Mdeho Pet Toys Rubber Throw Toy

I’m a sucker for things for our little girl. She’s getting on in years and we spoil her every chance we get. Even at 12 years old, some days she acts like a crazy puppy and she wants to do is play, play, play. So when a Pet Supply company offers us a “durable” toy for our girl, we’re thrilled to take it for a spin.

I’m happy to report that this one went over like gangbusters. Usually, a new toy is “the new hotness” for about two days until our dog decides it’s “old and busted” and won’t give it the time of day. Very few toys have what she considers “replayability”, but the Mdeho toy had it in spades. The only thing I’ll say that could be a negative is that our dog tends to like to grab the “human” end of the toy, which means when she runs away with it, the spike-ey ball sways to and fro, and usually ends up bopping her on the noggin, or worse, right in the face. And because they had to make the rubber a little hard to make sure it stands up to determined chewers, that also means it causes an ouchie when she gets bopped and fun time is officially over. What I would like is if Mdeho would make different “hardness” levels, ala Kong, so that there’s a super durable one for the chewers, and a softer one for the “throw-and-tug” crowd. The color is a bright blue, so it doesn’t end up blending with the grass and get missed by our dog, or by Hubby if it gets left outside. Because I suspect it would wreak havoc on his mower. The braided cord that attached handle to ball is strong and tough, but doesn’t separate to allow her teeth to get caught in it either. So far, there’s not been a single chunk, cut of gouge in the rubber, and no funk smell when it arrived either. I’m ecstatic that now, a few weeks later, our dog still plays with and enjoys this Mdeho Dog Toy, and that it’s still going strong with no sigh of it giving up the ghost any time soon.

Dog toys are a tough nut to crack. Too strong and the dog will hurt itself. Too weak and it will be destroyed, and the dog might hurt itself. Mdeho seems to have found that happy middle ground where durability meets playability. At $12.99, it seems to me a decent value, especially now that I know it’s made to last. Mdeho claims it “make engaging play-with-me sounds”, but this toy has never made a peep. Maybe something got lost in translation there. I’d still recommend it, though.

Connect with Mdeho:

• On Amazon
• Buy one for your pet right here!

 

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Mdeho. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

 

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Iconic Pet’s Luxury Large “Orthopaedic” Pet Bed From Pet Paws.World

It’s a new year, and with it usually comes new stuff. Out with old, in with the new…you all know how it goes. And the new year is full of promise and hope, as is our new stuff. But in this house we’re never alone in the “new stuff” proposition, because our furry little girl gets new clothes, toys and treat, but this year we were going to spoil her with a huge new plush bed from Pet Paws.World. And, as sometimes happens, the best laid plans sometimes get torn asunder by forces beyond our control. This was one of those times.

To start, the Amazon image showed a huge, plush, truly luxury pet bed that we thought our dog would just get lost in and be in love with. It stated it was “Orthopaedic” and had a durable core and less odors. With it’s large size (35″ x 32″ x 11″) and promised features it seemed our dog hit the jackpot. And then, after some delays in shipping, it arrived and things started to unravel.

Keep in mind as you look at this comically overstuffed box that the tiles I snapped these pics on are 12″ x 12″, and the box barely occupied two across longwise, two wide, and less than one thick. For a bed sized 35″ x 32″ x 11″. Ridiculous. And it only got worse as I “unstuffed” this poor thing from it’s miniature cardboard sarcophagus. All the polyester fiberfill had been smashed flatter than a pancake for so long, we kept waiting for it fluff back up, but alas, it never did. So instead of the large, plush, overstuffed bed that practically drowned the large grinning black Labrador Retriever in the picture with luxury:

 

We got this:

A smooshed bed and a sad, medium sized mutt. In fact, we found it was so flat and woefully understuffed we sacrificed an old comforter from our guest room, and folded it over a few times to add some padding underneath, because there was so little fiberfill in the “orthopaedic” center cushion that she was practically on the hard floor underneath anyways. When we contacted Blair at Pet Paws.World about this, he was shocked and dismayed that this over $65 dog bed has effectively been ruined by the shipping. He promised to touch bases with the shipping company about this as he found it unacceptable. We still had the issue of reviewing this product as received, and it missed the mark, badly. There’s nothing remotely “orthopaedic” about it, there’s no “core” that keeps the center cushion from being smashed flat at all, and while I don’t doubt it’s safe for the washing machine, the tag seems to have been intended for something far more substantial:

