Review of Flush Doggy Poop Bags

I have been flushing Thane's poop since shortly after moving to this complex in December due to the difficult access for leaving my apartment and dealing with garbage. It just made more sense to me to just flush it. I still had to throw the collection bag away. I was thrilled when I read a blog entry about using flushable poop bags. It actually evaluated a number of them. I thought I had saved the link, but unfortunately, I can't seem to find it. GRRRR

I definitely had to try these out though. I researched a bit more on the various ones available thanks to google. Though my preference would be to use a product not made in China, I have had the opportunity thanks to Sharon at After Gadget blog to see both the positive and negatives of the entire process using flush doggy.

The first few times I used them, the poop bag went right down the toilet without any problems. After that, I began to encounter issues with the bag opening up and filling with air in the flush process which makes it act like a weight and thus unflushable without the use of a plunger and multiple flushes.

I searched the internet for a reason why this was happening hoping I would find a solution to this hiccup in the process. I stumbled upon a solution that works great if I can get the timing right. The solution was to wait to put it into the toilet until the water is actually going down the toilet and drop it directly over the hole. Being deafblind  I don't have such exactness in my timing. This is a great solution for the sighted, but for the blind it only works part of the time. Still, I think the flushable bags are worth it to me.

I've had Thane poop directly into a bag since a short while after I got him in 2007. For a time I used Dispoz-a-scoop that I got a pretty good price on through an online supplier. When the quality deteriorated significantly and I frequently got bags that the seams were not holding, I created my own frame to put veggie bags into and slip a couple of clips over the bag edge to hold the bag in place. It worked great to accommodate both my mobility and sight disabilities.

The flushable bags have a very small opening, not really designed with the concept of pooping directly into the bag. Thus far, however, we have managed to make them work with me just holding the bag open for him when we are at home.  If Thane were a larger dog, I don't think I would be able to do things this way. As it is, there are times when I wonder if its going to work.

If you are reading this and have MCS, I will say this much, the bags do have some smell to them due to materials required to make them disintegrate. As long as I wash my hands after I handle them (which should be done anyway), it has not been a problem for me, but I suspect they would be for some.

Even with these limitations, I will continue to use flushable poop bags for Thane.