Category Archives: For Our Furry Friends

SmartBones Make Pups Happy + Giveaway – Ends 12/19

Over the last few months, there have been some changes in our home. For those who have been regular visitors, you may have noticed that I haven’t mentioned Balty, our handsome pitbull. Balty left our family at the beginning of October and returned to the family he had before us. This was a tough thing for our family to do but it was what was best for him.

At the beginning of November, we did welcome a new little fur baby in our home and that would be my sweet little Pancake. Pancake is a 6 month old Morkie (Maltese/Yorkshire Terrier mix).

Pancake the Morkie

Now that we have Pancake, a tiny little 8lb. dog, we’ve had to change a few things that we shop for, including puppy treats.

Thanks to the folks at PetMatrix, Pancake now has a nice supply of SmartBones to snack on!

As I mentioned in a previous post about PetMatrix, they are committed to providing the healthiest, tastiest pet chews available. The Healthy Alternative to Rawhide®, SmartBones® chews are rawhide-free, highly digestible, and 100% delicious.

SmartBones® chews outer layer is made of wholesome, flavorful vegetables, including sweet potatoes, peas and carrots. This is then combined with an irresistible inner layer of real chicken, for a yummy taste dogs can’t resist! Available in scrumptious recipes such as Chicken, Sweet Potato, Peanut Butter, Beef and Dental, your furry friend will have plenty of options, including the new SmartChews® and SmartNaturals® 100% natural meat treats.

The SmartBones SmartChews are easily Pancake’s favorite treat. He just loves them and they keep him busy and when he is all done with one, he tends to nap like someone who ate a 7 course meal.

In addition to chews, PetMatrix is now offering SmartNaturals®, a 100% natural meat treat. SmartNaturals® are available in two delectable varieties, made with grass fed beef and sweet potatoes or grass fed lamb and rosemary.

I like to use these as reward treats for when Pancake comes back in from going potty. If he had it his way, he would get an entire bag at once.

Just Say No to Rawhide!

Rawhide is the inner hide from a cow or other animal that has undergone chemical processing to remove hair and other materials. The rawhide is then ground or used whole, and is formed into various dog chews shapes.

Many veterinarians are concerned with the potential health risks associated with dogs consuming rawhide. These health risks include: stomach & intestinal blockage and potential ingestion of toxic chemicals used to process rawhide chews.

In addition, there are serious negative environmental issues generated by the use of chemicals in processing rawhide products.

Once again, we are very happy with our SmartBones products and I think Pancake is even happier!

Win It

You can enter for your chance to win a SmartBones prize pack with $25 Visa Gift Card below.

This giveaway will end on 12/19/2016 at 11:59pm CST. Winner’s will be contacted via email and will have 24 hours to respond with their mailing information to claim their prize. The Megalomaniac Mommy is not responsible for prize fulfillment. Any questions, please contact us.

*The Megalomaniac Mommy policies on giveaways can be found here.

PetMatrix SmartBones

For Our Furry Friends

Is BRAVECTO Right for Your Dog? #12Bravecto

Anne Younger Leave a comment

As you have read over the last few months, we have been doing our best to protect Balty from fleas and ticks. As a pet owner, his health and well-being are always a top priority, because really, he’s just like one of our kids and that is why when our vet suggested BRAVECTO® (Fluralaner), we knew we were making the right decision.

Why BRAVECTO?

BRAVECTO is a tasty chew that provides protection from fleas and ticks for up to 12 weeks*.
BRAVECTO kills fleas, prevents flea infestations, and kills ticks (black-legged tick, American dog tick, and brown dog tick) for 12 weeks and kills lone star ticks for 8 weeks. That’s nearly 3 times longer protection than a monthly treatment.
BRAVECTO is FDA approved.
BRAVECTO is convenient. All it takes is 1 tasty chew for up to 12 weeks of flea and tick protection*.

BRAVECTO is not recommended for all dogs. BRAVECTO is approved only for dogs 6 months or older. This is because Bravecto is prescribed based on weight. Puppies under 6 months of age grow rapidly and their weights change too much over the 12-week treatment period.

Choosing the Right Tick Protection

I’m sure you are just like us when it comes to your dog and want to make sure they are protected. When it came to making the choice for Balty, I did some online research and I talked with our vet.

If your dog stays indoors most of the time, you may think that they don’t need protection, but they do. Both active dogs and couch-potato dogs are still at risk of exposure to ticks. As you can see, Balty is more of a couch-potato dog.

