Save Money on Rescue Remedy

Everyone knows that I am adamant that we all need Bachs' Rescue Remedy at close hand for our canine companions...well now you have no excuse not to buy some, click here for 2 dollar off coupons at Mambo Sprouts http://coupons.mambosprouts.com/online_coupons/offer/FN39DL

and if you haven't already, read my post from way back on my Canine Emergency Kit. http://dogsdollarssense.blogspot.com/2008/01/my-canine-emergency-kit.html

Halloween Pupcakes and Pumpkin Biscuits!

Wearing his Halloween Pirate Hat Puff looks like he fears being attacked by the cup cake offered to him by one of the gals from My Best Furry Friend Bakery!!


I suspect that his sad expression is because he has been taught not to take food from strangers and he is bummed that he has to refuse this delectable treat.


To his happy surprise,when we got home, he learned that I had purchased these cute little Halloween pupcakes that were just his size from the bakery and he LOVED them.

Here is their web site http://www.bfftreatsonline.org/ and I highly recommend them. Their home-baked doggie delectable treats are first quality. They are taking orders now for the Holidays. I enjoy baking dog treats but could never ever make pupcakes like they do!

I do however, plan on making this pumpkin biscuit recipe I found at Tails Magazine
http://www.tailsinc.com/index.php?action=getArticle&aid=472&domain=tailsinc.com
I will be forgoing the cinnamon and ginger and adding garlic powder instead as dogs love peanut butter and garlic together, I can't imagine why!

Pumpkin Pie Biscuits
Yields 30 biscuits
Ingredients:1 ½ cup unbleached flour
1 cup rolled oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
2 tablespoons canola oil
½ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup natural unsalted peanut butter
¼ cup filtered water

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Measure the flour, rolled oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and ginger into a mixing bowl. Whisk until combined.
3. Make a well in the flour and add the canola oil. Mix on medium speed using a paddle attachment until crumbly. Add the pumpkin and peanut butter, and stir until combined.
4. Add the water all at once and mix until dough forms and all the ingredients are combined.
5. Turn the dough out onto a slightly floured surface and gently knead until dough is smooth and soft. Roll the dough ¼-inch thick and cut the biscuits into desired shapes with cookie cutters.
6. Place the biscuits on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake 12–15 minutes until they are dry and firm to the touch. Turn the oven off and leave the biscuits in another 20–30 minutes. Remove them from the oven, cool them on a baking rack, and store them in a cookie tin.

I don't know why I get excited over dog treats, I can't eat them...or maybe I could.
I know we will all have our dogs dressed in their Halloween costumes to greet kids at the door, but remember to keep the candy away from the dogs and watch for sensory overload...sometimes there is just too much going on and dogs can get stressed out. That being said, here's hoping you and yours have a Happy Halloween.

An Eco- Friendly Way to Do Pet Clean-Up

One thing I have learned in the dog world is that there is never just one answer to any problem, be it health,behavioral, grooming or housekeeping.
Recently I had the opportunity to try several of Sea Yu's 'Clean + Green 'products made to clean up the messes our pets create.

The products were, Clean + Green Furniture Refresher,Clean + Green Wood and Tile, and Clean + Green Carpet and Upholstery .
Being an antique freak, I was especially drawn to the Furniture Refresher. I can't use Febreze because I suffer from an environmental illness, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.
Febreze makes me ill, and even if it didn't, I would be reluctant to use it as a veterinarian once told me it was suspect in the deaths of pet birds. And when you have antiques and buy lots of 100 year old fabrics, a safe furniture refresher that actually works would be incredible!

I first tried it on a damask dog bed that the dog and cat share. I don't wash it as much as I should because it is difficult to dry...I sprayed, waited, took a deep breath and was disappointed that I didn't smell anything. Then I realized that no smell was the point!!!! It is fragrance free and works on contact. I have sprayed it all over the place and just love it.

Now it was on to the Wood and Tile odor eliminator and stain remover.
Before our neighborhood association began neutering feral cats, they made it a point to spray my front door. And in our heat and humidity, you really know it.
Could this product eliminate years of feral cat spray from my front door? Yes, it seems it has. Give me a week of 100 degree temps and I might have to respray but for now the odor is gone.
The third product I wanted to try was the Carpet and Upholstery Odor Eliminator and Stain remover.
The only problem was...I had nothing to clean. I have never had housebreaking issues with my pets, ever. Not even thrown up hairballs on carpet or furniture.
Then I got a text message from a friend who said ugly things about her large dog who had just
eliminated in her van! It seems she let the dog ride in the van on a short trip ( I never leave a pet loose in a vehicle) and the dog peed and pooped all over the van when the owner got out...even in the vans' cup holders!!!And this is an older dog and you know that makes the odor much worse!
Most of the damage was on the upholstery, the passengers side door and the carpet in the rear of the van. Clean + Green took care of all of this and there has been no recurring odor so far.
I think this is pretty amazing. Also amazing is the fact that this is a VOC free product and NON TOXIC.
I wish more pet product manufacturers would pay attention to the chemicals they expose us to.
These products can be used in other ways as well. Your clothes closet, even your HVAC unit can benefit from their remarkable odor capturing ability.
They have a whole slew of products available for any pet clean-up situation so I encourage you to go to their website.http://www.sea-yu.com/

Chemicals can cripple and it really is important that we use SAFE and EFFECTIVE products around our families and our pets.
Clean + Green may not be the only answer in pet clean-up, but I firmly believe it is the BEST answer....

