How to Pet-Proof Your Home

Provided by P&G Everyday Solutions

So you're bringing home a furry new family member? You'll want to do what you can to get the relationship off to the right start. This guide will help you identify potential hazards at home and reconfigure your living space to accommodate your new friend.

Pet-Proofing 101

Your pet will become intimately familiar with every inch of your home. So your first task is to get to know your living space even better than she will. Get down on all fours and crawl from room to room. Look at everything from a pet's-eye view and you'll discover a new world. Pay close attention to small, mouth-sized items your pet might want to chew or swallow, such as:

• Loose earrings
• Small fragments of glass
• Empty bottles or aluminum cans
• Electric cords

Pet-Proof Houseplants

Some pets like to nibble and chew on houseplants. While many common varieties of houseplants are harmless, some can be toxic. Consult your local vet to make sure you don't have any plants that could harm your pets. In the meantime, here's a partial list of houseplants that may be harmful:

• Amaryllis
• Asparagus fern
• Azalea
• Bird of paradise
• Creeping Charlie
• Elephant ears
• Local, needlepoint ivy and ripple ivy
• Jerusalem cherry
• Umbrella plant

Pet-Proof:

Your Kitchen

Most pets love to taste new foods. But the safest way to satisfy your pet's culinary curiosities is to feed him delicious-tasting food made especially for pets. That's because some of the foods humans eat are not good for animals. In fact, some foods we take for granted can make pets sick. So, be sure to organize your kitchen in such a way that it's impossible for little Fido to reach food that's not made for him. Some common human foods that are not good for pets include chocolate, grapes, onions, yeast dough, tea leaves and coffee grounds.

Your Bathroom

Medicines that aren’t approved for animal use can of course be very dangerous to your pet. Make sure pain relievers are sufficiently off-limits to your puppy or kitten. Also, keep in mind that other common bathroom items — such as depilatories, suntan lotions, sleeping pills, antihistamines and acetaminophen — can be lethal to pets. Bottom line: Keep all potential dangers up and out of the way, and you'll have nothing to worry about.

Your Garage

There are many potentially hazardous substances in a garage that should be kept well hidden and far away from your curious pet. For example, pets are attracted to the sweet taste of antifreeze, a substance that can be a killer, even if just a small amount is ingested. So be sure to tightly seal antifreeze and store it in a high, out-of-the-way place. Also, remember to wipe up any spills on the garage floor or driveway.

Once you've become as familiar with your home as your pet will, you'll be better able to identify and remove potential hazards.