Help | Contact | Search


PetGallery - Pet Photos and Pictures

OzPetShop - Pet Products, Supplies and Accessories

ARTICLES

OzPetShop - Pet Products, Supplies and Accessories


A KILLER IN THE GARDEN

ozpets
Springtime is considered a time for new life - new growth of plants and the birth of baby animals and birds. Unfortunately it is also the time of year when many dogs and cats meet an untimely death from snail bait.

Seedlings are a smorgasbord for snails and slugs and avid gardeners are very keen to protect their plants. If anything is more depressing than coming out to the garden in the morning and finding the seedlings trimmed to ground level it is finding the family pet dead or dying from snail pellet poisoning.

To be appetising to snails and slugs, the snail bait must be more appetising than the seedlings, and it is unfortunate that the same ingredients that appeal to snails also appeal to dogs.

All manufacturers of snail killers print on the packets warnings of the danger of the products to pets. Unfortunately every year many pets still die from snail bait poisoning.

Gardeners who own pets should take every care to ensure that their pet, or their neighbour's pet, does not have access to the areas where the bait has been placed.

Sprinkling the bait around the garden, rather than placing it in small heaps, can help prevent the pet from eating a mouthful.

Placing the bait inside an upturned terracotta pot with a small "doorway" broken into it to allow the snails access, or placing the bait down a terracotta pipe placed on its side can also lessen the chances of a pet eating the bait. However, none of these methods should be relied upon as a safeguard against poisoning.

Gardeners who wish to keep their pets safer at the same time as kill snails would be better to adopt one of the non toxic methods.

Snail traps can be built by placing a terracotta saucer of beer in the garden patch. The snails are rather partial to a drop of ale and will climb the sides of the saucer to reach the beer, drink their fill and then fall in and are unable to climb the sides to get out again.

Upturned terracotta pots and other dark places will entice snails in to sleep and these can be checked daily and the snails destroyed.

Encourage the children to go on a snail invader hunt and collect them. After dark go out with a torch and patrol the vegetable garden and collect and destroy snails and slugs.

Pets which have eaten snail bait will convulse, roll their eyes, have vomiting and diarrhoea and should be taken immediately to the nearest veterinary clinic. Prompt veterinary attention is essential if the pet is to have any chance of surviving.




Petcare Information and Advisory Service Australia

Last Update: 05/03/07 10:09 Views: 2689

OzPetShop - Pet Products, Supplies and Accessories