Get the perfect fake gift for your favorite dog lover. The TechnoPetz iFeast, courtesy of the Onion, doesn't exist--but the box does.
"Let's face it. You and your pet don't share the same 'taste' in music. That's why TechnoPetz created iFeast, the portable pet feeding/watering system for your MP3 player. Mealtime will never be the same for your pet with iFeast."
--Spanno
Introduction: Zeus was rescued from a local animal shelter and probably doesn't know how lucky he was to have found us. He had been adopted as a puppy and returned because he "chewed things." We of course laughed - all puppies chew things. Turns out Zeus likes to chew BIG things - lawn furniture and the cable TV wires on the side of the house, to name a few. Fortunately one of us is home all day and can supervise, plus we built him a huge dog run with shade trees and a dog house that even has its own brick patio. Zeus also has a live plaything, a little Boston Terrier mix named Fey who was rescued at the same time. Zeus adores her and treats her very gently. We tell ourselves everyday that his energy and delight in getting into everything is a sign of intelligence.
Home: Dallas, TX
Age: 2 years
Breed: Catahoula Leopard Hound (mix?)
Personality: Friendly as long as he knows you belong in the house or yard, otherwise watch it.
Likes: Playing with his dad, the cats in the house (he licks them), going for walks.
Dislikes: Strangers, going to the vet, being too big to get in anyone's lap.
Favorite Toy: Plastic peanut butter jar with some stuff left
Trivia: Catahoula Leopard Hounds were bred in Louisiana to hunt hogs. In Texas they use them to herd cattle.
--Spanno
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If you'd like your pet featured on Wag Reflex, email us (wagreflex@amazon.com) with the bolded topics and a 500-pixel-wide JPEG of your pet.
A colleague and I were recently comparing stocking stuffer gift ideas. (If you are like us and start thinking about winter holiday gifts in July, you probably have a list started, too.) One of my favorite pet stocking stuffers is a good pair of nail clippers. For the people with cats, I buy the human toe-nail trimmers in whatever cute form I can find. Ladybugs were popular last year. For dogs, I buy the large, orange plastic handled variety. If they sold them with decorated handles, I’d buy those.
They can be given every year, because even the good kinds lose their edge over time. If you actually use them (once a week, if you’re really good) they dull and my dog, Oscar, will tell you a dull blade changes things! If you feel excessive replacing them each year and start to accumulate a pile, donate the older ones to an animal shelter or family members who want to have a pair and never actually use them.
--Dr. Olson
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Dr. Olson practices small animal medicine in Denver, CO and is a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.
Honey, the most photogenic Dachshund in the world, wishes everyone a happy Thanksgiving.
Photo courtesy of flickr.
--Spanno
While all of us pet owners put up with the hair, dirt and drool our pets produce with a certain affection, nothing changes the mood like urine in the house. If your pet starts having urinary “accidents” in the house, take them into the vet sooner rather than later. Not only will your carpet thank you, but this new household contribution usually indicates a medical problem. Even if the accidents are intermittent. Some people postpone the visit in older pets, thinking that accidents in the house are a burden of old age. Others wait to see if what they identify as the cause (stress in the house, prolonged time without a potty break, difficulty moving around, drinking too much water) goes away, maybe the accidents will, too.
The information the vet will need includes:
- When do these accidents occur (when your pet is sleeping or active)?
- Where do they occur (by the door, in the bed)?
- How big are the puddles?
- Is there anything abnormal about the color?
- Does your pet urinate normally outside?
- Is your pet act healthy otherwise?
- Any change in water consumption?
- How frequently does your pet urinate?
- How long have these accidents been happening?
- Have they occurred in the past?
Inappropriate urination can be a behavioral problem, but we only make that call after routine diagnostics have been run. A urinalysis is the first place to start and you might hear recommendations for a urine culture, abdominal x-rays or ultrasound. Your vet can also check for signs of arthritis, anxiety, cognitive decline or other physical exam findings that can contribute to trouble holding in urine. There are medications, supplements and food changes to address the underlying issues. The problem can often be managed, if not cured, if addressed promptly.
--Dr. Olson
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Dr. Olson practices small animal medicine in Denver, CO and is a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.
Help save the lives of 1 million dogs and cats this holiday season. Iams' Home 4 the Holidays campaign kicked off on October 1 and runs through January 5, 2009.
