We’ve all had that moment when we’ve come home to the garbage spilled all over the floor and a guilty pet not making eye contact in the other room. It seems innocent enough, but some real dangers are hiding in your trash can that can affect both cats and dogs. Today, we’re here to tell you why it’s so important to keep a barrier between your pet and the trashcan.

First and foremost, please keep your trash can out of your pet’s reach. If it is in their grasp, make sure that it had a lid that is not easily removed by a pet. This is important so that they are unable to get into it, and also to help shield smells from their curious noses. At the end of the day, your pet can most likely digest and have no issues with, but as you know, there are plenty of items in the trash that can cause stomach problems for your pet.

Food

As we’ve stated before, there are plenty of foods that can be extremely toxic to your pet. Onions, garlic, grapes, gum, chocolate, and a plethora of other items can be toxic to your pet if ingested and may be in your trash can right now. What we’re also worried about is spoiled food that has been sitting in there overnight. A good rule of thumb is that the trash should be taken out if food has been in there from the night before.

Non-edible Items

What smells horrible to us like feces or blood, may attract the curious noses of our pets. Once in the garbage, everything gets mashed together. Food, paper, plastics, cleaning products, personal hygiene products, and everything else we throw away. Whether it’s your main trash can or bathroom trash can, smells are collecting, and items that may be attracting our pets are piling up. There are plenty of non-edible items we throw away that can cause serious health problems for our pets if ingested.

Paper Products

Ripped up and shredded paper everywhere is not a huge deal. However, it’s what’s on the paper products that can cause issues. A little sauce from dinner isn’t a far stretch, but what if it’s a cleaning solution? Either way, ingesting paper products is never good for your pet, and you’ll find that your trash can is full of it!

Think about everything you throw away and picture your pet getting to it. Is it really something you’d want in their mouth? It’s best to many any and all effort you can to keep them out of the trash.