Pet Product of the Month

My favorite large pet fountain.

As a pet sitter and a pet parent I always make sure all  pets have fresh clean water. Just like us, dogs and cats bodies are comprised of mostly water. While most people don't consider water a nutrient, it is without a doubt the most important one. While your pet's food can supply a little or a lot of your pet's daily water needs, (dry food contains up to 10% moisture and canned foods have up to 78% moisture) water is the one thing to which your pet should have unlimited access. Animals know when they're thirsty and they should have free access to clean containers of pure, healthy water at all times.

Anything to encourage more water intake is helpful particularly for cats, who by nature, aren't big drinkers. Putting various kinds and sizes of water bowls in different locations around the house helps to encourage more drinking. If your pets go outside be sure to keep bowls of fresh water there as well. Pet water fountains are great forthose pets that like to drink out of faucets or prefer running water. We go through a lot of water at my house and  the stainless steel fountain shown above is one that is big enough for my eight pets. It's very quiet too. I have another smaller one (below) just for the cats in another room. The water stays fresh and oxygenated, plus the fountains come with filters that you change out every few months. (Be sure to buy plenty of extra filters!) I find it's best to use filtered or bottled water in pet fountains. They do have to be cleaned periodically but I have found them to be easy to clean. Some models have reservoirs to hold extra water so you don't have to add water as often. There are probably a dozen different types of pet fountains. You can find them at most pet supply stores. Try doing an on-line search to find the different models and the best prices.

This model has a reservoir.

Another one of my favorites.
This model comes with or without a reservoir .

Pet Product of the Month

As a pet sitter, giving medications to pets is a big part of my job. It can also be the biggest challenge, especially when it comes to medicating cats. Dogs are usually pretty easy considering they will eat almost anything you wrap a pill in; peanut butter, cream cheese, cheese, wet food meatball, hot dog, bread, etc. Some dogs will eat a pill if you just throw it in with their food. One of our dogs (Duke) has hypothyroid and has to take a pill twice a day. I typically give it to him in a small piece of cheese. He thinks "getting his pill" is actually getting a treat and looks forward to it. He will usually remind me if I forget too. Of course our other three dogs think they are missing out and they come running to get a "pill" too! No problem giving pills to these dogs! Dogs are easy! (Except if they don't want to eat anything in which case you give it the old fashioned way - down the throat.)

On the other hand, cats can sometimes be much more difficult to give medications to! (And yes, there are some cats I cannot administer medications to.) With cats you have to be creative. If you have a cat who doesn't mind getting pilled or taking some liquid medication, that's great. Some cats are real easy-going about taking oral medications and even shots like insulin injections. Some cats may be easy-going for their people-parents and not so happy about it when someone else is doing it! I have administered just about every kind of medication in a variety of ways. Of course it's better if you can give a cat medication without it knowing it's getting it; like hiding it in their wet food. Some medications can be compounded into special kitty flavored soft treats (check with your veterinarian). If your cat likes the treats (ask for placebos to try first) this works great! Some medications can be compounded into creams that you just wipe inside their ear and it is absorbed through the skin. In some cases this is much easier especially if the cat needs medication long term and is not a good candidate for pilling and won't eat the treats. 

Another great invention is Pill Pockets! These are small soft treats shaped like a cup. You put the pill in the cup and pinch it shut. Pill Pockets come in several different flavors; for dogs: beef, chicken or duck and pea for dogs with allergies; for cats: salmon, chicken or the duck and pea for cats with allergies. Of course, again, the key is the cat has to like the treats. Some cats may like one flavor and not the other. You may have to rotate the flavors when they get tired of one. For this reason I keep all three flavors on hand. If your cat likes the Pill Pockets it makes giving medications so easy and stress free. (Tip: If the pill is really small, try using just a half of a pill pocket.) With cats you just have to be creative and try different methods to see which one works best for your feline with the least amount of stress for the both of you!

Pill Pockets can be purchased at most retail or on-line pet supply stores. I found the best price at  PetSuppliesDelivered.com. (If placing your first order from them, tell them Beth VanDusen/customer # 16230690 referred you.)

Pet Product of the Month

Does your dog eat too fast? Inhaling their food in one or two gulps is not healthy and increases the risk of bloat. Bloat is not only an extremely painful condition but a serious life-threatening condition.

