PRODUCT REVIEW: Petbrosia

dog1Let me tell you the story of our dog, Hoagy.  We already had two dogs when my husband turned to me one day and said, “You know, I miss having a basset hound.”  Our previous basset, Ziggy, had passed away the year before from cancer, and we had lost his mate, Gushie, several years before that.  That spring we had already adopted two dogs (a Greyhound and a Brittany), but Dave just felt something was missing.  So I said, “Do what you need to do.  We have two–how hard could it be to have three?”

Famous last words, right?

Dave has a kind heart, so answered the ad of a woman living in a nearby city: “Basset Hound Free To A Good Home.”  He drove to meet her and picked up his new pet, who at that time was named “Taterbug”.

When the dog arrived, the white patches on his body looked yellow–especially a dark yellow one near his tail.  He smelled like fried food…and he was obviously overweight.  The first thing I asked Dave to do was take him up the street to the local dog wash.

A visit to to our vet a few days later confirmed our worst fears: he had apparently been free fed and tied outside for some time, as he was overweight, flea infested, had worms and an ear infection.  Dave was sent home with ear wash, worm treatments for all our dogs and instructions on how to make sure our house was flea free…as well as strict orders to measure all of the new dog’s meals and make sure he was getting regular exercise.

Undaunted, Dave did most of this work himself, and pleased at having another basset despite all the challenges, renamed his new pet Hoagy Dogmichael.  Over the next few months, Hoagy dropped weight as he could often be seen tagging along after the other dogs on our walks, his tail proudly waving like a flag behind him.  Dave faithfully cleaned his ears until he was no longer shaking his head with discomfort, and we kept a careful eye out, but no fleas (thankfully) appeared, either in our home or on our other pets.  The worming process completed, Hoagy shared the food the other dogs ate, and at first seemed to have come through his ordeal as a happy and healthy rescue.

Then, the digestive problems started…

Every few weeks, Hoagy would suddenly and inexplicably begin to vomit.  On one occasion, I came home early from work to find him sitting miserably in his crate, covered in both vomit and diarrhea, even though when we had left for work that morning, everything had seemed fine.

Since Dave and I are of the natural remedies first bent, we did some online research, and followed the tried and true method of getting the vomiting under control each time: 24 hours with no food, followed by a slow buildup of chicken broth, broth with rice, broth with rice and chicken, finally mixing in dog food…and then putting him back on straight dog food again after about a week.  This worked each time…but then several weeks later the vomiting cycle would start all over again.

We tried switching food to a more natural, high quality product, even more meat and less grain.  We tried adding digestive enzymes.  No, the cycle continued.  At last, we concluded that Hoagy had a digestive ailment as a result of his poor feeding with his previous owner, and that we’d just have to live with the result.

That is, until we got a phone call from Petbrosia, an affiliate we had only recently begun working with.  They offered to send us a 3-lb box of food for Hoagy–and custom mix it, just for him.  That’s when I went over to their website, and read this:

Petbrosia is the first pet food custom designed for the unique nutritional needs of each pet. Created by an entrepreneurial pet lover, Petbrosia’s goal is to provide a higher quality of life and improve the wellbeing of both pets and their owners.

 

You want to do what’s best for your pet. With nutrition designed to ideal body conditions, your pet can have a higher quality and potentially longer life.

– Keith Johnson, Founder of Petbrosia

I saw also: Every Petbrosia diet has added probiotic extracts and prebiotics. Prebiotics feed and encourage the growth of good bacteria in the colon. Good bacteria in the intestinal tract helps aid the digestion and absorption of nutrients.

Perfect!  But would Hoagy like it?  There was only one way to find out…

So Petbrosia sent us a coupon code for the food.  And we quickly discovered that ordering from their website is fun as well as efficient. Using your pet’s breed, age, and weight, they provide a diet specifically for your pet’s unique health needs, addressing condition of skin and coat, energy level, dental care, healthy joints, strong immune system as well as optimal digestive system health and overall weight.

When Hoagy’s product arrived, we began mixing it with Hoagy’s present food.  Immediately, an interesting thing happened.  Not only did Hoagy pick out the pieces of Petbrosia food to eat first, but our other dogs were especially interested in trying to steal it!

And, I am very happy to report that since Hoagy has been on Petbrosia, his vomiting has stopped.  We couldn’t be more pleased that he is not going through the unpredictability and discomfort which he previously suffered.  As a courtesy, Petbrosia also offered to send some food to have our finicky cat, Cash, test as well–and he loves it also!

Your Pet Space is very happy to recommend this provider, not the least of which is because they have never been subject to a recall.

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And—until the end of this month, you can even win free pet food from Petbrosia in our Pinterest Pin and Win Contest!  Here are the rules:

1.) Follow Your Pet Space on Pinterest!
2.) Create a board called “Your Pet Space Contest”.
3.) Pin your fav You Tube or personal pet video into that board for us to find.
4.) Enter the contest using this link: http://woobox.com/qnrkag

(Entries will be judged on funniest, or most unusual pet or pet behavior).

