Dog News

The following is an excerpt from Trim The Fat Blog.

“Many of us feel the need to have an exercise buddy when we first start a fitness program. I’ll admit, I had friends lined up almost every day of the week to go for a walk with me when I first began to include exercise in my weight loss journey. It was nice to have company and helped keep me accountable. As I would walk on the fitness trail near my home, I noticed that quite a few people had their dogs either walking or running with them. It never dawned on me before that my dog, Rocky, could have been my exercise buddy, too! We all know the benefits of exercise for ourselves which include weight loss or weight maintenance, heart health and stress management. Turns out, those same exercise benefits apply to our pets, too. There was a study done by the University of Missouri-Columbia that discovered their participants that walked with a dog on a regular schedule, building up to 20 minutes per day, 5 days per week ended up losing an average of 14 pounds per person! And let’s not forget about the pooches! Another study done at Northwest Memorial Hospital’s Wellness Institute found that obese people who tried losing weight with their overweight dogs lost an average of 11 pounds in a year and their dogs lost 16% of their body weight.”

“We can bring our dogs along for any outdoor physical activity whether it’s hiking, backpacking, jogging or running. We’ll get some heart healthy exercise and so will our dogs; plus we’ll have a fun time and lose weight! So, in honor of May being Physical Fitness Month, my uber cool friends at DogToys.com offered to do a giveaway of some items to encourage you and your pup to get fit this month!”

Please visit www.trimthefat-marisa.blogspot.com to enter the contest.

As the weather is getting warmer, many homeowners are beginning to treat lawns and tend to flower gardens.  Many pet lovers are unaware of the potential dangers these simple tasks may pose to dogs and cats and need to take precautions when preparing to use chemicals. 

As you work outside be sure to take an extra moment or two to protect your pets:

“Generally, most lawn seed and mulch products are not associated with toxic problems in pets. Cacao bean mulch is perhaps the only product known to cause poisoning in dogs. This mulch is made from the hulls of cacao beans and when fresh, has a rich chocolate aroma associated with it. Some larger breed dogs have actually eaten several pounds of the mulch; more then enough to develop poisoning associated with the chocolate remnants, so overly eager dogs should be kept away from the mulch until the aroma has dissipated. Generally a heavy rainfall or thorough watering is all that is required.”

DogToys.com is proud to report the launch of its “Made in the USA” sections. Due to an overwhelming demand for American made products, 13 pages containing hundreds of items, have been devoted to USA made products.

Consumers remain hesitant to purchase items from China. The want for products made in the US has only increased due to the 2007 pet food recall and 2008 children toy recall.

Gina Mirolli Crespo, General Manager, commented: “We received such a large number of phone calls and inquiries, in search of American made dog products. Customers want to spend their money on quality items they can trust. For many owners, their pets are as precious as their children – and they deserve the best. We are proud to say none of the thousands of products we carry have ever been affected by a recall.”

DogToys.com is hoping that the support of national companies and small businesses will help strengthen the US economy. Twenty-three lines are manufactured in the US; many of these are all natural, organic or eco-friendly products. Quality, innovative products that meet the high standards of DogToys.com are added to the site frequently.

US made products range from: Apparel, Ball Toys, Beds, Collars and Leashes, Dental Toys, Feeders & Bowls, Grooming Items, Plush Toys, Rubber Toys, Supplements, & Treats.

Note: Not every product on the website is American made, only those located in the “Made in the USA” section and sub-sections. http://www.dogtoys.com/madeinusa.html

Every dog has its day! Share your beloved pet’s photos online for free! This is a great way to show all your friends and family your wonderful best friend and they can buy prints and gifts right from your photos. Once your dog’s photos are online you can put your favorite photos on pet bowls, playing cards, jewelry and so much more.

Get your first 20 prints from digital pictures free at snapfish.com

Plus get additional prints for only 12 cents each every day!

Every February we get a little reminder of just how important our pet’s dental health is as we celebrate Pet Dental Health month. Your dog’s dental health is important all year long; February is used as a gentle reminder to all of us. More importantly it lets new pet owners know how important it is to take care of their dog’s teeth.

There are several ways to help your dog keep his smile clean and healthy every day. Be sure to brush his teeth regularly with the Bamboo Quadbrush. Give him dental treats, like Greenies Dental Chews or Booda Bones that help remove tartar as he eats them. Give her dental toys that help keep teeth clean like floss rope bones and the Nylabone double dental chews. These are easy things to do on a regular basis that will keep your dog’s mouth healthy and save on those expensive and even risky veterinary teeth cleanings.

