Gardens and Pools can be Hazardous to our Playful Pets

If you have to spray your yard with pesticides or weed deterrents, allow the pesticides to completely dry before letting your pet back into the treated area. Keep your fertilizer use to a minimum, and verify that your preferred type won’t harm your pet. Use organic yard treatments whenever possible. For example, an all-natural mixture of water and cayenne pepper sprayed on vegetables in a garden can keep pests at bay while protecting the yields of home owners with green thumbs. Store yard equipment like clippers and lawn mowers, especially the electric variety, away from pets to reduce the potential for injury.

You can encourage yard safety by limiting the playful destruction that your pet engages in by providing distractions. Stimulating toys and obstacle courses can keep your dog from digging up your yard or gnawing at physical structures. For especially rambunctious pets, a good way to maintain control is to use a leash when they’re taken outdoors. Keeping your pet indoors while you’re out and about can significantly decrease the incidence of potentially dangerous misbehavior as well.

Pools provide a serious threat to pet safety, especially if your animals are not agile swimmers. If your pet is not accustomed to swimming, use physical barriers to block access to your pool area. Since pools can be attractive to animals who want to take a dip to cool off, consider taking some time to teach your pet how and when to swim to saftey. Verify that your pet is a breed that can swim with little problem, and take special precautions if your pet is elderly or brachycephalic. Maintain your pool’s chlorine balance to deter algae growth and complications that can arise if your pet eats algae or ingests an excess of pool-related chemicals.