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Buyer Guides

Pet-safe yard products: what to look for and what to avoid

Sara Park 2025-05-20 7 min

Here's a plain-English guide to the products you'll encounter at Home Depot, Lowe's, and the local nurseries.

The real hazards

  • Metaldehyde snail bait. Often fatal. Use Sluggo iron phosphate instead.
  • Rodenticides. Internal bleeding. Use snap traps.
  • Certain herbicides. Especially 2,4-D combo products.
  • Cocoa mulch. Contains theobromine.
  • Fertilizers with iron supplements.

    • Plants worth knowing about

  • Sago palm. Liver failure. Often fatal.
  • Oleander. All parts toxic.
  • Foxtails. Mechanically dangerous. Mow before May.
  • Azaleas and rhododendrons.

    • What's actually safe

  • Weeds: Vinegar-based (Avenger, BurnOut)
  • Lawn fertilizer: Milorganite, Espoma
  • Snails: Iron phosphate (Sluggo)
  • Ant control: Bait stations (Terro)
  • Mulch: Cedar, redwood. Skip cocoa.

    • Habits

  • Read the label, not the front of the bag
  • Respect the reentry interval
  • Store everything locked up
  • ASPCA Poison Control: 888-426-4435
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