Wet Nose Willy’s Presents…Doggie Mayhem

What can I say? Willy is NUTTY for Best Bully Sticks! When I initially gave him the tasty natural treat, I knew that he would enjoy it. I also had the camera ready to roll as I knew it wouldn’t last long. As predicted, Willy snatched the Bully Stick out of my hand and scampered off to his crate – the safest place, in his mind, to enjoy his treat.

He gnawed on the stick and growled each time he thought I was going to take it away. That means it was GOOD and he really didn’t care to share it with me.

When the stick got too small, I did take that last little chunk away as I didn’t want him to choke on it. Treats like bully sticks should always be enjoyed while under “adult supervision”. Bully sticks range from 4″ for small dogs to 36″.

According to BestBullySticks.com their bully sticks are “a great, all natural choice for your dog. Our  bully sticks are inspected and approved by USDA/FDA and national food inspection authorities. And they come from free range, grass fed bulls.”

Willy would agree! He gives Best Bully Sticks two paws up! =)

The is the second of a three part series! Part 1 is a review of the K9 Bike Jogger, a useful little, universal bicycle accessory to make biking with your pooch safe and easy. Part 2 is a review of RuffWear’s Bark ‘n Boots Grip Trex and their Bark ‘n Boot Liners. This final installment is Magnolia’s review of the Urban Trail Harness by Alpine Outfitters.

This is the final installment of Biking with your Pooch. After reading this fantastic review by Magnolia, you should be all ready to take your pooch out for a ride! Just don’t forget the water!!!

I can’t remember exactly how we found Alpine Outfitters, but it was a short time after we started biking several years ago. Magnolia was a little miffed about how her harness would rub when she was running next to the bike. No matter what we did to adjust the sizing, we just couldn’t keep the harness from sliding around, back and forth across Maggie’s back. There’s nothing worse than having your harness chafe your glossy coat as you’re running next to a bike. So we started googling harnesses for biking. And without too much work, we stumbled up on Alpine Outfitters’s Urban Trail Harness.

The regular Urban Trail harness is a custom fit harness, so you’ll need to measure your pooch pretty well (measure twice to make sure that you’re sure of the sizing). And while the thought of measuring a squirming fur-kid might seem daunting, Alpine Outfitters has a page that takes out all the guesswork of what measurements they need. Their instructions are clear and have some great pictorial diagrams to make it even easier to understand.

The thing that makes the Urban Trail Harness stand apart from others on the market are the extra D-rings that are situated on the sides of the harness. What we observed from Maggie’s other harnesses is that all the sliding around happened because the bike leash was attached to the topline of the harness. Since the bike leash is stationary, it tended to pull the harness to the side. Magnolia and I were thrilled to find a harness that already had the D-ring on the side! Having the connection point between the harness and the bike leash on the side keeps the harness from sliding around on the dog, completely eliminating the chafing issue!! Alpine Outfitters have thought of everything and made sure that they put a D-ring on the left and the right side as well as on the top so that you can connect your dog on either side of your bike (or on both sides if you have two dogs!) and then you can use the one on top when you’ve finished with your ride and want to have a “normal” harness to connect your leash to.

But if the side D-rings aren’t enough, Alpine Outfitters have tricked out their harness even more! All of their Urban Trail harnesses (both the custom fit and the adjustable versions) and their Flyball harnesses come fully padded with plush polar fleece like material. This keeps the sturdy webbing from rubbing, and generally makes the harness more comfortable. Additionally, you can add reflective tape for added safety, the harness can be personalized with your dog’s name embroidered on the webbing, you can choose from a wide range of colors for the webbing, and you can also choose to have the D-rings only on one side if you know which side of your bike you want to connect your dog to.

For growing dogs/pups or for dogs who might loose and gain weight (*cough*Magnolia*cough*), you might decide to go with the Adjustable Urban Trail harness. It has all the same great features as the regular Urban Trail Harness, but it allows more flexibility in the sizing. The mid-rib section can be completely replaced if it’s too big/small/whatever and the harness itself doesn’t require terribly precise measurements like the custom fit Urban Trail Harness. The Adjustable Urban Trail harness is what Magnolia’s been using, and it’s a thousand times better than any harness that doesn’t give the option of attachment on the side. The adjustable version retails for $42.00, while the custom fit version retails for $32.00 (if you add the reflective tape, it will increase the price on either harness by $3.00). My only criticism with the adjustable harness is that the top “T” strap seemed a bit long for Magnolia (you can see that it wrinkles up a bit in the pictures). I tried several different adjustments, but couldn’t seem to get it to lay flat. I feel sure that a custom fitted harness would solve this problem. Magnolia often has difficulties getting “out of box” items to fit her since she has such an athletic body.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed our segment on Biking with your Pooch, and Willy and all the gang would love to see some pictures or video of your pooch’s biking adventures! Please post them to our “Bad Dogs Unite!” Flickr pool!!

