This review was written by veterinarian, Dr. Marie.

Almost every day one of my clients asks me my opinon on the Pedipaws nail trimmer.  The idea sounds good – a quiet grinder that makes it almost impossible to cut your dog’s nails too short.  It is advertised as the savior for [...]]]>

Pedipaws pet nail trimmer

This review was written by veterinarian, Dr. Marie.

Almost every day one of my clients asks me my opinon on the Pedipaws nail trimmer.  The idea sounds good – a quiet grinder that makes it almost impossible to cut your dog’s nails too short.  It is advertised as the savior for pets who hate to have their nails trimmed.

But…I had my doubts.

Over the last few weeks I am starting to hear reports from my clients who have actually bought a Pedipaws nail trimmer in the hopes of making life easier for both them and their anxious dog or cat.  And guess how many were happy with their purchase?  None!

I definitely do not recommend this product.  Most animals who are afraid of having their nails trimmed are also afraid of the Pedi-Paws.  The one benefit that I can see is that it may help someone whose pet is ok with nail trimming, but the owner is afraid to cut the quick too short.

PediPaws Videos:

Just for fun, I found some youtube videos showing people using their PediPaws nail trimmer:

And just to be fair…here is a video of a dog who actually enjoys his Pedipaws nail trimmer:

Pros:

• If your pet handles nail trimming well, but you are not good at avoiding the quicks then this may be the tool for you
  
• Relatively inexpensive

Cons:

• If your pet is not good for nail trimming, this is not likely to help
• Not good for large dog nails
• Goes through batteries quickly
• Can be traumatizing!

Dr. Marie’s ratings:

***~~ (3/5) Quality.
**~~~ (2/5) Saftey.
*~~~~ (1/5) Value.

Compare Prices:

If, after all of this,  you still want to buy the PediPaws nail trimmer online, Pet-Product-Review.com has found the following websites that offer it for sale:

Online Store where you can buy PediPaws Nail Trimmer	Price (the last time we checked)	Coupon for Pedi Paws available?
	$19.99 $9.99 (refills)
	$15.70 (on sale!) $8.79 (refills - on sale!)
	$19.99 (currently on sale)
	$23.59 $12.29 (refills)	Coupon code PERTOYS1 Coupon code PER10OFF1 Coupon Code PER5OFF
	$23.59 $12.29 (refills)

(The prices listed above are what we found at our last check when doing our comparison research.)

Have you used the Pedipaws nail trimmer? If so, leave us a comment below to let us know what you think!

This review was written by veterinarian, Dr. Marie.

OK, I’ll admit it.  I am not a fan of raw foods, organic foods, holistic foods, etc.  I feel that many dog food companies are taking advantage of all of us pet owners who want to give our dogs the best products, but [...]]]>

Wysong Dog Food

This review was written by veterinarian, Dr. Marie.

OK, I’ll admit it.  I am not a fan of raw foods, organic foods, holistic foods, etc.  I feel that many dog food companies are taking advantage of all of us pet owners who want to give our dogs the best products, but just don’t know what to buy.  However, I believe that Wysong is an exception.  I have spent a long time investigating the claims of Wysong and speaking to other veterinarians about their opinions on the food and I am thoroughly impressed.

What are Wysong Foods?

Here are some facts about the Wysong company and its foods:

• The company was founded in 1979.
• They specialize in natural and holistic pet foods and supplements.
• The company prides itself on being very environmentally friendly.
• No processed ingredients are used in their foods.
• Their products include dry dog and cat foods, raw foods, canned foods, supplements and natural grooming products.
• They also have a division that sells holistic products for people.

What I don’t like about holistic or organic foods.

So, why did I write an article about Wysong if I am not a fan of holistic foods?  Here is my beef with the pet food industry:  So many foods make claims that are supposedly good, but in reality are not.  For example:

• “Organic” – These days people flock to organic foods.  While I don’t have a problem with organic foods in general, I do believe that we are often paying more money than we need to for a food to have this label.  Many pet foods that have ingredients such as “organic chicken”  may actually contain chicken heads, feet and feathers.  Yes, they’re organic, but does this mean that they are better than a non-organic chicken breast?  Some dog foods contain some organic meat, but mostly produce that is not organic.  Yet, they can still claim to have organic ingredients.
• “Natural” – Many dog foods list a large number of vegetables on their label.  There is one dog food that is very well marketed with commercials of a dog surrounded by carrots, broccoli and other nutritious foods.  I know it is well marketed because many of my patients are on this food because their owners believe it is one of the better foods out there.  However almost every dog I see that is on this food has a dandruffy coat.  When I see flakes in the coat I know that the quality of the food is just not good.
• “Raw” – Raw feeding can be good – if you do it right!  I do believe that the Wysong foods are safe for feeding raw.  I have seen dogs on other brands of raw food that have had dietary imbalances (calcium and phosphorus levels that are out of whack).  I have also seen dogs with diarrhea issues that have been traced to bacteria in the food.  However, Wysong does have good quality control in their products.  They also have supplements to add to raw food to help make it nutritionally balanced which is especially good if you are feeding a home made raw diet.