In the end, for the price ($65.05 plus $7.99 shipping, no Prime available) I expected more. A quick cursory glace around a local big box pet retailer unearthed many, many beds that were far more substantial and for much less money. When you go over the $55 price point, you start getting into memory and gel foams with removable covers and stain-resistant treatments, none of which are in or on this bed. We routinely buy the overstuffed Kirkland beds from Costco at under $30. They last for years and years, have a zipper to remove or replace the padding, and have the legendary Costco warranty. To say we were disappointed would be an understatement. I hope Pet Paws.World looks into this, because I know if I’d bought this bed at this price and got what I did, I’d be demanding a refund with a quickness. It’s nothing like it’s pictured or described, and for what it is, it’s badly overpriced.

I liked that it was large, and that it’s machine washable, and the little raised rubberized bumps on the bottom are inspired, because our dog loves to scoot her beds all over the place, and this at least discourages that. That’s about the only positives from this bed.

Connect with Pet Paws.World/ Iconic Pet:

• Online here and here, respectively
• Iconic Pet on Facebook
• Iconic Pet on Twitter
• Iconic Pet on Google+
• Pet Paws on Facebook
• Pet Paws on Twitter

 

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Pet Paws and Iconic Pet.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

Stewart Pro-Treat Freeze Dried Chicken Liver Treats

Our little girl gets spoiled. She’s 13 going on 3 and somehow almost always has her proverbial toast land butter-side up. This Christmas has been no different, first with the amazing squeaky toy we got to try, now with these Stewart Pro-Treat Liver treats, and later with a pet bed. Someone made out like a bandit, but of the three, the one thing she loves best are these Stewart Pro-Treat Chicken Liver treats.

Nowadays it’s hard to find good, decent real food to give our pets. The industry is very loosely regulated and it seems that the vigilance needed to keep poor quality and dangerous food and treats out of the US is sorely lacking. We used to give our dog the chicken jerky treats, and she did love them, but the continuous incidences of pets getting sick and dying from them made us swear off them permanently many, many years ago. We’d taken to giving her mostly homemade treats and dry “liver snap” treats we bought from Trader Joe’s because we just didn’t trust anyone to make a decent product. But Stewart is a different company and their products are in a class by themselves. Their Pro-Treat Chicken Liver treats are just that: 100% raw liver, freeze dried and shelf stable. Think of it as liver concentrate cookies. And our girl, bless her heart, loves them. Small, bite sized (which is good for “gulpers”), and packed with all the vitamins and nutrients that can only come from natural, actual chicken livers. No binders, no fillers, no additives or preservatives. I mean, check out this nutritional analysis:

Guaranteed Analysis:
Minimum Protein 70.45%
Minimum Fat 15.38%
Maximum Fiber .07%
Maximum Moisture 6.5%

 

Yessir, that’s the good stuff. For over 40 years Stewart has been providing the gold standard for “training” treats trusted by professionals far and wide. And the genuinely care about your pet, unlike many of the overseas conglomerates that seem content to import junk and maybe kill your little furry family member.

I had heard of Stewart Pet Treats before and never had the opportunity to try them until now, and I’m so fortunate I did, because now I have another company I trust with the health of my beloved little dog. A 3 oz. container has about 100 pieces per tub, and will only run you $6.29 on Amazon. That’s a steal in my book, and I know where I’ll be getting our dog’s “nummers” from now on.

Connect with Stewart Pet:

• Online
• On Facebook
• On Twitter
• On Instagram
• On Pinterest
• On YouTube
• On Amazon
• Buy yours right here!

 

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Stewart Pet Products. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

Pheenx Pets “Big Bone” Squeaker Toy for Dogs

We’re dog people in this house, and some might say our pooch rules the roost. She took over the garage about 12 years ago and doesn’t seem to be willing to concede ownership back to us any time soon. She also in a connoisseur of dog toys, even now in her rip old age. If it’s sub-par, she’ll soon find a way to let us know, and it usually involves a pile of fluff in the middle of the floor. We were pleasantly surprised to find that this Pheenx Pets “Big Bone” Squeaky Toy met muster.

