WELCOME BACK, again, to Part 3 of our 5-Part Series on the safest practices for Pet Proofing Your Home… From the kitchen to the great outdoors, and everywhere in between, your home has some expected and unexpected hazards that Fido and Tiger may encounter.

HURRY, Before They Sell Out! Get your tickets for the Humane Society of the Nature Coast Fund-Raiser Event, the 13th Annual Fur Ball on Sept. 17th, being held at Silverthorn Country Club. As one of the event’s main sponsors, I hope to see YOU there!

Hazards in the Bedroom, Living Room and Home Office

• While they may smell good, many liquid potpourri products contain ingredients that can cause oral ulcerations and other problems, so keep them out of the reach of your 4-legged friends.
• Just ONE mothball has the potential to sicken a dog or cat. Mothballs that contain naphthalene can cause serious illness, including digestive tract irritation, liver, kidney and blood cell damage. Other life-threatening issues include swelling of the brain tissues, seizures, coma, respiratory tract damage (if inhaled) and even death (if digested).
• Tobacco products and pennies (those minted after 1982 contain zinc) and alkaline batteries (like those in your remote controls) can be hazardous when ingested.
• Keep all medications, lotions or cosmetics off accessible surfaces, like a nightstand.
• Especially with puppies, shoes are a favorite “chew toy” and an obvious danger. Drawing strings, shoes laces and buttons can cause major risks if swallowed. Keep all footwear out of reach at all times.
• Common sense also prevails regarding storing jewelry, hair clips, rubber bands and any other small items totally away from a pet’s exploring nose.
• A fireplace is a danger area as pets can be harmed by flames and flying ashes. A simple screen is probably all that is needed to protect your furry friend. Another over-looked danger is a fire-starter stick. Being somewhat sweet, some dogs cannot resist eating them.
• Wires and cords can also be a problem. Obviously, chewing on a plugged-in cord can electrocute a pet. Tucking cords away or covering them with power strip covers is beneficial to your pet and will also make the room look neater.
• Put away children’s toys and games, especially those with small pieces.
• Put away all sewing and craft notions, especially needles, pins and thread.
• As a general precaution, put anything that is a chewing or choking hazard totally out of reach.
• Be careful that you don’t close your dresser drawers or closet doors without checking first for a soundfully-sleeping Tiger or Fido.
• Baby gates and appropriately-sized crates work well in keeping our 4-legged friends confined to safe areas.

There is good news: A lot of the potential dangers are things your pet will ignore. More good news: You can easily eliminate most of these potential problems. Some of the rules are simply good old common sense, like keeping small objects and items that can easily be eaten or swallowed out of their way. As for other dangers, just look around from your pet’s point of view and see what objects might be tempting and troublesome. The old saying… “a place for everything, and everything in its place” is especially fitting for homes with Furry Friends. Get smart, and put your things away when you aren’t using them, especially any kind of medication or cleaning products. If you’ve been meaning to organize your home, now is the time to manage the clutter and make sure your family knows where household items belong.

Being one of the 80 million households in the Unites States who cohabitants with a Furry Friend, I know that we all work very hard to keep our buddies happy and healthy.

We hope you found this post to be helpful, informative and interesting… Watch for our next BLOG POST on September 22th as we continue our 5-Part Series on Pet Proofing Your Home. To learn more about Tampa Bay area homes for sale in Spring Hill and Brooksville, located in Hernando County, Florida, visit us at www.GailSellsFloridaHomes.com… Be sure to check out our custom, state-of-the-art, MLS Map Search Feature, which you’ll find to be fully functional on any and all of your devices!