Pet ownership is a lifechanging experience. Like every other important member of your family, you want to provide a safe environment where your pet can be happy and healthy.
Read on to learn some pet safety tips and tricks to protect your pet from the dangers that often go disregarded until it’s too late.
IS YOUR HOME SAFE ENOUGH FOR YOUR PET?
It might not occur to you until you get home with your first pet, but the way your house is organized might not make sense anymore. Even seasoned pet owners learn that they won’t have everything set up just right for their new pet. Before you worry about anything else, take your home into account.
When it comes to baby animals like kittens and especially puppies, the preparation needed to create a safe home environment for your pet is even more essential.
“It’s almost like babyproofing,” says South Shore Humane Society President Jennifer Inzana. “Put away anything important to you until your pet grows up a little bit.”
Kitchens and bathrooms
- Pets have been known to pry cabinets open with their paws. Childproof latches can keep that issue at bay.
- But what if they get into a cabinet or a low shelf and find medicine, cleaners or other unsafe chemicals? This one is easy: move those items to high shelves they can’t reach.
- Keep food out of reach. There are a lot of foods that can be harmful to animals, not to mention the wrappers!
- Move trash cans into a locked cabinet or cap them, to avoid temptation.
- Keep that toilet seat closed! Aside from being gross, there can be cleaning chemicals in a toilet, and there is always the potential drowning risk.
Living room
- Keep small things out of reach—children’s toys, sewing and craft items, especially thread.
- Watch out for wires! Lamps, televisions, stereos and other electronics pose a major safety risk if your pet is likely to chew or yank on wires.
- All the places your vacuum doesn’t reach could potentially have dangerous items, so make sure to clean those spots out.
- Some houseplants are poisonous, so make sure to keep them out of reach!
Bedrooms
- Don’t close a cozy kitten inside closets and drawers. Carefully check for your wandering feline beforehand.
- Shoes and laundry with strings and buttons pose a major safety risk, especially if your pet is likely to chew or swallow them. These items should be kept behind a closed door.
- Make sure cosmetics, lotions or medications are kept off accessible surfaces.
Outside
Inzana says there are inherent safety risks to having pets outside, especially cats.
“If you are going to let your cats outside, be ready for the vet expenses,” she says.
She points to poisons intended to kill rodents and insects causing issues for pets. And the biggest risk actually isn’t your pet ingesting the chemical directly.
“Cats have been poisoned by eating a poisoned mouse,” she says.
Inzana also advises every pet owner to microchip their pets. In the event that your pet is lost, the chip can be scanned by a veterinarian or animal shelter to determine ownership of your pet, or even to help rescuers care for your pet properly if it has a health condition.
HOW DO I KEEP MY PET SAFE FROM A FIRE?
According to the National Fire Protection Association, almost 1,000 fires are started by pets every year, but these incidents are largely preventable. So what can you do to keep your pet’s safety in mind?
The Home Basics
Don’t leave your pets unattended around open flames, fires or cooking appliances. They are curious and may look to explore the fire or hot surface. In fact, when you leave home, removing or covering stove nobs is another easy technique to prevent your pets’ investigative nature to elevate to a potential danger.
When your pets are young, it’s advisable to place them in a secure spot like a crate or closed area away from potential fire hazards whenever you’re not at home to supervise them.
Lights and candles
If your pet tends to chew things, watch out for electrical cords. Secure them in places where a pet can’t get to them. Another option if your pet is a chewer: try spraying bitter apple spray on the cord itself to discourage the behavior altogether.
Candles add to the atmosphere, but they’re an obvious pet safety risk because they can be knocked over. Flameless candles have a lightbulb and won’t start a fire if toppled.
Help first responders
No matter how thorough you are following the fire prevention tips above, accidents can still happen. It’s important to know how to keep your pet safe in the case of a fire? The first step is to put a pet alert sign on your door. This will tell first responders if you have pets, what type of pets they are as well as descriptions of appearance, their name and who their veterinarian is.
Make a fire evacuation plan and include your pet. Learn where your pet’s typical hiding spots are, and if you can’t quickly find them make sure to leave doors open behind you. Know where the home’s exits are and where to meet outside. Practice a fire drill a few times every year, including the steps needed to keep your pet safe.
>> WHILE YOU’RE AT IT, KEEP YOURSELF SAFE WHILE DRIVING WITH THESE TIPS
HOW DO I KEEP MY PET SAFE DURING AN EMERGENCY?
When disaster strikes and you need to think on your feet, the best defense is a good plan. Aside from planning for yourself and your family, you need to consider your furry friend. So before an unexpected emergency occurs, prepare yourself to keep your pet safe.
Know where to find key safety items your pet needs
It may sound obvious, but when you’re frazzled and need to leave the house, just knowing where to find everything you need is vital. Make a list of your necessary items and keep them in consistent reliable places. Recommended items include:
- Leash, collar, and identification tags
- Food and water
- Medication
- Updated photo of your pet in case you’re separated
- Your pet’s medical conditions and veterinarian’s contact information
Knowing pet CPR could safe your animal’s life
Animals eat all sorts of things, and pets are no exception. They’ll eat the food you give them but that won’t stop them from chewing on other things as well, from sticks to trash or any of a hundred other things. Sometimes that can lead to an emergency choking situation. There are a variety of places to learn how to help a choking pet is a great way to ensure your pet will be safe even in this worst-case scenario.
Knowing how to perform CPR could save your pet’s life, so ask your vet where you can learn the technique! If you’re looking for a good general first-aid class to start out with, check out the online training offered by the American Red Cross for cats and dogs. In addition, the Red Cross offers a Pet First-Aid app for quick reference during an emergency.
KECHES LAW GROUP CAN HELP IF YOU HAVE A PET-RELATED INJURY
Contact our personal injury lawyers to help you throughout the process if you need to file a lawsuit because of a pet-related injury.
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