Dog Proof Trash Can Buying Guide
Dogs can be messy in their exploration. They will knock over all the garbage bins and start digging through the trash. When they are done, a huge mess will be waiting for you. Besides, this kind of behavior may also be dangerous for your canine friend.
There are of course a lot of dog proof trash cans out there. Each of them offers unique advantages and shortcomings. Knowing what to go for can sometimes be hard.
Here are some things to keep in mind that may help you choose the best dog proof trash can:
What Material Is It Made Of?
Dog proof trash cans should be strong and durable. They need to be manufactured with materials that your dog won’t be able to destroy easily by either biting or scratching. In that case, avoid plastic based trash cans.
Stainless steel is often a match for any dog. No matter how hard your pet tries to get through the trash can, you can be sure that the durable steel will keep him off. Besides, steel is heavier than plastic. Even for a strong dog, it will take a lot of strength to knock it over.
How Big Is The Dog Proof Trash Can?
Size is also a very important factor when you are choosing a garbage bin. The reasoning behind this is simple. The bigger the bin, the harder it will be for the dog to knock it over. This is because bigger bins are heavier. Besides, you don’t want to keep taking the trash out every now and then. A bigger bin can hold more trash, making things quite convenient for you.
Other Features
Here are some other important features that you should look out for:
- Make sure the lid is tightened. Additionally, try to also buy trash cans that lock the lid into place regardless of their position. This means that, even if somehow the dog manages to knock over the can, it will still not spill the garbage all over your home.
- Ensure there’s also a rubber non-skid base. This will help to enhance the stability of the can.
- Motion sensors also help with convenient opening and closing. It’s very hygienic to use dog proof trash cans with sensors that open and close without touch.
How To Keep Your Dog Away From The Garbage
There are a few things you can do to keep your dog away from the trash.
- Restrict the pet from accessing rooms where the trash is
- Try to put the trash bin in closed cabinets and let your canine friend roam every corner of the house
- Get your pet pooch a durable dog toy. This will keep it busy enough to avoid the bins.
When Should You Buy A Dog Proof Trash Can?
This one is an easy one. If you notice that your dog is starting to hang around the trash bin frequently, it’s time to get a dog proof trash can. Some dogs may also try to knock it over or bite the can with their teeth, especially when they are teething as puppies. This is also a good sign that you need a dog proof trash can as soon as possible.
5 Methods to Keep Your Dog Out of the Trash
While we consider garbage to be something that's disgusting and repelling, dogs see it as an attractive place that hides many “treats.” What your dog doesn't realize, of course, is that the garbage is full of bacteria, germs, and possible infestation and that consuming garbage can lead to all kinds of health conditions.
In fact, letting your dog go through your trash is a dangerous practice that can lead to stomach and gut problems, not to mention the mess it leaves you with every single time. Luckily, you can do something about this situation.
Here are some helpful tips on how to keep your dog away from your trash.
Get A Dog-Proof Trash Can
From the moment you adopt your pet, you should also chuck out your old trash can and invest in a dog-proof trash can instead. Dog-proof trash cans are designed in a way that makes it impossible for dogs to rummage through and make a mess. They typically come with a lockable lid and are heavy enough to deter any dog from knocking them over.
Use Deterrents
While it's easier for your dog to obey your wishes of staying out of your trash when you're around, they might take chances as soon as you're not there. How do you get him to comply when you're not around?
Apply deterrents like bitter-tasting spray or hot sauce onto the trash can, especially on the lid. This will deter your pet from going any further into the trash. You could also put some metal baking sheets on top of the trash can so they'll crash all over your dog as soon as it starts going through your trash. This will startle your dog and discourage it from coming for your trash can again.
Try To Distract Your Dog
Another neat trick is to get your dog to associate trash-diving with some form of unpleasant sensation, like hearing a scary noise. One way to do this would be to shake a bottle of coins or clap your hands whenever Fido gets near the trash can.
If you do this enough times, your pet will put two-and-two together and realize that something scary or startling happens whenever it gets near the trash can. It doesn't end there, however, as you must also provide your pooch with an alternative activity that it can engage in instead of going through your trash.
Prepare Alternatives
Sometimes, dogs go through your trash not because they're naughty but because they're bored. If that's the case, then you should find different ways to keep your dog preoccupied. Get it a wide variety of toys to play with and make sure they're accessible. From ropes to bouncy balls and squeaky toys; make sure they’re durable and practically indestructible toys that’ll keep your dog busy for hours. Treat-filled rubber toys are a popular option for energetic dogs and can go a long way to keeping it out of your trash.
