diff --git a/src/caa.rs b/src/caa.rs
index 88aa05627..ec6162102 100644
--- a/src/caa.rs
+++ b/src/caa.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-use std::ffi::CStr;
 use std::marker::PhantomData;
 use std::os::raw::{c_int, c_uchar, c_void};
 use std::{fmt, ptr, slice, str};
@@ -7,6 +6,7 @@ use itertools::Itertools;
 
 use crate::error::{Error, Result};
 use crate::panic;
+use crate::utils::c_string_as_str_checked;
 
 /// The result of a successful CAA lookup.
 #[derive(Debug)]
@@ -104,8 +104,7 @@ impl<'a> CAAResult<'a> {
 
     /// The property represented by this `CAAResult`.
     pub fn property(self) -> &'a str {
-        let c_str = unsafe { CStr::from_ptr(self.caa_reply.property.cast()) };
-        c_str.to_str().unwrap()
+        unsafe { c_string_as_str_checked(self.caa_reply.property.cast()) }
     }
 
     /// The value represented by this `CAAResult`.
diff --git a/src/channel.rs b/src/channel.rs
index fefe62d08..aa2eacb3f 100644
--- a/src/channel.rs
+++ b/src/channel.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
-#[allow(unused_imports)]
-use std::ffi::{CStr, CString};
+use std::ffi::CString;
 use std::marker::PhantomData;
 use std::mem;
 use std::net::{IpAddr, Ipv4Addr, Ipv6Addr, SocketAddr};
@@ -30,8 +29,10 @@ use crate::string::AresString;
 use crate::txt::{query_txt_callback, TXTResults};
 use crate::types::{AddressFamily, DnsClass, QueryType, Socket};
 use crate::uri::{query_uri_callback, URIResults};
+#[allow(unused_imports)]
 use crate::utils::{
-    ipv4_as_in_addr, ipv6_as_in6_addr, socket_addrv4_as_sockaddr_in, socket_addrv6_as_sockaddr_in6,
+    c_string_as_str_unchecked, ipv4_as_in_addr, ipv6_as_in6_addr, socket_addrv4_as_sockaddr_in,
+    socket_addrv6_as_sockaddr_in6,
 };
 use crate::Flags;
 #[cfg(cares1_29)]
@@ -1160,8 +1161,7 @@ unsafe extern "C" fn server_state_callback<F>(
     F: FnMut(&str, bool, ServerStateFlags) + Send + 'static,
 {
     let handler = data.cast::<F>();
-    let c_str = CStr::from_ptr(server_string);
-    let server = c_str.to_str().unwrap();
+    let server = c_string_as_str_unchecked(server_string);
     panic::catch(|| {
         (*handler)(
             server,
diff --git a/src/error.rs b/src/error.rs
index 0af2c8a39..eb2fb164e 100644
--- a/src/error.rs
+++ b/src/error.rs
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 use std::error;
-use std::ffi::CStr;
 use std::fmt;
 use std::os::raw::c_int;
 use std::result;
-use std::str;
+
+use crate::utils::c_string_as_str_unchecked;
 
 /// Error codes that the library might return.
 #[derive(Copy, Clone, Eq, PartialEq, Debug, Hash, PartialOrd, Ord)]
@@ -96,8 +96,7 @@ impl fmt::Display for Error {
     fn fmt(&self, fmt: &mut fmt::Formatter) -> result::Result<(), fmt::Error> {
         let text = unsafe {
             let ptr = c_ares_sys::ares_strerror(*self as c_int);
-            let buf = CStr::from_ptr(ptr).to_bytes();
-            str::from_utf8_unchecked(buf)
+            c_string_as_str_unchecked(ptr)
         };
         fmt.write_str(text)
     }
diff --git a/src/hostent.rs b/src/hostent.rs
index b7c6f27e7..420117463 100644
--- a/src/hostent.rs
+++ b/src/hostent.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-use std::ffi::CStr;
 use std::marker::PhantomData;
 use std::net::{IpAddr, Ipv4Addr, Ipv6Addr};
 use std::os::raw::c_char;
@@ -7,11 +6,10 @@ use std::{fmt, ptr, slice};
 use itertools::Itertools;
 
