Any dog owner can tell you that these loyal and loving creatures each have personalities and habits all their own. However, one of the things they all have in common is a natural inclination to explore their surroundings, both indoors and outdoors. This means that they can and often do get into things that they shouldn't and that you would prefer they didn't. When it comes to your backyard, you may think that it is a safe space for your dog, but this may not be accurate. Get to know and understand some of the safety concerns in your backyard so that if issues do arise, you can head to the emergency vet as soon as possible. 

Construction Supplies in Your Yard

When you are remodeling your home, repairing your roof, or even building a storage shed or dog house, you will inevitably have supplies and equipment laying around. However, the items that you leave out in your backyard could be dangerous to your pet's health. For example, if you are building a metal shed, you will have the metal panels for the shed walls and roof waiting for you to erect the frame and install them.

While you may not think that your dog would run into or attempt to mess with that metal paneling, they very well might do so. If your dog is chasing a squirrel or running around playing, they may accidentally or intentionally run into the sheet metal and could easily cut themselves on it. In such cases, the cuts are usually deep and require immediate veterinary attention for stitches and infection prevention.

So, if you have construction supplies in your backyard, try to fence them off with construction fencing or cover them when not in use to protect your dog. But, also be aware that you may need to head to the emergency vet for treatments should your dog still find their way into those supplies.

Lawn Maintenance Chemicals

When you want to make your lawn as lush and beautiful as possible, you often turn to lawn care companies and products that kill and prevent weeds and unwanted pests from damaging your grass. However, these lawn chemicals can be health hazards for your dogs.

The pellets and sprayed chemicals on your lawn can cause skin irritation and discomfort for your dog, particularly on the pads of their paws. And when dogs feel such discomfort, they chew on and lick their paws to try to find some relief. This means they will inadvertently find themselves consuming your lawn chemicals. 

This can cause minor stomach discomfort, diarrhea, and vomiting. In some cases it can cause severe health concerns such as respiratory distress and even eventual bladder cancer. So, before you treat your lawn with chemicals and allow your dog to run around out in that grass, consider the potential health concerns for your dog as well as the fact that they will bring those chemicals into your home when they come back in. 

As you can see, even in your backyard, you will need to carefully monitor the health and safety of your dog. So, be sure to watch out for any potential dangers and keep the contact information for the emergency vet (like those at Metzger Animal Hospital) easily accessible just in case.