Baby-Proof Everything
It's also a good idea to baby-proof your house, regardless of how old your pet is. This means keeping the doors closed in all the different rooms that have trash cans around your house. If you have an open-plan home without a lot of doors, consider hiding the trash can beneath the sink or inside the locked cabinet doors.
If you don't have a way of hiding your trash from your dog, make sure it's tall enough to keep the lid out of reach. Or, opt for a lockable lid or place baby gates all around the trash can to prevent your pup from getting to it.
Dog Alert: Dangers of Eating Moldy Food
Thousands of dogs get food poisoning each year from ingesting stuff they shouldn't, like pills and plants. While most pet poisons are easy to identify and keep your dogs away from, some aren't. Certain types of food that may be dangerous to your pet pooch might seem safe at first glance.
A good example of this is moldy food. It's extremely dangerous to pets and can cause some severe food poisoning effects. That's why it's essential for pet owners to be educated on the effects of moldy food and how to identify it.
What Is Food Mold?
Food mold is often referred to as Penicillium spp, and it's a type of fungus that grows naturally and gradually. It's easy to spot moldy food by the green splotches and spots it leaves on food, and it can make your pet extremely ill if it ingests it.
It's easy enough to keep your pets from eating moldy dog food because it's easy to spot and keep your pet away from it. But, the problem arises when your pet starts going through your garbage can. Your pet may also come across moldy food from eating tree nuts and fruits that have fallen to the ground. Once your dog ingests moldy food, it will get sick due to the fungal neurotoxins present in the mold.
How Does It Affect Dogs?
You'll know your dog has ingested mold if it shows one or a combination of these symptoms:
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Seizures
- Muscle tremors
- A spike in body temperature
These symptoms will happen within the first 24 to 48 hours of your pet, consuming the contaminated food and can last for that long as well. Left untreated, your pet's condition can be fatal. Your dog must receive treatment to keep it hydrated and cool while keeping the tremors under control.
To avoid all that, you need to be extra vigilant with your pet and try by all means to keep it from eating moldy food. This means keeping an eye on your pet even when it's outside and monitoring its play and activities at all times.
How to Diagnose Moldy Food Poisoning
The best way to identify mycotoxin poisoning in pets is to think back on what it has been ingesting. If you can recall the moldy food that your pet ate and bring a sample of it to your vet, you'll make it easier for it to prescribe the right treatment for your pet.
Most mycotoxins rarely come with obvious diagnostic markers. But, aflatoxins usually show up in the bloodstream through compromised liver function. Your vet will likely perform further lab tests on your dog's stomach and on the contaminated food to determine the cause. In most cases, it's usually mycotoxin toxicosis.
Contact A Local Veterinarian
The vet may also perform additional tests to rule out alternative causes like amphetamines, hydrocarbons, ethylene glycol, and other substances that can cause similar symptoms. It'll also be helpful to your vet if you can recall a recent history of all your dog's activities.
Lastly, if you ever notice your dog eating moldy food, make sure to contact the vet immediately. Even if your dog isn't showing any symptoms after, you should still have it checked.
As they say, ‘prevention is better than cure', so you'll do well to minimize the risk of your dog consuming moldy food and contaminated items. You can do this by keeping an eye on your dog when it's playing outside and buying a dog-proof trash can. That way, you'll have a peace of mind knowing that your dog has no access to potentially dangerous substances.
Garbage Gut In Dogs (Garbage Toxicosis): Everything You Need To Know
No matter how obedient or well-trained your dog is; it will always be a dog at heart. This means that from time to time, you might see it going through your trash can looking for god-knows-what. You might even catch your dog eating cat litter, waste, dead birds, and even the feces of other animals.
What's Garbage Toxicosis (Garbage Gut)?
Due to their curiosity, dogs are more susceptible to contracting garbage toxicosis, a condition that's also known as garbage gut. This condition is particularly prevalent in outdoor dogs because there's an increased possibility that they'll consume harmful organisms and bacteria.
However, indoor dogs can also develop garbage toxicosis from eating contaminated raw food or table scraps. When your dog consumes spoiled or contaminated food, this becomes a gateway for bacteria to enter the digestive tract. This creates toxins that enter the bloodstream and cause diseases that'll affect your dog's ability to digest food.
