

1. Roundup is NOT "extremely toxic." It is a very safe, inexpensive, effective way to get rid of weeds. Roundup has no ingredients that affect humans or animals, despite the masses of misinformation.

Roundup affects plant enzymes - humans do not possess these enzymes and neither do animals. Once it is dry, it is completely safe for pets and humans to walk where it has been sprayed. Further, it dissipates in six or seven days.

Roundup is actually far less expensive than vinegar, and far, far more effective. You need about a cup full, mixed with the correct amount of water (refer to the label) to treat an entire city yard, front and back. You'll need at least a gallon of vinegar to do the same job, but won't get a good result. Vinegar burns leaves but has no effect on the plant or plant enzyme, and will not prevent weeds from regrowing, as the roots are unaffected by topical applications of vinegar.

2. Vinegar WILL burn your pets' paw pads.

3. Vinegar will wash off plants immediately in rain or with watering.

I have a dog also. May I recommend spray half your yard at a time,dog can use other half. Then after you cut the sprayed areas 1 or 2 times you do the other half. My thought is it should be safe by then.

I sprayed Weed B Gone in my backyard grass yesterday. After reading all these comments, I’m going to call a landscape service and just have them clean it all out and start over with new grass. I have three dogs here, not taking any chances.

What About Scott brand weefd be gone?