Pet-Safe Pesticides for a Garden With Dogs, Cats or Chickens

Which Garden Pesticides Are Safe Around Pets?

No pesticide is safe at any dose, but four groups sit at the low end of risk for dogs, cats and chickens when used as the label directs. Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) is low in toxicity to mammals and practically nontoxic to birds. Insecticidal soap kills on contact and has no residual effect. Spinosad is low in toxicity to mammals and practically non-toxic to slightly toxic to birds. Iron phosphate slug bait is very low in toxicity when eaten. With all four, keep animals away until the spray is completely dry, and scatter bait thinly.

The ingredients to keep away from animals are just as specific. Metaldehyde slug bait is particularly poisonous to dogs and cats. Permethrin is a serious hazard for cats. Systemic insecticides such as imidacloprid spread through the whole plant, including leaves and fruit that a hen or a dog might eat.

“Pet safe” on the front of a package is marketing. The facts are on the back: the active ingredient, the signal word, and the directions that say when animals may return.

Pet-Safe Pesticides by Pest

The lowest-risk product is the one aimed at a single pest. A broad-spectrum spray that kills everything usually carries a wider hazard for animals, fish and bees too. If you have not yet identified the pest, the holes in leaves identification chart is the place to start.

For caterpillars such as cabbage worms and hornworms, use Bt kurstaki. Its spores damage the gut of insect larvae that eat them, and the toxin needs the high pH of an insect gut, 9.0 to 10.5, to become active. For the larvae of mosquitoes, flies and gnats, the israelensis strain does the same job.

For aphids, mites, whiteflies, mealybugs and young scale, insecticidal soap is enough. Colorado State University Extension describes soaps as strictly contact insecticides with no residual effect, so coverage of the insects themselves is what counts. More options are in how to get rid of aphids without killing beneficial insects.

For thrips and leafminers, spinosad is the step up. For slugs and snails, use iron phosphate bait, which the iron phosphate slug bait guide covers in detail.

Active Ingredients Compared for Mammals and Birds

The ratings below are quoted from the National Pesticide Information Center fact sheet for each ingredient. Persistence is on plant leaves unless noted.

Active ingredient	Dogs, cats and other mammals	Birds	How long it lasts
Bt	Low in toxicity when eaten	Practically nontoxic	Leaf half-life 1 to 4 days
Insecticidal soap	Described as relatively safe	Not rated	No residual effect
Spinosad	Low in toxicity	Practically non-toxic to slightly toxic	Leaf half-life 2 to 16 days
Neem oil	Practically non-toxic, but cats have reacted	Practically non-toxic	Leaf half-life 1 to 2.5 days
Iron phosphate bait	Very low in toxicity when eaten	Practically non-toxic	Iron joins compounds naturally found in soil
Pyrethrins	Low in toxicity	Practically non-toxic	Under 3% left on leaves after 5 days
Permethrin	Cats are highly sensitive	Low in toxicity	1 to 3 weeks on leaves
Imidacloprid	Vomiting, drooling and tremors after oral exposure	Not very toxic	Months or years in soil
Malathion	Low in toxicity	Moderately toxic	Soil half-life about 17 days
Metaldehyde bait	Particularly poisonous to dogs and cats	Not rated	Not stated

Several rows need a second look. Spinosad is very highly toxic to bees while wet, with little or no effect after the spray has dried, so apply it when bees are not flying. Pyrethrins and permethrin are highly toxic to fish, and permethrin bound to sediment can persist in water for more than a year. Neither belongs near a pond.

Ingredients to Keep Away From Dogs, Cats and Chickens

Metaldehyde slug bait. UC’s integrated pest management program warns that the pelleted form can be attractive to dogs and says not to use metaldehyde where children and pets could encounter it. Iron phosphate does the same work. Dogs have still become sick after eating large amounts of iron, so store any bait out of reach and never leave it in piles.

Permethrin, for cat owners. Cats are more sensitive to permethrin than dogs or people because their bodies take a long time to break it down. Cats exposed by accident to concentrated products of 45 to 65 percent permethrin may become anxious, lose coordination, and develop muscle tremors and seizures, and they may die. A residue that may last 1 to 3 weeks on leaves is a long window for an animal that grooms itself.

Systemic insecticides in the food garden. Imidacloprid is taken up through roots or leaves and spreads through stems, leaves, fruit and flowers. An animal that eats the plant eats the insecticide along with it. Imidacloprid can also last for months or years in soil.

Malathion where birds forage. It is moderately toxic to birds and highly toxic to bees. Pets can be exposed by touching or eating plants that have just been sprayed.

Diatomaceous earth as a dust cloud. It kills insects by absorbing oils and fats from their outer layer and works only while dry and undisturbed. The hazard is breathing it, since the dust irritates the nose and nasal passages. Apply it low and gently with animals out of the area, and let it settle before they return.

Reading the Label Before You Buy

The signal word comes first. Caution means the product is slightly toxic if eaten, absorbed through the skin or inhaled, or causes slight eye or skin irritation. Warning means moderately toxic. Danger means highly toxic by at least one route of exposure. Only products in the lowest toxicity category by every route may omit a signal word.

A signal word describes acute, short-term toxicity. It does not tell you how a product affects birds, fish or bees, so read the environmental hazards section as well. That section lists the special restrictions placed on the product to protect the environment.

Then find the active ingredient and match it against the table above, and read the directions for when people and pets may re-enter the treated area. The EPA exempts certain minimum risk pesticides from federal registration because it judges that they pose little to no risk to human health or the environment.

How to Apply Any Pesticide Around Animals

These steps come from the National Pesticide Information Center’s guidance on pets, and they apply to every product in the table.

1. Move animals out first. Remove pets from the area before you begin, and shut chickens in the run.
2. Clear their belongings. Pick up toys, chew bones, food bowls and bedding.
3. Apply as the label directs. Spray toward the pest and stop there. For bait, scatter thinly and place it where a pet cannot reach.
4. Wait until completely dry. Keep animals away until the surface has dried and the area has been well ventilated. Granular lawn products may require 24 hours or longer.
5. Store it out of reach. Baits are made with food ingredients that attract pets, and pets often dig up bait that was buried.

Covering a fish tank before spraying nearby protects the animals most sensitive to pyrethrins and permethrin. For slugs specifically, combining bait with traps and barriers reduces how much bait you need, as described in slug and snail control: what actually works.