Pea of Sweetness

Paw-fect Giveaway (ends 12/22)

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Welcome to the Paw-Fect Giveaway!

Sponsored by: PlaqClnz and Soft Paws

Hosted by: Savory Savings

Pet Giveaway

With Christmas right around the corner, we cannot forget our furry friends!  Although, I will admit, these “gifts” might be more for the humans than our furbabies, but if you throw a bag of treats in their stocking, too, they may not notice!  Do your dogs or cats suffer from halitosis that could knock over a yak?  Or does your cat think your sofa is his personal scratching post?  Maybe your dog’s claws are tough on your hardwood floors?  If any of these situations sound familiar, this giveaway is for you!  Krista over at Savory Savings had the chance to review both PlaqClnz, a brushless oral cleanser for pets, and Soft Paws Nail Caps for cats and shared her thoughts over on her site.  These products are easy and safe ways to eliminate common pet problems!  The PlaqClnz oral cleanser gel applies quickly and easily and you will instantly smell the results!  Within just a few days use, you will also notice less plaque and other build up on your pet’s teeth! 

The Soft Paws Nail caps are a humane way to deal with cat claws in your home.  They apply quickly, painlessly and come in an assortment of fun and stylish colors and patterns. 

We reviewed the Soft Claws for our large cat in the fun holiday colors! I will be reviewing the PlaqClnz soon as well and will share that review here, too! So stay tuned!

If you would like to win a pack of these two amazing products, enter with the Giveaway Tool below!  This giveaway is open to US residents, ages 18 and older only.  The giveaway will run from December 8 through December 22, 2013 at 11 PM CST.

Good luck!

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Cat's Pride Fresh and Light Litter {Review}

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Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Cat’s Pride. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating. All opinions are my own. For more information see my Disclosure Policy.
one-eyed cat
Our cat, Bartholomew, is a special part of our family. It’s been a little over a year since we adopted him. They were afraid he wouldn’t get adopted since he was born with only one eye. That didn’t matter to us at all, though! He has an amazing personality, and we just knew he would be the perfect cat for our family! We mostly call him Bart for short.
Bart turned one on Christmas Eve. He is still young and energetic, but he grew big so quickly! We joke that it’s because he eats our dog’s large breed dog food! He really has such a great personality and is wonderful with the kids and our mastiff! He has so many fun quirks and plays back and forth chasing games with our daughter. It’s so much fun!
With the joy of a cat also comes the not-so-joyful litter box. Unfortunately, we’ve had many litter box problems, too – particularly with the odor. It’s not only unpleasant for us, but I imagine it’s not very nice for him, either. We want to make sure he is happy as well! I have found a helpful solution to add to the litter, but overall I decided we need a completely new litter solution. The expense of the litter that we HAVE to get for the self-cleaning litter box coupled with the fact that it just isn’t an effective litter has just gotten too frustrating. So, I was excited to have the chance to try Cat’s Pride Fresh & Light litter.
Cat's Pride
For our review we received two 15-pound containers of Cat’s Pride Fresh & Light Litter. We received Fragrance Free Odor Control and the Quick Action litter. Being an eco-conscious consumer I generally err on the side of caution when it comes to fragrance. This definitely is the case with our pets as well. They are part of our family, and our eco-friendly lifestyle most definitely applies to them as well. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Quick Action litter that is scented carries the seal of the American Humane Association. It states Cat’s Pride products offer safe and effective odor control without harmful chemicals or overpowering fragrances. It also means they do so without the use of captive live animal testing. That is something to be proud of!
I can contest that the Quick Action litter did NOT have an overpowering scent. In fact, it was a very light almost unnoticeable (but pleasant) scent. Although we did enjoy the Fragrance Free Odor Control as well, this subtle scent of the Quick Action litter won me over as being my favorite. Bart was happy either way. He much preferred the light texture of Cat’s Pride over the rough crystals we have been using.

Here are some additional Cat’s Pride fact:

Cat’s Pride is 25% lighter than other scoopable clay litters.
I found this to be true! For the size of container I definitely expected they would be heavier. Growing up with cats I have used many varieties of scoopable clay litters, and containers that large were definitely heavier. I loved how the texture of the litter was “lighter” as well.
Cat’s Pride is low-dust.
One of the things that I always disliked about clay litters was the dust. When it said “low-dust” I wasn’t sure what to expect. What is considered a normal dust level? I discovered it barely had any dust at all. In fact, I didn’t notice any!
Cat’s Pride is quick clumping.
The litter box is in our laundry room, so I don’t generally have a habit of checking in right away, but I was curious about this “quick clumping.” I have to admit I don’t know what the typical clumping time is, but I did notice it clumps right away, and it clumps well. I didn’t have problems when I would clean it out, which is always good because it’s mostly unpleasant to clean the litter box, so every little thing helps!
Cat’s Pride is the only litter recommended by the American Humane Association.
I already mentioned they are recommended by the American Humane Association, but the fact is they are the ONLY litter that is recommended by them.
Overall, we’re happy with Cat’s Pride, and Bart definitely seems happier as well! Although it’s unfortunate we can’t use it with the self-cleaning litter box I would much rather have a happier cat and less odor! Plus, with the the nice features of Cat’s Pride it really isn’t that bad to have to clean the litter box!

For More Information:

Visit the Cat’s Pride Website
Connect with Cat’s Pride on Facebook and Twitter
 
 

Frugal Dog Tips

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Dog Bark Collar Store. All opinions are 100% mine. For more information please view my Disclosure Policy.
 
