Nature's Guardian - Three Week Update

So after first applying the Nature's Guardian to Ruki, the smell dissipated after 2-3 days. (Unfortunate because I kind of liked her smelling good.) She still felt a little oily where we applied it for a few days after that, with dust sticking to her fur. Then she started getting dandruff flakes--and after some examination this is what it was. Her skin wasn't flaking; it was just the dander she was naturally shedding was now clumping. 

The dandruff lasted for about a week, and now three weeks later she's back to completely normal. No fleas or ticks, but we also live in the city where that's not really a problem, and I've probably only taken her to the park/woods four or five times since. She hasn't been to the park to play with a mess of dogs, only the occasional passerby here and there, so little chance of getting fleas from other dogs--and in our neighborhood, honestly, little to no chance period because of how the owners care for their own dogs.

So far, a positive review. I only question whether the Nature's Guardian is effective at all, just because we live in such a low-risk situation. It's messier than the Frontline, but so far much safer and much cheaper. 

Sergeant's Nature's Guardian Review

Now that spring is in full swing, I realized I need to get Ruki back onto flea and tick repellant--especially as I've been taking her to Fresh Pond, where there's a patch of wooded area that she loves romping around in. 

I always hated Frontline--it just seems so toxic, albeit much less toxic than permethrin-based alternatives. (The latter, according to the blogosphere, nearly guarantees seizures and immediate death to any animal that takes it.) Plus, I went to Target today, and it was $43 for 3 applications. (At the pet store, I remember it being $15 / application, so just a few dollars more.)

Right next to it, I saw Sergeant's Nature's Guardian: $8.99 for 3 applications. I approached it warily due to my previous permethrin research and the takehome that, yes, Frontline's bad, but it works, and it's the safest thing out there. 

But I checked out the ingredients. Active ingredients: peppermint oil, cinnamon oil, lemon grass oil, clove oil, thyme oil. Other ingredients: vanillin, isopropyl myristate. 

So, essentially, the active ingredients are oils with natural sources. (I hesitate that they are actually "natural," though.) I also know that in close-to-pure forms, these oils can be very toxic. But here all the oils are in concentrations of 5% or less. 

I decided to give it a go. Then I went to the Interwebs and started freaking out again: Nature's Garden is all about seizures and death and more seizures and death. 

But, reading between the lines, all the bad stuff happens to *cats* and not dogs. And one of the comments mentioned a vet saying that cats are more susceptible to this stuff than dogs. (Though that doesn't bode well for Sergeant's quality control and testing.) And since Ruki's 40 lbs. but has a small surface area, I figured I could use about half of the 40 lb. dosage of 0.15 fl. oz. 

Nervously, I took the plunge. It's been almost four hours, and it's like nothing happened. Now I have a fresh-smelling puppy, hanging out like a scented candle, doing what she normally does. 

So far, success.

Now, I don't know how effective this stuff is. I know most insect repellant operates by overpowering animal scent, which this stuff is bound to do, but does it kill fleas and ticks? Frontline repels them and kills them when they get on your pet. I'm not convinced that this natural stuff will do that. But we'll see. 

We also don't spend *that* much time outside. Walks in the morning and early evening in a green city, with a couple of trips to parks and dog parks. I'll keep posting if anything comes up. But, again, so far success. 

Bulldog Food Recommendation

So awhile ago, we ended up switching Ruki's food from Innova Adult Dry Dog Food to California Natural Lamb Meal and Rice. We (including Ruki) loved the Innova, but the pellets were on the small side--but typical for dog food--and she developed an allergy to (we think) the chicken or turkey. 

We like the California Natural because it's from Natura, the same makers of Innova, and has the same safety commitment and high, food-grade quality ingredients. But also, they offer a large bite pellet size, which Ruki tends to chew more than swallow. 

So although it's not a "bulldog formula," it's a great option for one of the highest quality foods and in a format that works well with bulldogs' hearty appetites. 

