Household hazards for furry friends 

Families with young children will “baby proof” their house with outlet plugs, baby gates and move breakable objects, but did you know there are many common household hazards for our furry friends too? 

Garbage, plants and flowers, essential oils, and certain foods are all hazardous items for our furry friends.  

Garbage 

One of the most enticing areas to explore for our furry friends are the ones that smell a bit different, like food and bathroom waste in our garbage bins. To prevent exploration within the house, ensure your bins have closed lids or are placed on shelves. 

Plants and flowers 

A nice way to bring the outdoors inside is through plants and flowers throughout our homes. While they add colour and freshness to the home, there are some plants and flowers that can be deadly to our furry friends. Before bringing a plant or flower into your home, check that it does not have any poisonous properties for your furry friends. Read more about plant and flower hazards, including a list of the top 17 most common poisonous plants, below.

Essential oils 

Stress relief and help to sleep are just some of the reasons people turn to essential oils. While they may be helpful to humans, they can be harmful to animals. With much stronger senses of smell, our furry friends can experience great discomfort from oils and diffusers and may even experience dangerous side effects depending on the oil. 

Carbon monoxide 

While a deadly risk for humans, carbon monoxide often affects our animals before humans, as they spend more time indoors and are closer to the ground where carbon monoxide builds. To read more about carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms in animals and how to prevent poisoning, read our blog at https://ontariospca.ca/blog/protecting-pets-from-the-silent-threat-of-carbon-monoxide/.  

Foods 

While it may seem harmless to share a small snack with your furry friend or have them clean scraps off the floor, there is great risk in certain food items to both cats and dogs. Chocolate, grapes and dairy are just a few foods that are very dangerous to our furry friends. For a more comprehensive list, check out our other blogs below.

As members of our family, our furry friends deserve to have a safe home. Keeping our homes clear of common household hazards ensures they can explore their surroundings without harm.  

If this information was helpful, please help us continue to educate about pet health and well-being by making a donation.