Archive for January, 2009

Even though times are challenging for pet owners, it’s still important to remember to take good care of your pup. K9HealthSolutions.com wants to help you take care of your canine without feeling like your budget is stretched to the limit. Our selection of dog treats, Dog Supplements, toys, and even Pet Medications can help ease your financial hurt when it comes for caring for your furry friend.

In addition to shopping with K9HealthSolutions.com, pet owners should be mindful of their ability to prevent unnecessary costs that can be accrued over the course of the year. K9HealthSolutions.com encourages pet owners to take their pet for yearly veterinary exams to keep on top of any developing health issues before they come a problem, both medically and financially. In addition, use common sense when it comes to caring for a sick pup. Call your vet if you notice large changes in behavior, rather than rushing him off to the clinic at the first sign of the sniffles.

Also, try buying your pet’s Flea and Tick Medications at K9HealthSolutions.com to save on expensive prescriptions. These regular treatments are essential for good pet health, and K9HealthSolutions.com can help you save on your supply.

I was checking out a few dog blogs and ran into the Polka Dot Pup, a dog blog by Becca Plummer about her 3 year old Labrador Retriever, Vixen. Becca’s goal was to create an informative, fun dog blog with tons of dog information for dog owners. Her posts are always lively, and our K9HealthSolutions dog, Rakker, loves looking at the photos of cute Vixen!

We love Vixen’s “Holiday Gift Guide for Pets” – the holidays may be over, but most of these gifts can be used (and loved by your dog!) year round. Same goes for the very important Thanksgiving Pet Safety Tips that are vital for your dog year round.

Keep up the great posting, Vixen’s a beautiful dog and we can’t wait to see more photos. Check out Polka Dot Pup for tons of informative posts for your dog!

Rakker here! Say hello to my good friend Max the Golden Retriever from KeepOnWagging.com! Max and friends believe that “If life gives you tennis balls…play fetch!”. Their carefree take on life is a great way to live and an inspiration for all. People liked it so much that they decided to print it on apparel and gifts so everyone could take a lesson from Max. Here’s some of our favorite products from KeepOnWagging:

Women’s Apparel

Men’s Apparel

Dog Gifts

KeepOnWagging Gifts

Be sure to say hi to Max at KeepOnWagging.com, adopt their carefree motto and lifestyle, and spread the “Keep On Wagging” message through all their great merchandise!

Every good dog deserves a treat! Here’s a great recipe for gourmet dog treats that your pooch is sure to love. Don’t have time to bake? You can always stop by K9HealthSolutions.com and pick up a few yummy Dog Treats for your pet to enjoy!

Gourmet Dog Cookies
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups cracked wheat

1 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon brewers’ yeast
1/2 cup dry milk powder
3 cups beef broth
1/8 cup milk

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet.

2.In a large mixing bowl combine white flour, whole wheat flour, cracked wheat, cornmeal, garlic powder, brewer’s yeast and
instant milk. Stir in 2 cups broth. Mix the ingredients well using either your hands or an heavy duty electric mixer. The dough should be very stiff. Gradually mix in the remaining 1 cup broth to make a bread-dough consistency.

3.Roll the dough out to a 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thickness on a floured board. Cut out biscuits into any shape you please. Place the biscuits on the prepared cookie sheet. Brush the tops of the biscuits lightly with milk.

4.Bake the cookies 45 minutes; turn oven off completely but do not remove the biscuits. Let the biscuits sit in the oven overnight (for 10 hours). Store biscuits in an air-tight container.

As winter weather sets in, more and more pet owners are beginning to notice new behaviors in their canine friends. Constant scratching, biting, and licking of the fur are all signs of dry, winter skin that could be causing your dog irritation. As most humans know, winter is incredibly harsh on the skin, especially in terms of retaining essential moisture and nutrients. Like your dry hands, your dog’s skin can experience winter dryness. Just like us, dogs need a good skin care regimen to prevent itching and flaking throughout the cold winter months. Here are a few things that you can do to help your pooch avoid the drying winter weather:

1.Bathing
While it may be tempting to give your pup a bath after he comes in from playing in the snow, don’t! Frequent bathing is one of the leading culprits of dry skin in dogs. Instead, keep his coat clean and keep baths to every few months until springtime. If you do have to bathe your dog, be sure that you use nourishing Dog Shampoos that prevent the stripping of natural moisture from his coat and skin. DogoSuds Shampoo from K9HealthSolutions.com is great for keeping your pooch hydrated after bath time.

2.Brushing
Remember to brush your dog often to remove dead hair and dander. Daily brushing is great for improving overall skin and coat health, no matter what the time of year.

3.Diet
Healthy skin is often the product of a proper diet. To give your dog the best, be sure to supplement his regular pet food with Dinovite. Designed to improve skin and coat health using essential nutrients and enzymes, Dinovite is essential for the overall well being of your dog.

Question: “I am having a difficult time with my terrier in trimming his nails, he has always let the vet do it and I have bought all the proper tools , I am the one that always grooms him. But he is at the point now where the anxiety level is extreme, we have tried wrapping him in a towel, and standing him on a table like the vet does.. And no luck.. Please help!”- Deb C. from Rhode Island

Answer: Hi Deb! First off, we all know how stressful it can be to try to groom your dog at home, especially doing such a delicate procedure as nail trimming. However, there may be a few different approaches to grooming that could work for your dog and make nail trimming a breeze.

Using the PediPaws System from K9HealthSolutions.com could help streamline the process. If your dog is associating nail trimming with pain or discomfort, he’ll not want to have anything to do with it in the future. PediPaws is an extremely innovative approach to nail clipping. It has a rotating emery head that gently and safely files your dog’s nails to a smooth rounded finish, causing no pain and no discomfort. Plus the protective cap catches the filings, so there is no mess to clean up afterwards. Try it. You may find that your terrier much prefers this method to traditional clippings.

Another approach is gradually introducing new behaviors that could change the way your dog thinks about nail clipping. Start out by pretending to cut the nails while your dog is cuddling with you on the couch, or while he’s getting a belly rub. Once he becomes comfortable with this kind of touch and routine, try clipping one nail and see his response. Continue to positively reinforce nail clipping as being not so bad. After awhile, you could have your dog so well readjusted that you can trim at any time without worry. When you are finished with your clippings, pile on the praise and treats, positively reinforcing that it really is not so bad, and in fact worth the effort for him!