Sunday, March 24, 2013

Product Review

We were recently asked to try out a line of products from Vintage Doggie Spa by our veterinarian  friend, Dr. Cathy Alinovi.  She recommended the products because of their natural ingredients.  We tested the shampoo, refreshing spritz, and conditioning detangler on our two personal dogs. One of our dogs is older so we are always concerned about using new products on her. Our other dog is not quite 2 years old.

Neither of our dogs had any kind of allergic reaction to any of the products.  They left both of their coats clean, shiny, and soft. The dogs also smell nice.  The products come in a variety of fragrances, and we especially like the lavender and the citrus fragrances.  Everything worked nicely on our dogs, however neither of our dogs have long hair, so we can't tell you how well the conditioning detangler works on dogs with long hair. The thing we liked best about these products is that they are made with all natural and organic ingredients.

For more information or to order some to try on your own pets go to www.vintagedoggiespa.com 

Be Wise... Bewaggle!


About Bewaggle:

Bewaggle is a pet services company located in DeLand, Florida. We offer pet sitting, dog walking, puppy training, basic obedience training, and more. We are bonded and insured, with background checks and references. Be wise... Bewaggle!

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

How to Handle a Fight

Dogs and cats are territorial creatures so fights are always a possibility. Animal fights are scary especially if your pet is in the middle of one. Here are some things you can do to prevent a fight from happening in the first place and things that you can do if a fight breaks out.

First you should always know the difference between a fight and play. Cats are fighting when the ears are flat back and they are growling, hissing, and showing their teeth like they are about to hiss but no sound comes out. For dogs you need to watch body language, growling, and snapping.

For Cats:

When you have multiple cats in the home they work who is the alpha cat who gets to control what territory. If you are living in a small or crowded place cats are more likely to fight with each other. The solution for this is to build cat shelves, cat trees, window seats, etc in order to provide them with more space. If space doesn't seem to be the issue it could be a fight to determine dominance. If you are always breaking it up the cats don't get an opportunity to figure out who is top cat. If you let it continue one of the cats should cry uncle before either of them get seriously hurt (consider this as a last resort).

If your cats are in a fight don't try to use a broom or reach in and separate them. This can make the cats more aggressive and get you injured. The best way to break up a cat fight is to dump cold water on the cats. If you don't have water handy make lots of noise like yelling and clapping. Loud noises usually stop cat fights.

For Dogs:


When outside be sure to keep your dog on a leash. Dogs are less like to become aggressive on leash. Be sure to know the difference between play sounds and fight sounds that your dog makes. 

When you come across an aggressive dog turn around and walk in the opposite direction. Keep your dog close and stay calm and walk - don't run. Running will only make matters worse - you will get chased. 

If you have a fight don't jump in and try to separate the dogs. This increases the chances for injury to you and the dogs. The dogs could also become more aggressive. If at all possible dump cold water (you can use any kind of drink) on the dogs. The shock should be enough to end the fight. Your other option is to make lots of noise to distract them. You can throw a shake can at the ground near the aggressive dog's feet. You can make a shake can with a clean soda can. Put 10 pennies inside and seal the hole with duct tape.

Be Wise... Bewaggle!

About Bewaggle:

Bewaggle is a pet services company located in DeLand, Florida. We offer pet sitting, dog walking, puppy training, basic obedience training, and more. We are bonded and insured, with background checks and references. Be wise... Bewaggle! 


Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Should you get your pets fixed?

We all hate watching those ASPCA commercials. You know the ones I'm talking about. The ones where they show you clips of beaten, starved, abused, scared, and miserable cats and dogs at the shelter. It's like watching a train wreck - so horrible but you just can't look away. Donating to the ASPCA will certainly help end animal cruelty but something else pet owners should do to end animal cruelty is to spay and neuter. Hey, when we can finally put an end to animal cruelty, those commercials won't be airing anymore, and that's an added bonus.

Here is why you need to spay and nueter your pets:

  • The Numbers - Omg the number of stray cats and dogs is unfathomable. Shelters can't save them all. A lot of shelters put them to sleep after a few days to make room for more. No Kill Shelters can only take so many. The intake is always more than the adoption rate. If your pet has a litter of 5, how likely do you think it is that you will find good homes for all five of them? A lot of people end up dumping dogs and cats after the cute puppy/kitten stage is over. And what if none of them get fixed? Pretty soon you have thousands of pets in need of good homes all because no one wants to get their pets fixed for whatever reason. Spay and Neuter if only to avoid contributing to the problem.  
  • Behavior - You will have a more well behaved pet when you spay/neuter. Fixed pets are not as rambunctious. Males are not running off and going missing after a female in heat. They are also not as aggressive with other males. They won't be getting into fights with other males over a female in heat. 
  • Safety - It is dangerous for your pets run off to reproduce. Your beloved pet could be injured in a fight or get run over by a car while they are gone. Or they could get into some else's yard with a pool or any other number of hazards and get hurt or die.
  • Happier and Healthier - They are not unhappy or depressed because they can't reproduce. They just aren't getting into trouble. Neutering also prevents related cancers. Your pets will live longer, happier, and healthier lives when they are fixed.
The only reason not to spay and neuter is if you are a responsible breeder or if your dog can compete in the Westminster Dog Show. That is all. Some of you may be saying, "But my dog/cat would make really cute puppies/kittens!" Yes, your pet would have really cute babies that you would be responsible for. You will have to finds homes for them. There are millions of really cute puppies and kittens looking for homes right now. Check on PetFinder if you don't believe me. Spay and Neuter. If you can't afford it, there are several programs out there to help. You can find events for spaying and neutering for cheap or even for free sometimes. Sniff around online and ask local shelters for more information and to see what kind of options you have.


About Bewaggle:

Bewaggle is a pet services company located in DeLand, Florida. We offer pet sitting, dog walking, puppy training, basic obedience training, and more. We are bonded and insured, with background checks and references. Be wise... Bewaggle!