The Wysong website has some excellent articles about reading pet food labels.

My Conclusions about Wysong foods:

If you are looking to buy food that is natural or holistic, or if you want to feed a raw diet, then I would recommend trying Wysong foods.  (Note, Wysong does not just make raw food – they also make kibble, canned food, supplements and grooming supplies).

I must admit that I have not tried these foods on my own animals as of yet.  I did, however do a thorough search of posts on Veterinary Information Network which is a discussion board where thousands of vets discuss cases and products.  I could not find any bad information on Wysong.  I found a good number of vets who fed Wysong to their pets, recommended it to their clients and were very happy with the product.

Have you used Wysong foods?  Please share your opinion with us by commenting at the end of this article.

Compare Prices and find coupons:

If you want to buy Wysong food online, Pet-Product-Review.com has found the following websites that offer it for sale:

Copy of Where to buy Iams Dog Food Online

Online Pet Store	Coupons Available?

Have you used Wysong Products? If so, leave us a comment below to let us know what you think!

Iams dog food

A veterinarian’s perspective of Iams dog food:

This review was written by veterinarian, Dr. Marie.

Ask 10 different people their opinion on IAMS foods and you’ll hear 10 different responses!  In my office I have heard a lot of my clients [...]]]>

Iams dog food

A veterinarian’s perspective of Iams dog food:

This review was written by veterinarian, Dr. Marie.

Please feel free to comment on this article!  Do you agree with Dr. Marie?

Ask 10 different people their opinion on IAMS foods and you’ll hear 10 different responses!  In my office I have heard a lot of my clients say a lot of bad things about IAMS.  However, I really do think that this is a good food.

How do I know?  I find it is almost impossible to read an ingredient list and determine if a food is good.  What I do know is that if a dog is on a good food they will have a good healthy coat.  And the vast majority of dogs that I see on IAMS have a good coat.

The company that makes IAMS food made a good marketing move when I was in vet school.  They offered free food to all vet students in my veterinary college.  As a result, my two dogs were fed Iams chunks for their entire lives.  I never had a concern with the nutrition they were taking in.

Is Iams a good dog food?

In my, opinion, yes, Iams is a good dog food.  So why is there so much negative stuff written on the web about Iams?  The general consensus on the internet is that when Proctor and Gamble took over the IAMS company they changed the ingredients and now they are inferior.  I certainly did not notice a change in my dogs’ coat or health when this change happened.

Here is what I believe happened.  Prior to the buyout by Proctor and Gamble, Iams foods were only available in pet stores.  Afterwards, they became available in Wal-Mart, Grocery Stores and online.  This made a lot of pet stores lose business which lead to a lot of disgruntled pet store owners!  So, the pet store owners wanted to turn people off of buying IAMS food and now the rumors have circulated.

Where to buy Iams Dog Food Online

Online Pet Store	Coupons Available?

What do you think of Iams dog food?  Do you agree with Dr. Marie?  Feel free to leave a comment!

This review was written by veterinarian, Dr. Marie.

The feliway diffuser or spray contains a substance called a Pheromone.  What is a pheromone?  A pheromone is a chemical substance that an animal releases in order to signal other animals.  [...]]]>

Feliway diffuser - Comfort Zone pheromone for cats

Review of the Feliway diffuser / feliway spray

This review was written by veterinarian, Dr. Marie.

The feliway diffuser or spray contains a substance called a Pheromone.  What is a pheromone?  A pheromone is a chemical substance that an animal releases in order to signal other animals.  Here are some examples:

• Bees release pheromones to signal danger, or a different type of pheromone to recognize the queen, and even a different type to signal to other bees where the best flowers are.
• Female rats, hamsters and mice release pheromones that signal to males that they are ready to mate.
• Some female snakes release pheromones that signal to the male to either start or stop courtship.

How do cats use pheromones?

Cats have something called “facial pheromones”.  Have you ever wondered why your cat likes to rub his or her face on things?  It is believed that a cat is depositing facial pheromones which are meant to tell others that this is his territory.  It is also believed that when cats sense facial pheromones that they recognize it calms them because it signals to them that they are in their own safe environment.

How does feliway work?