It all started in 1999 with the Helen Woodward Animal Center in San Diego, CA, where they saved over 2,500 animals. Last year's campaign saved almost 500,000 animals. You can help them meet their goal by adopting a shelter pet, volunteering at a local shelter, or donating to your local shelter.
Here's Home 4 the Holidays spokesperson Felicity Huffman (from Desperate Housewives) talking about her shelter dog and the Home 4 the Holidays campaign.
--Spanno
It has been a while since I've had a product to blog about, but recently that dry spell ended when I got the HydroSurge Rapid bath system. Since its getting cold out and my dog gets stinky fast, this was just what I needed. I was very skeptical at first, mostly because I noted some assembly required (I prefer to only keep animals put together) and because it looks a little bit like the hose nozzle in the yard, the one I used all summer to wash my dogs.
My initial impressions were very wrong. Basically this is an at-home grooming system that helps with the delivery of dog shampoo and all the rinsing…big time. The system screws onto your existing shower nozzle or hose in the yard hose, which is very quick and easy to do (thank god). The handle has 2 switches on it that allow you to turn on the suds, rinse or turn everything off. Inside the handle you insert a shampoo cartridge, so you never need to reach for the bottle dog shampoo.
Of course I couldn’t resist using my shampoo mitt to free up some additional hair, but you really don't have too. My only wish with the product is that I could somehow use my own medicated shampoo in its delivery system, because it disperses shampoo so well. This is a great product that I wish I had long ago.
--Dr. Hamilton
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Dr. Hamilton is an oncology resident at Michigan State's Animal Cancer Care Clinic and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.
Introduction: Meet Lucy. We rescued her at the end of December 2007. She really is a "sweetie" and that's what they named her at the shelter. She was taken into a foster home where they named her "Lucy". We kept that name for her as it was her most recent and to not confuse her with yet another name.
Home: Mount Laurel, New Jersey
Age: We think she's 13. Lucy was dropped off at a shelter in Nov. 2007 with no information other than she's around 12 years old.
Breed: Maltese or Maltese/Yorkie
Personality: Lucy is very social. She loves other dogs and everyone she meets. She's a very calm dout g. She has only barked twice in the 10 months we've had her.
Likes: Going for a walk in her stroller. She gets really excited when I say "Do you want to go for a walk in your stroller?". We have a doggie stroller for Lucy as she can usually only walk short distances before she's out of breath. Then there are times when she can walk a quarter of a mile or so. Most people do a double take when they see her in the stroller. Followed by "Oh, how cute, what a beautiful dog". Lucy has a collapsed trachea. Her trachea was damaged in May during dental surgery.
Dislikes: Taking her medicine. We gave up hiding it in food and just put it in her mouth. Also dislikes rice and vegetables.
Favorite Toy: No favorite toy. Doesn't like toys.
Favorite Food: Dairy Queen, vanilla ice cream. She gets about 2 tablespoons most evenings. And makes little pig noises when she eats it. Also a favorite is roast beef, chicken breast.
Trivia: Lucy brightens our lives and we are very fortunate to have found her. What are the chances. Our 12 year old maltese/yorkie died just before Thanksgiving last year. We weren't ready for another dog just yet when on a local TV station the dog loving host spoke of a shelter where dogs needed adoption. I went to the web site, entered my zip code and small dog, up popped Lucy. It stated she was a 12 year old maltese /yorkie who needed a loving home to live out the rest of her life. Just had to take care of this dog. Back then, 12 years ago, maltese/yorkies were "accidents". Now they are a "designer breed". Whatever, they are very sweet, loving, intelligent dogs.
--Spanno
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If you'd like your pet featured on Wag Reflex, email us (wagreflex@amazon.com) with the bolded topics and a 500-pixel-wide JPEG of your pet.
We know who this little pup will be rooting for tonight. Someone give him a Roethlis-Burger.
From the Wag Reflex flickr pool. Add your favorite pet pics to the pool today!
--Spanno
While most cats run and hide from the Roomba, this cat seems to enjoy the free ride.
--Spanno
Introduction: Meet Cedric. I've been told by other Corgi owners that he's an "inferior" one as he is too long and his coat is too short, but to me he is King Corgi. He goes everywhere with me--everywhere that will allow him to go with me anyway. He requires quite a bit of exercise and keeps ME exercised as well. I'd be a couch potato if I didn't have him.
