Pet-proofing your home, yard, and locations that you take your pet, is important for the safety of your pet and your peace of mind. Knowing that the environment in which you take you pet is safe allows for both you and your pet to relax and enjoy being together. It also allows your pet to roam freely knowing they will not be harmed if they are on their own.
Let’s start with some general safety measures:
- Keep hazardous materials in a secure place
- Keep medicines – both human and pet meds – in a secure place
- Keep all supplements and spices in a place where pets can’t get to them.
Most of these are common sense items but it is easy to leave your cleaning materials on a side table or counter when you are using them, and them forget about them when you are done. We’ve all had either prescription medicines or over-the-counter (OTC) medicines on the side table by our bed, or a side table by our couch or easy chair. Pets are normally curious and if they can reach these interesting looking bottles, they may try to get to them. No pet should have any unprescribed medicines, and they definitely don’t need to eat a bottle-full of even the most harmless human medicines.
Electrical cords and electrical outlets can also be a problem for pets. You don’t want you pet – or you – tripping over electrical cords, and you definitely don’t want them chewing on electrical cords. A plugged-in cord can offer a scary shock to your pet and may be fatal to a smaller pet. Pets don’t need to ingest the rubber from the cords or get the rubber stuck in their teeth or their throat Electrical outlets offer inviting places to stick tongues or noses, so if you have an inquisitive pet, use outlet covers to keep you pets safe from potential electrical shock.
Other items we tend to keep around and forget about are smaller items like pens, and sharp objects like nail files and scissors. Keep these obvious problem items out of reach of your pet, but also make sure that smaller items like paper clips and erasers are put up so your pet cannot slurp them up and swallow them. That could be an emergency trip to the Vet!
Now let’s take a trip through the house and do some room-by-room pet proofing.
Living Room:
- Secure furniture to prevent tipping
- Protect breakable items or place them on shelves or cabinets that are out of reach of your pet(s)
- Managing plants
- First, identify toxic plants and remove them or place high and out of reach
- Cover pots that have dirt in them and may look tempting for your pet to dig in or attempt to bury their bones and goodies in.
Kitchen:
- Keeping food and tempting treats away from the edge of the counter
- Keep garbage in a closed container or take it outside to a trash can
- If necessary, put childproof locks on the lower cabinets
- Keep knives and sharp object away from the edge of the counter and store them and small appliances out of the reach of your pets.
Bathroom:
- Keep the toilet lids closed always!
- Store toiletries and cleaning supplies in closed drawers or cabinets
- Cover trash bins or place them on a counter or shelf.
Bedroom:
- Keeping clothing and shoes stored away to avoid a tripping hazard for you or your pets
- Have a bag or bin for dirty cloths
- Using pet-safe bedding materials
- Keep the room well-ventilated and dust-free.
Garage and Storage Areas:
- Keep tools – especially sharp ones and gas or electric-powered ones stored safely in a rack or on a wall mount
- Keep all paints, chemicals, gas and gas cans, oils and other lubricants safely stored up on racks or in cabinets with door
- Make sure the area has proper ventilation to keep gas and chemical fumes from hanging around. This is especially important if your pet sleeps or stays in one of these areas.
Let’s go outside now and see jhow we can pet-proof our fences, yards, and yard accessories.
Fencing and Boundaries:
- Make sure your fences and gates are in good repair and there are no sharp parts of the fence that could harm your pet. You don’t want any holes or gaps in your fence so your pet doesn’t escape and roam the neighborhood.
- Using appropriate fencing materials. Avoid sharp wires like barbed wire or rusty chicken wire.
Yard Safety:
- Keep toys and lawn equipment out of the yard as much as possible
- Remove or fence-off toxic plants and harmful objects
- If your pet stays outside, make sure there is adequate shade and water.
Pool and Water Safety:
- For the safety of your pet – and children – install gates with child-proof openers to the pool area
- If you can’t fence-off the pool, create barriers around the pool or use pool covers, especially when you aren’t using the pool
- Always – always – supervise your children and your pets around water!
Different types of pets have different safety considerations. Here are a few pet-specific suggestions.
For Dogs:
- Keep harmful foods, chemicals, cleaners, and medicines out of their access.
- Make sure your dog is hydrated and stays cool in the heat of spring and summer
- Keep them occupied during the day and provide them safe chew toys.
For Cats:
- Secure windows and balcony access
- Deny them access to plants on shelves, and tools and food on your counters
- Provide them with play areas and climbing areas
- Provide diversions like toys, and a scratching post or two.
Small animals like guinea pigs, rabbits, and amphibians:
- Make sure they are in a secured and safe cage or crate
- Ensure that the cage – and the area around the cage – is properly ventilated
- Keep the cage out of the summer sun
- Keep the cage clean with chew-proof housing material
- Keep their water vessels full of clean water.
Another way to pet-proof your home is to properly train your pet, then supervise their activities. You can teach boundaries and what is acceptable inside behavior. You can also take your pet and explore new areas together. This will make them more comfortable and less apt to wander curiously into an area and tear-it-up during their exploration.
Also, if you provide enough toys and activities for your pet, you will avoid the boredom that sometimes leads to unacceptable or destructive behaviors. Occasionally change out or rotate their toys to introduce new challenges for your pet and to keep them from getting bored.
Having a pet around the house requires regular home maintenance and inspections. Make sure you pick-up and put away items that could harm your pet. Make sure your keep electrical cords out of the ay and toilet seats are down. (Sometimes you have to teach this to your children, grandchildren, or spouse also!)
Be aware of changes in your pet as they grow and mature. Puppies require more attention and maintenance than older dogs, but older dogs are more susceptible to changes in their environment, and the heat and pests of summer.
And finally, even if you do the greatest job pet-proofing your world, a pet may still get in distress – especially during the summer – so be prepared. Create a pet emergency kit. (Please see your Vet for advice on putting this kit together.) Have an emergency plan that includes who to contact; who to contact during holidays and weekends; where to go for emergency aid; and who to call for help – especially if you need help.
One more thing to consider is an emergency evacuation plan for your pet. If a hurricane, tornado, flooding or another disaster strikes your home, do you have a plan that includes evacuating or taking care of your pet? If not, add this to your emergency/evacuation family plan. You can also get emergency help at the Survival page of this website.
For most of us our pets are like our children. You took care of your children when they lived with you and you can do the same for your pet. If you need more information and products about your furry or scaly friends, go to the Pets section of this website.