 use crate::types::AddressFamily;
-use crate::utils::address_family;
+use crate::utils::{address_family, hostname_as_str};
 
 fn hostname(hostent: &c_types::hostent) -> &str {
-    let c_str = unsafe { CStr::from_ptr(hostent.h_name.cast()) };
-    c_str.to_str().unwrap()
+    unsafe { hostname_as_str(hostent.h_name.cast()) }
 }
 
 fn addresses(hostent: &c_types::hostent) -> HostAddressResultsIter {
@@ -180,8 +178,7 @@ impl<'a> Iterator for HostAliasResultsIter<'a> {
             None
         } else {
             self.next = unsafe { &*ptr::from_ref(self.next).offset(1) };
-            let c_str = unsafe { CStr::from_ptr(h_alias) };
-            let string = c_str.to_str().unwrap();
+            let string = unsafe { hostname_as_str(h_alias) };
             Some(string)
         }
     }
diff --git a/src/mx.rs b/src/mx.rs
index 743e4072a..42c1d4453 100644
--- a/src/mx.rs
+++ b/src/mx.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-use std::ffi::CStr;
 use std::fmt;
 use std::marker::PhantomData;
 use std::os::raw::{c_int, c_uchar, c_void};
@@ -9,6 +8,7 @@ use itertools::Itertools;
 
 use crate::error::{Error, Result};
 use crate::panic;
+use crate::utils::hostname_as_str;
 
 /// The result of a successful MX lookup.
 #[derive(Debug)]
@@ -100,8 +100,7 @@ unsafe impl<'a> Sync for MXResultsIter<'a> {}
 impl<'a> MXResult<'a> {
     /// Returns the hostname in this `MXResult`.
     pub fn host(self) -> &'a str {
-        let c_str = unsafe { CStr::from_ptr(self.mx_reply.host) };
-        c_str.to_str().unwrap()
+        unsafe { hostname_as_str(self.mx_reply.host) }
     }
 
     /// Returns the priority from this `MXResult`.
diff --git a/src/nameinfo.rs b/src/nameinfo.rs
index ec34da027..6db96b8e3 100644
--- a/src/nameinfo.rs
+++ b/src/nameinfo.rs
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
-use std::ffi::CStr;
-use std::fmt;
 use std::os::raw::{c_char, c_int, c_void};
+use std::{fmt, str};
 
 use crate::error::{Error, Result};
 use crate::panic;
+use crate::utils::{c_string_as_str_unchecked, hostname_as_str};
 
 /// The result of a successful name-info lookup.
 #[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug)]
@@ -19,18 +19,13 @@ impl<'a> NameInfoResult<'a> {
 
     /// Returns the node from this `NameInfoResult`.
     pub fn node(&self) -> Option<&str> {
-        self.node.map(|string| {
-            let c_str = unsafe { CStr::from_ptr(string) };
-            c_str.to_str().unwrap()
-        })
+        self.node.map(|string| unsafe { hostname_as_str(string) })
     }
 
     /// Returns the service from this `NameInfoResult`.
     pub fn service(&self) -> Option<&str> {
-        self.service.map(|string| {
-            let c_str = unsafe { CStr::from_ptr(string) };
-            c_str.to_str().unwrap()
-        })
+        self.service
+            .map(|string| unsafe { c_string_as_str_unchecked(string) })
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/naptr.rs b/src/naptr.rs
index 42c12294d..b8591fb86 100644
--- a/src/naptr.rs
+++ b/src/naptr.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-use std::ffi::CStr;
 use std::fmt;
 use std::marker::PhantomData;
 use std::os::raw::{c_int, c_uchar, c_void};
@@ -9,6 +8,7 @@ use itertools::Itertools;
 
 use crate::error::{Error, Result};
 use crate::panic;
+use crate::utils::{c_string_as_str_checked, hostname_as_str};
 