Feliway is a synthetic version of the cat facial pheromone.  It comes in a diffuser which is a plugin that you plug into the wall or as a spray that you can spray on objects in the house.  The spray is especially useful if your cat is urinating in a certain area of the house or scratching on a particular piece of furniture.  Some vets actually spray the spray on themselves when they are going into an appointment with a cranky cat.  It seems to calm down fractious cats.

The diffuser lasts about 30 days and covers an area of about 500-650 square feet.  It is safe to use and there are no known harmful effects on cats, people or other pets.  If you have asthma that is normally bothered by perfume like plugins then the feliway plugin may have the same effect.  However, there is no discernable smell produced by the feliway plugin.

Does feliway work?

You can read through thousands of testimonials on the web of people saying that feliway worked for them.  However, anyone can write a testimonial…so how do we know if this is an effective product or simply a scam to take advantage of cat owners who are desperate for a solution to their cat’s behavior problems?  When I want to answer a question like this I always look to medical research.  There have been a number of studies done on the effectiveness of feliway for behavioral problems in cats:

• 

  Stressed cats can be helped with feliway

  Clinical Trial of a Feline Pheromone Analogue for Feline Urine Marking - Journal Vet Med Sci. This was a study of cats who had urine marking problems (peeing in the house).  After one month of using a feline pheromone (feliway) in the house, the problem was completely gone in 37% of cats, greatly reduced in 40% of cats and unchanged in 23%.

• Effects of a synthetic feline facial pheromone on behavior in cats – Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. In this study, hospitalized cats were monitored.  Some were in a cage with a feline pheromone and some were not.  There was a significant increase in the amount of grooming and eating in the cats that had the feline pheromone present.
• Urine spraying in cats: presence of concurrent disease and effects of a pheromone treatment – Applied Animal Behavior Science. This study used Feliway to treat 34 different cats with urinary spraying problems.  An improvement was seen in 74% of the cats.

There are many other articles which support the use of Feliway.  I definitely recommend it.  Feline Pheromones can be useful in the following situations:

• Urinating in the house (spraying, urine marking, interstitial cystitis)
• Intercat aggression (very common in multi-cat households!)
• Anxiety disorders (overgrooming, interstitial cystitis, etc.)
• For cats that hate to go in the carrier or travel in a car – use the feliway spray on a towel in the carrier

Here is a video of a few testimonials about people using feliway for their cats:

Pros:

• Safe
• Easy to use
• Often helps solve behavioral problems without giving medication
  

Cons:

• Can be expensive if you are using it all of the time

Dr. Marie’s ratings:

***** (5/5) Quality.
***** (5/5) Saftey.
****½ (4.5/5) Value.

Compare Prices:

If you want to buy the Comfort Zone Feliway electric plug in diffuser or spray online, Pet-Product-Review.com has found the following websites that offer it for sale:

BEFORE BUYING ONLINE, BE SURE TO CHECK OUR COUPONS PAGE!!!

PetSmart: Plug-in $46.99, refill $28.99, spray $31.99

That Pet Place: Plug-in $29.99, refill $17.99, spray $22.99, wipes $7.99

Dog.com: ***Currently has a sale*** Plug-in $29.99, refill $17.99, spray $18.89

PetFoodDirect.com: (we usually have a COUPON available for this store) Plug-in $36.89, refill $20.49, spray $24.93

(The prices listed above are what we found at our last check when doing our comparison research.)

Have you used the Comfort Zone Feliway diffuser or spray? If so, leave us a comment below to let us know what you think!

…funny pet videos Loudest Cat Captured on Video! Do you have a loud cat? If so, videotape your meowing monster and enter the contest!

Contest closes to entries on Nov 30, 2009. Voting closes Dec 10, 2009.

No Videos Posted Yet.

]]>

…funny pet videos

Loudest Cat Captured on Video!

Do you have a loud cat?
If so, videotape your meowing monster
and enter the contest!

Contest closes to entries on Nov 30, 2009. Voting closes Dec 10, 2009.

No Videos Posted Yet.

]]> http://pet-product-review.askavetquestion.com/greatest-pet-on-the-net-loudest-cat-video-contest/feed/ 0 http://pet-product-review.askavetquestion.com/enter-the-greatest-pet-on-the-net-contest/ http://pet-product-review.askavetquestion.com/enter-the-greatest-pet-on-the-net-contest/#comments Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:29:33 +0000 DrMarie http://pet-product-review.askavetquestion.com/?p=152

…funny pet videos How to Enter the Contest: Videotape your pet. Post your video to Youtube: Sign up to join Youtube. (It’s totally free.) Upload your video to Youtube. ***Important Step*** When you upload your video to Youtube, you must start your “Description” (see diagram) with the following: This video is [...]]]>