Being the Leader - Walking Tips

Ruki's been a little more stubborn these days on her walks. (She's one year, eight months about now.) I think it's spring-time, and the smells are fresher and stronger around the neighborhood, so all she wants to do is pull and sniff. But one thing that's helped with her stubbornness--I mean, "character"--is to keep one step ahead of her while we're walking. If I walk a little bit faster than normal, I think she just keeps up and follows so she doesn't lose me.

The other thing we've been "experimenting" with is letting her off-leash in the neighborhood. We've let her off-leash when we walk around Fresh Pond reservoir and when we're running around in the Cambridge Common--and of course when she's at the Radcliffe Quad playing with other dogs. But it's a different and bigger test of faith to walk with her around the neighborhood without the leash. We confine it to certain less-busy streets and during quieter times of the day. But it seems that she's actually much better off-leash than on.

It's like when she's on the leash, then she needs to fight for where she wants to go, and she pulls. But when she's off leash, she has more freedom, and generally she wants to follow us. And if she wanders into the street, it takes a few clicks--or a deep, loud reprimand--and she either lays down and picks up and follows, or just comes back onto the sidewalk.

How Dangerous is BPA for Babies?

So, yes, there's a lot of back-and-forth debate about the dangers of BPA (Bisphenol A) in babies. In August 2007, the Baby Bargains Book authors withdrew their recommendations of polycarbonate baby bottles which have BPA. Z Recommends published a list of BPA-free baby bottle alternatives. The take-home of all of these to the mainstream public is to avoid Avent and Dr. Brown bottles (the most popular polycarbonate bottles on the market), and to move to brands such as Medela and BornFree. 

But, really, how dangerous is BPA exposure? It's still pretty mixed. Reports from the 90s say that there is no danger; the FDA confirms this; the industry--bottle-makers and organizations they belong to--reiterate the safety of their products. 

In November 2007 the National Toxicology Program, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, through their Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR) published an expert panel report analysis of the studies on BPA risk to humans. You can read the actual report here. 

Here's what it concludes (pages 352-353):

1. For pregnant women and fetuses, the Expert Panel has different levels of concern for the different developmental endpoints that may be susceptible to bisphenol A disruption, as follows: 

• For neural and behavioral effects, the Expert Panel has some concern 
  
• For prostate effects, the Expert Panel has minimal concern 
  
• For the potential effect of accelerated puberty, the Expert Panel has minimal concern 
  
• For birth defects and malformations, the Expert Panel has negligible concern 
  

2. For infants and children, the Expert Panel has the following levels of concern for biological processes that might be altered by Bisphenol A, as follows:

• some concern for neural and behavioral effects 
  
• minimal concern for the effect of accelerated puberty 

3. For adults, the Expert Panel has negligible concern for adverse reproductive effects following exposures in the general population to Bisphenol A. For highly exposed subgroups, such as occupationally exposed populations, the level of concern is elevated to minimal.

There you go. The panel finds that the highest exposure to BPA is through products that contact food and through damage or repeated use may leach BPA into the food, and that there is then some concern of neural and behavioral effects. 

Carrying and the Crying Baby: Preemptively Preventing Fussiness?

So I started reading a bunch of academic papers about fussiness, colic, and crying in infants. This interest was spawned by the hope alluded to in Dr. Harvey Karp's Happiest Baby on the Block book, suggesting that babies have a "fourth trimester" where the conditions of the womb have to be replicated to comfort newborns. This is done through the Five S's: Swaddling, Shh'ing, Side positioning, Swinging, and Sucking. It's been a great method for us and works like a charm. (Here's another review and some suggestions for using the book.)

But is there a way to create conditions where you can prevent a baby from developing fussy tendencies? Part of the theory of the "fourth trimester" is that the baby is so used to being in the womb that drastic changes from that are disturbing and that he needs comforting. If the baby is instantly comforted then he doesn't develop the need to cry to ask for comfort. He mews or whimpers or cries quickly when he needs comfort.

