IT’S YOUR NATURE
  • Martin Byhower home & plant Business info
    • About Me
    • My landscape service fees
    • Reviews
    • Contact me
    • Other Services
  • Why plant native plants?
  • Examples of my work
  • Getting rid of turf!
  • Photo Gallery of the plants I use
    • Large / Shade trees
    • Ornamental / small to medium trees
    • Perennial Flowering shrubs
    • Flowering Perennials
    • Evergreen shrubs
    • Vines
    • Cactuses, yuccas & agaves
    • Ornamental, Xeriscape and Turf Grasses
    • Groundcovers
    • Annuals/wildflowers
  • Plant information & lists
    • Why Native Plants?
    • Native tree list
    • Freeze resilient plant List
    • Shade Tolerant Plants
  • Wildlife Friendly Pest Control
    • Mountain Laurels and Genista moth caterpillars
    • Beneficial Insects from Wizzie Brown
    • Gallery of Beneficial Bugs
    • Mosquito control newsflash!
  • Dealing with Deer
    • Deer resistant plants
  • Birding Guide Service & Bird Gallery
    • Birds of Central Texas Gallery
    • Reviews
    • Checklist Birds of Sun City
    • Checklist birds of the region
    • Backyard & Neighborhood Birds of Central Texas
    • Recent referrals/recommendations
    • My favorite Williamson County Birding locations
  • Bird Photos & ID Galleries
    • Birds of Central Texas
    • Backyard & Neighborhood Birds of Central Texas >
      • sparrow ID
  • Pollinator Gardening
    • Creating a pollinator garden from Wizzie Brown
    • Planting a Butterfly Garden
    • List of best host and nectar plants
    • Where have all the birds and butterflies gone?
  • Bird Garden & Feeding Tips
    • Bird Friendly Native Plants
    • Bird Feeding Tips
    • Attracting Birds to Your Garden
  • Gardening tips
    • The case for leaving leaves
    • Garden Tips for Wildlife
    • Is your lawn making your pet sick?
    • Garden alternatives to non-native plants
    • Gardening for bats
    • One Option in Bare shady areas?
    • Green Waste and Mulch
  • Sun City Activity Center Plants
  • Fun Photo Galleries
    • Photographer of the month candidates gallery
    • Earth week in Sun City spring 2023
    • New England Trip
    • Some of my favorites gallery
    • Flight and Fancy
    • Gallery from the Great Freeze
    • After the freeze Gallery
    • Hints of Spring Gallery
    • Birds of Spring in Central Texas
    • Late spring central Texas life Gallery
    • Summer 2021
    • A sampling of my subjects
  • Presentations
    • Earth Week in Sun City 2023
  • My Blog

When you shouldn’t let your dog onto the lawn!
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Are lawns poisoning your dog? Perhaps you’ve noticed that, especially in spring and summer, your dog’s skin allergies start to act up, or maybe she starts licking and chewing on her paws. Or maybe sneezing, coughing, lethargy, or worse symptoms, such as stomach upset or diarrhea, seem to get worse. It may not be a coincidence that this is the same time of year when people are most actively applying fertilizers, pesticides, and weed killers to their lawns. Most, and I repeat most of these products are at least mildly toxic to your pets, not to mention other wildlife and perhaps even you. Pets can pick up a significant dose of these substances simply by walking on it, particularly if it is wet. They can also get a significant dose from rolling in the grass, scooting, or burying their noses in it.
Most fertilizers, particularly concentrated chemical fertilizers containing nitrogen and other nutrients, can cause problems. Herbicides and pesticides, common in “weed and feed” products, can be particularly harmful. Many of these can affect the central nervous system and are suspected or known carcinogens.
Many dogs love to walk on lawns, mine included. however, the only fertilizers I use are rain (which contains nitrogen!) and all the leaves that I mulch-mow back into the grass. Occasionally I might use some composted manure, but when I do I’m sure to keep my dog off the lawn. If you’re going to use pesticides, insecticidal soap or products containing spinosad are much more benign than most. And if you have grubs in your lawn, be sure not to kill the wasps that are actively probing for them.
When I can afford it, I’m going to convert most of my lawn to mulched beds with native ground covers, annuals, and perennials. This will save me a lot of water, hassle, and expense while trying to maintain a more natural ecosystem in my yard. Not to mention, it will greatly benefit wildlife!
My wife and I just ordered a cute little product that your dog wears and which covers his feet and legs, protecting them from contact with chemicals, not to mention hot asphalt and dirt when walking. Watch this space for my critique of the product!
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  • Martin Byhower home & plant Business info
    • About Me
    • My landscape service fees
    • Reviews
    • Contact me
    • Other Services
  • Why plant native plants?
  • Examples of my work
  • Getting rid of turf!
  • Photo Gallery of the plants I use
    • Large / Shade trees
    • Ornamental / small to medium trees
    • Perennial Flowering shrubs
    • Flowering Perennials
    • Evergreen shrubs
    • Vines
    • Cactuses, yuccas & agaves
    • Ornamental, Xeriscape and Turf Grasses
    • Groundcovers
    • Annuals/wildflowers
  • Plant information & lists
    • Why Native Plants?
    • Native tree list
    • Freeze resilient plant List
    • Shade Tolerant Plants
  • Wildlife Friendly Pest Control
    • Mountain Laurels and Genista moth caterpillars
    • Beneficial Insects from Wizzie Brown
    • Gallery of Beneficial Bugs
    • Mosquito control newsflash!
  • Dealing with Deer
    • Deer resistant plants
  • Birding Guide Service & Bird Gallery
    • Birds of Central Texas Gallery
    • Reviews
    • Checklist Birds of Sun City
    • Checklist birds of the region
    • Backyard & Neighborhood Birds of Central Texas
    • Recent referrals/recommendations
    • My favorite Williamson County Birding locations
  • Bird Photos & ID Galleries
    • Birds of Central Texas
    • Backyard & Neighborhood Birds of Central Texas >
      • sparrow ID
  • Pollinator Gardening
    • Creating a pollinator garden from Wizzie Brown
    • Planting a Butterfly Garden
    • List of best host and nectar plants
    • Where have all the birds and butterflies gone?
  • Bird Garden & Feeding Tips
    • Bird Friendly Native Plants
    • Bird Feeding Tips
    • Attracting Birds to Your Garden
  • Gardening tips
    • The case for leaving leaves
    • Garden Tips for Wildlife
    • Is your lawn making your pet sick?
    • Garden alternatives to non-native plants
    • Gardening for bats
    • One Option in Bare shady areas?
    • Green Waste and Mulch
  • Sun City Activity Center Plants
  • Fun Photo Galleries
    • Photographer of the month candidates gallery
    • Earth week in Sun City spring 2023
    • New England Trip
    • Some of my favorites gallery
    • Flight and Fancy
    • Gallery from the Great Freeze
    • After the freeze Gallery
    • Hints of Spring Gallery
    • Birds of Spring in Central Texas
    • Late spring central Texas life Gallery
    • Summer 2021
    • A sampling of my subjects
  • Presentations
    • Earth Week in Sun City 2023
  • My Blog