If you're a new pet owner, you likely know about how you're not supposed to feed your pet certain foods like chocolate. You have also likely learned to keep things off the ground lest your pet chew on them. Pets, especially dogs, can be overly curious about things they find lying on the ground. The animals are prone to eating or chewing on what they find, and that's problematic because so much natural debris is toxic to pets. Balancing your pet's natural desire to chew and eat things with keeping them safe doesn't have to be difficult. But you do have to be vigilant and take specific actions. If you are careful, your pet can enjoy being outside without you worrying about what they're trying to ingest.
Switch Plants Out
A first step is to look over the plants in your yard and see which ones are poisonous to pets, and switch them with nonpoisonous plants if possible. Old trees might be difficult to change out, but annuals can go, and even smaller perennial bushes can be switched out. There's no sense in having anything in the yard that could possibly hurt your pet.
Clean Up Yard Regularly
Another one of the main steps is to keep your yard as clean as possible, removing leaves, twigs, berries, and anything else that might have fallen off a plant. Even if your yard is relatively plantless, debris can still blow in on windy days. If you keep your yard as clean as possible, and if you've removed poisonous plants, you can let your pet run around there without having to watch it like a hawk.
Watch Pet Closely When out for a Walk
However, you'll still need to watch the pet closely when you're out of the yard. For example, when you take your dog for a walk or take your cat to the park for leash and harness training, it's easy to get distracted and look away as your pet sniffs the ground and noses around there. Unless your pet is napping or is sitting calmly in front of you, keep an eye trained on the pet at all times.
There are a good number of plants that you need to keep your pets away from, and the specific list changes depending on your location. Talk to a vet about locally grown plants that you need to be aware of, and also find out what steps to take should the pet show signs of plant poisoning. For more information, check out websites like http://www.1stPetVet.com.
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