Herbal Tea for Dogs

Tea for dogs? Why not? Herbal tea mixers at California Tea House have created a daily tea for dogs that aids in digestion, stress reduction … even motion sickness. Who knew?

Merck Veterinary Manual Online

Did you know that the Merck Veterinary Manual is available in its entirety online? For more information that you could ever absorb, take a look: http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp. It’s the self-described “World’s Most Trusted Veterinary Reference,” now in its 19th printing, with detailed information on emergency care, nutrition, diseases, behavior, reproduction, etc. There’s a handy index, so you can search and sort by species (unless you really want to read about Pseudopregnancy in Goats).

Whether you want to learn more about canine cancer or brush up on the immune or circulatory system, this is a meaty volume written for professionals.  If you’re not a veterinarian, this is probably “inside baseball” stuff. But I thought it was so cool.

Pet Products Trends: Funny Dog Toys

The latest trend in pet products? Funny beds, toys, treats and more. Why do dog owners love funny stuff? A retailer explains.

Bag of Coal Christmas Dog Toy

This funny Christmas dog toy is for all the dogs on Santa’s “Naughty” list. Plush drawstring bag contains five pieces of plush coal. Some have squeakers inside, but not all of them because – as the hangtag says – “your dog doesn’t deserve it.” A very funny toy for a dog known far and wide for causing mischief.

What Kind of Dog Are You?

There’s a fun website that’s been around for a while. It’s for a British comedy called Gone to the Dogs. But the best part of the site is the game that tells you what kind of dog you would be. Go to http://www.gone2thedogs.com/ and click “GAME” on the left side of the screen. After you answer each question, don’t forget to click the “Next Question” button on the right.

Somebody has put an awful lot of work into this quiz, both from the programming and design aspects. It’s great fun to play.

I’m a Hamilton Hound, a Swedish hunting dog that look similar to the American Foxhound. Who knew?

Lisa

Pet Trends at SuperZoo Trade Show

Wow. We’re back from the SuperZoo annual pet industry trade show in Las Vegas. Still soaking our feet and catching up on our sleep. But we were impressed with the ingenuity and energy that people in the pet industry generate. Take a look at the video and come along!

Among the more than 700 exhibiting companies were plenty of new ones that I hadn’t seen last time I attended, two years ago. That’s good. It means that the industry is growing and entrepreneurs have enough business to sustain them. The bigger companies, too, had new products that were fun and interesting, which shows me there’s no limit to the variety of products the pet industry can generate.

I always make a beeline for the New Products Pavilion whenever I go to a trade show. The NPP at SuperZoo was huge! There were several rows of dog products — including a dizzying array of products to help you pick up after your dog.  Some of them were strangely complicated, but with pickup laws in most cities and towns these days, I guess there’s enough room for everyone to sell their contraptions. I use plastic grocery store bags. If you have found a commercial gadget or product that you really like for this purpose, please share the name with us, because I can’t really judge one over the other.

Some of the winners of the NPP in my view were these items:

• The Comfy Cone, a thick fabric e-collar for post-surgery. Unlike the plastic cone, it’s flexible. And, you can fold back the edge to let your dog see better. We’ll have that available on FunStuffForDogs.com within a week or so.
• Smell Goodies, a daily tablet that is clinically proven to eliminate doggie smells from the inside out. It improves breath and body odor, which keeps furniture, beds and carpets smelling fresher, too. I’m trying out a two-week supply on my collie, who has (sorry, Raleigh) radioactive breath. We’re on day two. I’ll let you know how it works. The manufacturer told me he’d call me in two weeks. If it works, I told him I’d order two cases. Stay tuned. I can say that you have to put it in a treat such as cheese or peanut butter (which the package advises) because the tablet itself is not appealing to dogs. And if it gets wet, the green color can cause discoloration. But I’m in the swing of it now, feeding one tablet a day in a bit of peanut butter. So we’ll see what happens.
• A floor bell that dogs can ring when they want to go out. I’d seen the bells you hang from the doorknob. But the manufacturer said the floor bell was better for two reasons. First, you don’t have the dog scratching up your door. Second, you don’t have the bell going off every time someone goes in and out the door, which prevents confusion to the dog and annoying false alarms to the people in the house. I think this is a great idea.
• The Eye Pack from Happy Tails Spa Products. It contains a jar of pre-moistened eye pads for daily cleaning, paired with a daily food supplement that boost the dog’s immune system and helps cut down on discolored discharge.

There was more apparel than in years past. More manufacturers are getting on the bandwagon of tees, outfits, dresses, costumes and even apparel for male dogs. Two trends I noticed at the show were that the quality of the apparel is improving, and that a few established apparel manufacturers are starting to make tanks and tees for larger dogs. I boght a 3X tee for my Lab that says, “Dog Park Security” from I See Spot and it fits like a dream. My husband and I were skeptical that she would wear it, but once I got it on, she seemed to like it. She didn’t bite at it or pay any attention to it. We’re going to have to carry tees for big dogs, I just know it. Why should little dogs have all the fun?

Another trend I noticed was the larger selection of wheat-free and corn-free treats. It seemed that every other treat had a “grain-free” formula. I know there are some dogs with wheat and grain allergies, but it seems that more and more dog owners are looking for grain-free treats now. I talked with one of the manufacturers about it. I told him, “My opinion is that grain-free treats and food were once difficult to find for dogs with allergies, so more manufacturers began to offer them. Then, as dog owners started to see ‘grain-free’ on the packages, they began to think that there was something wrong with feeding a grain product to a dog, so they began to buy grain-free treats for their dogs who didn’t have allergeis.” He agreed. He said that dogs have been ingesting grains, fruits and vegetables – in addition to meat - for hundreds of years without harm. But all of a sudden, there’s a movement toward eliminating all grains from dogs’ diets. I’ll have to ask my vet if a completely grain-free diet is harmful to dogs.

