Dog Food Supplement Review: Prozyme

dog food

dog food

The first time I heard about Prozyme was when my dog, Seba, came to live with us.  Since their diet is so poor at the track, greyhounds often have a hard time adjusting to high grade dog food.  Prozyme was recommended as a food additive.  Since then, I’ve learned it is often used for:

Dry or scaly coat
Digestive disorders
Immune disorders
Weight problems—can’t gain weight or keep weight on
Bloating
Hairballs
Coprophagia—consuming feces
Skin problems
Joint difficulties
Excessive shedding
Allergies
Lethargy
Flatulence
Wound healing

Prozyme consists of four enzymes, completely natural, entirely made from plants.  All ingredients in Prozyme are human grade, and can be fed at every meal you give your pet, throughout its life.  Its effect is cumulative, so you should expect to see results in about eight weeks.  Because it increases bioavailability (how much the digestive system is able to absorb) of the nutrients in your pet’s food, you may, over time, want to decrease the amount you’re feeding, to prevent weight gain.

When Seba arrived from the track she was underweight, and her coat was dull from poor nutrition.  At her foster home for the first two weeks, she had had diarrhea while adjusting to dry dog food (from the raw hamburger fed at the track).  By the time she came home with us, though, this was mostly gone, thanks to the Prozyme.

But soon we started giving this product to our Brittany, Castle, also.  Being a bird dog, as a puppy she had a tendency to want to eat baby birds she found in our hedges, and we were worried she might develop a digestive issue because of this and her proclivity for chewing on anything around our yard—including poop!

I’ve previously written about the periodic vomiting issues with our Basset, Hoagy in this article.  We tried Prozyme with him also, but in the end he needed a pro-biotic, which we added by changing his dog food entirely.  Now that I know more about Prozyme, though, I’ll be adding it back, too.

Bottom line:  this is an amazing product that YPS highly recommends!  And by the way, it’s great for cats, too.  Paws Up, Prozyme!  🙂

seba 300

I am Seba, and I approve this message.

Where to Buy Prozyme

cat itPRODUCT RECAP

Awhile back, we reviewed a product called the Cat It Senses Motion Activated Illuminated Ball.  We just wanted you to know that outside product testers we had trying this toy with their cats were unsuccessful getting any interest (regardless of age and activity levels, unfortunately.)  So this product gets a “Paws Down”.  Sorry, Hagen, Inc.

Your Pet Space product tester, DingleI am Dingle, and I disapprove of this product–hiss!

Books: All Creatures Great And Small

dog eared bookSome time ago, our Facebook page manager, John Jordan, recommended a series of books to me that I’d heard of, but never explored.  If, like me at the time, you’ve never read All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot, you’re in for a treat!

In 1940, James Alfred Wight worked at a rural veterinary practice in the town of Thirsk, Yorkshire, close to the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors in England.

The first book in this series, All Creatures Great And Small, consists of partially autobiographical stories of his career as a country vet and his many adventures caring for the dogs, cats and farm animals of the locals. According to Wikipedia, Wight’s son, Jim states “a lot of the stories, although set in the 1930s, 1940s or 1950s in the books, were actually inspired by cases that Wight attended in the 1960s and 1970s.”

Not only do you get a great feel for the heart of the English people of the region, but also for the challenges vets face–and I think you’ll find no other series of books about pets to be so utterly charming.

Herriot’s style of writing, as well, is easy to follow.  And it’s interesting to imagine what it was like to live at that time–not only from the perspective of the rather primitive veterinary resources that were available but, for me, just imagining what it would be like to stand in a freezing barn or field for hours, waiting for your part in some major event, like a calving.

By the time you reach the end of the first book, you really feel like you met Dr. Herriot yourself, and know him as a kind and dedicated man.  And by the way, the adventures as he meets and courts his wife are just hilarious!

It’s always been amazing to me that real people are far more fascinating than made up characters could ever be, and never more so than in this series of books.  You’ll love them!

 Check out the YPS Bookstore for this and other awesome books about pets!