The theory goes on to suggest that in other cultures (particularly non-modern societies) the ubiquity of carrying--in slings, in arms, on the back of mothers--the constant replication of the womb along with constant feeding eases the transition through the fourth trimester. Studies purport to show that children in modern societies who are carried more throughout the day end up being less fussy and less colic. (The recommendation is at least three hours a day.) 

Other studies show that babies who are colic are carried the same amount as those who are classified as fussy or moderate criers. But these studies were done *after* children were identified by parents as fussy. The study then suggests that parents who have fussy children tend to carry and coddle their children more often to quiet them. But if the end result is the same, doesn't this show that the parents of non-fussy children coddled their children X amount in the beginning and continued to coddle them X amount, while those of fussy children coddled an X-Y amount and then ramped up their coddling to X amount in response to the fussiness? 

Therefore, it may be children who are carried/coddled while newborns *may* result in less fussy children. If the amount of coddling were the same prior to the study, then you'd expect the fussy children to be coddled much more than the non-fussy children in the study. 

In the end, I think carrying is important. It may help replicate this controversial "fourth trimester." But it also forces you to spend more time with your child. It hopefully helps to relax you, to take a break from your own life, and spend some time in the peaceful halo of a sleeping baby. This calming creates a calmer environment for your child and helps you to react more peacefully to her inevitable cries. (Another study suggested that stressed out and anxious parents were a better predictor of fussy babies than anything else.) Just take care not to over-stimulate your child, which I know from having a puppy, leads to undesirable behavior: fussiness and crying in children, and craziness and chewing in dogs.  

Update on Red Eyes

Oh, so, I was bothered by Ruki's red eyes. I first thought, oh, just over-tiredness, but the red eyes persisted. So then I thought, oh no! Dry eye! So I bought some over-the-counter eye drops: Just generic, CVS dry eye relief drops. (The active ingredients I looked for, to compare with brand name eye drops, were some mixture of glycerin, hypromellose, and polyethylene glycol.) 

About two or three days of daily treatment, and her eyes are pretty much back to normal. It might have just been a bout of dry eye, but she's doing well!

Questionable Bulldogs at a Puppy Farm

I looked at the Google ads on our blog, and I noticed one from a local kennel called Laughlin Kennel in Oxford, MA. I initially though, cool, a local spot for bulldog puppies! But then I clicked on the link...

First clue that this is a puppy farm: They claim to offer over 30 different breeds. These aren't breeders. They are animal wholesalers. Breeders will specialize in certain types of breeds and know the breed characteristics and idiosyncracies. For example, our wonderful breeder breeds a handful of bulldogs, boston terriers, and bull terriers in her super nice, really clean home-based kennel. 

Most important clue that this might not be a place for you to get a bulldog: The puppies don't look like bulldogs. They all look like mixes. 

So watch out for these types of "breeders," unless this is the kind of bulldog you want! 

The Pampers Pee Conspiracy

I'm convinced now that Pampers newborn diapers are tinted yellow so you can't tell whether your tot has actually peed or not. So instead of feeling the actual diaper for wetness, it's easier just to pop on a new one, replacing a potentially clean one. 

If they actually *weren't* tinting their diaper yellowish on purpose, then they're just being stupid. But I don't trust large companies to be un-savvy. Conspiracy, I tell you.  

Update: Now I think the better way of testing the presence of pee is not by looking for color, but feeling the heaviness of the diaper and with a little sniff. This may only pertain to infants a week or so or older, as newborns don't really pee all that much and their pee don't stink. 

Acclimating Our Dog to the New Baby

So last Friday, my wife gave birth to our first child, Felix. Fortunately, we were preparing for this occurrence. Our preparations included letting our wonderful dog walker, Mike of Happy Dog, know that we might need him to pick up and board Ruki at a last minute's notice. With his birthday and Christmas looming, he agreed, and Friday night I tossed him off an e-mail that we were heading to the hospital. 

