West Paw Design is one of our favorite toys to recommend to tough chewers. And let’s face it, dogs LOVE to chew!
Their toys are made in the USA (right over in Montana) and come with a one time replacement guarantee. Which means, if your dog does happen to chew through this toy, they will REPLACE it for you! How cool is that?
AND, if that wasn’t cool enough, when you send back your toy to be replaced, they will recycle it and make more great toys from that material. Just another great reason to love West Paw Design.
These toys come in a variety of great shapes for hours of fun. They bounce, they float, and they are tough.
AdreAnne shows you all about these cool toys in this video: AdreAnne talks about West Paw Design
As many of you know, my dog Diesel has seasonal allergies that affect his skin and coat. He becomes irritated and licks himself raw.
One of my first instincts when this happens is to bathe him so that his skin irritation receives relief. And, if you’re like me, you sat in a bath of oatmeal as a child when you had the chicken pox ~ so, of course my first instinct was to look for a shampoo containing oatmeal.
Well, wouldn’t you know that I was reaching for the wrong stuff!
Now, I’m not anti-oatmeal. In fact, if it works for you and your pet, great! It’s not that oatmeal is intrinsically bad for dogs. In fact, it will soothe and moisturize; however, only when dealing with actual dry skin or irritation reactions to other shampoos. So, for me and my case, it is not the answer.
From what I have come to understand, oatmeal in shampoos is greatly overused and over-recommended. Dogs with allergies are actually irritated more by the oatmeal in most cases.
Allergy sensitive dogs have to have skin that is clear, dry and free of irritants. Oatmeal will leave a slight residue and increase the moisture level ~ both of which will add to the allergy, lick, irritate, repeat cycle currently harassing your dog.
So, what do you do to help soothe your dog in the bath tub?
Well, I would recommend starting with Zymox Enzymatic Shampoo first.
The Lactoperoxidase, Lysozyme and Lactoferrin enzymes in this shampoo combine to take care of bacteria, virus and fungi affecting the skin. The broad spectrum treatment is all natural and is great for using against itching caused by skin infections. This will help to clear up any hot spots or really raw areas.
After your fur friend’s skin is under control (a strict raw and grain free diet and cocotherapy have helped me keep Diesel’s allergies in check) I would still recommend steering clear of using oatmeal shampoo too often. Some of my favorites to use when he is not needing the Zymox are:
Organic Oscar with Aloe. This organic dog shampoo is made with organic, all natural, and biodegradable ingredients that work to calm, smooth, and revitalize your dog’s coat. It’s great for dogs with sensitive skin.
Bobbi Panter Itchy Dog Shampoo. Itchy dog shampoo relieves dry, irritated skin, redness and swelling with ingredients like tea tree oil, flaxseed oil, oat protein and aloe vera. This formula smells like fresh, clean spring air with hints of ripe aloe vera plant. It works great at preventing flare ups for my guy.
South Bark’s Blueberry Facial. This shampoo is great for brightening up a coat. It makes him shine (and he’s all black), but I’ve heard that it makes white and light colored dogs really have coats that pop! I love the natural ingredients and the smell of this product.
So, there you have it. My choices for skin relief for my guy. Of course, we have many, many options in the store for you, so feel free to stop on by and have one of the great team members help you pick out something that will work for you.
Is your dog a nervous wreck this time of year? Does the weather report have you trapped? Do you hesitate to invite people over because your dog is too anxious? Do you hesitate to take your dog out because of the same reason? If so, this post is for you!
We have several amazing products that I’d like to introduce you to today to help calm anxious dogs.
The first is the Thundershirt.
This amazing little shirt looks like a regular dog jacket, doesn’t it? Well, I can tell you it is not. It is like a hug for your dog, only, you don’t have to be hugging your dog the entire time…let the shirt do the work for you! It works by applying very gentle pressure on some of the pressure points on your dog’s trunk. It is very easy to use, simply fit the shirt around your dog’s trunk and Velcro it closed. Over 85% of our customers have seen marked improvement with the use of this shirt. Plus, there is a money-back guarantee. So you can try this out on your dog worry free!
