Repels All is generally safe around dogs, but it’s not completely risk-free. The product’s active ingredients are low-toxicity substances like putrescent egg solids, clove oil, and garlic oil, and the label states it “may be used in areas where children and pets play.” However, some of its ingredients can cause irritation, and a few deserve closer attention if you have a dog that likes to sniff, lick, or roll in everything.
What’s Actually in Repels All
The active ingredients make up less than 3% of the product: putrescent whole egg solids (2.52%), cloves (0.12%), and garlic oil (0.06%). The remaining 97.3% is listed as inert ingredients, which include fish meal, fish oil, meat meal, vinegar, urea, wintergreen oil, and water, among others.
The product works by irritating an animal’s nasal passages, eyes, and mucous membranes. When an animal touches, tastes, or smells it, the unpleasant sensation triggers an instinct to leave the area. The manufacturer states it “does not harm the animal, it drives them away.” This applies to the wildlife it targets (deer, rabbits, squirrels) and, in theory, to your dog as well.
The Low-Risk Ingredients
Putrescent whole egg solids, the main active ingredient, pose very little danger. The EPA classifies fresh eggs and egg products as “generally recognized as safe” and has received no reports of adverse effects from putrescent egg solids used as pesticides. The agency concluded these egg solids have “a non-toxic mode of action” and are not likely to cause unreasonable adverse effects to people or the environment. They break down quickly because they’re organic material.
Fish meal and meat meal, two of the inert ingredients, are common components in dog food. Your dog may actually find these smells appealing rather than repulsive, which is part of the problem: while deer and rabbits avoid the product, dogs might be drawn to investigate it.
The Ingredients Worth Watching
Clove oil and wintergreen oil are where the safety picture gets more complicated. Pet Poison Helpline lists both clove oil and wintergreen oil as essential oils known to cause poisoning in cats. Wintergreen oil also appears on toxicity lists for dogs. Symptoms of essential oil poisoning in pets can include drooling, vomiting, tremors, wobbliness, respiratory distress, and skin irritation. In severe cases, liver or kidney failure is possible.
The key factor is concentration. Pet Poison Helpline notes that the higher the concentration of an essential oil, the greater the risk. In Repels All, clove oil makes up just 0.12% of the formula, and wintergreen oil is buried in the inert ingredients at an unspecified but presumably small percentage. These are trace amounts compared to the concentrated essential oils (15% or 100%) that cause the most serious poisoning cases. Still, a dog that eats a mouthful of granules or licks a freshly sprayed surface is getting a more direct dose than one that simply walks across a treated lawn.
What Happens If Your Dog Gets Into It
The most likely outcome is mild irritation. The product is designed to be unpleasant enough that animals avoid it on contact, so most dogs will sniff it once and back away. If your dog does get the product on their skin or in their eyes, the label recommends flushing eyes with plenty of water and washing skin thoroughly with soap and water.
Ingesting a small amount of granules will probably cause some drooling, mild nausea, or an upset stomach. The product’s strong smell and taste work as a built-in deterrent against eating large quantities. That said, some dogs are less discriminating than others, especially puppies or breeds prone to eating anything they find. If your dog eats a significant amount of the product or shows symptoms like vomiting, tremors, or excessive drooling that doesn’t resolve, contact your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.
How to Reduce Risk Around Dogs
The simplest precaution is timing. The label recommends allowing six hours of drying time before rainfall, and that same window works well for keeping dogs off treated areas. Once the product has dried, it bonds to surfaces and is less likely to transfer to paws or fur. Apply it when you can keep your dog inside or in another part of the yard for at least several hours.
If you’re using granules, consider applying them in areas your dog doesn’t frequent, like garden borders, flower beds, or the perimeter of your property. Avoid scattering granules across open lawn areas where your dog plays, rolls, or grazes on grass. Store the container somewhere your dog can’t reach it, as the fish and meat meal ingredients could make the container itself a target for a curious nose.
For the liquid spray formula, avoid spraying at your dog’s nose height on surfaces they regularly sniff, like fence posts or low shrubs along their usual walking path. Treating plants higher up or in fenced-off garden areas keeps the product effective against wildlife while minimizing your dog’s contact.
Alternatives With Lower Risk
If your dog has free run of the same areas you need to protect, a product specifically formulated with pets in mind may be a better fit. Several brands market animal repellents made from plant-based ingredients that are designed to be safe around domestic pets when used as directed. These products typically use scent and taste deterrents similar to Repels All but exclude the essential oils that raise concern for dogs and cats. Physical barriers like garden fencing or netting can also keep wildlife out without introducing any chemical exposure at all.