Hydrated Lime For Gardens
Hydrated lime can be caustic so you may want to be careful with the dog. There are several types of lime and hydrated lime is just about the worst choice your landlord could've made to lime your lawn with - the worst being burned lime (hydrated lime is burned lime with water added to it). In fact, he may have done more harm than good. As I previously mentioned, it's caustic so it can burn the grass and it is also considerably more neutralizing than regular ground limestone which means it can raise the soil pH to levels that are too high for optimal turf health depending on the amount applied. Furthermore, many people erroneously believe that liming is always necessary when in reality it is not. The only time lime needs to be applied is if the soil pH is lower (soil is more acidic) than the recommended pH for the type of grass that is being grown. For example, for grasses grown in the northern US (cool season grasses - bluegrass, ryegrass, fescues), the optimal soil pH is between 6.0 and 7.0. If your soil pH is below 6 then you would want to consider liming otherwise it's a waste of time and money. If the soil pH is above 7 then you're actually hurting your lawn by liming as the soil pH will increase. The only way to know for sure if liming is necessary and how much to apply is by getting a soil test done. If your landlord knows for sure that he/she needs to lime, you may want to suggest that they use pelletized lime in the future as it is easier and safer to apply and would be safer for you and your dog as well.
No the lime won't hurt him, it's only crushed rock, in might even help keep the fleas down on him, which is a good thing I assume,as for the lime, as long as he is not eating it he should be fine, if he is eating, make sure he gets lots of water to flush it out of his system.