Made of durable plush fleece fabric, with a “honk” type squeaker instead of the piercing high-pitched type, and with a “tail” at the end made of braided rope, this toy checked off just about every metric required by our 55lbs of furry fury. After a long period of sniffing inspection, this Big Bone became her most favorite-est thing EVER for the next couple of weeks. The braided rope stood up to her tug-of-war games, and sailed quite nicely when thrown for fetch. When not in “people” use, the rope and squeaker could be heard in the garage getting the working over of a lifetime. In fact, it was one of the few toys deemed “worthy of bed”, while most toys in the bed get dropped out with a quickness.

While she’s not particularly rough on toys, the poor quality ones tend to get exposed quite quickly. This Pheenx Pets Big Bone Squeaker Toy held up well, was much beloved, and almost made us wish we’d saved it for Christmas for her, but it would make an absolutely awesome toy for those with more willpower than us. One look and the face when she saw it, and we knew it had to be hers immediately. At only $8.99 it’s a steal, and we’ve paid twice as much before for half the quality. You should probably pick up one for your furry friend too.

Connect with Pheenx:

• Online
• On Facebook
• On Amazon
• Buy your fuzzy buddy their own right here!

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Pheenx. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

Purina One SmartBlend® True Instinct Grain-Free Formula Dry Dog Food, Turkey and Venison #Review #ONEdifference

 

When it comes to dog food, my dog is usually great about consuming the dry kind but will sometimes wait us out in case I add any extra protein to enhance her meal. I try to always add a little extra chicken and have switched her foods to grain free formulas that seem to be more easily digested. She eats less and remains a healthy weight at the age of 13. Like humans, she gets bored eating the same flavors day after day and I notice she loses interest, so we developed “mix-ins”, pretty much something from fish (she loves Tilapia) to meats and even sometimes a spoonful of sweet potatoes. Keeps the dog interested in her food and I feel less guilty for serving her “dry cereal”, which is what we call her dog food.

In comes Purina One, with a new grain-free formula added to their line called SmartBlend, which they added the title “True Instinct” to the blend. What is True Instinct? It’s what I call adding marshmallows to the dry cereal and these bits are what the dogs go crazy over. The jerky style bits have a different texture and not only enhance the meal, but deliver more real meat to the grain-free base. You also have other positive differences like using Turkey as the first meat ingredient, versus chicken like other blends of this kind. A Glucosamine supplement has been added to the food and I look for this, especially with a dog that some have referred to as a Senior or the golden word one Vet Tech called her, Geriatric. Don’t tell our dog this because she is as active as she has always been from spending days getting in out of the pool, jumping, wrestling, to out running anyone who tries to race her (always has to be first through the door). Purina One’s Smartblend also has added Omega-6 Fatty Acids to keep our pet’s fur shiny and healthy, along with an Antioxidant Blend, which includes Vitamin A and Vitamin E. It’s finally a dog food that you feel good about feeding your pet.

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Verdict:
So, why did I call the bits of jerky-style meats marshmallows before? It’s not for health reasons, but my dog turns out to be the dog that eats all the “marshmallows” out of the dog food first, leaving her “cereal” to eat last. That is how much she loves the new SmartBlend True Instinct formula from Purina One. The minute we pour the food, she starts nosing the food and you can hear her hunt for the chewy bits until she claims every last one of them. We purchased the Turkey and Venison blend and I even checked labels in the store. There is actual Venison and our dog loves this meat. From Duck to odd varieties like Swordfish, this dog is always eager for the wilder kind of meats. Our dog had surgery a little over a month ago and I thought I would have to worry about getting her to want to eat her normal dog food, but once I started mixing the Smartblend grain-free formula, that worry vaporized as did the food. She ate, gained back the 8 pounds she lost prior to having the surgery and it’s muscle mass she was able to regain. I was worried prior to surgery, as she lost muscle mass around the legs and neck area, to even going down a notch size on her collar. She was able to get that all back, plus we noticed she is full of energy to the point we are having a hard time keeping up with her. Our dog has us on a schedule now that she eats her dinner and then wants play, play, and more play. We actually get tired of playing tug-a-war with her and I now can’t even tug the plush away and run off like a bandit. I have to actually cheat and say, “let go or drop”, and then run with the plush but she always catches me! What you feed your pets really makes the difference and like reading labels for the food we eat ourselves, pick-up a bag of SmartBlend from Purina One and compare the True Instinct grain-free to the other brands. Fillers is not something this feed is full of and we saw the difference it made in our pet when she needed a good blend that not only she enjoyed eating, but aided in her recovery. Grab a bag and take the 28-Day Challenge today!