"In the bloated stomach, gas and/or food stretches the stomach many times its normal size, causing tremendous abdominal pain. For reasons we do not fully understand, this grossly distended stomach has a tendency to rotate, thus twisting off not only its own blood supply but the only exit routes for the gas inside. Not only is this condition extremely painful but it is also rapidly life-threatening. A dog with a bloated, twisted stomach (more scientifically called gastric dilatation and volvulus) will die in pain in a matter of hours unless drastic steps are taken."

If you ever see your dog show these symptoms take them to the vet immediately: 
            
              distended stomach
         vomiting; the pet appears highly nauseated and is retching but little is coming up 

Emergency surgery is needed within a matter of hours or they will die. Be sure you know where the closest emergency clinic is that is open during the night and weekends. 

Although the Great Dane, St. Bernard and Weimaraners have the highest risks of bloat according to one study, any dog can get it, especially those dogs with deep, narrow chests. I had a client who's wire-haired dachshund developed bloat and had emergency surgery. To prevent this from happening, avoid exercising your dog after a large meal. If you only feed once a day, start feeding them twice a day, it's better for them any way. If your dog eats too fast, there are slow-eat bowls available now in several different designs. I have several clients and family members who use them and report they really do help them to eat slower. You can find several different styles on-line at various pet supply retailers. Just do a search for slow eat dog bowls. I prefer stainless steel to plastic but unfortunately there are more styles available in plastic than stainless steel.

Plants and Pets

One of the best resources I've found for looking up poisonous plants to pets is the ASPCA's Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants. They have a great database with not only photos and details of each plant but you can sort the lists by toxic or non-toxic, for dogs, cats or horses.

Vaccine Insights

Here's informative videos presented by Dr. Patricia Jordan on the safety of vaccines.

Favorite Pet Products

Over the last nine years of being a professional pet sitter, I have seen and tried all kinds of pet products. I get the benefit of trying products out without having to buy them since chances are,  I probably have or have had a client who had one, whatever it may be. I have come across many wonderful and helpful products and would like to share my favorites with you. My intention is to share a different favorite pet product each month.
This month's favorite is Fool-A-Bug Pet Bowls. Feeding feral cats outside or any pet outside for that matter, can be a problem because of ants. I have had the problem of ants getting into the pet bowls inside the house as well. So how do you keep those pesky ants out of the bowls? The Fool-A-Bug Bowl is the solution!  The design is very simple. It has little legs on the bottom that keeps the bowl off the ground just enough to keep the ants from crawling in. Though I've only found them in one size (large), you can put a smaller bowl inside of it. Best of all, they now have them in stainless steel. (Stainless steel is easier to keep clean and doesn't harbor bacteria like plastic, or leach toxic chemicals. Some cats are allergic to plastic too.)


I have tried the bug-proof bowls that have a mote around them but the problem with those is you have to keep filling the mote with water and the water gets all yucky.  The Fool-A-Bug Bowls work great! You can find them at Amazon.com, Walmart, Academy and many on-line stores. You may have to do some searching to find the stainless steel as most places stock the plastic.

August Birthdays

Einstein turns 15!

We're celebrating two of our dogs' birthdays this month. Our oldest, Einstein is 15!!! He recently had his wellness exam and is very healthy for an old guy. Except for some arthritis and loss of hearing he still runs and plays with the other dogs. Of course having three other dogs helps keep him very active!


We adopted Einstein when he was 4-1/2 years old. He has certainly lived up to his name; he is so smart and the most loyal dog I've ever had. He is dedicated to knowing where I am at all times. My little protector. He loves cats and other dogs. He has the most calm demeanor around other animals and they usually take to him right away.  He's like the wise, old, calm one. He is quite a character. We hope to have him around for more years to come.

Ellie turns 13!

Our Miss Ellie turns 13 years old. We adopted Ellie from a shelter when she was 2 to 3 years old. Also known as "Wiggle-Butt" (as most Australian Shepherds are, due to their absence of a tail), she loves everybody and everything! Especially food! 


Ellie has been through a lot in the last four years. She had surgery on her elbows, two surgeries to remove tumors and most recently she had a tumor and her spleen removed. She's back to feeling her old self again and is doing very well. She just got her wellness exam and except for some arthritis she is very healthy for an old gal.


To celebrate their birthdays I made them a cream cheese dog birthday cake made with all organic ingredients including cream cheese, applesauce, honey and wheat germ. Yum! They loved it! So did Duke and Cali (our other two dogs), who were happy to share in the celebration!