Protect pets from lawn chemicals

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by Dr. Sandeman | Sunday, June 11, 2006 3:10 AM CDT | () comments

Tips to keep both your lawn and your pets healthy

Warm rains have transformed local yards into lush, green carpets. Assisting nature’s handiwork is often a homeowner or lawn care specialist that may periodically apply fertilizer, weed control chemical and insecticides to ensure that the yard looks its best.

Concerned pet owners frequently question the safety of these products and the effect they might have on their pets. Here are some tips to help minimize any risk to our four-legged friends:

1. Follow instructions carefully. If applying chemicals yourself, make sure the rate of application or concentration of the products you are using is correct and that any accidental spills are cleaned up promptly. If using a lawn care service, make sure its employees know you have pets.

2. Know what products are being applied to your yard. While most yard chemicals are only mild irritants and poisonings are rare, having a written list of the ingredients that your pet might have been exposed to is invaluable in attaining accurate, prompt medical treatment.

3. Stay off treated areas. Once chemicals have dried and the dust from applying granular products has settled, their safety greatly increases. Keeping pets (and kids) away from the yard for 24 hours is good advice. Today’s lawn care products are much safer to the environment and pets than their predecessors if they are properly applied and the warning labels are closely followed.

Organic and natural products may not always be safer but many are more environmentally friendly and should be considered when options are available.

Watering your yard after any application of yard products can further diminish the risk some chemicals may carry. For more information about safety, ask your lawn care specialist or landscape retailer about their products and enjoy the green.

Questions? Send them to Dr. Sandeman, Home & Garden, Quad-City Times, 500 E. 3rd St., Davenport, IA 52801. Or, email to papertrained@mchsi.com. Dr. Sandeman cannot answer letters or email personally, but questions of general interest will be answered in this column.