Note: The Flyball harnesses are available in 1″ webbing (for dogs 30 pounds and over) and 3/4″ webbing (for smaller pooches); they retail for $41.00, either size. The flyball harness is a modified Urban Trail harness with a “quick catch” handle and a topline metal D-ring for leash attachment.

A new “pet only” airline – Pet Airways – has just opened its wings offering more comfortable travel arrangements for your pet. With Pet Airways your pets fly in the main cabin, NOT in cargo and seems like a great idea for folks with travel-friendly pets.

Pet Airways currently flies between several major hubs including Washington D.C., New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, but are adding new routes shortly. Animals are housed in a fully lit, climate controlled, pressurized cabin. They are monitored by a trained pet attendant every fifteen minutes during the flight and are securely housed in pet carriers.

While it predominantly houses dogs and cats, Pet Airways is capable of transporting any domesticated animal with proper notice.

This is probably a wonderful service for people with pets that are used to flying. I personally think that all of my dogs would be a handful for the “pet attendants” to deal with. I’d love to hear from folks who had used this service. Does it work as well as it seems?

The is the second of a three part series! Part 1 is a review of the K9 Bike Jogger, a useful little, universal bicycle accessory to make biking with your pooch safe and easy. Part 2 is a review of RuffWear’s Bark ‘n Boots Grip Trex and their Bark ‘n Boot Liners. Part 3 will highlight one final product that Magnolia the Dalmatian has personally tested on her biking adventures! She know that you’ll enjoy the sport as much as she does once you’re all suited up and ready to roll!

In Part 1 of Biking with your Pooch I reviewed the K9 Bike Jogger, an excellent tool to make your biking trips with your pooch safer and easier! In this edition, I’d like to pass on Magnolia’s review of RuffWear’s Bark’n Boots™ Grip Trex™ along with RuffWear’s Bark’n Boot Liners™.

If you’re going to be biking on any kind of man-made surface (asphalt, gravel, and the like) you’ll definitely want some kind of foot protection for your pooch. Not only because these surfaces can be very abrasive to pooches’ paws, but in the summer time asphalt can get very hot! An article produced by Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI), one the Nation’s leading pet insurance companies, warns owners that summertime sidewalks can cause serious burns to your pet’s paws. You might think that footwear for your pooch is a little silly, but you’ll be thankful when you don’t have to deal with vet bills and a very sad puppy dog with hurt paws!

The feature that sets RuffWear’s Bark’n Boots™ Grip Trex™ apart from other boots available on the market is their soles. The soles are made out of a high performance Vibram® sole. This is the same kind of material you find on high quality human hiking boots. The initial cost investment in a set of Bark’n Boots™ is more than many other doggie footwear cost. However, Magnolia and I can personally attest that these boots aren’t going to poop out before your dog does! We’ve had the same pair for nearly 2½ years now! There’s almost no visible wear on them!! Magnolia’s worn them hiking, biking, jogging, flyball-ing, and more. However, if your pooch does happen to be a bit harder on his shoes than Magnolia is, RuffWear offers the option to buy Bark’n Boots™ in a set of 4 ($59.95) or in singles ($15.00 each) if you only need to replace one!

Additionally, RuffWear also sells RuffWear’s Bark’n Boot Liners™, and yes, they’re basically socks for dogs. A little silly at first possibly, but Magnolia seems to prefer them over wearing her boots with naked paws. RuffWear’s site says that it can help “enhance the fit, upgrade the performance, and improve the comfort of dog boots.” Without the liners, Magnolia seems more conscious of the boots being on her feet (in flyball tournaments where I have forgotten the liners she’s all but flat out refused to run with the boots on without socks). I would suspect that the liners keep the upper portion of the boots from rubbing against the hock of the dog’s foot; a problem that I have seen actually rub the inside forefoot of a dog completely raw before! Unlike the Bark’n Boots, the Bark’n Boot Liners only come in a set of four (retailing at $9.95 for a set).