Happy Traveler is a great option for a quick chill pill. Think of it like taking an aspirin for a head ache.
The active ingredients in Happy Traveler include Valerian, German Chamomile, L-Tryptophan and St. Johns Wort, all well known herbs for their calming effects. It is a safe, non-toxic option for your dog and you should see results in about 45 minutes.
Another awesome herbal supplement we offer is Calm Shen by Herbsmith.
Calm Shen is made with Chinese herbs and is more of a long-term solution to your dog’s anxiety. If you think of your dog’s health as an arch, where the middle is the place to be, and your dog is all the way to the left or right, Calm Shen will direct your dog’s system back toward the middle. This supplement will build up in your pet’s system with continued use and you will see an over all decrease in anxiety as time progresses.
We also offer Canine Calm Spray.
This nifty little spray acts as a calming aromatherapy for your pooch. Canine Calm contains pure essential oils, including bergamot, lavender and geranium, from plants traditionally used in remedies for relaxation. You can spray this on bedding and in your dog’s crate; however, on of the best ways to calm you pet is to spray it on your hand and rub it into the ears and belly. This awesome spray will help take the edge off for your pet.
The last product I’m going to show you today is Rescue Remedy.
Bach is a trusted name in natural remedies and this is a new variation of the original stress relieving remedy that has been available for more than 70 years. It contains a blend of the same five flower remedies found in Rescue Remedy, Impatiens, Clematis, Star of Bethlehem, Cherry Plum, and Rock Rose in an alcohol free formula, ideal for sensitive pets. The dropper allows you to easily administer it to your pet. This is suitable for use on pets of all shapes and sizes, including: Reptiles, Fish (just add to tank water), Birds, Cats, Dogs, Horses, and Rabbits. For best results, simply place four drops into your pets mouth. If you can’t do that, you can add the drops to food, water or treats or rub them into your pets nose, paws or ears.
Please stop by one of our stores to talk to a team member about which of these awesome products would work the best for your pet’s anxiety.
Here are some action shots of my guy, Diesel, with his new toy! And if you work from home like I do, or you do, well, really anything at all during the day that precludes you from paying attention to your furry pal 100% of the time, then this toy is for you.
It’s called the Magic Mushroom and I just love it! What we’ve got here is a treat dispenser:
I like to fill it with the Zuke’s Mini Naturals Wild Rabbit Formula treats 1. because they rock and 2. because they fit so well.
I like it because it’s a big enough toy for my guy and it’s durable. And, I like it because this toy couldn’t be simpler, for the treat filler and the treat user.
It comes apart in three pieces. They aren’t pull apart, they screw together so they are very durable.
The dispenser has an adjustable setting, so you can easily set the treat dispension for your dog’s skill level. You can keep it open wide for first time users, or dogs like ~ahem~ mine who need a little extra help. Or you can make it more difficult for the treats to come out.
Then you place the treats in the bottom portion of the mushroom (see how nice the Zuke’s look in there?) and screw it all back together. Then your dog will tip it over and roll it around and the treats will fall out. Easy peasy!
Did you just have a baby? Surgery? Did you want to sit down? Paint your nails? Talk on the phone? Then you have to check this out! It will add hours of free time to your day!
The snow is officially gone and your yard is…well, let’s just agree that your lawn isn’t looking its most lush, shall we?
And those burnt spots of grass…you thought those were seasonal? They are. Every season, that is.
How is it possible that your dog is burning your lawn year round? Well, it’s not due to an imbalance of PH as you might think. It is nitrogen.
Excessive nitrogen from water in the urine to be specific.
And guess what? One of the main ingredients in lawn fertilizer is nitrogen. Being creatures of habit, your dog likes to relieve him/herself in the same spots time and again. Doing so is akin to dumping a handful of fertilizer over and over again in the same spots ~ thereby burning your lawn.
So how can you fix the problem?
Well, one way is to get your pooch on a higher quality food so that they are processing their nutrients correctly.
The other way is with these:
Dog Rocks.
You heard me! Dog Rocks.