 /// The result of a successful NAPTR lookup.
 #[derive(Debug)]
@@ -100,26 +100,22 @@ unsafe impl<'a> Sync for NAPTRResultsIter<'a> {}
 impl<'a> NAPTRResult<'a> {
     /// Returns the flags in this `NAPTRResult`.
     pub fn flags(self) -> &'a str {
-        let c_str = unsafe { CStr::from_ptr(self.naptr_reply.flags.cast()) };
-        c_str.to_str().unwrap()
+        unsafe { c_string_as_str_checked(self.naptr_reply.flags.cast()) }
     }
 
     /// Returns the service name in this `NAPTRResult`.
     pub fn service_name(self) -> &'a str {
-        let c_str = unsafe { CStr::from_ptr(self.naptr_reply.service.cast()) };
-        c_str.to_str().unwrap()
+        unsafe { c_string_as_str_checked(self.naptr_reply.service.cast()) }
     }
 
     /// Returns the regular expression in this `NAPTRResult`.
     pub fn reg_exp(self) -> &'a str {
-        let c_str = unsafe { CStr::from_ptr(self.naptr_reply.regexp.cast()) };
-        c_str.to_str().unwrap()
+        unsafe { c_string_as_str_checked(self.naptr_reply.regexp.cast()) }
     }
 
     /// Returns the replacement pattern in this `NAPTRResult`.
     pub fn replacement_pattern(self) -> &'a str {
-        let c_str = unsafe { CStr::from_ptr(self.naptr_reply.replacement) };
-        c_str.to_str().unwrap()
+        unsafe { hostname_as_str(self.naptr_reply.replacement) }
     }
 
     /// Returns the order value in this `NAPTRResult`.
diff --git a/src/soa.rs b/src/soa.rs
index 6abb7df02..8e321ec51 100644
--- a/src/soa.rs
+++ b/src/soa.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-use std::ffi::CStr;
 use std::fmt;
 use std::marker::PhantomData;
 use std::os::raw::{c_int, c_uchar, c_void};
@@ -7,6 +6,7 @@ use std::slice;
 
 use crate::error::{Error, Result};
 use crate::panic;
+use crate::utils::hostname_as_str;
 
 /// The result of a successful SOA lookup.
 #[derive(Debug)]
@@ -39,14 +39,12 @@ impl SOAResult {
 
     /// Returns the name server from this `SOAResult`.
     pub fn name_server(&self) -> &str {
-        let c_str = unsafe { CStr::from_ptr((*self.soa_reply).nsname) };
-        c_str.to_str().unwrap()
+        unsafe { hostname_as_str((*self.soa_reply).nsname) }
     }
 
     /// Returns the hostmaster from this `SOAResult`.
     pub fn hostmaster(&self) -> &str {
-        let c_str = unsafe { CStr::from_ptr((*self.soa_reply).hostmaster) };
-        c_str.to_str().unwrap()
+        unsafe { hostname_as_str((*self.soa_reply).hostmaster) }
     }
 
     /// Returns the serial number from this `SOAResult`.
diff --git a/src/srv.rs b/src/srv.rs
index 155cf006a..3e4b60581 100644
--- a/src/srv.rs
+++ b/src/srv.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-use std::ffi::CStr;
 use std::fmt;
 use std::marker::PhantomData;
 use std::os::raw::{c_int, c_uchar, c_void};
@@ -9,6 +8,7 @@ use itertools::Itertools;
 
 use crate::error::{Error, Result};
 use crate::panic;
+use crate::utils::hostname_as_str;
 
 /// The result of a successful SRV lookup.
 #[derive(Debug)]
@@ -101,8 +101,7 @@ unsafe impl<'a> Sync for SRVResultsIter<'a> {}
 impl<'a> SRVResult<'a> {
     /// Returns the hostname in this `SRVResult`.
     pub fn host(self) -> &'a str {
-        let c_str = unsafe { CStr::from_ptr(self.srv_reply.host) };
-        c_str.to_str().unwrap()
+        unsafe { hostname_as_str(self.srv_reply.host) }
     }
 