Home: West Covina, California
Age: 16 months
Breed: Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Personality: He's very smart and easy to train. Quick on the uptake. If he doesn't know something it's because he has a lazy owner who hasn't taken the time to teach him. He's a calm, good natured dog, but can get nervous around things he doesn't recognize, like that paint can that wasn't there yesterday. He loves other dogs and people. With people he likes to run up and check them out, but will shy away if they try to pet him. No petting the Queen's dog until you've passed inspection!
Likes: Food, food, and food, and did I mention food? He likes to play fetch. He loves training sessions and his all time favorite is off leash hikes and the dog beach. He also likes his cat. He likes to swim and play in water.
Dislikes: Seeing me go out the door without him, wanting to play and me not being cooperative, snarky dogs scare him.
Favorite Toy: In the house it's his rubber gorilla, or was until the gorilla lost his head (gotta find another one). Outside its this orange baseball sized ball that floats. He plays fetch and fetches it out of the pool.
Favorite Food: He will eat anything.
Trivia: "Cedric" is a Celtic name meaning "beloved."
--Spanno
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If you'd like your pet featured on Wag Reflex, email us (wagreflex@amazon.com) with the bolded topics and a 500-pixel-wide JPEG of your pet.
Quagmire #1: Where’s the Treat?
The Problem: You say “Sit” but no treat, no sit.
Your dog is being stubborn! Defiant! Sassy!
Nope. Your dog is just trained. Chances are you taught him sit with a treat clearly visible so he thinks, “Treat means time to sit!”
Think of it this way: You play football. On the football field, in your gear, you know what “hike” means. But if someone walks up to you in the kitchen and says “hike” you might be confused. For you, football playing behavior is cued more by the field and the gear than the word. Your dog is exactly the same.
This “proves” your dog will only work for treats!
Not at all. This proves you need some way to cause your dog to sit that doesn’t involve a visible treat. One way is placement where gentle touch causes the sit. Another method, the Simple Sit, uses slight upward pressure on the collar. These are “pretrained” meaning you teach them separately until your dog understands and then you can use them to help your dog respond to the word, rather than the treat. Both the placement and the Simple Sit are explained in more detail My Smart Puppy.
Why not just wait for him to want to do it?
Because then you have a dog who does things when he wants to and that won’t keep him safe. Safety is critical for me. If my dogs are running toward danger and I call out “Come!” I want them to come right away, as fast as possible, not in a minute and not when they feel like it.
This Common Quagmire is easily avoided/changed once you understand how to help your dog move from responding to a treat to responding to the word. Give it a try!
--Sarah Wilson, MySmartPuppy.com
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Sarah Wilson is a pet behavior specialist, author, media personality, and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex. Order Sarah's new book, "Dogology: What Your Relationship with Your Dog Reveals about You", out now.
When your cat’s teeth are neglected, his overall heath will suffer as well.Your cat’s teeth should last a lifetime. Just a minute or two a day spent brushing your cat’s teeth can keep him healthy and save you time and money at your veterinarian’s office.
Signs of feline dental disease: Symptoms of dental disease include bad breath, red or inflamed gums, yellow-brown tartar and drooling. If your cat is showing any of these symptoms, take him to his vet immediately.
At-home dental care: When it comes to caring for your cat’s teeth at home, veterinary dental specialists say brushing every day is the best way to avoid dental disease. Plaque forms daily on your cat’s teeth and if you do not remove it as it builds up, it can mineralize and turn to concrete-hard tartar.
Once tartar forms, it cannot be loosened with a toothbrush, so your veterinarian will have to put your cat under anesthesia to remove it. Tartar can lead to periodontal disease and gingivitis. Worse still, an oral infection can spread to other organs, including the lungs, heart, liver and kidneys.
What You’ll Need
Toothbrush: You cannot use a regular toothbrush or toothpaste. Your toothbrush, even a child’s size brush, will be much too large for your cat’s mouth.
Toothpaste: Your toothpaste contains fluoride which can be toxic to your cat and the flavor may be far too strong for his sensitive mouth. Toothpaste for cats is available in a variety of cat-friendly flavors such as beef, seafood, malt or chicken.
Rules for Smart Tooth-Brushing
Start early: You must get your cat accustomed to brushing when she is very young so that dental hygiene will be natural part of her life.