Have fun and good luck!

hoagy skinny (257 x 300)       I am Hoagy and I approve this message.

I am Cash and I approve this message. Cash 300

Adopting For Christmas

adoptdontshopAre you thinking of adopting this holiday season?  I am all for that if you are adopting for your own family.  Taking on the care of another living being is a huge responsibility, and should not be thrust upon someone under the guise of a gift.  Giving a pet to your child or mate is a very loving gift.  You, as the “gifter” have given a pet that will love the recipient for the rest of their life.  You need to be ready to step in if the recipient is unable, or unwilling to care for the pet.

Have you ever heard that dogs are like little kids and cats are like teenagers?  Dogs need someone to take care of their needs. They need someone to provide food and water, take them for walks, and to love them.  Dogs thrive on companionship.  Without it they are miserable.  And they really are like little kids.  Leave them to their own devices and they will get into mischief.  Dogs are always in school with you as their teacher.  Cats really do seem much more independent.  Cats, like dogs, depend on your for all of their needs: food, water, a clean litter box, and companionship.  While cats love companionship, and love to cuddle, they can be aloof.

So where do you go to find a pet?  The shelters and rescue groups always have a large assortment of potential pets. Puppies and kittens are cute, and just like human children they need someone there to teach them and help them learn as they grow. They are babies that don’t know what is expected of them so they will need your time and attention to teach them how to behave. Older dogs and cats need homes, too.  Older animals can come with their own problems, but many are already housebroken. Some are trained in other ways, and ready to live in a household.

Rescue groups have a good handle on the dog in the foster home.  If you go that route you will be matched to a dog with a personality that fits your lifestyle. Some shelters know the personality of the dogs in their care.  Some don’t.  If you choose to adopt from a shelter be sure to talk to the staff about the behavior of the animals in their care.  Take the dog for a walk to see how he reacts with you.  Shelter dogs spend a great deal of their time in a run or a cage.  I have seen some pretty fancy shelters run by rescue groups.  These are more like homes and the caretakers really know their animals. Taking the dog for a walk will help them expend some energy and give you a better feel for their personality.

Books have been written on this subject, and this post just barely scratches the surface. Go to our bookstore links for Amazon or Barnes and Noble and type in “Adopting a Pet.”  Hundreds of books will be returned.  You may think you don’t need a book.  All I ask is that you don’t go into this blind.

The American Humane Association has a good article on what to expect when you adopt a cat or dog.  Go here to read the article:  http://www.americanhumane.org/animals/adoption-pet-care/is-a-dog-right-for-you.html

If you decide you want to adopt, and need help finding a rescue group I would be happy to help you.

You can email me at : Dave@yourpetspace.info

Dave Jones
Dave Jones

Dave Jones is an insurance sales desk supervisor by day and a professional magician by night.  He lives with his wife Joy in Anderson, Ohio, but grew up on a farm with pigs, chickens and cows as well as dogs and cats.  You can follow Dave here on Facebook.

SATURDAY GUEST BLOG: Lil’ Paw Prints Animal Rescue Haven

lil pawsMy name is Robyn Moore and I am the founder of Lil’ Paw Prints Animal Rescue Haven.

I founded the rescue in 2006 a year after my father passed away. My father was an animal lover and would bring them home and rehome them to new homes. I wanted to keep his memory and passion about animals alive which is why I created the rescue.

The rescue is made up of all volunteers. All the animals (we refer to them as “pets”) are housed in foster homes where they get socialization with humans and other pets. Being in foster homes also gives the pets the comfort and security they need to be rehabilitated in order to to be re-homed with the perfect family. All pets are spayed/neutered, dewormed, groomed, up to date on vaccinations and placed on a flea/tick/heart-worm preventative before they are able to be adopted.

The rescue is a self funded organization, which means the funds we get for a pet to come into our rescue and the pet’s adoption fee is what we rely on to keep the rescue running. We also depend on the generosity of the public with donations and sponsorship of the pets.

We hold a fundraiser every month to also help with the funds we need to help the pets. We are currently working on getting the funds to get our 501(c)3 for our non-profit status.

We pull dogs and puppies from high kill dog pounds/shelters before they are due to be euthanized. We also take owner surrendered pets. We specialize in medium/large birds, ferrets and sugar gliders aside from our dogs and puppies.

You can view all our pets, make a donation or sponsor a pet all through our website, www.lilpawprintsanimalrescuehaven.org. You can also see us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lppanimalrescuehaven and follow us on Twitter at @lpparh.

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Your Pet Space is very pleased to announce that Lil’ Paw Prints will be the first local rescue to benefit from sales of our Pitch Your Breed Books!  So if you haven’t already, please consider contributing to this worthy project.  Thanks!