Top 7 Pet Gardening Dangers

It's gardening season again!  Hopefully the rain will stay away long enough to get outside and get the yard in order...  Gardening with a pet, be it your dog friend helping you dig a hole or your cat chasing something tossed across the yard, can be rewarding.  But please remember to keep things safe!

Read on for the top 7 pet gardening dangers

Later, check out these 20 Tips For Gardening With Dogs to learn how to get you doggie to be a better gardening partner (mine just sleeps in the dirt).

1) Cocoa Mulch
Cocoa mulch is made from the shell of the cocoa bean and contains ingredients that can be deadly to pets if ingested. Like chocolate (also poison to dogs), cocoa mulch contains theobromine and caffeine and can cause serious stomach issues or even seizures if ingested.  The mulch, sold in garden supply stores, has a chocolate scent that is appetizing to some animals, especially curious young puppies.
  
  
2) Fertilizers and Herbicides
Before applying a chemical to your lawn or in your yard, consider whether natural, organic or chemical-free remedies such as those described by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality might be just as effective for your intended use.

• Store all fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides in their original packaging and away from pets.
• Be sure to read labels before application; over application can lead to excess residue.
• Cover or remove outdoor food bowls, water dishes, pet toys and bird baths before any chemical application.

Do not let your pets in the yard while applying chemicals. Wait until chemicals have dried and even up to four days after application before allowing a pet into the area. Pets who lick their paws after walking on treated areas can be poisoned.   

Always check with the manufacturer and read package directions before applying any product in an area frequented by pets. 

3) Rat Poison  

Bromethalin rodenticide toxicity, more commonly referred to as rat poisoning, occurs when a dog becomes exposed to the chemical bromethalin, a toxic substance that is found in a variety of rat and mice poisons. Ingestion of bromethalin can lead to an increased pressure of cerebrospinal fluid (the liquid within the membrane of the skull that the brain essentially floats in) and cerebral edema (the accumulation of excess water in the brain). A variety of neurological-based symptoms can result from this, including muscle tremors, seizures, and impaired movement.  Dogs or cats may also be targets of secondary poisoning if they eat rats or mice that have ingested the poison themselves.

Please, just don’t use this stuff.  There are effective alternatives and there should be no reason to endanger your pets to rid your home of rodents…

 

4) Insecticides and Pesticides
These products tend to be more toxic to pets than fertilizers and herbicides, so be even more cautious with them.  Ingestion of any amount of insecticide or pesticide should be considered an emergency, please seek treatment immediately.

• Store all insecticides and pesticides in their original packaging and away from pets. The National Pesticide Information Center (800-858-7378) can help you make informed decisions about pesticide use.
  
  
  
• The most dangerous forms of pesticides include: slug and snail bait (containing metaldehyde), fly bait (containing methomyl), systemic insecticides (containing disyston or disulfoton), mole or gopher bait (containing zinc phosphide), and most forms of rat poisons. 
• Store all insecticides and pesticides in their original packaging and away from pets at all times.
• Dogs can be attracted to slug bait that contains metaldehyde. Signs of poisoning include tremors, seizures, shaking, vomiting, hyper-salivation, rapid heart rate, and abdominal pain. If your pet ingests slug bait, contact your veterinarian immediately.
  
  
  

Natural alternatives to insecticides and pesticides include:

• Diatomaceous Earth: This is made from fossilized remains of one-celled algae. It feels like talcum powder, but scratches and absorbs the wax layer on a bug's surface, leaving it to die from dehydration.
  
  
  
• Fermenting Liquid: Set out shallow containers of yeast, water and spoiled yogurt or beer, and bury the container flush with the soil surface. Slugs love the scent of yeast. 

·         Sluggo – I use a product called Sluggo.  This slug bait is iron-based and kills slugs well (I have a year-round garden that turns into a slug smorgasbord when the rains come).  I have been very happy with this product as my dog will try to eat it sometimes and he’s still around…and I’d hate to waste the beer.

5) Flea and Tick Control Products
A common cause of pet poisoning in the summer months is improper use or application of flea and tick control products. Use such products responsibly and according to package instructions. Overuse and misuse can be deadly.


Never apply 45-65% permethrin "spot-on" products to cats, even in small amounts. Highly concentrated permethrin can be extremely toxic to cats.
If you have both dogs and cats in your household, you should be aware that using a permethrin "spot-on" product on a dog may cause illness or death in a household cat.

Never use flea medications intended for a dog on a cat instead. It is important to use only flea and tick products specifically designed for cats, and to administer the proper dosage.
All flea and tick "spot-on" products, even ones with nearly identical brand names, are not alike. Check the label to identify the active ingredient before you apply it.

 

6) Poisonous Plants
Ingestion of even small amounts of certain plants (for example, rhododendron or azalea, oleander, lily, or yew) can be harmful or fatal to a pet. Please check out our lists of Toxic and Non-Toxic plants (complete with photos and description) at our website.

Symptoms of plant poisoning include:

• Irritation to skin and/or mouth
• Diarrhea
• Seizures
• Unconsciousness
• Vomiting (Please note that vomiting is common after cats or dogs ingest plant material. Please contact us especially if vomiting accompanies other symptoms.) 

7) Compost
You're doing the right thing for your garden and the environment—keep composting! Food and garden waste make excellent additions to garden soil, but depending on what you're tossing in the compost bin, they can also pose problems for our pets. Coffee, moldy food and certain types of fruit and vegetables are toxic to dogs and cats, so read up on people foods to avoid feeding your pet.  Many dogs can’t resist the smell of rotting plant matter (of course you don’t throw meat, breads or bones in, right?  Is that why you need the rat bait?!) and will readily eat that stuff making themselves very sick.  Cover the pile or fence it off and you shouldn’t have a problem.

Have a great spring!