Almost every dog in Luxembourg City lives in a flat, and the flat is where it spends most of its life. Making it safe takes an afternoon and prevents the two categories of accident that fill emergency appointments: falls and ingestions.
The balcony
A balcony is a genuine amenity for a dog, a place to lie in the sun, watch the street and get air on a day when the walk is short. It is also the hazard owners underestimate most.
- Railings and gaps. Measure the gap between the bars against the width of your dog's head. A small dog or a puppy can pass through a gap that looks impossible, and a determined one will try. Rigid mesh or transparent panels fixed properly are the fix; netting held on with cable ties is not
- Climbing routes. A chair, a planter, a storage box or a rolled rug against the railing becomes a step. Keep the perimeter clear
- The gap under the railing, which is often bigger than the gaps between the bars
- Never leave a dog alone out there, particularly a young one, a nervous one, or one that reacts to birds and passing dogs. Cats and dogs both fall from balconies, and the injuries are severe
- Check what the building allows. Some co-ownership rules restrict permanent fixtures on railings, so ask before drilling anything
Test it honestly: put your dog on the balcony while you watch from inside the door. If it puts its head through, stands on something, or barks at the street while pushing against the railing, it is not a safe place to leave it.
In summer the balcony becomes the hottest part of the flat: hard surfaces, reflected light and no shade for much of the day. If your dog has access, it needs shade, water and an open door back into the flat, and on the hottest days it needs to be inside.
Plants, on the balcony and indoors
Several common plants cause problems, from irritation to serious toxicity. Among the ones worth knowing: lilies, which are extremely dangerous to cats and best avoided entirely in a mixed household, plus oleander, sago palm, yew, foxglove, azalea and rhododendron, daffodil and tulip bulbs, and autumn crocus.
Plant food, slug pellets and fertiliser are a bigger risk than the plants themselves, and a balcony is exactly where they get left. Store them where the dog cannot reach and rinse anything the dog will walk on.
Indoors: the four rooms
Kitchen. Bins with a foot pedal a labrador can operate. Chocolate, grapes and raisins, onion and garlic, xylitol in sugar-free products, cooked bones and fatty trimmings. A worktop is not out of reach for a large dog standing up.
Bathroom. Human medication is one of the commonest causes of poisoning in dogs, and handbags left on the floor are how it happens. Paracetamol and ibuprofen are toxic to dogs. Keep the bin closed and the toilet lid down.
Living room. Cables, particularly for a chewing adolescent. Small objects and children's toys that fit in a mouth. Tall, unstable furniture. Windows that tilt open at the top, which are a known trap: a dog that tries to get through the gap can slip down and be caught.
Utility and storage. Cleaning products, antifreeze, which is sweet and lethal in tiny quantities, and detergent capsules, which look like toys.
Floors, stairs and the layout
Tiles and polished wood are the standard finish here, and they are the reason so many older dogs become reluctant to move. Runners and rugs along the route between bed, water and door cost very little and prevent both falls and the fear of falling.
Gate the stairs in a duplex, particularly for a puppy, an old dog and anything recovering from surgery. Use the lift rather than the stairs for a growing large-breed puppy and for an arthritic dog.
The front door and the windows
Escapes from flats happen at the door, usually when somebody else opens it: a delivery, a plumber, a removals team, a child. Use a gate or a closed door when strangers are in the flat, keep a tag with a working number on the dog, and keep the microchip register current.
On windows, the tilt position is the dangerous one. Restrictors or a fixed guard remove the risk entirely, and they cost less than the consultation that follows an accident.
A dog alone in a flat
Once a day, look at the flat the way your dog does when nobody is home. What is reachable from the sofa? What is on the coffee table? Is the bin accessible? Is there water in more than one place? Is the dog's bed away from the front door, where every lift arrival lands?
Two minutes of that before you leave prevents most of what would otherwise become an evening at the emergency vet.
If something is swallowed
Telephone your practice, with the packet in your hand and your dog's weight ready. Do not induce vomiting unless a vet tells you to, because with some substances that causes more damage coming back up. Note the time and the quantity as accurately as you can.
Anyone who looks after your dog should have the vet's details, written authorisation to seek treatment and the name of a second contact who can decide if you are unreachable. It is one page, signed once, and its entire value is in the hour when nobody can get hold of you.
General information for dog owners in Luxembourg, not veterinary or legal advice. For your own dog, ask your vet, a qualified behaviourist or your commune. How this journal is written and checked.
Away from your dog all day?
PAWLY provides individual dog walks, home visits and overnight care in your own home, across Luxembourg City. Same walker every time, written report after every visit.
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