It can be tempting to use a weedkiller spray to get rid of weeds in your driveway, patio, lawn, or other outdoor space. However, it’s important to think about the safety of everyone who uses the outside, including pets and wildlife. When your pet walks on treated ground or brushes against sprayed foliage, harmful chemicals can get on its paws or fur. When it grooms itself, it eats these chemicals. Acidic chemicals can also be washed off of plants or the ground by rain or a hose. They can then gather in puddles where animals and pets can drink.
Kill Weeds Without Harming Your Pets A Complete Guide
Weeds are the bane of any beautiful lawn or garden But when you have pets who spend time romping through your yard, extra care is needed when getting rid of weeds Many common weed killers and herbicides can be toxic to dogs and cats if ingested or absorbed through paws.
You want your yard looking lush and weed-free. But you also need it to be a safe place for your furry companions to play With the right techniques and products, you can eliminate weeds without putting your pets in harm’s way
This article covers pet-safe options for killing and preventing lawn and garden weeds. Follow these tips for a gorgeous outdoor space both you and your pets can enjoy.
Potential Dangers of Weed Killers for Pets
Before reaching for chemical weed killers, consider the risks:
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Absorption through paws – Chemicals on lawn can transfer to paws, be ingested during grooming.
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Ingestion from chewing/eating – Curious pets may nibble on or ingest treated plants.
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Toxic effects – Ingredients like glyphosate and 2,4-D can cause illness in pets.
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Misapplication – Spray drift can affect pets and unintended plants.
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Unknown ingredients – Labels rarely list every ingredient; risks unclear.
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Lasting residues – Chemicals can linger for days and leach into soil/water.
Take extra precautions in yards where pets play and roam freely. Even natural or organic herbicides can irritate skin and paws.
Signs of Possible Weed Killer Poisoning
Be alert for these symptoms if you suspect your pet encountered harmful chemicals:
- Drooling, vomiting, diarrhea
- Loss of appetite, lethargy, weakness
- Tremors, seizures
- Panting, breathing issues
- Drooping eyelids, pupils different sizes
- Irritated skin, paws, eyes
Seek veterinary care immediately if poisoning is suspected. Have the product label handy to share with your vet. Prompt treatment is vital.
Preventing Pet Exposures
The safest approach is to keep pets completely away from any freshly treated areas for as long as possible after applying weed killers. Here are some tips:
- Read and follow all label instructions for pets.
- Choose pet-safe products whenever possible.
- Keep pets indoors during and after applications.
- Block entry to treated areas with barriers.
- Post signs as a visual reminder.
- Avoid spraying on windy days (spray drift!).
- Store all lawn products securely out of reach.
Check paws, coat, and skin after time in the yard for any irritation or residues. Bathe immediately if you find any.
Pet-Friendly Weed Control Options
The good news is that plenty of options exist for managing weeds without endangering your furry friends:
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Manual removal – Hand-pulling is safe but labor intensive. Use tools to make weeding easier. Go after young weeds.
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Smothering – Block sunlight with mulch, cardboard, or plastic sheets to kill weeds.
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Maintain healthy turf – Thick grass crowds out weeds. Fertilize, aerate, overseed bare patches.
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Mow high – Longer grass shades and outpaces weed growth. Set mower at 3-4 inches.
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Boiling water – Kills weeds instantly but requires caution. Avoid desirable plants.
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Flame weeding – Uses heat to destroy weeds. Takes caution. Avoid pet areas.
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Vinegar – Horticultural vinegar damages plant tissues. Can kill desired plants too. Rinse off.
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Corn gluten meal – Organic pre-emergent. Apply early spring before seeds sprout.
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Rock/gravel yards – Use hardscape instead of lawn. Add planters for plants. Needs pruning.
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Raised garden beds – Contain edibles in a weed-free space. Use landscape fabric.
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Patios/pavers – Hard surfaces suppress weeds. Use joint material to inhibit growth.
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Preventing seed spread – Pull weeds before they go to seed and spread.
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Spot treat weeds – Applying products only where needed reduces overall usage.
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Professional lawn service – Hire someone to use commercial-grade pet-safe products.