Dog Rocks are really real rocks. No fooling. They are quarried in Australia, and are a safe, non-toxic, all natural remedy to yard burns.
How do you use them?
Well, you don’t scatter them around your yard if that is what you are thinking. You put them in your dog’s water dish and they drink as usual.
Yes, it’s that easy.
They work by binding the excess nitrogen in the drinking water giving your dog a better quality of drinking water (which will actually help your lawn ~ remember the main ingredient in fertilizer?) The rocks contain zeolite traces which are often used in aquariums to filter water safely and naturally.
They are simple to use. Open the bag, rinse the rocks off, place in your dog’s water dish and top off the water to refill rather than start fresh every time.
They will work if your dog drinks from a Drinkwell too. Simply put them in back, under the reservoir.
Have a dog that loves to take them out and play with them? Or a sloppy drinker and you wash your bowl every day? No problem! Simply fill a pitcher with water and put the rocks in there. That way you can use the water from the pitcher every time you fill the bowl and you will still be able to reap the benefits of the rocks.
They work rather quickly…usually within the first 24 hours you will notice your pet will stop leaving new lawn burns. (This does not mean that your current brown patches will go away overnight…you will still have to nurse those back to health, but you won’t have any NEW burns to deal with!)
Dog Rocks are safe for any pet sharing your dog’s water source (such as cats, rabbits, etc.). And, as I said before, they are all natural. No yeast like in other lawn burn prevention products. Landscapers have been known to endorse Dog Rocks since, with the appropriate level of nitrogen, your dog’s urine can actually help your lawn (remember the fertilizer again?)
We carry Dog Rocks in two package sizes. The small package is a 2 month supply and the large package is a 6 month supply. You should use the rocks year round too, since your dog will continue to burn your lawn in every season…you just don’t always see your lawn!
Hi friends! Erica here, from the Springbrook store. You may remember me from my past write up about training my Bernese Mountain Dog puppy for the show ring using Salmon Paws jerky treats. This time I will educate you about premixes.
What is a premix you ask? A dog food premix, is a mixture of dehydrated or freeze dried vegetables, fruits, vitamins and minerals that is reconstituted with the addition of water. To create a complete balanced meal for your dog you can add meat to a reconstituted premix for a delicious homemade meal. Two Bostons carries four premixes, Preference by Honest Kitchen, Dr Harvey’s Veg- to-Bowl, Grandma Lucy’s Artisan Premix and SoJos Grain Free Mix. I am going to focus on Preference by Honest Kitchen and SoJos.
First of all, you may be wondering why one would use a premix. Premixes are great for raw feeders whom source their own meat, but want to make sure they are providing a balanced meal. They are perfect for the dog that must have protein sources that cannot be found in prepared diets. One may use a premix for a dog that is on a limited protein diet because you have complete control of how much meat you add to the mix. They can be fed in addition to an existing diet to supplement your dog’s diet with fruits and veggies. You may also choose a premix if you simply enjoy making homemade meals for your fur kids. I have found a frozen patty of the mix to be a good teething aid for puppies.
Preference by Honest Kitchen is made of dehydrated fruits and vegetables as well as a custom vitamin-mineral premix with balanced calcium: phosphorus ratios. The ingredients are 100% human grade and the mix is made in the USA. To prepare the premix you simply add water according to the specifications on the box, stir well and hydrate for about five minutes. Once the mix is hydrated the meat is ready to be added. I am a raw feeder, so I choose to add various raw proteins. I rotate between beef, turkey, chicken, goat and duck. You may gently cook the meat as well if you choose. A great benefit of using premixes is the flexibility it affords you in meal preparation. Since I have multiple very large dogs, it is easiest for me to make very large batches of food from which I prepare patties and freeze in portioned out bags. I can then simply remove the necessary amount from the freezer each day to thaw.
Sojos premix is similar to Preference. The biggest difference is the length of time it takes to hydrate. The package recommends letting the mix sit for at least an hour once the water is added. I have found it is best to let it sit overnight. The texture of Sojos is much courser than Preference. Both premixes have great ingredients.
