A Pet-Friendly Garden (1 of 3)
Written by Bradford gardener Christopher Jackson of Four Season Garden Maintenance based in Wrose, Bradford.
Figures from the RSPCA showed that at the last count in 2015 homes in the U.K. own over 8.5 million dogs and over 7.4 million cats. The study also mentioned that 1 out of every 2 of these homes with a pet have a garden.
We rarely discuss how safe our garden is for our pets, and by this I mean plants. There are lots of garden plants, house plants and cut flowers that are toxic and sometimes even fatal to our cats and dogs.
If you have a new precious puppy or kitten that is venturing out in to the big wide world you will ensure it has had all the relevant injections etc. from the vets so that it can start exploring. Did you consider the plants in your garden?
Some dogs are natural foragers, it is in their nature. They will dig and eat anything they find, and this does not always apply to young dogs either, some dogs never grow out of this.
Cats are the same, even if your cat is more likely to play with a plant than eat it, it can still pick up the dangerous toxins from many different parts of a plant. So when they clean themselves they are digesting these toxins and ending up ill, or worse causing long term damage and even fatalities.
Recently, as a gardener (and the owner of two Siberian Huskies)I am coming across more species of plants and flowers that I have to research on to find out just how safe they are.
I think this is because as we now have a much easier access to species of plants from other nations and habitats. We would not normally (or our pets) be able to see these plants in person, let alone find them on the shelf of the local garden centre.
Another aspect of danger to your pet in the garden is the products you use on those plants. They only have to brush past them and they can contaminate their fur and they at risk of poisoning.
This is article 1 of 3 and I will keep you up to date with what information I have as an avid gardener and pet lover to keep your pets safe and well.
If you have any question in the meantime, please email me on
info@fourseasongardenmaintenance.co.uk
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www.fourseasongardenmaintenance.co.uk