Realtors Rally to Help Abandoned Pets

For years I have cared for a cat whose owner passed away from cancer. The new home buyers threw him out on the street after she died...I know how traumatized he was to lose his loving owner and his home. This video focuses on a great group of people working to help pets suffering from the home foreclosure crisis.

If You Want to be Green, Get Rid of Your Dog

Give up your dog or your Audi? Give up your dog AND your Audi?

I read this article from CNET News and didn't know whether to laugh or cry...so I thought I would share it with you...http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10382695-71.html

This is Why I Oppose Dog Limit Ordinances

Below is an ad that is running on Craigslist attempting to place two dogs that must be gotten rid of because of an ordinance limiting the number of dogs one can have.

You may not be aware of this but the majority of such ordinances are instigated by those animal rights activists who actually don't want us to own dogs...such as pEta. A few are instigated by well meaning, but stupid organizations who believe it will stop puppy millers.

I have said this a hundred times but it always bears repeating.....puppy millers will find a way to breed dogs. Only by not buying dogs from puppy millers will they be stopped...these ordinances create more homeless dogs and often affect responsible breeders as well.

There are enough limitations on our ability to keep dogs as it is....

WE DON"T NEED MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

here is the ad:

i am looking to rehome a sweet pair of pekingese. they are akc/shots/ 3 and 4 years old. unaltered.they are passing an ordinance limiting the number of dogs so they gotta go.there is a rehoming fee of $150 for the both.

Response to Pet Insurance

Day before yesterday I did a post about end of life situation for our dogs and one thing I said was to save 20 dollars a month to pay for those end of life vet expenses. Here is part of a response I received from reader Sammie :
'It is true, dogs don’t cost thousands in vet care but there are times when you have to take some object out of your dog’s stomach or they have cancer that requires quite a bit of money. That’s why I would personally recommend doing pet insurance over just saving 20 dollars in your bank account. Or what would even be better is to do both.'
Now because Sammie is with Trupanion Pet Insurance I wanted to do an additional post as to why I don't pay for Pet Insurance.
For starters, if you put 20 dollars a month away for 14 years then you would have over 4 grand to pay for those old dog vet bills...all the pet insurance I have seen is a big crock, especially Banfield's insurance.Banfield calls it their Wellness Plan, it would be better called Pull the wool over your eyes plan. Free office visits, whoopee.Discounted vaccinations, discounted my big toe, those shots cost pennies,pennies! And they charge you an arm and a leg for them. Remember I have spent the last few years selling those vaccines and medications to veterinarians and before that I was working for veterinarians so believe me, I know what I am talking about. Unlike human hospitals, veterinarians are not paying their nurses 32 dollars an hour, they do their own anesthesia, (the gas they get from local distributors and it is not expensive) and they pay some kid minimum wage to clean cages and kennels.
Veterinarians already charge too much and they promote insurance so that they can charge more.
Last week I spoke with a woman whose Belgian Malinois had turned her leg in a sink hole and probably broken it. She took the dog to a Banfield hospital because she had 'paid for the Wellness Plan'..well guess what, this was on Sunday and they TOLD HER TO COME BACK ON WEDNESDAY!!!!!!!!! The dog was in pain folks. The Xray machine was out of order...for crying out loud why didn't they at least have her go to a Banfield hospital that had an Xray machine that worked...I told her to get the dog to the emergency clinic pronto...she said 'but I paid for the Wellness Plan..' well apparently they are good at Banfield for doing weight assesments (part of the Wellness Plan I really hooted over)but bad at having the Xray machine fixed.Remember the post where I took Puff to the vet with an interdigital cyst on his foot and was told he had an ear infection which he never has ever had and I demanded (and got) my money back?? Guess where that was...
Now on to my objections about real pet insurance...
It is a nice concept, but it doesn't cover preexisting conditions, like hip dysplasia and the need for surgery, most only cover routine dental cleanings,(which you would hardly ever need if you stayed on top of your dogs teeth, Puff is ten and hasn't had to have a dental yet and he is a toy dog) spay and neuters,(which you can have done at a discount at most city spay clinics)vaccinations...Rabies are easily gotten at Rabies clinics for less than 15 dollars..other shots are not needed after all the puppy shots have been done. Antibody titer tests are a great way to avoid over vaccinating your adult dog but the insurance companies don't pay for titer tests.Office visits are covered but if you are a regular client, most vets will waive the office visit if you actually spend money there.Wormings are covered but a fecal only costs about 10 dollars and you can drop off a fecal sample and save yourself that office visit anyway.
Injuries are covered and hopefully you won't have any...I injured Puffs' back and it didn't cost me anywhere near what pet insurance would have cost.
So as I said before, until the Pet Insurance companies come up with a Pet Health Savings account plan with a nice interest rate...I am not interested.
Enuf said!