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Help! My Dog Eats Everything Outside

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How to Stop Your Dog From Eating Everything Outside

My Dog Eats Everything
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With so many tempting things outside, it’s understandable why dogs would want to chew on sticks or crunch on acorns. As fun as it is for your dog to eat everything outside, it’s not healthy for him to consume indigestible foreign bodies. Next time your dog tries eating mulch, give these tips a try.

Keep an Eye on Your Dog First

To stop your dog from eating everything, it’s important to know when it happens, so you can redirect your dog. When your dog is outdoors, hang out and watch your dog at all times. During the time it takes to text your friend, your dog will have been able to swallow a whole acorn.

Keep your dog on a 4- to 6-foot leash to prevent pica behavior, which is the consumption of indigestible objects. Plus, keeping your dog close to you helps change your dog’s behavior quickly.

Play “Trade”

When your dog picks up a stick or rock to chew on, play the “trade” game. Say “trade” and offer your dog a super yummy treat. When your dog drops the stick, pick up the stick and then give your dog the yummy treat. Of course, throw away the stick to prevent your dog from picking it up again.

Trying to remove an object from your dog’s mouth will teach your dog to turn away from you or swallow the item faster, so always play the “trade” game. If your dog eats dog poop, picking up poop immediately is the best way to prevent this behavior.

Give Your Dog Fun Things to Do Outside

Leave fun toys outside to keep your dog occupied. Even better is to play tug or fetch with your dog after your dog potties. Once dogs learn to play with toys, they will quickly ignore sticks, stones and other indigestible objects outdoors.

Sometimes, dogs develop pica due to behavior and nutritional issues. If your dog continues to eat everything outdoors, contact your veterinarian. It may be due to a medical issue.

Why Dogs Should Eat Pumpkin

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Benefits of Pumpkin for Dogs

Pumpkin for Dogs
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As fall approaches, pumpkins slowly pop up in grocery stores and doorsteps. Pumpkins are certainly a beautiful symbol of fall, but these fruits are packed with amazing health benefits for dogs too. Yes, pumpkins are considered fruits due to their flowering plants and seeds, and they taste delicious when slow-roasted in the oven. Check out these amazing benefits of pumpkin for dogs and why you should feed your dog cooked pumpkin several times a week.

Aids Digestion

Pumpkin is rich in fiber, and contains both soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber softens stool and contains anti-inflammatory properties. Insoluble fiber doesn’t dissolve in water, but instead it prevents constipation. Due to both soluble and insoluble fiber, pumpkin prevents constipation and can certainly firm up minor diarrhea. If your dog has stomachaches, always partner with your veterinarian before adding pumpkin to your dog’s food. Slowly add pumpkin over a course of 7 days to prevent further tummy issues.

Slims Waistlines

Not only can fiber relieve common digestive issues, but pumpkin fiber also makes dogs feel full longer. When dogs are watching their waistlines, it’s important they eat less food and treats. This is much easier said than done, especially when pitiful brown eyes are begging for more food. Adding a teaspoon of pumpkin to a low calorie diet will ensure dogs feel satisfied after a meal.

Fights Bladder Cancer

Diet certainly plays a part in preventing disease, and it seems adding yellow-orange fruits and vegetables can lower the risk of bladder cancer in certain breeds of dogs. A study was done on Scottish Terriers, which are genetically prone to bladder cancer, that “suggest(s) that consumption of certain vegetables may prevent or slow the development of TCC (bladder cancer) in Scottish Terriers” (J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2005 Jul 1;227(1):94-100). While this study focused on a specific type of cancer and a specific breed, this research certainly reveals the power of adding fresh fruits and vegetables to your dog’s diet.

Choosing Pumpkin for Your Dog

Slowly oven roast fresh pumpkin until soft, or purchase canned pumpkin at the grocery store. Stay away from pumpkin pie filling for dogs, as it’s loaded with sugar and other ingredients. Another canned option, created by a veterinarian, is Fruitables’ Pumpkin Superblend, which contains whole pumpkin plus ginger, B vitamins and additional soothing supplements.