Sunday, we came home newborn baby in tow. I had talked to Mike, and Ruki was at home waiting for us. When we got home, she was predictably excited, shivering and shaking her stubby tail. But how would she greet the baby? Well, she didn't really. She seemed kind of aloof. Which kind of makes sense: She was completely exhausted from running around crazy with five other dogs.

Well, we figured that aloof was better than too excited--or angry. It eventually took Ruki about two or so days to work up the energy/curiosity to greet Felix. Still, it's been about a week, and she's not super excited about Felix. She's curious. She'll sniff at him when we bring him to her or when he's curled up on his bouncer. And she's beginning to express alertness and concern when she hears him cry. 

But at night, she gets a little cranky with the crying. She curls up and scrunches her face into her bed at 3 a.m. when we're up consoling and coddling Felix. 

We try to acclimate her by giving her at least a little attention most times we pass her. And I throw her up on my lap at least once a late night. So hopefully this will progress smoothly until  Felix and Ruki are best friends. 

Bulldog Red Eyes

Recently, Ruki's eyes have been more and more red. In the past, her eyes would get red when she's tired--and then she get crazy and run around a lot. Just like any baby, she just needed to be controlled and forced to rest and then sleep. 

I'm wondering now if her more recent red eyes might be something else. Maybe the cold? Maybe dryness? I'm thinking maybe it's dry eye... 

Updated Post on Warts with Pictures

In case you were wondering, I finally added old pictures of Ruki's lip warts that she got when she was about 7 months old. Gross, but anything for the sake of science. :)

The Value of VPI Pet Insurance

Shortly after we brought Ruki home, I decided that it might be worth it to get pet insurance. I didn't do much research, but ended up choosing the VPI Pet Insurance Superior Plan. The yearly premium ended up being $388 a year. 

Pricey, yes, but bulldogs are pricey. Over the 16 months that we've had Ruki, we've spent nearly $2,000 on vet visits. But we've received $567 back from VPI. Maybe it doesn't sound like much, but we've gotten our premium back and have the peace of mind that if something serious happens, we'll get help in the costs. And, going forward, we hope to have less vet visits as we learn more about Ruki's needs and problems and more about what we can do *before* heading to the vet. 

We spent $600 on our initial visits to the vet: the first one robbed us for $440--we just didn't know better, so afterwards we switched vets (to Fresh Pond Animal Hospital, which has been great). These were before we got insurance, so we got no help on those. 

We had Ruki spayed at 6 months--that cost us $227. VPI only covered $32 of that.  

But then Ruki had a brief seizure, had pyoderma (bumps), caught pneumonia, and then had allergies (more bumps!). Over those four visits, VPI covered about 30% of the total costs. 

Again, I don't know if this is highway robbery--I've heard that VPI is supposed to cover about 90% of your costs, but I haven't yet called and inquired about why we're not getting that much. It's just a consequence of being busy. 

The take-home? I think the VPI Insurance Superior Plan is worth it. Bulldogs are expensive, and they will have health problems.  Every little bit of help counts--especially with the added comfort that if something really serious happens, you're going to get some coverage. I'd consider maybe switching to a cheaper plan once she's "stabilized" and we understand her medical needs, but for maybe the next year or two we'll stick with this one. 

(Ruki's thanking me right now for all her vet visits; she's underneath my desk leaning on my legs.)

Bulldog Food Recommendation: California Natural's Lamb and Rice

Ruki started on Eukanuba Puppy from the breeder. Shortly after we got her, we switched her to Innova Puppy, and when she was about 9 months we switched her to Innova Adult. Then at about 14 months, she started developing allergies (and a whole host of other problems). We calmed down the allergies (with a rice and water bland diet), and then switched her to California Natural's Lamb and Rice formula.