Combining several of these tactics provides effective weed control with minimal risks to pets.
5 Pet-Friendly Weed Killers to Try
When weeds pop up, these methods can take care of them without endangering your fur babies:
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Hand pull weeds – Labor intensive but avoids chemicals. Use tools like weed poppers or pullers. Get the roots!
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Boiling water – Directly pour on weeds to scald and kill them. Use kettle for small weeds. Boil in a pot for larger areas. Safer than chemicals but can injure you or plants!
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Full-strength household vinegar – Spray and completely coat weeds. Less concentrated than horticultural vinegar so safer for pets once dried. May take several applications.
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Abrasive grit – Place on weeds to physically cut into plant tissues. Use silicon carbide or aluminum oxide. Avoid skin contact. Rinse away residues.
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Lemon juice – Spot treat young weeds by spraying juice to acidify the soil and kill plants. Use environmentally-safe citrus solvents. Rinse away residues.
Test products in small inconspicuous areas first. Supervise pets until treated areas are completely dry. Avoid spraying on windy days.
Lawn Care Tips for Pet Owners
A lush, healthy lawn is less prone to weeds, reducing the need for weed killers. Try these tips for pet and kid-friendly turf:
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Mow high – Longer grass shades soil to prevent weed seeds from sprouting. Bonus: soft lawn for sensitive paws!
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Leave clippings – Allows nutrients to return to the soil as the clippings decompose. Provides free fertilizer!
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Overseed bare areas – Fill in bare patches to prevent weeds from invading. Cover new seeds with straw.
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Aerate compacted soil – Allows nutrients and water to penetrate. Use a core aerator or garden fork.
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Apply corn gluten meal – Organic pre-emergent herbicide controls seeds and feeds grass. Time applications carefully.
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Tolerate some weeds – A few weeds won’t hurt! Hand pull only problematic patches.
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Install gravel areas – Provides relief for bare paws from hot summer turf. Use gentle gravel products.
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Limit fertilizer – Excess fertilizer can burn paws. Prioritize soil health instead.
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Offer digging area – Gives dogs an approved place to dig apart from your lawn and garden beds!
A healthy lawn and vigilant weed control means your yard stays a safe place for pets to play and zoom around in!
Preventing Weeds in Gardens
Weeds plague flower beds and vegetable gardens too. Stop them without using harsh chemicals:
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Apply 3-4 inches of organic mulch like wood chips or pine straw. Suffocates weeds. Replenish as needed.
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Remove young weeds promptly before they establish deep roots and spread seeds.
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Lay down landscape fabric or cardboard and cover with mulch. Blocks light to kill weeds.
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Maintain 2-3 inches of mulch around plants. Discourage weeds and retain moisture.
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Group plants closely together. TightGrowth crowds out weeds once plants mature.
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Use drip irrigation or soaker hoses. Avoid watering bare soil, which can sprout weeds.
Keep mulch away from plant stems to prevent rotting. Monitor for weed seedlings and remove immediately before taking root.
Gravel Gardens, Patio Planters and Raised Beds
These weed-fighting alternatives provide space for plants while minimizing chemicals:
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Gravel gardens – Use a weed barrier fabric and fill with small gravel. Looks tidy and neat. Plant in containers set on gravel.
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Patio planters – Self-contained above ground planters keep plant roots away from weeds in soil. Elevate planters if needed to prevent digging.
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Raised garden beds – Contain garden soil and plants in a frame set on gravel or patio. Use hardware cloth at bottom to exclude digging.
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Rock gardens – Fill with a mixture of gravel and soil. Allows drainage while suppressing weeds. Leave space between plants to remove weeds.
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Window boxes – Mounted planters isolate plants from weeds. Use trailing plants like ivy or petunias.
Keep these areas neat with regular pruning. Hand pull the occasional weed sprout. Avoid weed barrier fabrics that contain chemicals.
The Safest Approach: Prevention!
The best weed control strategy for pet owners is prevention:
- Promote thick, vigorous lawn growth
- Stay on top of weeds before they spread
- Use physical barriers like landscape fabric
- Mulch bare soil areas to block light
How can I control weeds without chemicals?
