Kittens and puppies are naturally inquisitive. This characteristic can often lead to serious injury. Here are some tips on how you can make your house safer for them.

• Keep electrical wires, plastic bags, ribbons, rubber bands, hair ties and anything small enough to be eaten out of reach.
• Keep all human medications, cosmetics, and pet medications secured.
• Common household/garage cleaning agents, antifreeze, gasoline, rat poison, and lawn chemicals are all potentially lethal and MUST be kept locked.
• Several human foods are extremely harmful including alcohol, chocolate, coffee, grapes and raisins, macadamia nuts, raw meat, onions, garlic, and items containing xylitol (an artificial sweetener). Depending on the amount consumed, your pet may experience mild diarrhea and vomiting or could develop kidney failure, abnormal heart rhythm, seizures, and even death.
• Do NOT offer cooked bones as they can splinter and cause serious injury or cause an obstruction in the stomach or intestines.
• Watch out for hot irons, coffee pots, and space heaters, and always use a fireplace screen.
• Keep covers on hot tubs and swimming pools.
• Secure all trash cans so contents cannot be reached.
• Keep poisonous plants such as lilies, philodendron, dieffenbachia, elephant ears, eucalyptus, spider plants, azalea, ivy, amaryllis, pyracantha, oleander, boxwood, and many others out of reach. A full list of poisonous plants can be found at aspca.org.
• Watch out for hot irons, coffee pots, and space heaters, and always use a fireplace screen.
• Keep toilet seats and clothes dryers closed.
• Secure all trash cans so contents cannot be reached.
• Beware of essential oils or diffusers.
• Keep all candles out of reach.
• When you cannot supervise your puppy, ensure it is in a safe enclosure like a crate.