chemicals on the lawn

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

When I took Cooper out to go potty this morning, I noticed fawn coloured pellets on the mud patches between the grass. I live in one of 2 suites on the ground floor of a house, land lords live upstairs. All 3 suits have a dog (old toy poodle upstairs, Jack Russel/Min Pin next door). Im assuming the land lords wouldnt put down anything harmful without telling us, but we have in the past had them put something down and had to ask them what it was (it was just chalk). The landlords, also just open their door and let their dog go potty and never clean up his poop - I have to go truffle hunting every day. I have emailed them asking what it is..... but I just took the garbage out and found an empty bag of Feed and Weed.....  Cooper is a biggish dog (60lbs) but do I need to keep her off the lawn for a while? Wash her paws? Make sure she doesnt eat any grass? How long for? Make sure she doesnt track any of it in as we have 3 cats too

[Leslie, Dexter & Kirby]

I've been hosing off the doodles' paws after each walk because I know this is the time of the year to put down chemicals.  I don't know if water washes everything off, but it makes me feel better.  I also don't let them sniff too long on anyone's lawns until this time passes.  Our back yard is a weedy (is that a word?) mess because my husband won't put anything down because he's worried about D&K.

I'm sorry your landlord doesn't clean up the poop.  That is just rude!

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

We do ours in a few different sections at a time and wait over a week and also wipe the paws off and no grazng on the grass! It is very wrong of him not to notify you! Even when we go on walks we have to be careful. Just be extra cautious!

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

Question now is.... do i email her telling her to be careful with her dog, and to let the people in the other suit know, or just stay quiet. I know DH will tell me to not cause trouble....  The land lady is very nice and pleasant, but very set in her ways and with double standards (no laundry after 9 as she goes to bed early but she can do laundry when she gets up at 5,30 am, no laundry at weekends as thats when she does hers....)

[F, Calla & Luca]

I would certainly tell the other people. I'd also let the landlady know but I don't expect she'll do anything differently.

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

I asked the fertilizer question last year..... my Sasha had 2 very bad bouts of being sick last year once in the summer and once in the fall (total vet bill $4,500) also spent 4 days at the specialist and no conclusive diagnosis.   All of that was before she turned 1 year old.  The only thing I can think of was the fertilizer because I had tons of different tests run on her and all came up with nothing.  I had my old lawn removed and had sod put down about 3 years ago and wanted to maintain a healthy lawn because the sod was expensive.  I only treat the front lawn now, I enjoy my dogs much more than a green healthy lawn.  I am going to try a organic fertilizer thou, there are dirt patches every where and my doods track in all kinds of mud !!!!!

[F, Calla & Luca]

I don't fertilize anymore. When I mow, I mulch all the clipping back into the lawn. That includes all the leaves, I have a lot, in the fall. By this time of year my lawn looks not much worse than all the neighbors with the fancy lawn services. Then I'm out sprinkling seed on any bare, thin patches. Yes, I have weeds but Aside from onions and dandelions, which I dig out, I just mow and they look OK too.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

Here is the reply I got

 

Hi Kaytlin, sorry I never got around to my email yesterday but Marina did inquire about your first email and I assured her there would be no problems with the product I spread.  As you probably noticed there were 3 product bags in the garbage, there was the lime which as you also were able to discover does not seem to present any problem.  Then there were two separate fertilizer bags, one the weed and feed that contained 2,4,D which is definitely toxic, this was a partial bag leftover from last year and was spread on the front lawn only, then there was the newer larger bag of fertilizer with corn gluten as a weed preventative agent.  On reading that bag as well as my google of corn gluten I can not find anything that causes concern from that product, that is the large yellow pellet like substance that is so obvious on the lawn.  Thanks for your concern and I hope this makes it clear enough that we can prevent any harm to our furry little ones

Doug

[F, Calla & Luca]

I think if what Doug has said is true this is a safer alternative. Still I would try to prevent Cooper from eating this corn gluten.