I have been particularly impressed not only with the Bark’n Boots durability, but they are semi water resistant too! I’ve noticed that short jaunts through damp (OK, snow covered) grass didn’t permeate through the Bark’n Boots to the liner layer! Magnolia’s feet stayed dry and toasty. We have not yet tried the boots out in the canoe, but I doubt that even these amazing boots could stay dry in all the river swimming that Maggie likes to do!

Monday, we’ll be wrapping up our Biking with your Pooch series with Magnolia’s review of an awesome biking harness; the finale on our essential biking equipment list!

The is the first of a three part series! Part 1 is a review of the K9 Bike Jogger, a useful little, universal bicycle accessory to make biking with your pooch safe and easy. Parts 2 and 3 will highlight other products that Magnolia the Dalmatian has personally tested on her biking adventures! She knows that you’ll enjoy the sport as much as she does once you’re all suited up and ready to roll!

Most vets will agree that exercise isn’t just good for you, it’s good for your dog too! I’m not a runner. This is a sad fact for Magnolia. Being a Dalmatian, her forte is in long distance running. She’s not a sprinter, but she can go on and on and on; long after I poop out!

We have found a good form of exercise that both of us can agree on. Biking!

Of course, biking with a dog requires all kinds of crazy paraphernalia in addition to some serious training. Magnolia wanted to make sure that I mentioned that you should never take your dog out biking without first having some basic obedience skills like “sit,” “leave it,” and “heel” down pat. Bicycles can be dangerous and it’s important that you make sure you keep yourself, your pooch, and others who you’re sharing the trail with safe! I recommend doing a trial run in a seldom trafficked neighborhood where you have more control over the environment before you hit the trails and really see some scenery!

An Essential Accessory for your Bike

Another important safety tip is to buy a bike attachment like the K9 Bike Jogger. The K9 Bike Jogger takes all the danger out of biking with your pooch. You won’t have to worry about a leash getting tangled in your spokes or your pooch dashing off into the woods after a tantalizing squirrel.

The K9 Bike Jogger is simple to attach to your bicycle and is easily adjustable and a cinch to remove (helpful for impromptu potty breaks). The website touts that it takes 5 minutes to set up the system on your bike; it took me much less time than that! It’s always nice to know that assembly won’t cut into your bike ride time!! The website has some written instructions for assembling the K9 Bike Jogger that can be found here. You can also check out the video below and watch me attach it to my bike!

The leash system is easily removed from the bike and used as a leash without being too terribly clunky. Magnolia didn’t seem to care in the least bit that it didn’t look like a traditional leash; she approves that it’s not scary. Inside the leash system is a set of springs that act as a shock system, so if your dog is super excited like Magnolia is on bike rides and pulls a little the force is absorbed by the leash system. It won’t absorb an all out run after a squirrel, but it will absorb basic jerky pulling. This is key for keeping your balance!

K9 Bike Jogger Tips

The K9 Bike Jogger website has some great tips on their website that you can use to help you and your dog get acclimated to your new biking tool. You can visit their tips page here. Some highlights include:

• When using the K-9 Bike Jogger, your dog should be at least 6 months old and over 20 lbs. If you have concerns about your dog’s health and/or ability to use this product, please consult with your vet and/or a dog trainer in your area.
• Choice of collar or harness. It is recommended that a regular collar be used with the K-9 unit. However, a harness may be used if you have a very well mannered and obedient dog. Never pull on a dog that is resistant or non-compliant while using this product. We do not suggest using a choke collar or pinch collar as you could cause damage and/or injury as a result from such use.
  Note: My personal suggestion is a harness (which we’ll review in Part 3); it unnerves me to no end to attach my dog by her neck to something that is attached to my bike which I know can go more than 15 mph!
• When first starting out with the K-9 Bike Jogger, we highly recommend that you familiarize your dog with the unit by first walking (not riding) for 5-10 minutes with the dog attached. This will allow your dog to become comfortable and at ease with the operation.
• While out riding, with the K-9 Bike Jogger, always keep your dog well hydrated and be aware of his/her fatigue level. Some dogs can run longer than others, start out slow and gradually build up to his/her comfort level. Never run/ride your dog on days of excessive heat/temperature.
• It’s very important to keep an eye on your dog’s pads, make sure they are in good shape, especially, if you are riding on hard bike paths and the like. Never ride on surfaces that would do harm to your dog’s paws.
  Note: The next blog in this series will cover Magnolia’s favorite bike riding boots that we use for pad / foot protection during our rides.

