PetSugar

The Dangers That Lurk in Your Easter Basket!

PetSugar — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 07:16:07 -0700

Beyond the risks of sweeteners and chocolates, there are plenty of risks in that sweet looking Easter basket. First up, those hardboiled eggs may taste fine to a pet now (dyed shells and all – yuck!) but, if he decides to bury it in the backyard and dig it up later, he can get very sick from eating those rotten eggs. What other threats lurk inside? Find out when you read more.

Small children's toys may also look like toys to a pet, too, but these fragile knick-knacks can wreak havoc on a pup's delicate tum. They're definitely not gonna hold up to his chompers and, if he gets plastic bits stuck inside, he may have to have surgery. Plastic eggs often smell of the treats inside tempting a pooch to take a nibble. And, if those treats are jellybeans, forget about it. Jellybeans are hard for many children to chew and can cause a choking hazard, imagine what it'd do to a pup.

Even though the paper grass pictured here is not as risky, the shiny, decorative Easter grass can lure in a curious cat, but pose the same problem as tinsel – strands can't be digested, get stuck in their intestines, and totally mess up the digestive system. If you're celebrating this holiday, I recommend not leaving the treats for the two-legged family members unsupervised from the furry friends. And, if you are hiding treats around the house, keep pets in another room and total up all the prizes after they're found to make sure none have been hidden too well for a person . . . but not for a pup's nose!

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Bare Bones: Pet Safe Electrical Cords

PetSugar — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:00:17 -0700

If you have a furry little troublemaker on your hands – always trying to sink his teeth into something dangerous – then an electrical cord protector is a must have. Keeping a safeguard around your TV, cable, or stereo cords is a good idea so that your pet doesn't get the shock of his life when he feels the need to chew.

Thankfully, you can get a protector on the cheap at Ikea or by shopping online. This cord protector is only six bucks ($6) but can save you a ton of worry and hassle, and it's clear so you don't have too much of a distraction running along your floorboards. Best yet, if your pet doesn't know better than to take curious chews on cords, it's infused with a citrus scent to deter any naughty nibbles. When I lived with rabbits, however, we had something a little tougher, and a lot bigger, because they were quite the super chewers!

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North May Still Need a Sill Shield

PetSugar — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 03:00:54 -0700

While North doesn't show much interest in the closed window (unless we're feeding the birds), whenever I have it cracked just the teensiest bit, he loves to put his paws up and sniff that fresh air coming in. Now my window ledges weren't in the greatest shape when we moved in but, if I owned my home, I would consider getting one of these Sill Shields to match any window I'd have open.

Made from heavy duty, outdoor grade PVC, these attachable shields protect the surface beneath them, while still hiding the scratches better than painted wood. With three sizes of depths and three for widths, they're designed to fit most windows – and, starting at $12.95, totally affordable too. To see another piccy of my lil guy trying to get a good view from our top floor apt when you read more.

Pet-Proofing Your Home: Tech Edition

PetSugar — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 14:15:42 -0800

Next up in the pet-proofing series: pets and technology, a particularly sensitive subject for yours truly. Back before Mac laptops came with easy-off magnetic power cords, North made a flying leap off my bed and, with his back paw, my laptop also took flight before slamming shut on the hardwood floor!

Recovery and repair were out of my price range so, several hundred dollars later, I replaced the hard drive altogether… bringing my old one home in a sealed bag. To save you the same heartache from home-office accidents, I’ve got a couple of tips that I’ve learned the hard way. To start pet-proofing, it makes sense to get down on your pet's level. You may feel silly, but you can get a necessary perspective of what he could likely find to “investigate.”

To see the rest of my pet-proofing advice, read more

Large Objects. Secure objects that are heavy or easily moved. Lucky for me, North wasn’t harmed in the laptop adventure, and keep pets safe by making sure large objects are secure. Bookcases should be attached to the wall so if kitty takes a leap or pooch takes a slide, it can’t come down on top of them.
Small Objects. Keep dangerous items out of reach – that includes small supplies that could be sharp or pose a choking threat as well as office cleaning goods. Shiny objects are appealing, and there's only slight difference between a pencil... and a stick!
Cords. Cords can trip up both you and your pet. Make sure your cords are gathered together and secured to the floor or wall. Use cord covers (like CritterCord) and consider adding a natural, anti-chew spray with an unappealing smell and taste.

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Pet-Proofing Your Home: Bathroom

PetSugar — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 09:00:27 -0800

Next up in my pet-proofing series: the bathroom. This is a door that many pet owners (myself included!) choose to keep closed. Bathrooms can present a slightly different, additional risk for pet owners... the risk of embarrassment. I remember eating dinner at a friend's apartment in New York when, all of a sudden, I looked over, and her dog had brought us a lovely present he fished out of the bathroom trash can. Charming. She was understandably mortified about this gift and, the next time I visited, I noticed her mini, flip-lid trash can.

To learn about the common bathroom risks for your pet, read more

Paper products. So, it's not just about presenting garbage at the feet of strangers, some pets even eat paper – and other surprises – from the trash can. Other pets love to pull paper off the toilet paper roll or even chew and claw the spare rolls. If you feel that the paper products in your bathroom present too much of a temptation for your furry friends, use my simple solution: keep the door closed.
Laundry. Some pets will fish socks and underwear out of the hamper to scatter throughout the apartment, chew on any soiled clothes, or even decide to crawl in the hamper for a nap. Make sure if you do have a hamper, you keep it closed, and consider the type of lid. You don't want kitty to jump on top, fall in, and get stuck!
Toilet. I'm guessing you have a toilet and, if you also have a pet, please keep the top lid down! Regardless of the amount of fresh, natural spring water in your pet's bowl, many of them just want a taste of that toilet water. And, if you are letting them kiss you... well, that's a problem in my book.
Chemicals. Also present in the toilet are dangerous chemicals, especially if you've used those toxic blue tablets. But, even if you just store drain cleaners in the bathroom, keep them out of pets' reach. Also, be careful about any surfaces that pets could be licking or chewing – not only for the cleansers you use on them, but poisonous lead can often be found in paint, linoleum, and caulking compounds!
Small items. I've found teethmarks on a lip gloss tube from devilish North, so please keep makeup out of reach! Once again, be careful with any small, shiny objects that may fall to the floor... you don't want to wait 'til your earring emerges from the other end!

