Every pooch loves a good roll around in the grass, but the way you keep your yard weed-free could be hurting your furry friend.
HuffPost Live's Nancy Redd discussed the dangers to pets that come with using pesticides on your lawn during Monday's installment of the HuffPost Live Pet Show. The National Pesticide Information Center cautions that pets should be kept away from pesticide-treated areas to avoid poisoning. One study found that lawn residue could expose dogs to certain chemicals that could increase their risk of bladder cancer.
To Dog With Love blogger Diane Silver, who lost her beloved pet Cosmo to lung cancer, told HuffPost Live she believes the illness was caused by her own yard. Even though she can't prove what brought the cancer on, Silver took action.
"I thought it must have something to do with the environment ... so I turned to my environment in my own backyard, and I thought, 'Well, I don't want my own backyard to be killing my dog,'" Silver said. "So I quit all the pesticides and chemicals that I had been putting on my lawn, and since [Cosmo] has passed, my lawn has been chemical-free."
Also joining the HuffPost Live discussion was Mike Mallon, the marketing director of Espoma Organic Company, which has launched a "Safe Paws" campaign to raise awareness about exposing pets to harmful chemicals. Mallon recommended that animal lovers seek out "chemical-free lawn care -- anything that's natural, that's organic."
Watch the video above to learn more about the danger your dog may be facing in your own backyard.
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