How to Pet Proof Your Plumbing

Always Close Toilet Seat:

Making a habit of closing your toilet seat is less about protecting your plumbing system from your pets and more about keeping your pets safe. Toilet water is unsanitary due to human waste and chemical-filled products used for cleaning. Ingestion of the toilet’s water or any leftover cleaning chemicals can be incredibly harmful to your pets. If you notice your pets are drawn to the bathroom, go a step further and always keep the door shut.

Floor Drain covers:

If you have smaller animals as pets such as hamsters and mice, kittens and small puppies are at risk of slipping through one of the holes and getting stuck in a drain. Not only is this a threat to your animals, but it also causes blockage in the drain and may cost you an arm and a leg to hire a professional to dismantle the plumbing to get the animal out. You can quickly eliminate this potential scenario by investing in a drain cover.

Keep an Eye On Where They Dig:

Many dogs love exploring the yard and digging up holes in order to get the whole experience. This can cause issues for a handful of reasons, but pipes are the most significant issue as far as plumbing is concerned. Pipes are put into the ground for a reason, and if a dog exposes them, it puts them at risk for damage. If your dog is young, train them not to dig. If you can’t find a solution to get your dog to stop digging, make sure to keep an eye out on them when they’re in the yard to make sure they aren’t digging anywhere near pipes or other important things.

Throw Away Cat Litter:

Cat litter should never be flushed down the toilet, or washed down the drain. Cat litter isn’t made to dissolve in drains like toilet paper. It’s a good rule of thumb that human waste and toilet paper are the only flushable things. The simple solution is to throw away your cat litter; you can also invest in special cat litter trash cans to mask the smell. No matter how you decide to get rid of litter, make sure it will not enter your plumbing system.

Clean Pets Outside:

Pets should be groomed and bathed just as humans should be! However, unlike humans, it’s best to bathe pets outside. Pets carry around excess fur and hair, mud, dirt, and all kinds of other things that can get stuck in and clog the drain. If the weather doesn’t permit and you need to bathe your animal inside, make sure to put down a stopper or drain cover to prevent dirt and fur from entering the bathtub drain.