Of course, there was a mind-boggling array of collars and leashes. It confounds me how there could be enough business for the literally thousands of collar designs I see each year … and new companies spring up all the time. Who is buying all these collars and leashes for their dogs? Collars and leashes must be a fashion item now. There were some gorgeous ones at the show. There were some leather ones (of varying quality), some ribbon ones, some with Swarovski crystals and nailhead studs, and others with neat designs painted or sewn on. There was hemp, cotton, and even ostrich leather.

We saw lots of strollers. There were more exhibitors and attendees with dogs in strollers than I had noticed in years past. Some of the aisles were pretty crowded; I don’t know how you’d get a stroller down them. But the dogs all dressed up in the strollers were so cute!

Television cameras were there nearly every day, interviewing manufacturers and inventors about their new products. I didn’t catch anything on the local news; perhaps we’ll see some of the interviews on Animal Planet in the coming weeks.

Of course, it was painful to whittle down our purcasing list until it fit our budget. But we managed. we got some really neat things, which you can see in the What’s New department of FunStuffForDogs.com. We’ll continue to look for the latest new toys, treats, beds, apparel and gear for your dogs and ours. If you have anything you’d like us to look around for, please leave a comment here and we’ll do it. Meanwhile, I’m going to go soak my feet.

16 Reasons to Use a Dog Stroller

A stroller for a dog? You bet! There are a surprising number of dog owners who do, and here’s why.

New Toy Stimulates All 5 of Your Dog’s Senses

Dogzilla is the first dog toy that engages all five senses, guaranteed to help keep your dog entertained for hours. Dogzilla appeals to your dog’s sense of taste with an innovative material that includes protein flavors. Unlike humans, dogs have taste buds for protein, enabling them to smell and taste it. Dogzilla is infused with protein to make it deliciously crave-able. Dogzilla appeals to your dog’s sense of smell by adding vanilla into the rubber to bring the scent of human food to the dog’s toy. You can also fill the center with tasty treats whose aroma will keep you dog engaged. The design is specially created to visually appeal to the canine eye. Studies show that while dogs can see only certain shades of red and green, they see blue in all of the same shades as humans. In addition, evolutionary processes shaped the canine vision to be an acute detector of movement. The shape of Dogzilla enables the toy to be easily set in motion, which catches a dog’s eye.

Your dog’s sense of touch is stimulated by a tough rubber material that that can be chewed, and comes in wobbly shapes that keep a dog interacting with the toy with his paws, mouth and nose for hours. In addition, specially-placed ridges aid in gripping the toy in paws and mouth, which assists play and helps the dog to work on getting peanut butter, spray cheese or treats out of the center.

Finally, Dogzilla is made of rubber and not hard plastic, which protects a dog’s sensitive hearing. Dogzilla has a calming effect by not adding more noise to the dog’s environment during high-stress times such as separation anxiety, allowing your dog to play quietly and happily. For more stimulation, you can add kibble or small treats inside that will rattle and activate a dog’s hunting instinct. So you can have a quiet toy or a rattling toy, depending on whether you want to soothe or stimulate your dog.

By addressing all the senses, the manufacturer — in collaboration with an evolutionary biologist, an animal behaviorist and a color specialist — has created a toy with the ideal color, shape, size and scent for dogs to enjoy.

Sizes:

• Medium ($16.99) – 3.31″
• Large ($17.99) – 4.07″
• Extra-Large ($18.99)  – 5″

Although it is designed to withstand focused chewing, you should never leave your dog alone with any toy until you determine that he will not break off small pieces and swallow them.

What’s the Deal with Sweet Potato Chews for Dogs?

In San Diego, I stumbled across a new trend in dog treats … dehydrated sweet potatoes. I thought they were chicken chews (another trend). When I picked one up, it was thick, heavy, hard like jerky, and wrinkled. The manufacturer told me it was a sweet potato. How cool is this?

Yams are packed with vitamins and minerals, calcium and fiber. They're naturally sweet and great for dogs who want a vegetarian alternative to rawhide. They're also good for dogs with wheat or corn allergies. Sweet potato chews can be kept for six months (longer if you refrigerate them).

I was so impressed with these chews that I decided we should carry them on FunStuffForDogs.com. I've ordered a couple of cases that come in resealable plastic bags. We need to get our crack-shot photographer, Dianne Coburn, to take some fabulous pictures so you can see the texture and color online. We should have them up and ready to buy in a week or so.

I'm very excited about these. Finally, a vegetable alternative to rawhide that dogs love, isn't greasy, doesn't stain the carpet, and provides a good chewing experience. Please tell me how they do with your dog. Write a product review or add your two cents to an existing review. – Lisa Woody

Global Pet Expo

I’m off to Global Pet Expo 2006 in beautiful San Diego, CA tomorrow, to find the latest, greatest, up-to-datest products for dogs and their people. I’ll let you know what I find in the 12,000-square-foot New Products Pavilion, where 150 new products will be on display. I’ll report back on what I find, and cherry-pick the coolest, fun stuff to carry on our site. I’m in San Diego from Wednesday through Sunday. Stay tuned for updates from the show. – Lisa Woody