The K9 Bike Jogger retails for $39.99 for the entire system (leash system plus one bike clamp to attach it to your bicycle). Additional clamps can be purchased individually for $12.99 if you have multiple bikes that you’d like to switch the K9 Bike Jogger between.

Stay tuned, later this week Magnolia will bring you her review of her favorite all-terrain doggie boots!

Many people are now making the decision to feed their dogs a raw diet. More and more studies show that choosing a biologically appropriate diet for your pets has health benefits that are almost unimaginable. However, feeding a raw diet doesn’t come without it’s drawbacks.

Ideally you’d be able to have the equipment, time, and space to prepare your dog’s food yourself. Making a raw diet at home requires lots of research to ensure that you’re providing the appropriate nutrition in the appropriate quantities. It also requires expensive and specific tools, like grinders to mix everything up properly.

More than likely, you’ll decide that you don’t have the time or the energy to make an appropriate diet for you pooch (doesn’t matter if it’s the time, the “ick” factor, or the lack of specialized tools). If you go this route you’ll find yourself boggled by the number of companies that produce a pre-prepared raw diet. Most of them come frozen. Just thaw and serve, right? If you thought the number of companies out there that produce the food was crazy, just wait till you find out how many different forms the raw diet can come in! You’ve got nuggets, patties, chubs, and tubs. And all of it will seem like a completely foreign language.

And then what happens if you happen to go on vacation?! Regardless if you’re taking your dog with you or if you’re boarding him, feeding a raw diet can be overwhelming and confusing (and sometimes the kennels charge extra for all that extra fuss)!!

Well, you’re in luck!!! There is a solution if you’re set on providing all the health benefits of a biologically appropriate diet but you’re not willing to invest in a stand-up freezer in your basement devote just to Fido’s dinner.

The Honest Kitchen: a raw diet without the fuss!

The Honest Kitchen produces a raw food that has been dehydrated. It’s as simple as mixing the product with warm water, letting it it reconstitute for 5-10 minutes, adding in any little fabulous treats (like raw meaty bones, veggies, or cooked meat) that you might want to give your pooch, and then serve!

Magnolia heard about the Honest Kitchen after doing some serious web searching. She knew how hard it was for us when we went on flyball excursions with the frozen raw, and she was looking for a travel-friendly, cost effective solution. It didn’t take long to find the Honest Kitchen since they have tons of excellent PR from very happy satisfied customers! Not to mention an excellent blog that’s not just all about food!

The Honest Kitchen produces all of their formulas in a human-grade kitchen and passes rigorous quality control processes. All of the formulas are made from human-grade products; all the grains are certified organic; the meats are hormone, antibiotic free; and the fruits and vegetables are guaranteed non GMO. Even the Quinoa is certified fair-trade!

But back to meals, after all, what dog isn’t excited about a tasty meal!

Meals, Treats, and More!

Complete Meals

The Honest Kitchen produces 6 different dog food formulas. Five of those are complete balanced meals. The sixth, Preference, is perfect for dogs who have a sensitivity to the more common proteins; it’s got everything except the meat! You add which ever protein your pooch likes the best. Four of the formulas are completely gluten and grain-free. All of their formulas are wheat-free! You won’t find a single piece of filler in these meals!

Magnolia’s two personal favorites are Embark and Thrive. These two formulas are the two highest calorie formulas and are perfect for pooches who get lots of exercise and are active all the time. Thrive is special because it includes the ancient grain quinoa. Quinoa originated in the Andean mountains and is the only grain that is a complete protein, containing every amino acid that the body requires!

There’s something for every dog! The other formulas are:

Nutritional Supplements

Magnolia likes to add a little “umph” to her food too! She’s had some problems with itchy skin and we have been using The Honest Kitchen’s Sparkle supplement to help keep her coat shiny and her skin un-itchy. After using the product after only a month, Magnolia noticed that more people were commenting on how soft and shiny her coat was! It’s no wonder that Cruella De Ville wanted a Dalmatian coat!! They must have been using The Honest Kitchen’s Sparkle formula! She also noticed that she had less shedding and she wasn’t as itchy as she was before we started adding it into her food.