With the Innova, one of the problems might have been exacerbated by the fact that she was wolfing down her food, with no chewing. She'd swallow the food, and then spend some time snorting and snuffling food that might have gotten caught in her trachea or nose. So it might have had something to do with the small pellet size. I looked around for larger pellet sizes, and eventually gave up. (I didn't want to switch to Royal Canin Bulldog formula--even though it has a specially shaped pellet (curved like an "s"), I wanted to stick with the Natura brand and its reputation and quality.) 

But Ruki chews her California Natural's. So it may be that the pellet size is just big enough to encourage her to do that. Or it's so tasty that she has to chew and relish the flavor. :)

And no allergies! The Innova Adult was mostly chicken and turkey. The prevailing theory seems to be that baby animals don't have a well-developed immune system, and therefore can develop allergies in the confusion of fighting off disagreeable foods. So if you expose baby animals to a wide variety of foods when they're young, they might develop allergies when they're little--as opposed to encountering these foods when they're older and can fight off any disagreeability and not develop allergies.

That's why after dogs develop allergies, you look to "novel protein" diets--meats that they might not have encountered when younger, like lamb, duck, ostrich, and buffalo. 

So the takehome: Stick with one or two proteins when they're puppies so they don't develop allergies, and consider switching to California Natural's to encourage them to chew their food.

(I have to note that Ruki's 16 months, 40 lbs, and her head's not totally grown in yet. So YMMV if you have a bigger bulldog.)

Ruki at 16 Months

Just some pictures with the new camera of Ruki at 16 months.

The Real Deal on Home Lead-Testing Kits

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission released an October 2007 report that Home Lead Test Kits are Unreliable. (Link to the full report.) The CPSC conducted these tests in light of recent reports of lead in toys. I, however, am interested in them in the context of testing for surface lead in our apartment to protect my family from eating lead paint chips. (I hear lead paint tastes sweet! Mmmm...)

The take-home: My opinion is that these lead test kits are still useful in testing for exposed lead paint on your walls, doors, and sills. If you do find lead, then you have to thoroughly clean nearby surfaces and prophylactically paint over the exposed lead and keep your kids away from these areas. (See Lead-Safe Cambridge's practical recommendations on protecting your kids from lead exposure.) Here's a post from Thingamababy recommending the Homax, Hybrivet, and Abotex lead test kits from a Consumer Reports study.

Living in Massachusetts, particularly around Boston, it's nearly impossible for the average family to rent (or buy) a place that *doesn't* have lead. The rule of thumb is that if your building was built before 1978, then there's going to be lead paint on your walls. Since then, the lead paint may have been painted over multiple times. But you have to worry about places where the paint may be chipping--where windows or door jams rub, anywhere where paint is cracking. This might cause lead paint to chip and be accessible on the floor, or to turn to dust and then float around your apartment.

In September 2007, the CPSC tested four lead test kits on surfaces (1) painted with lead paint, and (2) with a coat of lead paint covered by a coat of non-leaded paint. (There was also a control with a coat of non-leaded paint.)

All of test kits detected lead in the single coat of leaded paint (0.5% lead carbonate). (The HUD threshold for lead paint is 0.5% lead.) None of the test kits "consistently" detected lead which was painted over with non-leaded paint.

The study reports that of 104 tests, 56 were false negatives--i.e., they didn't find lead when lead was there. But it's unclear as to whether the CPSC considered tests that didn't detect paint over lead paint a false negative. It sounds like this might be the case, but again it's unclear.

In that case, I'm not so worried about false negatives--so long as I can prevent my kid from chewing on the sills or picking up paint chips off the floor. The concern of the CPSC is different, however--kids are more prone to chew on toys and thus a coat of non-lead paint isn't much protection.