There are a number of ways to tackle weeds that are completely pet-safe:
- Hand weeding. Weeding tools come in many types, such as hoes with long or short handles and weeding knives. Take a hoe and cut weeds off at the soil’s surface on a dry, windy day. They’ll die quickly.
- Weed burners. Weed burners are portable heat guns that burn off weed growth. They can be powered by electricity or gas and are great for getting rid of weeds in cracks in the pavement, on driveways, and in patios and walkways. Slow to use, so only really practical for small areas.
- When you pressure wash hard surfaces, you get rid of moss and small weeds. You also get rid of the soil and organic matter that would grow weed seeds.
- Boiling water—just pour it over to kill new leaves, but not the roots of perennial weeds like dandelions.
- Catch weeds before they seed. It’s true what they say: “one year’s weeding is seven years’ seeding.”
- It will save you hours of work in the long run to quickly remove seed heads before they spread.
- The easiest way to get rid of all weeds before planting is to cover the soil with something that doesn’t let light through for at least a year. Weed barrier fabric, black polythene, thick cardboard, or old carpet can be used. Make the edges heavy to keep light out.
Which pet-friendly natural weedkillers available to buy?
Pet-friendly weed killers are made from a number of natural ingredients. They can be used to get rid of both annual weeds and the top growth of perennial weeds. Although these are ‘natural’ products, keep pets off treated areas until the spray has dried.
Acetic acid is what makes vinegar work. You can buy it as a ready-to-use weed killer spray like RHS Glyphosate Free Weedkiller, WeedKil Glyphosate Free Weedkiller, and Ecofective Weed and Moss Killer. It works well to get rid of annual weeds, but it only kills the leaves of perennial plants, not their roots. Note that vinegar bought for culinary use isn’t sufficiently strong to use as an effective weedkiller.
A fatty acid called pelargonic acid is found in pelargoniums, which are also known as geraniums. It breaks down the cell walls of the leaves. In Neudorff’s Weedkiller, it is combined with maleic acid hydrazide which is a growth regulator.
Non Toxic Human/Pet safe weed killer
FAQ
Does vinegar kill weeds permanently?
How long after spraying Roundup is it safe for pets?
Does baking soda kill weeds?
Can you use homemade weed killer for pets?
You can use homemade weed killers to eradicate the weeds without worrying about your favorite furry friend. Here are some alternative pet-friendly weed killers to try. Everyone should have a jug of white vinegar in their home. It is a natural solution for cleaning your home, removing stains and softening your laundry.
Can weed killer kill a dog?
Nibbling on a plant with commercial weed killers can make your dog or cat seriously ill. In a worst-case scenario, it can prove to be fatal. You can use homemade weed killers to eradicate the weeds without worrying about your favorite furry friend. Here are some alternative pet-friendly weed killers to try.
How do you get rid of weeds without harming pets?
Importantly, keep pets and people away from your garden while spraying and until the spray has dried. Organic herbicides, including those made from vinegar and plant-based oils, are commonly used to remove weeds without harming pets. You can also use traditional chemical-based herbicides, provided you are careful with how you use them.
What should I do if my dog eats weed killer?
Contact your veterinarian or local emergency animal hospital immediately. If possible, bring the weed killer container to the vet for quick identification of the toxin. Always store weed killers securely out of reach of pets. When treating your lawn or garden, keep pets indoors until the product is dry and the area is safe.
Will homemade weed killer kill weeds?
Although the above homemade pet-friendly weed killers are quite effective in eliminating weeds and other pesky critters as well, they are not without their risks. Yes, they won’t harm your pets or children, but they will just as quickly kill your rose bushes and rhododendrons as they would the crabgrass and ivy.
Is vinegar a pet friendly weed killer?
Concentrated vinegar is a pet-friendly weed killer that can be as expensive as standard commercial herbicides. 4. Burning or Boiling Weeds If occasional weeds are your problem—think pesky sprouts that pop up between patio pavers or cracks in the driveway— extreme heat is a pet-friendly weed killer.