Fertilizers Effects on Cats and Dogs If your pet consumes commercial lawn fertilizer, it could cause some serious health issues like abdominal pain, excessive drooling, vomiting, discolored gums, bowel obstruction, difficulty breathing, cardiac arrest, and even inflammation of the liver and pancreas.
While commercial fertilizers may provide nutrition for plants, they contain harmful chemicals which are toxic to dogs. Your dog can accidentally consume these chemicals when they are sprinkled on the lawn or garden just by running and playing outside and then grooming himself.
Our Favorite Pet-Safe Lawn and Garden Care Products
Granular Fertilizer As you spread the tiny pellets, they are easily visible across the grass blades. A solid watering across the entire lawn forces the fertilizer down into the soil. Allow pets back onto the lawn after 24 hours have elapsed from the last time you saw granules on the grass blades.
Dogs exposed to lawn chemicals have herbicides in their urine. More serious concerns exist, as well: according to a recent study published in the journal Environmental Research, dogs exposed to herbicide-treated lawns have an elevated risk of developing bladder cancer.
Roundup And Lawn Chemicals Are Linked To Cancer In Dogs A growing body of research shows Roundup is an endocrine disruptor, kills beneficial gut bacteria and damages DNA. Lawn chemicals have also been shown to increase the risk of bladder cancer in a 2013 study.
After 48 hours, most fertilizers are considered safe for pets to roam around freely. However, it's a good practice to always read the fertilizer warning label and follow proper application instructions; many state a specific period of time your pet must stay off the lawn.
Pet-Friendly Fertilizers
The 9 Best Pet-Friendly Weed Killers: Just For Pets Weed Killer Spray. Energen Carolina Vinegar Weed & Grass Killer. Green Gobbler Vinegar Weed & Grass Killer. Doctor Kirchner Natural Weed & Grass Killer.
Clinical Signs In dogs and cats, toxic components of fertilizers are typically nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which are poorly absorbed. Systemic clinical signs are rare but, when present, primarily relate to gastrointestinal irritation.
There's a relatively small window when your dog is most fertile during the heat cycle; it may begin about nine or ten days after she goes into heat and lasts about five days. However, she can become pregnant until the end of the cycle.
Use a carbamate insecticide to kill the earthworms. Some carbamate insecticides include carbaryl (Sevin), bendiocarb (Turcam) and propoxure (Baygon). Use about as much insecticide to kill the earthworms as you would to kill grubs, which is generally 4 to 8 lb.
Best Grass for Dogs
The first symptom of fertilizer toxicity you're likely to see in your dog is gastric upset. Vomiting, diarrhea, drooling, and nausea are all early symptoms of a problem. For the more toxic fertilizers, or in the case of large ingestions, you may also see abdominal pain, stiff walking, weakness, or seizures.
What if my dog was poisoned by mulch or fertilizer? If you suspect that your dog may have been exposed to something poisonous, contact your veterinarian or emergency veterinarian immediately. When in doubt, call ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.
Symptoms of Fertilizer Poisoning in Dogs Vomiting, diarrhea, drooling, and nausea are all early symptoms of a problem. For the more toxic fertilizers, or in the case of large ingestions, you may also see abdominal pain, stiff walking, weakness, or seizures.