If you have a dog that swims’ swimming does not necessarily increase tick exposure risk but it does make it important to use a chewable form of flea and tick protection that won’t wear off from the water or post-swim bath.

How to Check Your Pet

Examine your pet for ticks after an outing. Part the dogs’ hair and ruff up his/her coat. Visually look for a tick (remember they can be very, very small), check in the ears and between the paw pads, too.

Click HERE for more information on how to check for and remove ticks. Remember, it is always a good idea to consult your veterinarian for advice on how to remove ticks from your dog.

Find a Vet Near You

Talk to your veterinarian to discuss which product is best for your pet. One convenient option that provides extended duration is BRAVECTO, a tasty oral chew, that lasts for up to 12 weeks*. BRAVECTO takes the worry out of tick protection so you and your pet can enjoy the outdoors! To find a veterinarian near you to discuss whether BRAVECTO is right for your dog click here.

Connect

For more information about BRAVECTO, be sure to connect on Facebook and Twitter.

*Bravecto kills fleas, prevents flea infestations, and kills ticks (black-legged tick, American dog tick, and brown dog tick) for 12 weeks. Bravecto also kills lone start ticks for 8 weeks. Go to Bravecto.com for full prescribing information.

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information published. However, it remains the responsibility of the readers to familiarize themselves with the product information contained on the USA product label or package. More product information is available here: https://intervetus.naccvp.com/product/view/1047512?e=d97b22ed63e734e84c1a5910a9c8f531z1688

For Our Furry Friends

How to Talk to Your Vet About BRAVECTO® – #12Bravecto

Anne Younger Leave a comment

As a pet owner, I know how important it is to do whatever I can to help keep our beloved Balty safe. When it comes to his health and safety, we treat him as though he is one of our kids. Just like we follow what our family doctor says about our kids, when we take Balty to the vet, we follow his recommendations as well.

Flea & Tick Prevention Is No Joke

Protecting Balty from the dangers of nature is something is important to us and that is why we believe it flea and tick prevention. BRAVECTO® is an FDA approved tasty chew that provides protection from fleas and ticks for up to 12 weeks* and it is also what our vet recently recommended to us for Balty.

BRAVECTO® kills fleas, prevents flea infestations, and kills ticks (black-legged tick, American dog tick, and brown dog tick) for 12 weeks. BRAVECTO®also kills lone star ticks for 8 weeks.

What to Ask Your Vet

What is new in flea and tick control?

This is important to ask because many products currently being used have been around for 10-20 plus years and you may not know the differences or benefits of some of the newer products. For instance there are now oral products that kill both fleas and ticks, and one product, Bravecto® (fluralaner) that lasts for up to 12 weeks* with just one tasty chew.

What product is best for my dog and my lifestyle?

There are many products available and your veterinarian is the right person to ask which product is best for your specific pet. Some products are easier to administer, dosed more or less frequently, have different types of side effects and even different expectations for efficacy. Feel comfortable asking your veterinarian to explain some of these differences.

Should I use a prescription product or just get a product over-the-counter?

Your veterinarian can explain to you some of the differences so you can make an educated decision. For instance, prescription products have more in depth safety and efficacy study requirements for approval.

What should I expect from my flea and tick control?

You may think your current product is not working because you see fleas and ticks on occasion, but should that be expected with the product you are using? On the flip side, you may think your current product is doing a great job because you don’t see ticks and fleas that often. But can you expect more?

Ask to get more information on BRAVECTO® if you are interested in treating less often with a tasty chew without compromising on safety or efficacy.

Find a Vet Near You

To find a vetrinarian near you that can prescribe BRAVECTO, click here.

Connect

For more information about BRAVECTO, be sure to connect on Facebook and Twitter.

For Our Furry Friends

Give Your Pet a Treat with PetMatrix SmartBones + Giveaway Ends 8/23

Anne Younger Leave a comment

As a dog owner, for years, we always gave our pets rawhide bones, it was what was always recommended to us. Now, with all of the reports and stories of how bad rawhide is and what it does, we switched to products that contain real food like SmartBones from PetMatrix.

PetMatrix is committed to providing the healthiest, tastiest, safest pet chews available with their Healthy Alternative to Rawhide®, SmartBones® chews are rawhide-free, highly digestible, and 100% delicious.

Just Say No to Rawhide!