Start slowly: The first few times you brush your cat’s teeth, you may find it a bit tricky. Approach your cat slowly and calmly. It usually takes about a three-week training period for your cat to adjust.
Follow these steps when you are ready to begin:
1. Begin by simply massaging your cat’s neck and mouth area.
2. The next time you approach your cat, massage his gums with the kitty toothpaste or let him lick it off of the toothbrush.
3. Once your cat becomes comfortable with this procedure, advance to brushing her front teeth with your finger and then moving on to using the cat toothbrush.
4. It should only take about a total of 40 seconds to brush your cat’s teeth; the key is to be gentle and quick.
Your cat’s overall well-being will be greatly enhanced if you take these simple steps to tend to his dental health needs.
Giving your cat hard, crunchy treats helps to remove plaque and tarter. It is a good idea to use a product specially formulated to provide additional dental benefits such as Hartz Crunch ‘n Clean Cat Treats with the patented ingredient, DentaShield. DentaShield is clinically proven to block tartar and keeps your cat’s teeth cleaner, longer.
--Dr. Melinda, Hartz R&D Team
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Dr. Melinda is the resident veterinarian at Hartz and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.
Charlie's favorite season is fall. Why? Because leaves are a crunchy treat that literally fall from the sky.
Photos courtesy of flickr.
--Spanno
Introduction: Ellie (on right) is the best dog in the world--at least in her mind. Lucy (left) is her best friend.
Home: Seattle, WA (Ellie); Bellevue, WA (Lucy)
Age: Almost 6
Breed: Boxer
Personality: Ellie and Lucy are like children. Incredibly cute but a little defiant.
Likes: Fetch, fetch, and more fetch. After that, a good nap on the sofa.
Dislikes: The neighbor cat, Jack. Being left alone.
Favorite Toy: Her favorite toy at the moment is a big tennis ball she sort of plays fetch with. She really liked a Kong Wubba we got for her but she destroyed it in just a few play sessions. We will get her another one someday.
Favorite Food: Bacon, Chicken, all things meat.
Trivia: Ellie sleeps on the bed. Lucy doesn’t but she’s allowed to when staying over with Ellie.
--Spanno
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If you'd like your pet featured on Wag Reflex, email us (wagreflex@amazon.com) with the bolded topics and a 500-pixel-wide JPEG of your pet.
Here is author and Wag Reflex blogger Sarah Wilson, along with her writing partner Vicki Croke, talking about why the 1st Dog, Barney, bit a reporter. They also discuss their new book, Dogology.
--Spanno
When we first received Jesse’s entry for the BISSELL Pet Games Video Contest, we were convinced that he was a trained professional. After all, how many dogs can perform a hand stand, jump rope, walk in reverse and even “lift a leg” on command? We couldn’t resist his flashy tricks, though, and Jesse was unanimously voted the winner of BISSELL’s summer-long search for videos of talented pets. The contest gave pet owners the opportunity to share videos of their pets performing tricks, playing games or demonstrating a unique talent--and a chance to be featured on BISSELL’s Lift-Off Revolution Pet Vacuum packaging.
As it turned out, Jesse’s “mom” is not a professional animal trainer (yet!), but a 19-year-old student from Litchfield Park in Arizona. At 16, Heather Brook adopted the little Jack Russell terrier and began teaching him challenging tricks in order to put his boundless energy to good use.
Now, the pair is receiving tons of recognition for both Heather’s talents as a trainer and Jesse’s ability to perform. They recently jumped rope on the “Rachael Ray Show", and last month Jesse won a nomination for the Worldwide FIDO competition, a Nick At Nite awards show that recognizes outstanding pets.
While Jesse’s awards are making him a doggy celebrity, they’ve also benefitted the community. As part of the grand prize, BISSELL made a $10,000 donation to the pet charity of the winner’s choice. Heather selected the AZ Jack Russell Rescue, Inc., a non-profit group in Phoenix that is dedicated to helping displaced and abandoned Jack Russell terriers throughout the state. A portion of the donation will be used to finish remodeling the barn where Jack Russell terriers live while waiting for their new forever families to find them.
Next up, watch for the trickster to appear nationally on BISSELL’s Lift-Off Revolution Pet Vacuum packaging!
--BISSELL Clean Team
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BISSELL supports pet charities across the country and regularly contributes to Wag Reflex.
