It's become standard for expectant parents to walk carefully through their homes, identifying and eliminating all potential hazards to their baby's health and safety. But houses and apartments can also hold many hidden dangers for our pets. To ensure that our cats and dogs are around for years to come, it's important to take the time to pet-proof our homes.
New York journalist Nina Munk is the founder and chief executive of Urbanhound: the city dog's ultimate survival guide. She has also written for national magazines from Forbes to The New Yorker, and lives happily in Manhattan's Gramercy Park with her husband Pablo, their new baby boy, and a dog named Mack. Here, Nina explains a few important steps you can take to make your home safer for your four-legged friends:
- Antifreeze. Many pets think that antifreeze tastes sweet and will drink it without hesitation. But this chemical can kill pets very quickly, and should always be kept in a sealed container well out of reach.
- House plants. Dogs and cats like to chomp on whatever houseplants they can reach, and while many common varieties are harmless, others can contain harmful—possibly fatal—toxins. Check with your local vet or plant nursery to make sure you don't have any plants that could harm your pets.
- Medicines. According to Munk, many people are surprised to hear that pain relievers like Tylenol, aspirin and ibuprofen can be dangerous to pets, and may cause severe stomach ulcers in dogs. Never give any medicine to your pet if a vet has not prescribed it, and keep drugs where your pet cannot get to them.
For more information on pet care and safety, check out the following organizations and websites:
Urbanhound
www.urbanhound.com/
US Food and Drug Administration: Provide a Safe Home for your Pet
www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/kids/html/safe_home.htm
Safe Within: Pat Safety- Household Dangers
www.safewithin.com/petsafe/pet.house.cgi
Furr Angels: Toxic Plants
www.furr-angels.com/toxicplants.htm
The Humane Society of the United States
www.hsus.org/ace/352
American Humane Association
www.americanhumane.org/
Next: Pets on the Bed
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