We’re also adding a little Perfect Form to each meal. As embarrassing as it is, Magnolia’s had some “runny poo” in the past. It’s never good to be on a puppy play-date and try to explain that to the other pooches! Perfect Form has just the right ingredients to help firm up stool and make everything come out just right. A little goes a long way! The Honest Kitchen provides excellent guidelines on how much to give your pooch labeled on every jar. 10 ounces has lasted us nearly 6 months already!!

Treats!

Because no meal is complete without dessert, The Honest Kitchen offers four tasty treats. Magnolia and Rebel both personally approve of all four of them!

Nuzzels, Pecks, and Smooches are your replacement to Milk Bones! Much tastier and healthier than Milk Bones, these three treats are wheat-free and made from Barley flour. Like their complete meals, these treats don’t have fillers or by-products to junk up your pooches system. Pecks are tiny little bite-sized treats just perfect for the smaller fur-pals or to use for training treats!

Ice Pups is a completely grain-free treat that you mix together with with water, much like the regular meals formulas. In the winter you can mix Ice Pups with warm water to make cozy broth type treat. In the summer you can mix up Ice Pups and either chill it or freeze it into a nice icy dessert! Puppy gelato!

Magnolia’s Story

Magnolia was diagnosed with Epilepsy when she was less than 12 months old. In the beginning we attempted to regulate her illness with anti-seizure medication. However, after watching her go from an energetic, peppy Dalmatian into a subdued pooch we decided that we needed to start taking a holistic approach and try to reduce some of the medications that Magnolia was taking.

After consulting with the people at the Canine Epilepsy Resource Center we learned that often a raw diet has helped keep seizures at bay. In addition to the Wester and Eastern therapies that we were pursuing we started using The Honest Kitchen’s raw diet.

After a year and a half of being on the raw diet, Magnolia has been seizure free. What’s even more amazing is that we’re reducing her anti-seizure meds!! It’s amazing the change we’ve seen in her just by switching her diet. If that’s not a testimony to how much better this stuff is for your dog, I don’t know what is!

Magnolia wanted me to make sure to tell you that The Honest Kitchen has a kitty formula, Prowl, too! Our kitty crew approves of Prowl too!

If you’re interested in free samples, feel free to contact Whitney at me@whitneyclaire.com. I’ll be happy to get a sample out to you! Be sure to let me know if there’s a specific formula that you’d like to try and where to send your sample out to!

We had a little scare last week. The vet has asked us to keep an eye on the area around Hugo’s suture for any returning tumors. Within a couple of days of the surgery, a mass had started to form just below the suture line, so I immediately freaked out and thought it was cancer. We took him to the vet just to be safe (he needed to have his anal glands expressed anyway) and it was only a buildup of fluid under the wound. So we are putting a warm compress on the area twice a day to help alleviate the liquid.

Hugo is scheduled to have his sutures removed tomorrow and we will chat with the vet a little more on follow-up treatment. So far, he is acting like his old self. Our fingers are crossed that this is the last battle with MCT.

Our dogs were dirty – I mean REALLY dirty. So last weekend they all got baths. All of the dogs like to roll around in dirt, so they are pretty much covered in dirt all the time. Since we figured that your dogs were also dirty from a winter of snow and mud, all of our spa products are 10% off through the end of April.

Willy also carries a full line of spa robes and towels for the dog that has everything!

Remember that you earn points for every Wet Nose Willy’s purchase. You can accumulate these points and use them toward future purchases.

Don’t let your dog’s dirty coat get you down! Pick-up some shampoo, conditioner and spritz and clean him up today!

Well, we got a call from the vet today and the news is not what we had hoped. The tumor was graded a low 2 which means that is likely that it has spread and that it will reoccur back quickly. We will be watching him for more tumors while his body heals from the surgery. If more MCT occurs, we’ll need to look into either prednisone or radiation for the cancer. We have a vet appointment for early next week to have his sutures removed, so we’ll talk with the vet more then.

I hate waiting and am in general a very impatient person. We should get news this week on the pathology of the tumor that was reomoved from Hugo. In the meantime, he is running around and being his rambuncious self. We are doing our best to keep him “quiet”. He wants so deperately to play with other dogs, but he has to wait until the stitches come out next week. More to come once we have more news.