And so while there's always a theoretical risk for my soon-to-be infant (and my puppy), I have to calculate the practical risk: Can I find a non-leaded apartment? Can I afford a new, non-leaded apartment? Do I ask my landlord to de-lead the apartment? (They have to by law pay to move me out, pay for alternate housing, and then pay the $10-20K to de-lead the apartment. Come on. Instead, they'll evict us, and we'll spend the next months homeless and in court.)

Instead, I'm going to test doors, windows, and any cracked or chipping surfaces for lead paint. Then I'm going to thoroughly clean all these areas with wet detergents and paper towels (not cloths or sponges: read this great guide to preventing lead poisoning), and then paint or caulk over any cracked or chipping areas. And then I'm going to sleep easy--as much as I possibly can--when the baby finally comes.

On the risks of lead exposure: We spoke with a pediatrician who is extremely concerned about lead dust in the air and the risk of "mental retardation" in children. She strongly encouraged us to immediately find a de-leaded apartment, ignoring the reality of living in Cambridge/Boston. I've spoken to a pediatric cardiologist--so not specifically concentrating on lead in kids--who said the kid's gotta be eating lead chips and then you're talking a statistical drop in 1-2 IQ points. So it's all over the place.

More Bumpiness -- Food Allergies?

So yesterday morning I noticed that Ruki was looking particularly angry. And then I realized the fold above her left eye was particularly bulging. Was it a bump? It was. A huge one.

What happened? Did she hit her head? Was it from playing rough with another dog? No idea. So we watched it. And when I took her out for her walk, I noticed that she was bumpy on her legs. It's not that you can see the bumps; it's just that her fur is raised in small dots.

Through the past few days, the bumps have come and gone. First on her legs; now on her sides; now on her face, around her lips. Sometimes they seem to subside; sometimes they seem to spread.

We've been giving her Benadryl since yesterday. One and a half pills--that's 25 mg + 12.5 mgs. She's 37 lbs, so the dosage is right: 1 mg per lb. And then give her this dosage 2-3 times a day for a few days to see if she clears up. The big bump above her eye has gone down since then. But there are more bumps everywhere.

I noticed a new thing last night: She dove into her food with the same gusto as usual, but then about halfway through, she stopped, and walked away. Crazy!!! I then held the bowl for her, and she re-approached and finished most of it up. But not all! Crazy!!!

The same thing this morning. I wonder if it's a food allergy.

I initially thought that maybe she had eaten something when we took her to Harvard Square's Oktoberfest (which was fantastic, by the way). But then after doing some reading, her allergic reactions would have started much earlier. They say that sometimes allergic reactions would occur within 20 minutes of contact with the allergen.

So the best--in the worst kind of way--diagnosis might be a food allergy. I'm going to give her some more Benadryl this afternoon. And then maybe just feed her rice and water over the next few meals to see if her bumps go down.

The theory on food allergies is that exposure to some things too early creates these allergies. That's why often the foods recommended for allergy treatment are lamb or fish-based: most puppies have limited or no exposure to lamb or fish until their allergies develop (by 2 years of age), and then they can eat lamb or fish for the rest of their lives. The same theory goes for grain or starch allergies, and new foods containing more barley or potato than wheat or soy.

In retrospect, then maybe we should have limited the types of proteins and grains we fed Ruki as a puppy. Her Innova has turkey, chicken, herring, barley, rice, and potatoes. So what's left to try to eliminate? I'll keep updating on our journey for Ruki to some day be stable and healthy...

Update (12/03/07): We ended up switching her food to California Natural's Lamb and Rice formula. Since, she's been fine.

Her Innova Adult was chicken and turkey based. So we suspected a chicken or turkey allergy. This Thanksgiving, we fed her some turkey, and I noticed a bump or two show up, so we know it's at least turkey. But now we just avoid both.

Reverse Sneezing... Or Worse? (Update!)

