```ts
export function addDecimalStrings(a: string, b: string): string {
  // Validate inputs
  if (typeof a !== 'string' || typeof b !== 'string') {
    throw new Error('Both arguments must be strings');
  }
  
  if (a.length === 0 || b.length === 0) {
    throw new Error('Both arguments must be non-empty strings');
  }
  
  // Check for invalid characters
  if (!/^\d+$/.test(a) || !/^\d+$/.test(b)) {
    throw new Error('Both arguments must contain only digits 0-9');
  }
  
  // Handle leading zeros by converting to number and back to string
  // This ensures canonical representation (no leading zeros)
  const numA = BigInt(a);
  const numB = BigInt(b);
  
  // Convert back to string to get canonical form
  return String(numA + numB);
}
```