Make sure you hide these household items!
For you, your home is probably the safest place you can be, and this should also apply to your pet. Unfortunately, many pet owners don’t consider how dangerous some household items can be.
Yes, there are many things you normally wouldn’t worry too much about, but once you have a little friend, you have to be more careful. Things you would generally not worry about are now real hazards for your pet. So, are you aware of what these things are? Maybe you can name some of them off the top of your head, but if you want to be safe, well, you should know more than that.
What should you do once you know what household items are dangerous? Keep them away from your pet! This means never keeping them in your home or hiding them somewhere your pet can never reach. Read more and discover how to be a better pet parent.
Insecticides and rodenticides
It is easy to understand why these household items are so dangerous for your little friends. Insecticides and rodenticides are created to help you eliminate pests, but if you are not careful, your cat or dog can poison themselves.
The most dangerous part is that most of these traps that contain poison will use bait. For example, peanut butter or sweet-smelling attractants will also seem appealing to pets. Your always-hungry dog or your curious cat will definitely try to see what’s going on, and the result can easily turn into a disaster.
To protect your pet, always keep insecticides and rodenticides out of reach. Check traps daily to ensure that only the intended pests are affected and dispose of them promptly. If this is possible, try to choose natural, pet-friendly alternatives, or even better, try to use preventive methods to keep pests away.
Cleaning products
Another category of household items you should keep away from pets is cleaning products. They are perfect for keeping your home fresh and hygienic, but if your beloved friend manages to eat some cleaning products, well, this is not good news.
Bleach, ammonia, and certain disinfectants may leave behind toxic residues or release fumes that can cause respiratory issues, skin irritation, or even poisoning. Most pets are curious, which means they won’t hesitate to lick that floor you just mopped with some cleaner. The main problem is that these products are a must if you want to always have a clean home. So, what can you do about this?
Try to put them in a safe place. Choose a storage space that is somewhere up high, and more importantly, make sure you can lock that space with a key. Pets are smart, and you might encounter a big surprise when you realize that your cat can open that cupboard without struggling too much. If you don’t have a key, you can use baby safety locks. They work great, and you can purchase them from Amazon.
Coins and other small metals
Small household items have always been a danger for pets and kids. Why? Ingesting them can result in choking or intestinal problems such as blockages. Both conditions put the life of your pet at risk, and considering this, it might be a better choice to be more careful and never leave these items randomly in your home.
Most of the time dogs are more tempted to chew or swallow small objects, but this can also happen to cats. Coins are among the most dangerous, and what you should know is that, besides the clear risks, some metals used to produce coins, such as the zinc found in pennies, can be very toxic and lead to severe health complications.
If you want to keep medical emergencies away, try to keep such items in a safe place. Maybe a container or a locked garage. For coins, make sure you don’t let them fall from your pockets. This happens more than you think, and you should be careful.
Human food
Sharing food with your pet might seem like a fun activity. In the same way Tarzan was sharing his food with the flames, you might be tempted to eat together with your dog or cat, but the answer is a big no.
Human food is one of the most common pet toxins in American homes, and the thing is that the food is not that toxic, but it can have devastating side effects in the long run. For example, some of the main problems that might appear are obesity or digestive issues.
The biggest culprits are chocolate, raisins, grapes, onions, and garlic, all of which can be highly toxic to both dogs and cats. But there are also chicken bones, and they can be life-threatening. Chicken bones are more dangerous than other types of bones because they create splinters that can easily cause choking or internal injuries.
Food packaging can also be a hazard. There are numerous instances when dogs literally choked inside chip bags. This is a real danger no one talks about.
Plants
Yes, they are among the household items you should be careful about because pets are incredibly intrigued by plants. Some of them act like they are attracted by a magnet as soon as you bring a new houseplant around. After smelling the plant, the next favorite activity is chewing and eating it, and this is why you should do your best and put the plant in a hardly accessible place.
Some of the most dangerous plants are Aloe Vera, Jade plants, and several types of lilies. They might be popular household items, but if you are not careful, they can send you straight to the ER. For example, lilies are highly toxic to cats, and even a small nibble or exposure to their pollen can cause fatal kidney failure.
Before welcoming any new plant into your home, make sure you do the research. See what plants are toxic and in which conditions they can affect your pet. You can also choose pet-friendly alternatives like spider plants, Boston ferns, or areca palms.
Medication
They are for sure a necessity for everyone, and this makes them some of the most popular household items that can harm your pet. Medication is meant to save your life, but if you don’t handle it correctly, it can become toxic if it ends up chewed by your pet.
You should always keep prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, and supplements far out of reach for your cats and dogs. One important thing not many mention is that what’s child-proof isn’t necessarily pet-proof. If you have a pill bottle with a safety mechanism, it is clear that a child won’t open it. But what about your pup? Any dog can chew that bottle and get access to your pills.
Common medications such as pain relievers, antidepressants, and blood pressure pills can be highly toxic to pets. Sometimes, even herbal medication and supplements that are harmless to humans can cause severe reactions in pets.
What you should remember is to always store medications in a lockable cabinet or a high, inaccessible shelf. Also, when taking pills, make sure none is dropped on the floor.
If you want to keep your things safe and inaccessible for your pet, try these: 8-Pack Cabinet Locks Baby Proofing – Syican Child Proof Drawer Locks
You should also read: 5 Clever Tricks to Get Your Cat to Drink More Water