Connect and find the Purina One’s Smartblend True Instinct Grain-Free Formula that suits your pet at:

• On-line
• Turkey & Venison SmartBlend True Instinct link
• Coupon
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram @PurinaONEdog
• YouTube
• Pinterest
• #ONEdifference #FreeSample #Sponsored

 

Turkey and Venison Dog Food

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Purina One.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

Silicone Pet Food Mat by Tip Top Petware

Our little dog can be messy. We’re partially to blame for this, since we used to hide “nummers” under her kibble to entice her to eat what my Husband likes to call her “dry cereal”. And in the process, she’ll nose half the kibble out of her bowl because there just has to be something better at the bottom. We’d taken to putting a plastic party platter under her bowl to try to keep from crunching every time we walked into the garage. It was awkward, hard to clean, and probably should be tossed by now. But then Tip Top Petware offered me their Silicone Pet Food mat, and now all is right with the world.

Made from 100% food-grade non-slip silicone, it’s water proof, non-toxic, dishwasher safe, flexible and durable. It has a raised lip all around to help keep spills, both wet and dry, on the mat and off the floor. at 18.5″ by 11.5″ it’s big enough for both food and water bowls, and can be kept clean with a simple damp cloth or Clorox wipe. You can fold it up like a taco to pour “spilled” food back into the bowl where it belongs, and comes in four different colors: Black, grey, pink and red. It even has the most adorable little paw at the top corner.

I would advise future buyers to open it, wash it and let it air out a bit to lessen the silicone smell. Our pooch wouldn’t touch her bowl at first because the smells were all wrong, but that was our mistake, not a fault of Tip Top Petware. Now a month in and we wonder how we got along without it. At $18.95, it’s a little on the pricey side, but when you consider how much potential damage you’re preventing, what with the spills, drips, a scooting of bowls, it will probably pay for itself quite quickly.

Connect with Tip Top Petware:

• On Facebook
• On Amazon

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Tip Top Petware.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

 

Fifi & Fido All-Natural Oatmeal and Aloe Pet Shampoo

Our little girl is our whole world. She’s the fuzzy center of our universe, and she knows it. She’s also, some days, a barely mobile meat loaf that stays in bed all day and builds up a serious funk. When she does, it’s the dreaded “bath time”, and she knows this because she loses her collar, towels come out, and the hose gets unwound. Her ears droop and she tries to slink back into her room unnoticed, but in the end, she knows there’s no escape. Mano and Mano sent us their Fifi & Fido All-Natural dog shampoo and conditioner for those dreaded days when you can’t outrun a bath.

To start, it has a very pleasant scent and has a choice of a squeeze top or pump top, which can be extremely handy when one has a hose in one hand and a soapy pooch in the other. Our dog has short fur, but it’s very dense on her back and neck, but thin on her legs, underside and head. And it can be a little oily at times. So we usually try to find something that will clean off the accumulated grime without stripping her fur too much, but also not irritating her delicate skin. This Fifi & Fido Shampoo hit those butter zones nicely, but didn’t “foam” all that much so we ended up using a lot more than we planned. That seems to be par for the course with Oatmeal based pet shampoos, so I won’t hold that against this one. Their soap-free formula is free of harsh chemicals, and based mostly from the aforementioned oatmeal, as well as aloe vera extract, so it won’t strip away the dogs essential oils that keep her coat smooth and lustrous. It rinsed away clean and left our girl bright and white again, not the dingy off-white she seems happiest being.

