Category Archives: Just for Fun

BlogPaws Nashville 2015 Recap

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Whew! Now that we’re all settled in, we’re ready to talk about our fantastic week at BlogPaws in Nashville. Not only did we have amazing conversations with people who truly love all pets and sharing their own pet stories with the world, but we also took home a boatload of knowledge about how we can offer even better support for all pets’ health needs.

We started the week with a BlogPaws Twitter chat and were able to answer a lot of common questions about our supplements and about healthy summer activities for your pets. We also had the opportunity to meet many new friends as we were gleefully bombarded with photographs of beloved pets. The next day saw our team waiting for a delayed flight, but we made it into Nashville just in time to set up for the event. Our living room was a big hit with animals and humans:

BlogPaws VetriScience

The first day of BlogPaws was chock full of the sweetest and most well-behaved dogs and cats. We were thrilled the animals all seemed to get along. (We brought along plenty of samples of Composure Chews for those animals experiencing slightly more stress than their friends, just in case!)

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Ah, the Smell of Wet Dogs in the Springtime!

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By Tracy Mackey-Burlingame

It’s Dockdogs season here in the Rockies and Team Splashdown can’t wait for our first event of the year! It’s been a long, cold winter and we are ready for some splashing fun in the sun! As I hauled out the trusty dog’s sport-equipment tote from the dark corner of the garage for its annual overhaul, I started thinking back to our years of competing and how much our dogs and this crazy sport have changed our lives.

team splashdown dock dogs

We adopted our dogs Harley and Kasey back in 2003 and 2004. We were first-time dog owners and really didn’t know much about anything except that we had to feed them, scoop a lot of poop and vacuum a lot of fur.

But we learned.

I joined a few online dog forums (yes, forums are those things we did way back in the stone age before Facebook and Twitter) and asked questions and shared my experiences and pictures (lots and LOTS of pictures) only other dog people would appreciate.

 

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Calling All Big Dog Lovers: Get Ready for Bark Madness 2.0!

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large dog bark madnessAre you into March Madness? It’s OK if not. We’ve got our own version designed to get pet lovers into the bracket scene, and to support rescue pups across the nation. That’s right: it’s time for Bark MADNESS!

Pet Naturals® of Vermont and VetriScience® L aboratories are joining forces for the 2nd annual Bark Madness Breed Challenge. The round of 32 will begin at 10:00 AM EST on Monday March 23rd, and will end whenever the 2015 Bark Madness winner is finally crowned.

This year’s focus is on large breed dogs and the shelters that help them find forever homes. The Final Four of the bracket will each receive a master case of Daily Best XL from Pet Naturals® of Vermont!

That’s almost $4000 dollars worth of product for each of the top four winners.

The Bark Madness winner will also get to choose a case of any VetriScience® product, which shelters can use to help support their dogs’ health as they head toward adoption, as raffle prizes to raise money, or as a gift for dogs who are off to their forever homes.

Want to get in on the fun? Here’s all you have to do to play: Matchups will be found here each day. Pet Naturals® will also post those matchups on Facebook.To vote, comment below the matchup with your choice of breed. You can vote on each matchup until 11:59pm the day it is posted.

To earn extra points: “Like” the VetriScience® page and comment with the name of a shelter you love. As long as it isn’t already one of our final four in the bracket, that shelter will become eligible for the honorable mention prize.

The bracket will be updated each day. You can follow along here.

Let us know what you think of Bark Madness by playing starting this Monday!

 

6 Unexpected Truths About Owning a Dog

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new dogWhen you adopt or find your first dog, you’re on top of the world. You have what you’ve always wanted: a snuggle buddy, a travel companion, a loyal friend on four legs. But there’s a lot about dog ownership that comes with the territory—and for you, it’s unfamiliar territory. Here are 6 truths about being a pet parent you might not expect—but should.

1. You spend an inordinate amount of time cleaning up bodily fluids, and solids.

Your dog will poop, pee and yes, vomit. He’ll do it in the yard, maybe in the car, maybe on the carpet. It doesn’t really matter where he does it—you have to clean it up. And the amount of time you’ll spend doing that is quite high, given the frequency. The real shift in expectation there is this: you can’t predict when and where it will happen, so you’ll need to be ready at all times.

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Can You See With Your Nose? Your Dog Can!

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We ran across this clever video that explains exactly why the way your dog smells is so much more effective than our own methods, and couldn’t help but share. Whether you attribute the natural talent to stereo smelling or the shapes of their noses, there’s no doubt: for our pups, the nose really does know.

In the world of pet families, there are a lot of questions. Why does my dog eat my underwear? Why does my cat lick plastic bags? Where does my cat bury his kills? And of course: why is my dog’s nose shaped like that, anyway?

The answer to the last one is actually pretty simple.

You know how the nose has large, round nostrils in the center that thin out into small flaps toward the outside of the nose? That shape is a design that helps dogs always get a fresh breath.

On the inhale, a dog takes air in through those large nostrils, filtering out thousands of scents. On the exhale, the nostrils shut more and air is pushed out through the side flaps – so the round part stays clean and ready to pull out all the nuances of the next inhale’s air. Pretty brilliant functionality, if you ask us.

 

Coming Home: Ethan’s Story Part 2

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Last week, we shared the amazing story of our Network Administrator Kathy’s reunion with her horse Ethan. This week, we’re catching up with her about his return to his former home, and how he and the other horses have adjusted so far.

KathyEthanWhen Kathy got word that her application had been accepted and she could come pick up Ethan at Chester’s Promise, she didn’t waste anytime. She picked him up a week early.

“We went out to the barn, and yes, he was really thin, and I opened the stall and I went ‘Hey, Duffer! What’s going on?’ And I went up and gave him a huge hug, and hugged and hugged,” Kathy said.

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Coming Home: Ethan’s Story

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Ethan’s Story: Part 1

When our Network Administrator Kathy Tobey stayed up just a little later to browse Facebook a few weeks ago, she didn’t expect to see something that would change the course of her relationship with a very special horse.

But that’s exactly what happened. Scrolling through her feed, Kathy saw that two of our other employees had liked a photo of a beautiful draft horse named Ethan, who was being housed with Chester’s Promise until he could find a permanent home.

Ethan3

The kicker: Ethan had been Kathy’s horse for years before she had decided to re-home him about a year and a half ago. Continue reading →

Are You Using the Right Dog Brush?

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girl brushing her dogWhen you’re unsure if you’re using the right dog brush –or you’re just in the market for a new one—how do you start the hunt?

Picking the right tool to give your dog a shiny, healthy and comfortable coat really just comes down to a simple consideration: how does the hair category fit the brush category?

If the two match up, you and your dog are good to go. Of course, the way you brush is important, too. We’ll cover that later.

Step one: Choose your dog’s hair type.

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