Your backyard should be a safe place for the family pet. However, sometimes it can be filled with things that can hurt your beloved animals. Before letting your pet roam free in the backyard, check for these hazards and get rid of them to keep your best animal friend safe.
Toxic flowers
Foxglove and azaleas are among the beautiful flowers that can be dangerous to your pet. There are many others that are also hazardous to animals. You can easily download an app on your phone that can help you identify all the plant life in your backyard. Once you identify it, you can look it up and see if it's dangerous to your pet. If it is, be sure to completely remove it, roots and all. Replant pet-safe flowers to give your backyard the beauty you want without worrying about your pet's safety.
Pesticides
Rodents, snails, insects, and more - you don't want them in your house. You don't really even want them in your yard. So, you use pesticides to get rid of them. But if pesticides aren't applied correctly, they can make your pet incredibly sick. Instead, have a pest control expert come out and handle your pest problems. They can apply the appropriate pesticides in the right amounts and locations to ensure that you don't have to sacrifice your pet's health or your desire for a pest-free home. That way you can remove unwanted insects and rodents that could threaten your pet.
Warm Water Sources
If you have any lakes or ponds in or accessible from your backyard, your pet may drink toxin-laced water from blue-green algae. Blue-green algae look like floating mats on top of the water, but even if you can't visibly see it, the toxin from the bloom may still be present in the water. This algae in particular can't be treated with chemical treatment. Your best option may be to either fill in the source or create a barrier that denies your pet access to the water.
Your Garden
Your very own veggie or herb garden can be a surprising source of danger for the family pet. For example, onions, chives, garlic, and tomatoes are all toxic to dogs. You can still grow your tasty treats, of course. You just need to make sure your pet can't get to them. You might fence off the garden or try growing the toxic plants in pots on your patio or somewhere else you can keep an eye on them.
The whole family wants to enjoy the backyard, including the four-legged members. Make sure they can stay safe by getting rid of the hazards and offering a relaxing and fun space for them to romp and play without having to be under your watchful eye.
About the Author:
Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most of her time hiking, biking, and gardening. For more information, contact Brooke via Facebook or Twitter @BrookeChaplan.