Saving money is so important. Having a large-breed dog costs can definitely add up. Here are some tips to help you keep those costs down.
Frugal Dog Tips

Do the Grooming Yourself

It’s not an easy task to bathe a mastiff that hates water, but spending $50 for someone else to give her a bath isn’t ideal. Bathe your dog at home or find a facility that offers self-serve dog baths, which cost less than having a full-service groom. This is a great way to save a few dollars. If your dog’s breed requires more than bathing consider purchasing clippers and learning how to groom them yourself. It may take time and practice but is well worth the savings.

Skip the Expensive Treats

We love to spoil our pup, but dog treats can become a big expense. Many of those high-cost treats aren’t healthy for them either! Treats are great for rewards, so you definitely don’t want to skip them altogether. Consider making your own treats. There are many resources out there. Or use fruits and vegetables! (Though please be aware of those that may be dangerous to your pup like grapes and avocados.)

Take Them With You

Boarding costs can be extremely expensive. When you add on the “extras” like play time, treats, etc. costs can rise into hundreds of dollars for a week away! Because we don’t want the bare minimum for our dogs it’s expected to add some “extras” during their stay. Hiring a pet sitter can be just as costly as rates have risen over the past couple of years.
So what are we to do?
If you’re not able to have friends or family members care for your dog while you’re away – take them with you! There are many pet friendly hotels, and some don’t even charge extra to include your pet. We have stayed in multiple hotels with our mastiff at no extra cost!

Training

Having been a dog trainer I often heard that most dog owners don’t take a training class or hire a trainer because of the cost. If you are unable to train them at home as well as provide proper socialization they may receive through a group training class you may find the costs of NOT having training far exceed the costs of training. Destroyed furniture, walls, carpet, yard, garden, etc. can be costly to replace.
If your dog isn’t socialized properly they may react negatively toward other dogs – or even other people, which can result in financial consequences (fines, court fees, etc.) – not to mention consequences beyond the financial consequences. So although training is an investment up front it is a money saver long term.

Keep Them Healthy

This may seem obvious, but it really is an important point. Make sure your dog visits the vet regularly for check-ups and is on preventive treatments for fleas and heart worms. Should they get fleas or heart worms due to not being on preventive treatment the costs to treat them can be steep. Many think of flea treatment as just a bath, spray, and/or collar, but you would actually need to treat your entire home and possibly even your yard. Costs definitely add up quickly. Heart worm treatment is very costly. It can cost over $1000 if you have a large-breed dog.
Beyond vet care and preventive treatment make sure your dog is eating well, getting plenty of water, and gets exercise regularly. These are all important to maintaining good health. Make sure when purchasing dog food you read ingredients carefully. This is an area where cheaper is not better. In fact, it can be far worse.
I actually suggest spending a little more for a high quality food because it will not only help them maintain better health, but they will eat less because it has more nutrients instead of fillers. My rule of thumb is – if corn is in the first five ingredients it is not a quality dog food as corn is a filler. They will eat more (and go to the bathroom more). So you may feel like you’re saving money by buying the less expensive food, but you’d do better to buy a food with better quality so your dog is healthier and happier.
Do you have any frugal dog tips you’d like to share?

Neater Feeder Review and Giveaway {over}

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Neater Feeder

Thanks to Neater Feeder for sending us a large Neater Feeder with leg extensions to try with our pup!
We have a Cane Corso (Italian Mastiff). She is a messy eater and SO sloppy with her water. We also have a really small back room, which happens to be the room in which we homeschool, have our dining table, and keep the pet food bowls. Surprisingly, the dog and cat share a food bowl and not in the way you expect. The cat will eat the dog food even when he has cat food available! So backwards I know! There isn’t a whole lot of space back in that room. It is quite small! So, the fact that our pup is so sloppy really takes its toll on us. She sloshes water EVERYWHERE when she drinks, and when she lifts her head it just drips all over! During our homeschool day I am sitting right beside the food bowls, and the kids will complain about stepping in water when walking over to me – or worse, they’ll slip on it! Plus, when there is food on the floor combined with the water it makes a nasty mess that I have to scrub hard to get off our linoleum floors if I don’t catch it immediately. It is AWFUL. Not to mention, if it isn’t our pup making the mess one of US might kick the food or water bowl and spill it!
So, I knew I was really going to put Neater Feeder to the test! I have seen the pictures and watched the videos. I could tell it was great at containing messes, but I still had a concern about the water that drops when she lifts her head. Well, I am happy to report, we have had NO messes since we started using the Neater Feeder! No food messes, no water on the floor, nothing! The food stays along the edges of the bowl, which either she or the cat will eat, and the water drips below into the reservoir for easy clean up! That’s it! All we have to do is dump out the lower reservoir every few days! That’s it! It’s dishwasher safe as well, though I have found it’s quicker just to clean it by hand! I also love that it has the leg extensions so it has a nice height for our “beast.” She has actually been more comfortable as she has been eating as well. We used to have an elevated feeder, but we stopped using it because when she would get sloppy with the water it would go underneath the bowl and make everything really slimy and disgusting. The upkeep was too much. So the Neater Feeder has solved two problems: our pup now has an elevated feeder again AND the mess is now contained. I am very happy with the Neater Feeder!

Pet Bowl

For More Information:

Visit the Neater Feeder Website
Connect with Neater Feeder on Facebook
Follow Neater Feeder on Twitter
Follow Neater Feeder on YouTube

*Giveaway!!!* {ended 6/16/2013}

Do you want the opportunity to contain those messes? One lucky reader is going to win a Neater Feeder in their choice of size and color! This giveaway will run from 6/2 through 6/16 at 11:00pm (times are Central) and is open to US residents ages 18+. Please refer to the full terms and conditions in the Giveaway Tools.

 
review and giveaway