Pet Safe Gardens

Did you know that the species of flora that we plant in our garden, might have hazardous effects on the health of our pets. Therefore, one should take due care not to include certain plants that produce toxic substances. Every year, many pets are affected due to the accidental consumption of harmful plants. However, there are many other things present in the garden that affect animals, other than plants, which include fertilizers, insecticides, cocoa mulch, fleas and even garden tools.

Pet Safe Gardens

Gardens that we maintain with the utmost care and hard work, shouldn't harm our pets in any way. For this, one needs to undertake a few precautions during gardening.

Fertilizers
The ingestion of fertilizers can affect the digestive tracts of animals. If a dog or cat consumes fertilizers in excessive amounts, it might suffer from an upset stomach. The fertilizers that are spread in the garden are easy for pets to consume. Thus, one should allow animals to roam in the garden only after a certain period of time. This period of time is called the 'waiting period', after which the fertilizers soften and can't harm the pets.

Cocoa Mulch
Cocoa mulch is a byproduct obtained from the production of chocolate. The cocoa bean shells are used for mulching. The sweet smell of cocoa mulch attracts many animals. Just like chocolates affects our pets adversely, cocoa mulch too has harmful effects on their health. The health issues that occur in animals after the ingestion of cocoa mulch are diarrhea, vomiting, seizures, muscle tremors and hyperactivity. Instead of using cocoa mulch, one should try cedar, shredded pine or hemlock bark for the purpose of mulching. No matter which materials are used, monitoring the activities of our pets is necessary.

Poisonous Plant Species
Some people like to constantly keep on experimenting with their gardens, which includes the introduction of new plant species in the garden. A few of the toxic plants that have an adverse impact on cats and dogs are azalea, rhododendron and sago palm. The sago palm and mushrooms, that belong to the Cycad family, are responsible for kidney failure. The plant species that create heart problems in animals are azalea, oleander, rhododendron, lily of the valley, foxglove, rosebay and kalanchoe. Thus, only pet safe plants should be incorporated in gardens.

Insecticides
The insecticides used in gardens include different types of baits, granules, sprays, etc. Some of the insecticides that lead to harmful consequences, if ingested by pets, are the snail baits that contain metaldehyde, systemic insecticides which contain disulfoton or disyston, fly bait containing methomyl, common rat poisons and gopher or mole baits that contain zinc phosphide.

Garden Tools
Tools strewn across the backyard could be as harmful as the above mentioned factors or components that affect pet health. If pets gets hurt by the rusty and sharp garden tools, they might be vulnerable to tetanus. It is possible to avoid such a problem by storing the tools properly.

Ticks and Fleas
Insects present in the lawn may affect your pet in many ways. The problems caused by fleas are hair loss, scratching, hot spots and scabs. The above mentioned effects also result from the infestation of ticks. Ticks cause diseases like Mountain spotted fever, Lyme Disease and Babesia. Pets safe lawns can be prepared by the elimination of these insects i.e. by mowing and proper lawn care.

Pet Safe Weed Killer

The weed killers one uses in his garden should not affect the pets in an adverse manner. There are many different weed killers available in the market which don't affect the health of animals.

Pet Safe Gardening

Use of organic gardening techniques can minimize the harmful effects of gardening on the pets to a large extent. Since organic fertilizers like compost, do not contain any harmful chemicals, and it is safe to use them.

Following the above mentioned guidelines and undertaking appropriate measures would help in the preparation of a pet safe garden and give your pet a new lease of life.