Pet-proofing your home begins when you decide which parts of the house you want to share with your four-legged friends. According to Dawn Hanna of Oh Behave, Professional Dog Training. “Unsupervised freedom is not a given,” she said. “It should be earned. Use a crate or a child gate to confine your pets to certain areas. Keep doors closed to keep Fido or Fluffy out of rooms that are off limits. But be careful of doors that close themselves.”
Here are other tips Hanna and other experts provided to protect your home from a destructive pet to make your life and theirs easier.
Look At Life From Their Point Of View
“It may sound crazy,” Hannah said, “but get down on the floor and look at your house from a pet’s eye view.
Pets love to steal things that don’t belong to them. So, clean up after yourself and remove the temptation. Pick things up off the floor and tables. Do not leave food, cans, candy, empty containers or plastic bags unattended. Even something as benign as a sock can be hazardous if your pet were to swallow it.
Cleaners, bleaches, fertilizers and antifreeze should be kept out of reach and behind closed doors. And since most of these items are found in your garage, that should be one room that’s completely off limits to your pets.
Off-Limits
Trash containers are irresistible to pets, and they often contain dangerous goodies like rubber bands, Q-tips, needles, thread and staples — goodies that may require surgery to remove.
Bathrooms offer an often overlooked hazard. “I used to think those greeting cards and photos showing a dog drinking from the toilet
bowl were hilarious,” Hannah said. But she wasn’t laughing the day she had to rescue her dog from the bathroom toilet.
Also remember that whatever you use to clean your toilet could poison your pets. So, keep the toilet lid down at all times.
“Keep medicines and vitamins out of reach,” said Dr. Amy Balko of Faithful Companions Animal Clinic in South Florida. . “Hide electrical cords or anything that could strangle your pet. And never leave a candle unattended.”
If you love plants, remember that some are poisonous to pets. To learn more about poisonous plants and the symptoms to look for, visit The Animal Poison Control Center. If you have vines or hanging plants, keep them out of your pet’s reach. A curious animal can jump up and bring down whatever it grabs.
Remember to close off any balconies or windows from which your pet could jump.
Toss Those Old Toys
Pets love their toys, but you’d never know it the way they bite, cut and mangle them. Inspect your pet’s toys and throw out anything that’s old, tattered or that can hurt your pet if swallowed. You should also teach your children to keep their toys away from pets and put toys away so pets can’t get to them.
“Pet-proofing your home sounds a lot like the advice you’d get if you had a small child,” Dr. Balko said. But you have to be even more vigilant. A toddler may not be able to jump on your kitchen counter and grab those cookies you left out,” she said. “But it’s a skill any cat can master. The phrase “curiosity killed the cat” is not just a cliché.”
Source: WTAE-TV
