I came across this article on Dr. Mercola’s website, and I found it quite interesting and useful, though I have some disagreements regarding food. I’ve partially based this article on it and added ideas from my own experience, but fundamentally, I believe this article is helpful.
Bringing a new dog (whether a puppy or an adult) into your home is an exciting but also stressful time. There’s a lot to do to ensure that your new furry friend’s arrival is a positive and joyful experience. It’s easy to overlook something, even something potentially dangerous.
To make sure that the arrival of your new pup in the family is a success, you need to ensure that your home is a safe place for a curious and active puppy or an adult who needs some help transitioning to a new and unfamiliar environment.
Here are some tips for you:
- Securely close all containers with household cleaning products like bleach, detergent, bathroom and kitchen cleaners, etc. They all contain potentially toxic agents that can poison or even kill your dog if consumed. Store them out of their reach in cabinets with latches, especially if your dog is particularly curious or determined.
- Keep garden products like pesticides, insecticides, fertilizers, herbicides, or car maintenance products like antifreeze, in closed cabinets that your pup can’t access. If you have a garden and use chemical products for maintenance, I recommend that you no longer do so, or that you exercise extreme caution, as lawn pesticides can lead to lymphoma in dogs, and herbicides are associated with bladder cancer.
- Food wrappings like aluminum foil and plastic may not seem dangerous, but if they contain food particles or have a delicious scent, your pup might ingest them, which could cause gastrointestinal issues. I recommend throwing these wrappings in a trash can your dog can’t reach.
- Be extremely cautious if you have chemical pest control products like rodenticides at home because these products can contain bromethalin, a poison for which there’s currently no antidote. Other rodent poisons without antidotes include vitamin D analogs, strychnine, and zinc phosphate.
- Keep all medicines in your home, including your dog’s medicine, cannabis or tobacco, etc., in closed containers out of their reach. Over-the-counter and prescription medicines are responsible for thousands of pet poisonings each year. Be very careful and quickly pick up any pills that may fall on the floor.
- There are some foods that can be toxic to dogs if given in large quantities, such as grapes, chocolate, or raisins. However, giving your pup a taste or sharing when you’re eating is fine. As Paracelsus, a Swiss physician, alchemist, and astrologer said, “All things are poison, and nothing is without poison”. In other words, “only the dose makes the poison”. But be cautious with foods that are high in fat if given regularly because it could lead to pancreatitis.
- If you have plants in your home, some can be toxic to dogs; like aloe, Adam and Eve, begonia, laurel, holly, mistletoe, lily, etc. Be careful and keep them out of your dog’s reach.
- Puppies and even some adult dogs may chew on electric cords if they’re within their reach, risking electric shock or swallowing. Keep cords as short as possible and, if necessary, secure them to the wall or baseboard to prevent them from being chewed.
- You probably have many sharp or cutting objects at home, like scissors, knives, forks, nails, thumbtacks, etc. Any of these can harm your companion if they swallow, step on, or bump into them while playing or running around the house.
- Home renovations, like insulation work, can cause severe internal issues for your dog if they swallow the substances used in the process. So, if you plan to do something like that, make sure not to leave materials on the floor that could harm your dog.
Remember: Preparing your home before the new family member arrives means securing everything that could potentially be toxic or harmful in your house, garage, yard, or garden, including medicines, cleaning products, electrical cords, plants that could be poisonous if ingested, as well as any sharp objects.
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Yours in canine health,
Carlos
