Advice for keeping your furry friends safe through summer.
Everyone in your home wants to be able to enjoy the yard while the sun is shining this summer, so make sure that applies to Fido and friends with these backyard summer safety tips.
(Image: Houzz)
Would you walk around your garden barefoot? Consider your pet’s paws when picking out landscaping materials. Instead of using sharp, jagged rocks to line your garden path, opt for smooth pebbles such as river rocks. Pets can comfortably walk along the smooth surface. Using mulch? Go for small cedar chips instead of large mulch options.
Use driftwood or raised beds to keep particular garden patches off limits. It will also deter them from digging too deeply into your dirt.
Be sure to read your fertilizer labels carefully and be sure to avoid any that contain cocoa, blood or bone meal. Bone meal is crushed up bone from cattle or fish sources and smells like a tasty treat to your furry friends, particularly dogs. If ingested, these fertilizers can cause severe pancreatitis, resulting in vomiting, diarrhea or even organ failure.
Be sure to avoid the use of toxic rat or mouse poisons around the exterior of your house. According to the Animal Poison Control Centre (ASPCA) each year there are more than 40,000 calls related to mouse poison in yards. These poisons cause internal bleeding, kidney failure and brain swelling. Instead try naturally deterring rodents by growing mint, then toast to your rodent free home with a refreshing mojito.
Be aware of what you plant. Flowers and grass like plants look like tasty treats to pets, but many are poisonous for pets and even small children. Did you know that daffodils and hydrangeas could be harmful if ingested? For a full list of poisonous flowers, read Plants That Poison.
Lastly, it's hot out so help keep fido and friends cool this summer with these six ideas from the Calgary Humane Society.
(Image: Calgary Humane Society)
- Always have cool fresh water available.
- Get in some splash time and hit the kiddy pool, but ensure all pool time is supervised.
- Hanging outside? Whether from a tree, canopy or umbrella, ensure your pooch has adequate shade.
- Walk in the early morning or evening hours. If it's too hot for your hands, it's too hot for their paws.
- Give your dog a hair cut. Double coated dogs will benefits from regular brushings.
- Make a pupsicle! Fill a kong with their favourite treats, freeze and allow them to enjoy a cool, tasty treat. Some tasty treats include yogurt, bananas, canned pumpkin, canned dog food, chopped carrots, apples or mini treats.
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