Are you a cat mom and dog dad who wants to ensure your pet can freely roam your outdoor space without getting hurt or sick? We, like you, love our furry friends, which is why we are sharing a comprehensive guide on common hazards your pets may face and the pet-friendly lawn treatment solutions you can take to keep them safe. Let’s dive in!
Lawn and Garden Hazards for Pets
When it comes to pet ownership, that includes providing a safe outdoor space for your pets to play, roam, and relax in. While a fenced-in property may seem enough, lawns and gardens often have hidden dangers that can severely hurt or make pets ill. Today, we will walk you through the most common lawn and garden hazards for pets.
#1: Poisonous Plants
Creating a lush backyard is the goal of many homeowners, but many plants can be toxic to pets if consumed or even rubbed up against them. For example, here in the Pacific Northwest, common toxic plants are foxglove, rhododendron, bracken fern, English ivy, and many more. The harmful effects can include everything from nausea and vomiting to life-threatening illness.
For a full list of dangerous plants, please check this comprehensive list from ASPCA.
#2: Pets & Parasites
Next, pets can be threatened by pests and parasites that visit or take up residence on your property. Depending on where you live, pests can include anything from rodents to raccoons to deer. Parasites, however, are harder to see and can consist of mosquitos, fleas, ticks, and more. Not only can pests and parasites threaten the health and safety of your pet, but your pet can end up accidentally bringing them inside to then threaten your home and family.
#3: Sharp Objects
A common aspect of pet safety that often goes forgotten is the elements of the property that could potentially harm your pet. Sharp objects, such as old-school sprinkler heads, garden tools, broken branches, decorative rocks, or rough pathway rocks, can all lead to potential harm.
#4: Toxic Chemicals
The last common hazard for pets is toxic chemicals. Chemicals in fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides can be detrimental to a pet’s short- and long-term health. Anything you spray or spread on your lawn, garden, weeds, or even perimeter could potentially harm your pet.
How to Maintain a Healthy Lawn for Pets
Now that you know some of the perils your property can bring to your pets, let us provide you with active solutions you can take to create a safe place for your furry friends.
#1: Be Mindful of Your Landscaping
To ensure that you don’t have poisonous plants on your property, we recommend researching your existing plant life. Identify each plant and see if they have any negative attributes. If so, rip them out.
Next, be mindful of your planting plan. Review your planting strategy to ensure you don’t plant anything harmful. Rhubarb is an excellent example of a common vegetable used by gardeners in Washington that has a poisonous leaf to both humans and pets. For those who want to grow toxic plants such as rhubarb, make sure your pets cannot access it by building pet-free garden zones with stable fencing or protective mesh.
If you are unsure how to identify existing plant life or what to plant, we advise consulting with a garden expert, local vet, and landscaping crew with the best planting options for your pets.
#2: Protect Your Pets from Pests and Parasites
How you go about protecting your pets from pests and parasites will depend on your specific geographic location. In terms of larger pests, we recommend doing the following:
- Fence off your yard to prevent larger animals from entering your property.
- Remove habitats from your property that attract pests.
- Keep wood piles away from your home and out of reach of pet zones.
- Seal off crawl spaces under your home or other structures.
- Forgo growing plants that attract specific wildlife.
- Use scare devices such as ultrasonic repellers, noise makers, and motion-activated water sprayers or lights.
For more ideas, ask your neighbors or landscaping company about what they recommend for your specific situation.
For smaller pests and parasites, pet-friendly lawn treatments designed to deter them are often the easiest way to go. That, combined with lawn care strategies, such as keeping your grass shorter, removing leaf piles, and planting natural mosquito repellent, can significantly help decrease the risk.
It would be best if you also talked to your veterinarian about flea medication and collars as well as prevention and identification techniques you can use as a homeowner to check your pets before they come inside.
#3 Remove Sharp and Dangerous Objects
The easiest way to prevent your pet from accidentally hurting themselves on a sharp object is to remove them. While pet owners may believe their pets are brilliant, even the most intelligent pets can hurt themselves when playing.
We recommend scanning your hard carefully for anything dangerous. We advise going with an “if I let a 3-three-old baby explore out here, what could they hurt themselves on” mentality. By looking at it through the eyes of a parent fearing for their child’s safety, you would be amazed at what you can find!
#4 Use Pet-Friendly Lawn Treatments
Before you add anything to your lawn, make sure it is pet-friendly. If you are DIYing your lawn care, check the ingredients carefully and consult a pet expert before using. If you are hiring a landscaping team, take the time to request the names of the products they use and cross-reference the validity of their claims with independent research to ensure the products are actually safe for your pets.
Pet-Friendly Lawn Treatment Solutions from Colonial Lawn and Garden
We all love our furry friends. The benefit of utilizing these pet-friendly lawn treatment strategies ensures that we get to see them live long and healthy lives. At Colonial Lawn & Garden, we are here to help you achieve this goal. We provide top-of-the-line products that are pet and child-friendly. You can rest assured your entire family can enjoy your outdoor space safely.
Keep your lawn green and your pets safe with Colonial Lawn & Garden’s pet-friendly lawn treatment solutions. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you create a safer outdoor space for your family and pets.