One issue I’ve had with these Mano and Mano products is the price. While this Fifi & Fido pet shampoo is not sporting the high markup that I saw with their hand sanitzer, it’s still quite a bit more than you’d find on Amazon, or Target, or even Petco. At $11.95 for 16 fl. oz., it’s not that far off from the “high-end” products at the local pet retail chains, though, and the ingredient list is comparable to brands costing more, but not so different from brands costing much less either. I feel it was much better than a brand I previously reviewed that cost about the same, and I’d even consider it if I couldn’t find my dog’s usual brand of shampoo at say, Target. Not quite a value, but not so expensive that you would’t consider it. I liked it and so did our dog. After the fact, because while it happens, it’s the worst time, ever. But the hugging and loving she gets after more than make up for that, and she gave the Fifi & Fido 2 paws up after her bath.

Connect with Mano and Mano:

• Online
• On Amazon
• Buy your own from Amazon right here!

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Mano and Mano.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

Unbreakoball Dog Toy: Bright Orange Unbreakoball 10″ Big Daddy Review #Unbreakoball

When I got a chance to try this ball, I thought it would be a Kong-like rubber. Where you have give and bounce, plus safety. The minute I took it out of the box, the ball felt like a hard rigid plastic and has zero bounce. It is the kind of plastic that cracks when it breaks but would maybe not fracture all the way, however any break/fissure would create a pinching hazard. I knew by the weight and feel that if the dog did not end up breaking something on herself, it would definitely create harm to the surroundings and others.

Later, I took the ball out and I start tossing it back and forth between my hands, but never lifting it off the ground, sort of rolling it back and forth, to get her interested. She starts going after the ball like she does her other rubber ones and just when it made a slight impact with her snout, she backs away and seems offended by how it felt. She then does not want me to pick it up or have the ball even near us. My dog was trained to never bark and she has only barked when stung by a hornet. What I mean by never barking, is that she never barks at strangers, other pets, squirrels, or anything else! People even ask me if she ever makes a noise. We wanted a dog for companionship and she really sucks at guarding anything anyways. Our dog growled and let out the most ridiculous barks when the ball went near us. She keeps her front paws tucked in and looks like a seal just growling and barking (and her bark sounds like a puppy one even though she is 13 years old). I think the “paw tucking” is because this ball is so hard that it hurts her paws.

I try on the second day and she again has the same negative reaction and my Husband mentioned that he felt the holes were unsafe. The ball is hard and has no give and a dog’s instinct is to grab with it’s teeth. Well, that means a tooth could get stuck. She finally had it with the ball and what we now call the “orange demon”, and she went to grab it and let out a cry. Her fang on top and the one on the bottom went into the holes and prevented her from letting go. Jaw was stuck! We quickly said “Stop!”, and she did, and my Husband unlocked her jaw slowly. The hole’s size are not the problem but there was poor thinking when it came to placement of one hole from the other (i.e. distance). Our ball does not look like the others I see posted. It looks like someone got happy with a drill and just went crazy in making holes everywhere and so close to each other. I can see the ball’s mold maybe being modified to have ridges, so a dog could grab and no teeth or nails could get stuck. Our dog uses her dewclaw a lot and I know she could cause harm if it got stuck in a hole too.

Retail Price Point: $28.00 via the website or $32.88 via Amazon.

My only positives is the ball does float because we tossed it into the pool after trying to get her to play. It remains indestructible because she would have to want to actually play with it, to destroy it in any way. Our dog had more fun with a wooden stick I picked up later, and played “take away” with until she obliterated it. She dislikes the ball and becomes agitated when it’s present. This dog may be 13 but she still plays hard, wrestles, plays tug-of-war, and loves to destroy balls until they pop and she then tries to get to what we call the “nibbly bit”, the air hole used to pump air in with. Because balls can always die more in her book until she makes Frisbee pieces and ball confetti. How the ball ever got a patent or approved for play is beyond me but I felt other owners should know of our experience with the product.

I wanted to like the ball but it has way too many negatives. All our neighbors have dogs and I feel it’s so unsafe, that I won’t even opt to give it away or donate it because it’s a hazard for both the animal and any surrounding.

Connect with Unbreakoball at:

• On-line
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• #Unbreakoball

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Unbreakoball. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.