If your dog is eating a raw or cooked diet, it’s certainly advisable to toss cooked pumpkin into your dog’s veggie mix each week. For kibble-fed dogs, spoon a bit of pumpkin on top or mix into your dog’s meals each day.

Ice Therapy For Dogs

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How to Ice a Dog’s Injury

Ice Therapy
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Injuries happen, especially with younger energetic dogs. Sometimes, ice therapy is recommended after your dog’s surgery. Ice therapy can drastically reduce inflammation, swelling and pain within minutes. Regardless of the reason for ice therapy, choosing an ice pack as well as keeping your dog still and engaged during ice therapy can be challenging. Try these tips the next time you need to ice your dog’s injury.

Choose an Ice Pack

When using cold therapy for dogs, choosing an appropriate sized ice pack is essential. Refrain from using a frozen bag of peas as a cold compress because it’s impossible to keep a dog still when food is attached to her body. 🙂 While it’s tempting to fill a plastic bag with ice cubes and use that as a cold compress, this type of compress is extremely cold and can cause more harm than good.

Instead, choose a flexible, reusable and gel-filled wrap that’s large enough to cover your dog’s injury area. Ace Reusable Cold Compress wraps work really well for dogs, and are easily found at most drugstores. Gel-filled cold wraps are moldable and much more comfortable on your dog’s skin. Keep the gel-filled cold compress wrap in the freezer for immediate use.

RELATED: Caring for Your Dog After His Neuter Surgery

Exactly, Where is the Injury?

To maximize the benefits of cold therapy for your dog, find the exact location of inflammation and pain. If you’re unsure, ask your veterinarian to show you exactly where to place a cold compress on your dog. For larger areas, choose a larger cold wrap that completely covers the injured area.

Keep Your Dog Still

Keeping your dog still is the main issue during ice therapy for most pet owners. Find a comfortable place and settle in with pillows and blankets to ensure both you and your dog are comfortable. Ask a friend to give your dog treats while you’re holding the cold wrap in place.

If you’re icing your dog’s injury by yourself, use a peanut butter plate to keep her still and happy. For the most part, once a cold compress is placed properly on a painful injury, dogs will sit still and doze off.

Ice for 10 Minutes

Keep the cold wrap in place for 10 minutes, then remove and place it back in the freezer. Set a timer on your smartphone, sit back and relax while ice therapy works its magic on your dog. Sometimes, after a few minutes of ice therapy, a dog will stand up and walk away and that’s OK. Next time you’re icing your dog’s injury, try placing a thin towel between the cold compress and your dog’s skin; she may have been a bit uncomfortable last time.

Ice therapy for dogs has proven to have anti-inflammatory and pain relieving benefits. Give ice therapy a try!

Can Dogs Eat Stevia?

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Stevia for Dogs

Dog Ate Stevia
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As more pet owners become health conscious and seek sugar substitutes, you’ll find more and more sugar alternatives popping up. These sugar substitutes have even made their way into dog products, such as dog toothpastes to entice daily tooth brushings.

We all know xylitol is extremely dangerous to dogs, but can dogs eat stevia?

What is Stevia?

Stevia is made from a plant and not in a laboratory unlike sugar. Dried stevia rebaudiana plant leaves are crushed into a powder and used as a natural sweetener for foods and drinks.

Stevia is also known as sugar leaf or SweetLeaf, and tastes much sweeter than regular white table sugar. Interestingly, stevia causes fewer health side effects than sugar and takes much less farmland to grow. Stevia tastes sweet, but it contains a certain bitterness or distinct aftertaste, which many people dislike.

RELATED: Is Honey Good for Dogs?

Is Stevia Safe for Dogs?

From my research, it seems stevia is not toxic to dogs. However, if dogs ingest too much stevia, they can develop really bad diarrhea. With that said, it’s difficult to determine how much stevia is actually too much, depending on a dog’s size and weight.

