How Weed and Moss Killers Affect Pet Safety
Be guarded in the garden!
It’s the time of year that many of us are enjoying a spot of gardening again. The warmer weather and increased daylight hours have injected new life into our gardens, but sadly this is often accompanied by the return of those pesky weeds. We all want luscious lawns for summer – but before reaching for lawn fertilisers, weed and moss killers, it is important to consider the safety of using these products around our pets.
There are lots of different chemicals used in herbicides which can be harmful to your pet. Common compounds include; glyphosate, surfactants (quaternary ammonium compounds, chlorophenoxy derivatives), fatty acids (pelargonic acid) and ferrous sulphate. In order to provide a convenient, multipurpose product, some manufacturers will include several active ingredients.
Your pet may be exposed through ingestion (eating treated grass or licking paws after walking on treated areas), inhalation (if sprays are used) or through contact with their skin.
Signs of exposure
- Skin irritation
- Mouth ulcers
- Drooling and nausea
- Vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain
- Lethargy and weakness
- Reduced appetite
- Tremors
How can I reduce the risks to my pet?
Practical advice includes; manually removing weeds, using pet-safe products, making sure products are kept in a secure place that your pet cannot access, always following the manufacturer’s instructions, wiping your pet’s paws when they come in from the garden and prevent them from eating grass or plants in the garden.
Prevention is better than cure, so it is advisable to try to avoid your pets coming into contact with these chemicals in the first place.
If you are concerned your pet might have been poisoned then contact your vet.
What should I do if I think my pet has eaten something it shouldn’t have?
These instances require immediate action from you as a pet owner to minimise the risk of any serious consequences.
Your vet only has a short, limited time frame to try to minimise the absorption of poisons before they can cause harm and so an immediate appointment is essential and potentially life-saving.
Follow the simple steps on this page and always remember the word S.P.E.E.D in the future.
S Stop access to any poison
It may seem obvious but can the pet get hold of any more of the substance (i.e. if it’s in your garden)? If so keep your pet away from anything you suspect as dangerous.
P Phone the vet
This is an emergency and must be dealt with immediately.
E Emergency appointment
You cannot ‘wait and see’ with poisons as many do not affect your pet straight away and some can take several days to show symptoms, all the while doing damage to the inside before you see signs on the outside. Getting your pet seen immediately gives you the best chance to get effective treatment for your pet before you reach a potential point of no return.
E Evidence
Knowing what the potential poison is will really help your Vet make a rapid diagnosis and create the best treatment protocol for a successful recovery. If you have a label of the substance, bring it. If you don’t have a label but have access to the substance then bring a sample to the vet for testing (only if it is safe to do so and you are not putting yourself or anyone else in danger). If you don’t have a label or a sample but you animal has been sick, then bring a sample of this with you (if safe to do so) as the ingredient may be present in the vomit. If you don’t have access to any of these then don’t worry as your pet’s blood can be tested.
D Don’t delay!
You cannot afford to wait, act now!
