12 overlooked household hazards for pets

[Catherine]

There are many things in our homes that can be dangerous to our pets. I found a list of twelve hazards that could seriously harm a pet.
Some I knew, but some I hadn't thought of.

https://www.care2.com/greenliving/12-oft...-pets.html

Basically you should pet proof a house the way you would child proof a house. Anything that could be harmful should be kept out of reach or locked away. It might be wise to switch to non toxic products. There are safe ways of cleaning and doing laundry. 
I think most people would consider essential oils safe because they are natural and soaps safe if they are scented with essential oils. If you have any doubt you could Google the product and see if it is safe for pets.

Not all pets are the same. If you bring home a new species of pet you would need to do a pet proofing for that particular pet. It is always best to be too safe than not safe enough.

[Tobi]

There is some very good advice in that article, Catherine.

We don't think like our animals do! What is just an object, a cleaner we always use, or a nail, can be something iinteresting and irresistible to them!

And one thing mentioned there which seems really harmless is staircases! Some people live in apartments with stairs, or have stairs in their houses. It seems like a good idea to play ball with a dog up and down stairs, especially if the human is tired, and the dog is ready to run about.

Now a dog can have the most horrible fall on stairs, or can bust a knee ligament (torn ACL). That is more likely with a dog who doesn't have regular strong muscle-toning exercise every day, or a dog who is getting a bit older -but it can still happen.

Most household cleaners are very toxic and harsh. Even something as benign as washing up liquid. The warnings written on the bottle should make us very careful with stuff like that.

Another VERY dangerous thing is a discarded condom/rubber! It sounds funny that a dog might eat something like that, but they can, and do! And once inside their bellies, they usually don't come out unless by surgery!

[Catherine]

Too many things in our homes are not safe for our pets.  I think most cleaners are too dangerous to use around humans.
They have chemicals that can hurt us. They are definitely too dangerous for out pets.

Anything with plastic, rubber or latex is dangerous. A pet can eat them, but they are going to cause problems in the gut. Condoms are a good example, but so are single use medical gloves. Plastic food wrap is also bad. It can taste of the food it covered, but it can't be digested.

I stopped using candles when I got birds. There is a risk to the birds if they get out and floating feathers are a risk with open flame. It is better to be too cautious than to have a horrible accident with a pet.