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Safer Living Now: Pet-proofing your home

Our animals are family. We love them so much, we give them their own social media accounts. For some of us, we can't take enough pictures of them.

The kitchen isn't the only room in the house that can be hazardous for our furry friends. As we continue our safer living now series, we take a look at things we can do right now to make sure they're safe at home while we're away.

Our animals are family. We love them so much, we give them their own social media accounts. For some of us, myself included, we can't take enough pictures of them.

My furbaby Diesel just turned 10 and he’s my world. I’ll admit, I’m one of those crazy dog moms. He has his own spot on the couch, a cushy dog bed and a full range of the house when I’m gone.

I treat him like a human. But no matter how much we trust our pets, we humans should never let our guard down.

Dr. Dale Diesel, of Yorkshire Animal Hospital, has seen every scenario with our furry friends. He's been treating them for 30 years.

“If you can imagine it happening, it can happen. Prevention is always much better than worrying about it afterward," he said.

Dr. Diesel says there are simple things you can do right now before you leave your house, that will help you avoid an emergency trip to the vet.

Unplug and put away any cords your pet might mistake for a chew toy.

Dr. Diesel said, "The mother-in-law's tongue seems pretty innocuous, but cats like to chew on them and it can hurt their kidneys."

Poinsettias are also a dangerous plant for your pet.

Always put away any food on the counter. Especially things that are toxic to your animals like grapes, chocolate, and onions. Your dog may try to jump up to get whatever smells tasty on the counter and could turn on the stove with its paws.

"You have to keep those up and away or maybe not even have them at all," explained Dr. Diesel.

All the blankets and toys around your pet's bed might look nice, but all that extra stuff is just another chew toy for your pet.

Dr. Diesel says they’ll eat anything and they have, "Dogs eat the gloves off the table. Why would they eat a glove? Well they do. Socks, pantyhose."

Those things don't digest well and can often lead to surgery.

“We just had a surgery that took an earplug out of a cat,” he explained.

Dr. Diesel says pet-proofing your home is similar to kid-proofing it. It gets easier as they get older and they're more trained.

The hope is that your pet makes your life better. By simply being a responsible pet owner, you can reap all the benefits your furry family member has to offer.

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