It’s best not to feed your dog too much or any stevia at all. While the taste may be delicious, it’s not necessarily the best for our or your dog’s diet. Most high quality dog treats don’t even contain sugar, or any other types of sweeteners, and dogs happily gobble them up.

While we’re discussing sugar substitutes, it’s important to remember that xylitol is extremely toxic to dogs. Unfortunately, due to the popularity of sugar-free products, xylitol is creeping into many human foods, including peanut butter (a favorite among dogs). Xylitol is so toxic, I know many pet owners refusing to bring any products containing xylitol into their home.

Read all labels before giving your dog any type of product.

How To Treat Dog Yeast Infections

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Dog Yeast Infection Treatment

Dog Yeast Infections
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Sharing my home with a Bull Terrier means chronic skin issues are always a concern. Over the last 10 years, I’ve tried different tips and learned new tricks to keep dog yeast infections at bay. Finally, a couple of years ago, I found several products that tackle persistent yeast infections in dogs quickly and effectively.

With that said, it takes a combination approach to tame persistent skin infections in dogs because there’s no magic product that works on its own. Check out these veterinarian-recommended canine skin products that really work.

Reminder: Sometimes, certain dog skin infections won’t respond to the use of only topical products and immune suppression medications may be needed. While I employ a holistic approach, I personally feel quality of time is much more important than quantity. I don’t believe a dog should suffer.

Is It a Yeast Infection?

Before diagnosing your dog’s skin condition yourself, it’s important to know exactly what you’re dealing with first. Schedule an appointment with your veterinarian for a thorough examination.

Most vets will scrape your dog’s skin and examine the cells under a microscope to confirm a diagnosis. So many times, yeast infections mimic bacterial infections, mange and other skin disorders, so a proper diagnosis is critical. Partner with your veterinarian for the best outcome.

Dog Yeast Infection Myths

Persistent skin infections are frustrating, especially when dogs lick and chew constantly, which causes open sores. Pet owners then seek advice from other pet owners either online or in person. While some DIY home remedies have worked for some dogs with yeast infection, they won’t work on all dogs. What works for one dog may not work for another dog.

For example, some pet owners recommend foot soaks or salves. However, these shouldn’t be recommended for dogs with open sores. It’s best to get your veterinarian’s consent first. Use common sense before you run to your nearest health food store and smear apple cider vinegar on your dog’s raw feet.

Diet is a hot topic when it comes to yeast infections in dogs. Some passionate pet owners recommend a raw or home-cooked diet, but neither is necessarily a magic pill. When skin infections pop up, it’s important to use a combination approach. 

Combination Approach

A combination approach means using topical solutions, feeding probiotics, providing a wholesome diet, feeding healthy treats and grooming your dog regularly. If one step is missed, yeast infections can pop up and persist.

Of course, a healthy diet is vital. Raw or homemade diets work really well, but it’s best to feed your dog a diet that works best for him. Adding supplements, such as fish oil, probiotics, herbs and hemp oil, can certainly boost your dog’s immune system while helping him battle a skin infection. Combating yeast infections from the inside is important, but it’s equally as important to tackle skin issues topically too.

My favorite topical yeast infection products for dogs are:

  • Douxo Seborrhea Shampoo
  • Douxo Seborrhea Spot-On
  • Douxo AntiSeptic Chlorhexidine + Climbazole Mousse

Bathing a dog with a prescribed shampoo works wonders, especially if a dog is allergic to outdoor allergens. Each product can be used together, so follow your vet’s directions exactly.

We’re tried multiple store-bought or veterinary-prescribed products and essential oils, and by far the Douxo line has worked really well. On average, it takes at least 1 to 2 weeks for a yeast infection to clear up completely. My dog will stop licking at her feet, so redness subsides. Some skin infections may take longer and may require oral medications, so choose what’s best for your dog.

Being persistent and partnering with your veterinarian is key.

Dog Training Nation is a dog training blog for pet owners and dog lovers. We cover a range of topics from puppy socialization tips to dog aggression to dog health. It is our hope you share our content to make the world a better place for dogs.

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