 Joy JonesJoy Jones is a syndicated columnist living with her husband Dave in Anderson, Ohio.  When not working on Your Pet Space, she writes a metaphysical column called The Midwestern Buddhist as well as urban fantasy and humor.  You can e-mail her at joy@yourpetspace.info as well as follow her on Facebook or Twitter.

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.

cat2

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

PRODUCT REVIEW: Hagen Cat It Senses Motion Activated Illuminated Ball

Hagen Inc. is a German family owned pet supply company founded in 1955.  They started in Canada with the exportation of bird seed, and are now part of the international market including the US, UK, France, Germany and Malaysia.  They sell to both Petsmart and Pet Food Direct, as well as other stores and feature the Nutrience line of premium dog food, as well as the Habitrail  line of tubular hamster housing.

cat it

So the other day I went shopping at Pet Food Direct for dog food and thought I would pick up something for the cats as well.  I saw these cute play balls where the flashing light (similar to what you see with laser pointers) was motion activated–neat!  I thought Little Dingle would love them!

(For those just tuning in, our two spoiled cats live on the lower level of our house, the space that’s complete with the big TV, wall to wall carpeting and the reclining furniture.  We call it Cat Town, as opposed to Dogville, upstairs).  The cats don’t get as much playtime recently as I’d like, so I thought this might stimulate them a bit.

But as it turns out, not so much.  Both Dings and Cash would obligingly pat the nice little ball and it would flash at them.  Then they’d give a catty little shrug and walk away.

So–final assessment:  this toy works–the thing rolls and the lights flash without fail.  But you might want it for a younger kitty.  Dingle and Cash are 8 and 10 years old, respectively.  Although Dingle will still play with any string–moving or not–it’s pretty hard to get Cash interested in toys.

Update 4/30/15:  We did offer these toys to a reader with younger cats–still no interest.  Just FYI.  😉

In the meantime, to buy your own, go here.

Dingle 300

I am Dingle and I approve this message.

PRODUCT REVIEW: Kong vs Kong Wubba

  kong_wubba_xl_1 (197 x 200) VS kong-dog-toy-big (200 x 165)

The Kong Company of Colorado has been in business since the 70’s.  The original Kong toy (pictured above on the right) comes in various colors.  Kongs can be stuffed with treats and fillers, and even frozen.  The current fav filling of our dogs is a liver paste dispensed from a container something like you see for whipped cream for people…although we occasionally put other treats inside.  Our greyhound, Seba, loves bouncing the Kong like a ball and chasing after its erratic movements, since it doesn’t roll, like a ball would.

But the Kong is especially suited for our product tester, Castle, who has a nickname around Your Pet Space–El Destructo.  That’s why we have another dog that tests small, fluffy toys.  Because Castle destroys them in less than 5 minutes–no kidding. Castle had a smaller, blue Kong when she was a puppy.  When she chewed through that, we got her the red one (intended for adult dogs).  To date (about two years), she has yet to chew through it.

Still, she gets bored with the Kong when it doesn’t have anything in it.  She particularly likes to tear apart the edges of things–Seba’s bed, Hoagy’s long ears–so when we saw the Kong Wubba with its long octopus like legs (in the photo upper left), we decided to give it a try.  Sure enough, she did tear off the legs over a period of about 5 months–even got the hard rubber balls inside out of the tough, reinforced cover.  But then she played with the balls until she lost them somewhere in the back yard.  So, in May of this year, happy with the wear compared to other toys, we purchased a replacement.

So the other morning I put Castle in her crate, gave her the Wubba, and went to do something out of the room.  As all pet moms can tell you, though, when your furkid is making a sound that means trouble, it gets through even if you are occupied.  So when I heard her making a banging noise I came back in and saw this:

wubba (225 x 300)wubba closeup (225 x 300)

Yep, El Destructo strikes again!  Good incentive to never leave your dog unattended with any toy.  Just glad she didn’t swallow any pieces of rubber.  So–final assessment:

Kong Wubba–highly durable, likely to last several months.

Original Kong–indestructible (at least so far).  Though I think it might be time to get Castle the black version (for tough chewers).

AND, just in case you have a cat, Kong Co. also makes a line of toys for our feline friends!

Ready to buy some Kong toys?  Just click below!

I am Castle, and I approve this message.  Castle 300