In addition, there are serious negative environmental issues generated by the use of chemicals in processing rawhide products.

What is in a SmartBone?

SmartBones®’ outer layer is made of wholesome, flavorful vegetables, including sweet potatoes, peas and carrots. This is then combined with an irresistible inner layer of real chicken, for a scrumptious taste dogs can’t resist!

Available in delectable recipes such as Chicken, Sweet Potato, Peanut Butter, and Dental your furry friend will have a variety of SmartBones to choose from.

Independent digestibility studies show that SmartBones® chews are highly digestible, and tests demonstrate that 9 out of 10 dogs prefer SmartBones chews over the leading rawhide chews.

Balty happens to be a HUGE fan of the SmartBones Stuffed Twistz because they are made with real peanut butter and he goes nuts over peanut butter!

The SmartBones information, product samples, and gift cards, and have been provided by PetMatrix.

Balty is overjoyed that we made the switch to SmartBones and can’t get enough of them. We’ve already had to replenish our supply! (We buy ours at our local Petco store).

Win It

You can enter for your chance to win a SmartBones prize pack with $25 Visa Gift Card below.

This giveaway will end on 8/23/2016 at 11:59pm CST. Winner’s will be contacted via email and will have 24 hours to respond with their mailing information to claim their prize. The Megalomaniac Mommy is not responsible for prize fulfillment. Any questions, please contact us.

*The Megalomaniac Mommy policies on giveaways can be found here.

SmartBones

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For Our Furry Friends

Goodbye Smelly Dog, Thanks Petco Grooming

Anne Younger Leave a comment

Since we became dog owners when we moved into our new home back in 2012, there is one place that we have turned to when it came to keeping our pups looking good: Petco.

We have been dedicated customers at Petco Grooming since 2012 and couldn’t be happier with their service. When we first brought Bubba into our home, he was a long-haired matted mess and barely resembled a dog. Petco was great with him and cleaned him up in no time!

Now that we have Balty, an American Staffordshire Terrier Boxer mix, we don’t have to worry about him getting a haircut or his fur matting but we do have to worry about how he smells. See, Baltylikes to get into EVERYTHING. And then he smells.

If you could smell a picture, this would be one you would run from. After all of the heat this week and Balty running around, playing outside, getting into everything he possible can, he stunk like a week-old bag of garbage baking in the sun on top of a wet dog.

It was BAD.

So, off to Petco he went!

When Balty heads to Petco Grooming, we have him get the bath and brush service along with the spa package and Balty always comes out happier and smelling a whole lot better than he did when he arrived. Petco believes healthiness is happiness, and this service makes grooming easy and stress-free for us and Balty and will do the same for you are your pet!

Why We Choose Petco Grooming

A lot of people have asked us why we choose Petco Grooming for Balty and the answer is simple: Balty enjoys it there and we have always had a positive experience.

Another reason we choose Petco for our grooming services is their 7-point care check. Every grooming service starts with a visual and physical screening of your pet. They make sure nothing looks or feels abnormal.

1. Eyes – Ensure your pet’s eyes are bright, clear and alert
2. Ears – Check ears are clean and odorless
3. Teeth – Check that teeth and mouth are clean, shiny, and unbroken
4. Nose – Moist and uncracked
5. Under-side – Shiny, healthy, and unmatted coat
6. Skin & Coat – Shiny, healthy, and unmatted coat
7. Nails & Pads – Shiny, healthy nails; moist, uncracked pads

The 7-point Pet Care Check is not a substitute for regular examinations and care from a licensed veterinarian.

As a dog mom, I also like that Petco Grooming stylists have completed many layers of training, whether they are experienced stylists or a new partner and Petco adheres to rigorous safety standards and operates in state of the art facilities.

Like I mentioned above, in the 4 years we have been using Petco Grooming services, we have never had anything but a positive experience and the groomers have adored our pets.

Services Offers

Petco Grooming offers convenient pampering from Petco Certified Stylists at more than 1,200 locations with a variety of bathing, hair-cutting, and spa service packages. Petco also accepts walk-ins for á la carte services for a wide range of pet-grooming needs such as nail trimming, ear cleaning, and teeth brushing, among many others. Be sure to check out all of their offerings here.

Maintaining Your Dog’s Look at Home

After your dog’s grooming session, it is important to make sure you continue to care your for your dog’s coat regularly by giving him routing baths and brushing him regularly with a good pet brush.