Garbage Toxicosis Is A Serious Medical Condition
Garbage toxicosis typically manifests in symptoms such as severe vomiting, fever, and diarrhea. It can also escalate to shock, hypothermia, and difficulty in controlling body movement. Once you take your dog to the vet, it will most likely be diagnosed with food poisoning, hemorrhagic gastroenteritis or simple gastroenteritis. This can happen as a result of consuming contaminated food from table scraps, trash can food, the feces of other animals and dead animals.
Garbage Toxicosis Symptoms
Garbage toxicosis can manifest in several different ways, and the symptoms experienced by your dog will depend on the type of bacteria it has developed from consuming the contaminated food.
Some of the most common side effects of garbage toxicosis to look out for include:
- Extreme sleepiness
- Appetite loss
- Abdominal swelling and pain
- Vomiting (projectile vomiting or vomiting without blood)
- Diarrhea (it can be watery or bloody)
- Passing gas (panting flatulence)
- Dehydration
- Depression
- Unnaturally high body temperature
- Weakness shock (manifests as respiratory failure, inactivity, weak pulse, and cold extremities)
- Seizures (extremely rare)
- Death (extremely rare)
How To Diagnose Garbage Toxicosis In Dogs
Garbage toxicosis is usually very mild, but in some cases, it can get serious to the point that your dog may experience some of the more severe side effects. Young pups, small breeds, and older dogs are at a higher risk of developing serious forms of this condition. Dehydration is the biggest concern when it comes to garbage toxicosis due to symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea.
Your dog may also experience worrying symptoms associated with bacterial infections, such as seizures and loss of muscle control. Some of these symptoms can be confusing and it can be difficult for pet owners to figure out what type of bacteria is involved. The best way to figure this out is to consult with a vet within the first 24 hours of noticing the mildest symptoms.
Once you get to the doctor's office, the vet will perform a full physical exam which includes checking your dog's temperature, reflexes, body weight, and height, as well as respiratory rate, pulse, blood pressure, abdominal palpation and pupil reaction time. The vet will follow this up with lab tests such as a complete blood count (CBC).
If your dog has garbage toxicosis, the CBC text will come back, showing a spike in red blood cells, a decrease in plasma, and an increase in neutrophils or white blood cells.
A test known as a biochemical profile will probably show low levels of globulin, potassium, albumin, chloride ion, protein, sodium, and glucose. This is in line with the electrolyte disturbances that your dog will experience at this time. This test may also reveal higher packed cells volume (PCV) due to dehydration caused by diarrhea and vomiting.
The vet will also take a stool sample to see what type of bacteria is causing the problem. This is in addition to a urinalysis whose purpose is to determine your dog's glucose levels; an ultrasound and abdominal radiograph to spot fluid loops in the bowel and level of intestine diffusion. Depending on the severity of your pet's condition, the veterinarian may also perform a CT scan and MRI to view the stomach and intestinal tract from the inside.
How To Prevent It
Let's face it; your dog will always be curious, and there's no way to completely stop it from going through your trash. But, you can prevent garbage toxicosis by getting a dog-proof trash can. A dog-proof trash can is designed in a way that makes it virtually impossible for your pet to access its content. It's a great way to minimize the risk of your dog developing garbage toxicosis.
What Causes Diarrhea In Dogs?
The last thing you want as a pet owner is to come home to find that your dog has pooped all over the place. Not only will you have to clean up after a long day of work, but you'll be left with the responsibility of treating your dog as well.
Unfortunately, canine diarrhea is quite common, and in most cases, it's not serious enough to warrant a visit to the vet's office.
In fact, most dogs that experience diarrhea do so as a result of short-lived enteritis, a condition that’s characterized by intestinal inflammation. The good news is you can easily treat diarrhea through effective home remedies and convalescent care. But, it helps to identify the cause of the problem so you can prevent it from happening again in the future.
To that effect, we did some research to bring you some of the most common causes of dog diarrhea.
Bad Eating Habits
Most dogs will put almost anything into their mouth from quarter coins and dollar bills to spoiled food, contaminated garbage, and even the feces of other animals. Consuming these and other toxic items can cause problems like diarrhea, gas, and stomach upset.