Your dog will live a longer, happier and healthier life with proper dental hygiene. Gum disease (periodontal disease) can be very dangerous to your pet. Gum disease causes, not only, pain and discomfort for your dog, but if left untreated they can get very sick as the bacteria spreads throughout their body. (The Journal of Veterinary Dentistry stated that your pet’s internal organs can be damaged by the bacteria as it spreads in the bloodstream.) So start when they’re young and keep that smile healthy!

The winter season can be quite boring at times for dogs that are couped up inside the house for the majority of the day.  Yes, it is too cold to be outside for a long hike unless your dog is properly attired, so how do we give our dog stimulation and exercise?  Play Hide and Seek.  If your dog is obedient, have him/her stay in one room and you hide in another.  Call him/her once and wait for them to find you.  Give tons of praise when you are found.  I started doing this with my Weimaraner when he was a puppy, hiding behind a chair, or behind an open door.  Gradually I hid in harder to find places like deep inside the closet or in the basement.  Either he sniffed me out or I made a sound and he heard me, but stimulation incurred no matter; exercise occured as he ran around the house looking for me.  This may not be the best way to exercise your dog, but hey, it’s the winter and we’re stuck inside, so let’s make the best of it.  Have some fun.

Are you having trouble getting your dog to go outside to do his business?  Despite being covered head to paw in fur, dogs do get cold in the winter!  You may not know, but a dogs under belly has much less hair and therefore needs to be protected against the cold.  Breeds with short coats, like Chihuahua’s, Greyhounds, Weimaraners and Whippets etc. will benefit from wearing a coat during a frigid stroll around the neighborhood.   

There are many styles to choose from chic to practical and materials that vary from fleece to knits.  Keep your dog warm during a romp in the snow!

These great new doggy breath mints have been featured on the TODAY SHOW this morning! Pick up a bunch for your pooch for Valentine’s Day!

We have had quite a few calls asking us if the treats we sell are safe. We have contacted our vendors who make treats containing peanuts and peanut butter about the recall. We have been reassured by the manufacturers that their treats do not contain any products included in the recent recall. Therefore, we feel confident in telling our customers that the treats we sell are safe.

Here is what each manufacturer has told us about their products that contain peanut butter…

Robbie Dawg takes great pride in their treats and the ingredients they use. They have confirmed that the peanut butter and peanut paste they use is from Hampton Farms. Robbie Dawg confirms that their treats are indeed safe and not involved with the recall.

Cloud Star states that, “Cloud Star peanut butter products are safe. This applies to all Cloud Star peanut butter products including Original Buddy Biscuits, Itty Bitty Buddy Biscuits, Organic Buddy Biscuits, and Soft & Chewy Buddy Biscuits.”

Red Barn confirms that they do not get their ingredients from any of the companies involved in the recall. They further state, “All ingredients used by Redbarn Pet Products, regardless of origin, are subject to internal and external testing prior to being released into production.”

Zuke’s wants to reassure their customers that Zuke’s “products remain healthy, safe, and unrelated to any recalled product due to the current Salmonella outbreak. The tainted peanut butter has been tracked to a manufacturer that is in no way connected to Zuke’s company or any of their ingredient suppliers. Health, safety, and quality remain of utmost importance at Zuke’s.”

Kong tells us that their KONG Peanut Butter Flavored Paste contains no peanut butter and their Stuff’n Snacks biscuits peanut butter ingredients come from the North Hampton Peanut Company, which is not involved in the recall.

Apsen Pet confirms that their peanut butter flavored Booda Bone is not involved in the recall. They state, “the small amount of peanut butter flavor [in the Booda Bone] is a powder not a paste. In addition, the bones are molded and the molding process heats up the ingredients to a temperature which kills salmonella.”

Peanut Corporation of America has a complete listing of brands that are not affected by the recall on their website.

For the Latest information on investigation and product recalls, visit the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) .

The new film Hotel for Dogs features quite a few Rube Goldberg machines to help with the daily tasks of taking care of all the dogs while the kids are away. They really are quite ingenious. Makes you wonder if anyone will take the ideas and run with them for everyday doggy use?

Check out the following featurette for an inside look at these amazing contraptions built for dogs.

The movie opens today!

And don’t forget the enter our contest to win a Hotel for Dogs movie poster (ends 2/16/09).