We’ve all witnessed a dog or cat charge into the yard to chomp on green grass, just like we’ve all cleaned up the resulting, imminent mess. While a little grass won’t hurt your pets, there are quite a few common household plants that are dangerous for them to ingest. Take stock of where you’ve placed your houseplants and decide if any new are too dangerous to keep.

Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is commonly used to treat burns. And it might be the most useful household plant in your collection – useful for humans that is. Unfortunately, this plant is toxic to our four-legged friends. Aloe vera causes reactions like vomiting and diarrhea, but it can also cause tremors and depression if snacking continues.

English Ivy

As beautiful as ivy cuttings and hanging baskets in your home can be, the sap contains a toxin called triterpenoid saponin. The foliage itself is the most dangerous part, but keep any berries out of reach, too.

Baby’s Breath

Not that you don’t already try, but keep flower arrangements out of your pets’ reach. Baby’s breath causes diarrhea and vomiting if ingested by your pet, and it’s in almost every flower arrangement.

Begonia

The roots and tubers of this plant are its most harmful parts. Keep your pets from digging at this by moving it to a higher shelf.

Gladiola

A vibrant flower for floral arrangements, the bulb is the most dangerous part of the plant. That doesn’t mean you should let your kitties take any chances by chewing on the stem.

Lilies

Commonly known as a funeral flower, lilies put cats at high risk. They are extremely toxic to cats, but not dogs. Even the littlest bit can be harmful. Lilies cause kidney failure, so it’s best to keep them out of a cat-friendly home.

Cyclamen

Another popular potted plant, cyclamen is toxic to dogs and cats. Fatalities have been reported in some cases, though they aren’t common. The root is the most harmful part of this plant.

Poinsettia

The holiday season is often a dangerous time of year for pets. You probably already know that the poinsettia plant isn’t good for your pets. The good news is that it isn’t the harbinger of death as often depicted. It’ll just cause stomach and mouth irritation. Keep it out of reach — or out of the house entirely.

Pathos

This common container plant causes swelling and irritation to tissue in your pets’ mouth and within their gastrointestinal tract. The damage will occur if the plant has been chewed and not swallowed — though swallowing will cause a stronger reaction.

Tomato Plant

You might not grow tomatoes indoors year round, but many gardeners start their seeds indoors. Keep your pets away from these plants. They generally aren’t deadly, but your pets will be very uncomfortable if they ingest the seedlings.

To keep the pets in your house safe year round, keep the highest risk plants, such as lilies, out of the house. Be sure to keep all others out of reach. Your four-legged friends will thank you for helping them resist temptation.

It should come as no surprise that the cheapest and most widely available pet foods are just as unhealthy as cheap, widely available human foods.  Unfortunately, most mainstream foods for cats and dogs are overly processed and don’t even meet animals’ basic nutritional needs.

When we assess pet food, we look for products that most closely mimic what the animal’s diet would be like in the wild.  Cats and dogs are both carnivores – in nature their daily diet is high on protein and low on carbohydrates.

Despite the fact that this is widely known, many of the most common pet foods feature recipes that are exactly the opposite – low in protein and high in carbs, chemicals, and preservatives, which are just as bad for your pets as they are for you.

No pet owners intentionally feed their pets unhealthy food; if a dog or cat’s diet is lacking in nutrition, it’s almost always because their owner is either uninformed or cannot afford to regularly buy healthier options.  Whichever the case, you should at least avoid buying foods with these 5 harmful ingredients.

Meat “Products”

 In a natural setting, your dogs and cats would be eating fresh prey, like rabbits and mice, which are unadulterated, high quality protein.  That’s why it’s such a shame that so many brands stuff their foods with extremely low quality meat “products.”  Meat by-product and meat and bone meal consist of ingredients that not legally allowed to be put into human food.  However, like most harmful ingredients, these products are much cheaper than the real thing.

Both meat by-product and meat/bone meal are made up of all animal parts, such as bones, lungs, feet, heads, intestines and blood.  The worst part is that these parts can be taken from any and all animals, including the 4 D’s:  dead, dying, diseased, or disabled at the time of slaughter.  This meat is almost entirely unregulated and can be contaminated or diseased.  No pet owner wants to be feeding their beloved pet such polluted food.

Animal Fat 

Animal fat is sometimes known as “tallow” and is derived in a pretty nasty process.  When an ingredient is just listed as “animal fat,” and not as a specific type of animal, it is often a generic mix of animal parts, grease from restaurants, or other oils that wouldn’t be allowed to be used in products for humans. The rendering process that results in this fat involves boiling any and all animal parts available along with used restaurant grease.  The top layer of fat is skimmed off and used in many pet foods.

Beef tallow is also a common ingredient – it’s used to make low-quality pet foods taste better, but offers no nutritional value.   You want to look for pet foods that include specific types of animal fats, such as chicken or poultry fat, which is derived and preserved in a healthy manner.