Now I am going to discuss the benefits of various ingredients that I find important to add to my dogs’ diets that are added to both of these premixes. Sweet potatoes are an excellent antioxidant, a good source of fiber and have been proven to reduce inflammation. Both Preference and Sojos use sweet potatoes in their recipe. Next, we have alfalfa, which has many powerful benefits. Among the many benefits are detoxification of the body, reduction of cholesterol and blood sugar levels and increased liver health. Alfalfa is also rich in natural vitamins and minerals and is known for its antibacterial and antioxidant properties. Both premixes add alfalfa, but it is much higher on the ingredient list in Preference. Kelp is an essential addition to your dogs diet and both premixes use this ingredient. Kelp is rich in iodine, which is critical for thyroid health. Kelp promotes a thick lustrous coat and reduction in shedding. Other great veggies, fruits essential vitamins and antioxidant properties are a part of both of these diets.
Whichever you choose you can be sure you are giving your furry friend a diet packed with the best nutrients to promote health and vitality.
A while back I did a post on Pet Fairy Noshers and introduced you to the Monster Mouth toy. You can see the original post by clicking here.
Now, if you’ve been reading this blog at all, you know that Diesel is my almost 100 pound black lab. And, mostly, he is a huge chewer. He loves Two Bostons’ deer antlers.
But, I wanted to show you a little something about my big baby of a dog:
Nine times out of ten, when you come over to my house, this is what you will see. He walks around ALL. DAY. LONG. with the Monster Mouth in his mouth. He hasn’t destroyed it by chewing it to death (and trust me, he can put away a deer antler like no one’s business).
He’s had this toy for around five months now and this is what it looks like with daily use:
Now, I’m not saying it looks like it is brand new; however, for a rubber toy that has been in my dog’s mouth continuously for the last five months, I think it’s held up very well.
He’s really very funny with it. In fact, he hates when we talk to him about it and pretends he doesn’t even like it:
Notice how he’s all “Awww, Mom!” in this picture.
And now he’s like “That isn’t even mine…I don’t know what you’re talking about.” in this picture.
But the second he thinks I’m walking away, here he comes to get his Monster Mouth which totally cracks me up!
Why am I sharing this with you? Well, other than the obvious reason that he is adorable and super funny about his toy, I wanted to point this out because I was initially afraid to try a rubber toy for him. He is a HUGE chewer (I think I already mentioned that) and I was afraid that he would rip this to shreds. And look what happened! He loves the toy and is almost never without it (whether it is filled with anything or not~but when I fill it he goes nuts).
So, it’s true what they say, it’s ok to step out of the box every once in a while. You may be surprised by what your pet ends up loving. My suggestion, for any type of toy, is never leave your furry friend unattended when introducing a new toy or chew. Monitor their progress and let them have it in small increments until you are sure what they will do with/to the new toy. No toy is indestructible; I’m sure at some point he will chew this to the point that I need to replace it. In the mean time, I find it interesting that he is as gentle as he is and that he loves to carry it around. And I’m glad that I was able to find something that has brought him this much joy, since he adds so much joy to my life!
As part of my efforts to keep Deisel’s diet and my wallet healthy simultaneously, I have added freeze-dried food into the rotation. As he weighs in at almost 100 pounds, he requires 4 patties of raw food daily. That can get rather costly for my family; however, I am not willing to skimp on his diet since I became an educated dog owner. I like feeding him freeze-dried food over kibble, as the moisture content is much higher when re-constituted.
Now, nothing beats the ease of having his next meal waiting for him in the fridge (I simply remove two patties from the freezer and place them in the fridge when I feed him the ones in the fridge…that way they are defrosted and ready to go when I am ready to feed him), but, I have to say that I find preparing freeze-dried food ridiculously easy…almost as easy as defrosting raw patties, or scooping kibble for that matter.
Let me show you how this works. I start with his food bowl, a 1 cup scoop (this will vary for you depending on how large your dog is…but the feeding guide is written directly on the bag of food), and a bag of Grandma Lucy’s Artisan Freeze-Dried Food. This week he is eating Venison.