A dog that eats a lot of processed food and high sugar and fat content will also experience digestive problems. This often manifests as diarrhea and can be corrected by getting your dog to consume a balanced diet. Unfortunately, some pet owners tend to spoil their dogs with unhealthy foods that contribute to their bad eating habits.
Changes In Diet
A change in diet is arguably the leading cause of diarrhea in pets. It might take a few days for the change to take effect because a dog's digestive system will take longer than a human's to adjust to the new food.
The problem typically arises when a pet owner abruptly introduces food into their pet's diet without allowing for a slow transition. Diarrhea is particularly common in pets that are transitioning from a regular kibble-and-sauce diet to raw food or all-natural diet.
Food Intolerance
Intolerance to certain foods like dairy, fat, and gluten can cause your dog to experience recurring bouts of diarrhea. This is known as hypersensitivity, and it's more common in specific breeds. For example, Irish Setters and Wheaton Terries often show a higher intolerance to gluten than other breeds. Meanwhile, Schnauzers are known for having an intolerance to a high-fat diet.
Eating Rotten Food From Garbage Cans
Dogs are curious creatures, and to them, your garbage can is a fascinating place. Unfortunately, trash-diving can lead to the consumption of contaminated food and other toxic items that cause diarrhea. So you should buy a dog-proof trash can to keep your dog away from rotten food.
Different Allergies
Diarrhea can also be a symptom of a food allergy. Now, there are different levels of allergic reactions that your dog may experience. For instance, if your dog experiences a mild allergic reaction, then you can always treat it at home through home remedies.
But, if it experiences a severe reaction, then you must take it to the vet or an animal hospital. The vet will determine the type of allergen that's causing the problem and prescribe proper treatment for it.
Why Does My Dog Eat Trash?
Dogs are simply a joy to have around and make the most loyal friends that one could ask for. But, they can also complicate your life by going through your trash and scattering the trash all over the floor. Coming home to such a mess is one of the most annoying things your dog could put you through, and yet pets do it all the time.
While you might be tempted to let it slide and allow your dog to continue going through your trash, that won't do you or your dog any favors. Your pooch will continue making a mess and putting its health in danger because eating garbage places your dog at risk of developing serious gut and stomach problems.
In fact, a large number of pets die each year from eating contaminated items from the trash, from discarded chocolate to rodenticides, metals, and sugarless gum. All of these items can be found in an average home's dumpster and are highly toxic to dogs.
Is Trash Eating A Sign Of A More Serious Condition?
Is your pet pooch going through your trash more frequently than usual?
This may be a sign of a more serious medical or behavioral problem. It might be a good idea to take your dog to the vet so it can run some tests and see what the underlying problem is. For instance, dogs tend to exhibit trash-diving behavior when their owners are absent and will leave the trash alone when their owners are around.
So, it stands to reason that their aggressive behavior toward the trash can might be a symptom of a form of separation anxiety. On the other hand, you have dogs that take the trash out of the garbage can just to destroy it or chew it aggressively. For them, trash-diving is an enjoyable activity where they get to discover what's new in the trash can.
But, consuming trash can also be a sign of something more sinister. There are several medical conditions that can cause an upset stomach or increase a dog's appetite to the point that it starts going through your trash instead of waiting for the next meal time.
If your dog is suffering from a condition like gastrointestinal upset, it may scrounge around your trash can for something to appease its upset stomach until dinner time.
However, this can cause several health problems due to the ingestion of toxins from the moldy food present in the trash. If your dog continues to ingest these harmful items, you should take it to the vet for a test that'll help to determine the root cause.
What Should You Do?
The good news is that there are a few methods that you can use to stop your dog from trash-diving. Getting a dog-proof trash can is a great way to solve this problem because these types of trash cans are designed in a way that makes it virtually impossible for dogs to open them. Also, you should avoid trash cans with motion-sensor activated lids or pedals, because any smart dog can figure out how to open them.
For the best results, stick with dog-proof trash cans like the ones that have a locking lid. This type of trash can can't be opened by your dog no matter how many times it tries, and it's the best way to guarantee that it won't go through your garbage when you're not watching.
Alternatively, you could place your trash can in your pantry, if there's enough space for it, and make sure your pantry door is always closed. You can also move your trash can from the kitchen to an outdoor bin that's enclosed so your dog can't reach it.
The most important thing is to keep your dog away from your trash can by any means necessary.