 Corn

 Corn and grains constitute large amounts of low-quality pet foods, despite the fact that dogs and cats would not be ingesting corn or grains in the wild.  These inexpensive ingredients are used as a cheap filler that helps add substance to the paltry amount of actual protein in the recipe.  The corn or grain products are high in calories, so they make dogs and cats feel full, but don’t give them what they need to stay healthy.  Given too many carbohydrates, dogs and cats can develop obesity and diabetes

There are many excellent brands on the market that don’t contain any corn or grain fillers.  Granted, they are a bit pricier, but that’s because they actually contain high-quality ingredients, which cost more.  These options are much easier on animals’ digestive systems and will not cause allergic reactions the way foods with fillers will.  Though it may be hard to find these at your standard grocery or convenient store, they’re readily available online or in specialty pet stores.

Sugar

 There is absolutely no reason for any type of sweetening agent to be included in your pet’s food.  The only reason it’s used at all is to mask the unpalatable quality of the other ingredients and provide empty, cheap calories.  Keep an eye out for any version of sugar:  cane molasses, corn syrup, sorbitol, fructose, glucose, or propylene glycol.  Be sure to avoid any product that lists sugar in the first several ingredients.

If the food has to include sweeteners, you should ask yourself why the food isn’t appetizing enough as is.  If it contains high-quality proteins, you won’t be able to keep your furry friends away from it.  Also, if pets are regularly fed high-sugar recipes, they can become dependent on sweet foods, making it difficult to transition them to healthier options.  Not to mention that excessive sweeteners can eventually cause serious medical problems such as obesity, hypoglycemia, arthritis, tooth decay, and allergic reactions.

Preservatives

Are you starting to see a pattern here?  Many of the qualities that make pet food unhealthy are the very same ones that make processed human food unhealthy.  Methods of producing food cheaply are very similar across the board, except pets have it even worse.  Most common, inexpensive pet foods on your grocery’s shelves feature chemical preservatives like propyl gallate, ethoxyquin, BHT, and BHA.  The last two, in fact, cannot legally be used in human products in many countries, but are still legal in the U.S.

All of these chemicals have been associated with dangerous illnesses such as cancer and liver disease.  Fortunately, there are some effective preservatives that don’t cause health problems.  Look for foods that include natural preservatives: rosemary oil, vitamin E (tocopherols) and vitamin C (ascorbic acid).

Navigating the pet food aisle can be just as challenging as making sense of the rest of the grocery store.  Organic?  All natural?  Low fat?  Fat free?  Translating food labels is not for the faint of heart.  But, you should invest a bit of time finding a high quality pet food that’s convenient and affordable for you to buy on a regular basis.

The best possible option is a BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) diet, which consists of raw meats, organs, bones and even raw eggs.  Following this diet takes some commitment but has a huge payoff:  your pets will have far fewer health problems and enjoy their food much more.  You can always start the transition by incorporating some raw foods into what you’re already feeding your pets.  Check out BARF World to learn more about getting started.

Given that your bet is a beloved member of your family, it only makes sense to take special care in deciding what goes in his little body so that he can stay healthy and happy for many years to come

1. Cayenne Pepper – Most cats have an aversion to cayenne pepper. Sprinkling a small amount around your planter can help keep the kitties away from the plant itself.

2. Aquarium Gravel – Unlike other surfaces, gravel is much too grainy for cats to really get comfortable on. It not only makes an uncomfortable bed, they  do not like the feel of the rocks on the pads of their feet. A thin layer on your top soil can be enough to keep them out of the planter.

3. Mesh Screening – Window screen is actually cheap if you purchase it in a roll. By using a few pieces of wood, you can create a mesh box around your plants. TA mesh box will allow sunlight and water in, while keeping kitties out. .

4. Citrus Peels – Citrus peels are a potent way to keep cats at bay. Place peels around your planters or gardens to provide a layer of protection for your plants. Once they dry, these peels double as compost filling in your garden.

5. Tin Foil – Tin foil is another texture that cats find unappealing. Some people have had a degree of success deterring cats by placing sheets of it on or around the area.

6. Coffee Grounds – Kitties don’t like the smell of coffee grounds. Sprinkle them around your garden and most cats will move on to another space.

7. Spray Bottle – And then there is always behavior modification. Arm yourself with a spray bottle and squirt every cat that comes near your garden. They will soon learn that your garden is off limits.

It is in a cat’s nature to use prefer soft soil for a litter box or a bed.  By making the area as uncomfortable or unappealing as possible, you greatly reduce the chance of your planters being used as bathrooms or beds. While not all of the above suggestions will work for every cat, each has been used with varying degrees of success. If any other methods have worked for you, please comment, and let us know.

To repel fleas, keep your dog smelling like citrus and garlic. To make your own repellnt, put 3 cloves of garlic, the peels from 1 orange and 1 grapefruit, 1 tablespoon of rosemary and 1 pint of water into a blender. Blend until liquefied, and then heat the concoction at a simmer for 20 minutes. Allow it to cool and strain. Put the liquid in a spray bottle and spray your pets before they go outside. During flea season, add sulfur and garlic to your pet’s food for additional protection.

Fleas, like any parasite, are more attracted to sickly animals. Therefore, your best line of defense against flea infestation is a healthy diet.  A diet of raw meat with vegetables and cod liver oil (with DHA) is much healthier than any store bought food. Some companies sell raw ground meat for pets with various organ parts and bones mixed in. But if you buy prepackaged raw food for your pet, make sure the meat is produced the right way. For instance, if you’re buying beef, it should be from free range, grass fed, hormone free, antibiotic free cows.