Next, I scoop two cups into his dish…it is kind of flaky:
Then I add two cups of warm water. Grandma Lucy’s calls for equal parts water to food; however, you can add more or less if you like depending on how thick or thin you would like the food to be:
Then I set it on the counter and wait five minutes. This is what it looks like at first:
This is what it looks like at 2.5 minutes:
This is what it looks like when it is ready:
This is the biggest problem I have with preparing the freeze-dried food:
Is it ready yet? How about now? Is it ready? Mom! Mom! Mom! Is it ready? How about now? Now? Is it ready now? How about now? Mom! Mom! MOM! IS IT READY? YET? HOW ABOUT NOW!?!?!
And then it is ready and it is going, going:
G.O.N.E.
There you have it. One very happy and healthy dog, and one very happy and healthy wallet. By alternating his meals between freeze-dried and raw, I am able to make that bag last roughly two weeks…which you would not be able to do feeding a strict diet of only freeze-dried. However, it does stretch things out nicely when you alternate. You can even choose to make half the amount and supplement the other half with raw in the same meal. It is ok to mix the two. The only thing you can’t mix raw with is kibble. And, there is nothing wrong with feeding your dog a high quality grain-free kibble or can food. I simply wanted to include more moisture in Diesel’s diet.
I am so glad that I tried this type of food. And, honestly, so is Diesel!
It’s almost hard to believe they’re back again…yep, the Holidays are here! Drive down any block USA and you are likely to see lights hanging
inside and out, trees decorated in the windows, all manner of glitz hanging around, and a lot of frazzled people and pets.
Something to keep in mind about the holidays is that your pet probably does not understand the change in surroundings or routine. People coming and going, rich foods in the house, and new, interesting smelly and blinky objects are the new norm for the month.
Most pets are curious, which can lead to sniffing, chewing, and knocking over decorations. (I will never forget the year I walked into a disaster when Diesel decided to bark out the front window at the mail man and knocked over the tree…thank goodness I was there to pick up the glass ornaments before he could step on them and cut his paws.) Remember, your pooch does not understand that your Great Aunt Sally’s decorations have special meaning to you, please consider placing special item out of reach when decorating. Also, remember that cats and dogs alike love to play with dangling objects. It is not their fault if they paw at the ornaments on the tree…that is what they do. You will want to steer clear of tinsel as well. If ingested, it can lead to injury for your pet.
Keep your electrical cords tucked away, and watch out for any new seasonal plants. This will help avoid unnecessary injury and illness. You will also want to keep an eye on your pet if you have a real Christmas tree. Drinking the water in the stand can upset the tummy…so try to monitor that as well.
This is also the season for parties. If you are going to be away from your pet for a long period of time, consider hiring a pet sitting service or reliable neighbor to care for your pet in your absence. Finally, remember that even the most socialized dogs and cats can become stressed out in a crowd. If you are hosting a party, consider keeping your pet in a quiet room, maybe wearing a thundershirt. We can help outfit you with one at either of our Two Bostons store locations.
Remember, with a little preparation and foresight, you and your pet can have a safe and fun holiday season!
Hello Everyone! I have a very special birthday coming up and I’m letting you all in on my beauty secrets! 
A girl has got to eat right to stay in shape.
I love to eat raw food. It helps to keep my weight down. Eating grain free is very important too.
Ahem, older (and wiser) joints sometimes get a little inflamed. Grains in food can really exacerbate inflammation in my joints. So eating well helps me to stay in shape and keeps my mobility at it’s peak.
My Mom and Dad have done a lot of research on this and they have really been good about letting the whole team down at both stores in on all the information too. They know that each pet has a different digestive system and that food is not a one-size-fits-all situation. Be sure to stop in or call and anyone there will be thrilled to help you figure out what type of food would be best for your pet’s diet.
You can check this page out to see some of the different type of raw foods they have. And check this page out to see some of the different types of grain free foods they have. Like I said, it can be confusing, so don’t be shy about asking questions.
Well, that is my first tip for Aging Gracefully. Check back tomorrow for number 9!
~Daisy