     /// Returns the weight in this `SRVResult`.
diff --git a/src/string.rs b/src/string.rs
index 14de76230..7471d3e2b 100644
--- a/src/string.rs
+++ b/src/string.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
-use std::ffi::CStr;
 use std::ops::Deref;
 use std::os::raw::c_char;
+use std::str;
+
+use crate::utils::c_string_as_str_unchecked;
 
 /// A smart pointer wrapping a string as allocated by c-ares.
 pub struct AresString {
@@ -11,8 +13,7 @@ pub struct AresString {
 impl AresString {
     #[allow(dead_code)]
     pub(crate) fn new(ares_string: *mut c_char) -> Self {
-        let c_str = unsafe { CStr::from_ptr(ares_string) };
-        let rust_str = c_str.to_str().unwrap();
+        let rust_str = unsafe { c_string_as_str_unchecked(ares_string) };
         AresString {
             ares_string,
             rust_str,
diff --git a/src/uri.rs b/src/uri.rs
index d1a52ca74..96521408d 100644
--- a/src/uri.rs
+++ b/src/uri.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-use std::ffi::CStr;
 use std::fmt;
 use std::marker::PhantomData;
 use std::os::raw::{c_int, c_uchar, c_void};
@@ -9,6 +8,7 @@ use itertools::Itertools;
 
 use crate::error::{Error, Result};
 use crate::panic;
+use crate::utils::c_string_as_str_checked;
 
 /// The result of a successful URI lookup.
 #[derive(Debug)]
@@ -111,8 +111,7 @@ impl<'a> URIResult<'a> {
 
     /// Returns the uri in this `URIResult`.
     pub fn uri(self) -> &'a str {
-        let c_str = unsafe { CStr::from_ptr(self.uri_reply.uri) };
-        c_str.to_str().unwrap()
+        unsafe { c_string_as_str_checked(self.uri_reply.uri) }
     }
 
     /// Returns the time-to-live in this `URIResult`.
diff --git a/src/utils.rs b/src/utils.rs
index 494ffa5c1..0a77c1781 100644
--- a/src/utils.rs
+++ b/src/utils.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 use crate::types::AddressFamily;
-use std::ffi::CStr;
+use std::ffi::{c_char, CStr};
 use std::mem;
 use std::net::{Ipv4Addr, Ipv6Addr, SocketAddrV4, SocketAddrV6};
 use std::os::raw::c_int;
@@ -155,6 +155,26 @@ pub fn socket_addrv6_as_sockaddr_in6(sock_v6: &SocketAddrV6) -> c_types::sockadd
     sockaddr_in6
 }
 
+pub unsafe fn c_string_as_str_unchecked<'a>(c_str: *const c_char) -> &'a str {
+    let bytes = CStr::from_ptr(c_str).to_bytes();
+    str::from_utf8_unchecked(bytes)
+}
+
+pub unsafe fn c_string_as_str_checked<'a>(c_str: *const c_char) -> &'a str {
+    let c_str = CStr::from_ptr(c_str);
+    c_str.to_str().unwrap()
+}
+
+#[cfg(not(cares1_17_2))]
+pub unsafe fn hostname_as_str<'a>(hostname: *const c_char) -> &'a str {
+    c_string_as_str_checked(hostname)
+}
+
+#[cfg(cares1_17_2)]
+pub unsafe fn hostname_as_str<'a>(hostname: *const c_char) -> &'a str {
+    c_string_as_str_unchecked(hostname)
+}
+
 /// Get the version number of the underlying `c-ares` library.
 ///
 /// The version is returned as both a string and an integer.  The integer is built up as 24bit
@@ -164,8 +184,7 @@ pub fn version() -> (&'static str, u32) {
     let mut int_version: c_int = 0;
     let str_version = unsafe {
         let ptr = c_ares_sys::ares_version(&mut int_version);
-        let buf = CStr::from_ptr(ptr).to_bytes();
-        str::from_utf8_unchecked(buf)
+        c_string_as_str_unchecked(ptr)
     };
     (str_version, int_version as u32)
 }