Via Flickr – by wsilver

It’s truly amazing how much our dogs take care of us. They are our constant companions and are always ready to cheer us up when we need it. But new research is showing our dogs help keep us physically healthy as well.

As this article explains, dogs can boost their owner’s health in “incredible” ways—they help lessen depression, reduce stress, make us less susceptible to heart disease, encourage us to stay active, and improve our social lives. It seems our four-legged friends can be true lifesavers for their owners.

And in return, most pet owners would go to great lengths to protect their pet from harm. Unfortunately, far too often, what ends up making our pets sick are things we never thought to consider. From the chemicals we use on our yards to the plants we use to beautify our homes, common household items often pose a threat to our pets. Here are a few tips on how you can thank your pet for keeping you healthy by protecting them from household hazards.

Carefully store medicines. As CesarsWay.com points out, pill bottles “may be child proof but they certainly aren’t dog proof.” It only takes a second for your dog to gobble up the contents of a spilled bill bottle. The article stresses the importance of keeping medicine containers off nightstands, counters, and any other surface that your pet could easily reach.

Go natural with pest control. For many, pesticides are a necessary part of yard maintenance. However, as this fact sheet from the National Pesticide Information Center indicates when pets breathe in pesticides, get them on their skin, or ingest them they can be extremely harmful. But not to worry, because there are other less harmful options that will still keep your yard pest free. For example, this article on organic pest control options suggests using traps or incorporating plants that are naturally resistant to the pests that are plaguing your yard into the vegetation around your house.

Be careful what you plant. If you do choose to make certain plants part of your pest control regimen, make sure you don’t use plants that could be harmful to your pet. Usually, we hear the most about plant dangers and how they can harm pets during the holidays when poinsettias are on display. But there are many other kinds of plants that can harm pets. For example, the Humane Society provides a comprehensive chart, which lists the plants and plant parts that pose a threat to our four-legged friends.

Doggy-proof the bathroom. A bathroom can be especially hazardous to a curious pooch. As BarkPost.com points out in its article on household hazards, items such as “hair ties, bobby pins, and bath poufs” can look like fun things to chew on for pets but are actually very damaging if swallowed. It also warns that you should be careful what you put in your bathroom trashcan. If your nosey dog, pulls a razor or tossed medicine bottle out of the trash they could find themselves in danger very quickly. Give your bathroom a once-over to make sure there aren’t any hazards lurking.

Our pets watch over us and help keep us healthy, mentally and physically. So, we should do the same for them. When you take steps to avoid these household hazards, you can be all the more confident that you’re keeping your pet safe and healthy.

***

Vee Cecil keeps busy by being a wellness coach, personal trainer and bootcamp instructor in Kentucky. She also recently launched a blog where she shares her passion for health by writing about her favorite tips, activities and recipes.