Update from:

http://rukimonster.blogspot.com/2007/09/reverse-sneezing-or-worse.html

So, I ended up taking her to the vet... And the vet said that Ruki has mild pneumonia. Her "reverse sneezing" is actually just coughing, and her licking up in her mouth was her licking up phlegm. Then her coughs would get so violent, they'd make her regurgitate. (Not "vomit"--vomiting comes from the stomach, regurgitating comes from other causes. Well-noted, Dr. Vet.) They confirmed this with x-rays.

So they gave us Clavamox--she just got off Clavamox for her pyoderma!--and the vet made some suggestions that have so far proved brilliant:

Raise Ruki's food and water bowls off the ground, about chin-height.

The thing is that bulldog's throats and airways are so short, that straining down and wolfing down food can mess with their breathing.

So I took an old Amazon.com shipping box, wrapped it in a plastic bag, and put her food and water up there. And amazingly she doesn't choke any more when she gobbles up her food! And she hasn't puked from coughing since! (But that could be just because she's getting better.)

I have to get her a new bowl since she eats with such gusto she knocks food and water all over the place--right now, I just hold the bowl while she eats. But this is great.

Now, the next step, is to look into changing her food and see if some day I can get her to actually *chew* her food!

Also, here's a link to a Yahoo! Answers post that gives some insight into too fast eating and the risk of bloat:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070329080847AAFNk1I

Reverse Sneezing... Or Worse?

Three nights ago, Ruki woke us up with a loud COUGH! We didn't think much of it, but then the next day she had a short fit of what I now think is reverse sneezing. That night, I took her for a walk, and she started the coughing, retching, reverse sneezing, which ended up with her vomiting repeatedly on the sidewalk. While we worked our way home, her hacking stopped, and she was OK.

Last night, around 2 a.m., we heard her hacking/coughing again, and then she started a puking session all over the apartment again. This morning and afternoon she's been hacking/coughing, but has been holding her puke down.

I've watched videos, and it looks like reverse sneezing. I'm just worried about the vomiting. Does anyone else's bulldog reverse sneeze and then vomit, too?

I don't want to have to go to the vet, and have them not know what it is and then charge us $100 for tests if it's something that's fairly common. She doesn't have a fever, isn't listless or lethargic, no runny nose, no extraordinary eye discharge, and the poo's fine.

Here's a video of her:

Sanitizing Properties of Eco-Friendly Household Cleaners?

So I recently started to buy eco-friendly cleaning fluids for the house. But then when you look at the ingredients, what's in there? There's usually a surfactant, a preservative, and maybe a natural fragrance.

There are (at least) two ways to think about cleaning: (1) I want to kill absolutely everything that's on my countertop, and even if I eat those nasties, then they'll be dead and of no danger to me and my loved ones, or (2) I just want to "wash" off any nasties and flush them away.

Products like Lysol and bleach do the former. This is often done through "lysis"--or a reverse osmosis where by sucking away the water outside of bacteria, the water inside the bacteria is drawn out, imploding the bacterial nasty. Or just through putting a lot of harsh, toxic stuff in the sprays that kill some other nasty way.

But the other way, while seeming not as "safe," might be just as good. Doctor's don't use crazy chemicals to wash their hands. They usually soap (though they'll sometimes use alcohol-based hand cleansers). I remember reading somewhere that just using water--no soap--is pretty effective, too. You don't have to kill the nasties, you just have to wipe them away.

Surfactants generally operate on oil allowing you to lift oil off of services. Oils are usually what traps the nasties and makes them stick to our counter-tops, etc. It does the same thing that soap does, without actually being soap.

Another option for sanitizing is to use products with bleach, vinegar, citrus, or hydrogen peroxide. Bleach degrades into salt and water. Hydrogen peroxide is an acid that kills bacteria, but also bubbles when reacting with organic substances, lifting dirt out of oil, the same way detergents work--or how peroxide cleans out cuts by bubbling up the dirt out of your cuts. Vinegar and citrus, similarly, are acids that can help to kill nasties.