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Pet-Proofing Your Home: Laundry

PetSugar — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 08:00:52 -0800

The final stop in my pet-proofing series is the laundry room. The greatest potential danger in a laundry room is the clothes dryer. Kitties may be tempted to jump and nap on warm, fresh clothes either near or in the dryer. Some cats will even choose the empty dryer for a sleeping spot. This can quite obviously result in serious injuries if you turn the dryer on. To protect your cat's health and well-being, don't leave the dryer door open.

To hear more laundry room dangers, read more

Another risk in the laundry room is the fabric softener sheets. These dryer sheets contain synthetic chemical compounds that can irritate and burn your pet's skin as well as cause diarrhea and ulcers if ingested. Some detergents can produce a similar reaction, and cats can be particularly sensitive to certain ingredients such as phenols. Remember, if your animal comes into contact with a chemical on his paws or fur, he can then ingest it while grooming.

Just like with the other rooms in the pet-proofing series, ingestion of cleaning products is a serious risk. Also, products containing bleach can cause stomach upset and respiratory tract irritation when swallowed or inhaled in a high enough concentration. The laundry room also has other hidden dangers, such as spilled liquid detergents or stain removers that a pet may lick up.

I've just offered some basic safety tips for you. If you fear your pet has ingested something harmful, immediately check with the vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center. The ASPCA Poison Control Hotline is available 24 hours a day at (888) 426-4435 – there is a $55 consultation fee for this service.

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Pet-Proofing Your Home: Kitchen

PetSugar — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 11:00:24 -0800

Next up in my pet-proofing series: the kitchen. Food presents a huge temptation to pets, especially when it's within reach of their paws or whiffs of their noses. It's natural for them to want to smell and nibble new foods so it's up to you to make sure they can only access safe yums. To learn how to safeguard your kitchen, read more

Food. Keep pets safe by storing all food out of their reach. Never underestimate their ability to find their way onto tabletops or into cabinets. Many common foods are risky to pets, including grapes and onions, so it's best to keep any food you feel may be a risk in a cabinet that's closed tight.
Trash. If you threw it out, there's probably a reason! Moldy and rotting food will make your pets ill but may still be a temptation. Be warned that anything you put in the garbage can be pulled out and spread around your home, so I recommend a metal one with a flip lid. Of special danger, coffee grounds in small amounts can poison your pet, in addition to any paper towels that may have trace amounts of cleaning solutions on them!
Cleaning products. Read (and follow the instructions on) the labels of all cleaning products you are using in your home. Use bleach and other poisonous liquids with care. Many pets are tempted to lick the floor, and these products can cause stomach upset - a special area of temptation is directly in front of the stove as it's the most likely place for lickworthy spills or splatters.

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Pet-Proofing Your Home: Poisonous Plants

PetSugar — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 07:00:01 -0800

There are many steps to pet proofing your home and, for the first in this series, we'll eliminate poisonous plants. Keep animals safe and view every item placed in pet's reach as something he or she may try to take a nibble on. Different types pose different threats so stay on top of them by checking each one in your house against the ASPCA's toxic plant list. If you find a match, please remove it from your home (or be certain it's far out of pet's reach) – you never know what pets will decide to sample.

Keeping house plants can purify the air quality in your home, and safe ones can give kitty a special snack. However, many commonly-kept plants can have negative effects on pets if ingested, including ones that can affect the heart like azaleas, rhododendron, and oleander, ones that can affect that kidney like lilies, shamrock, and rhubarb, and ones that can affect the liver like the sago palms and some mushroom varieties.

Lucky for us, the ASPCA also provides a list of non-toxic plants (including common bouquet flowers) to cross-check with. That way, if someone gives you a sweet gift, you'll know where to display it!

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6 Places For Pet-Proofing and Protection

PetSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:05:39 -0700

When it comes to dangerous items in your home, an accident is just something you haven't prevented yet. For furry families with nosy noses, check out six places you can make these pet-proofing and protection steps.

Pet-Proofing Your Laundry	Pet-Proofing Your Bathroom	Pet-Proofing Your Kitchen Area
Protect the Pumpkins	Protect the Toilet Paper	Protect the Electrical Cords

Spring Cleaning: Plant a Pet Safe Garden

PetSugar — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 08:00:21 -0700

You may (or may not know) that some plants can be toxic to pets if they get the urge to munch the flowers and plants you keep around the house and garden. Even some of the most common flowers like Baby's Breath, which come in many arrangements, can be unassuming but totally harmful to your pets if ingested. Thankfully, the ASPCA has a complete list of plants that are a-ok and safe for plant-snacking pets, even if it wears down your patience! This Spring, when you are planting your garden, make sure that you double check the list for any plants that would look great in your yard . . . but can do major damage on your cat or dog's tummy. Some of my favorite flowers are great looking and safe for pets too, like these Honeysuckle Fuchsias. To see what else I would pick for my yard, just read more.

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