Keep Your Pets Safe in Your Garage

If you have young children , your house is likely child-proofed. This may or may not extend to the garage, and if it doesn’t, then you probably don’t let them in that area unattended. We often forget about the need for pet-proofing, however, and every year many pets get injured or sick in the garage. Here are some garage safety tips that you should think about in order to keep Fido and Fluffy safe and sound if they venture into your garage:

Be particularly careful with antifreeze

While most chemicals taste bad and will deter pets, antifreeze is an exception. Its sweet smell and taste lure cats and dogs in, and they might lap up any that is dripping in the garage or left laying around. Unfortunately, antifreeze is also very toxic, and can cause kidney problems and death, even in small amounts. Keep this chemical away from your pets. If you think that your cat or dog has accidentally gotten into it, this is a reason to head to the veterinarian immediately, even if it’s a weekend or at night and you have to go to the emergency vet. Do not induce vomiting; just drive to the nearest veterinarian. With this type of poisoning, every minute counts, so don’t delay. You can buy pet-safe antifreeze. Ask your vet which brands are pet-safe, or check the labels. (These are still toxic and should be kept away from your pets, but they are much less likely to cause severe illness or death.)

Protect your pets from carbon monoxide

Cats and dogs are more susceptible than humans to carbon monoxide poisoning. For your family’s safety, you should have carbon monoxide detectors in your sleeping areas, as well as in your garage, and you should never leave a vehicle running in the garage for any length of time. In some cases, though, your pets can be affected by CO levels that are lower than what might set off an alarm. Some symptoms include weakness, shaky legs and red mucus membranes, such as around the eyes and in the mouth. If you notice these symptoms in your pet, get him outside in the fresh air right away, and if he hasn’t recovered in a few minutes, head to the veterinarian right away.

Watch out for the garage door

A garage door can crush a small dog or a cat if they try to dart underneath it when it’s being closed. The sensor that detects a person walking under the door might be set too high to be triggered by your pet. Your garage door should go back up if it encounters any resistance. One way to check this is to place a roll of paper towels on its side under the open garage door, then shut the door. If it opens back up after hitting the paper towels, then you have a pet-safe garage door. If not, try moving the sensor down or asking a garage door professional to fix the problem.