Dog birthday parties

When you think about dog parties you are probably thinking about birthday parties with a dog theme, not parties for dogs but I am going to tell you about parties for dogs.

They are becoming very popular now. Companies are catering to the craze by making everything from invitations from dogs to dogs, decorations and party favors all with dogs in mind.

The food is strictly for the dogs. Doggy treats and jerkys. Now how about entertainment? Some dog parties are also pool parties, complete with doggy fetch in the pool. Of course the dogs can't play pin the tail on the donkey but they can play hide and seek with the human party goers.

After the party some grateful party attendees send baby thank you cards, since some baby cards have puppies on them.

So will you attend a dog party with your dog or throw one just for fun?

Using human medications on your dog

Unlike cats, dogs are more tolerant of human medications in their system. Aspirin, under the guidance of your vet can be given for pain but dosage is very important since too much can cause problems or death. First aid creams and lotions are OK to use as long as they are not licked off and ingested. You might be tempted to use a human ointment or cream simply because of one ingredient in the product, don't use it if it is not for dogs. Products such as hemorrhoid creams, lotions for acne treatment and even scented sprays to mask your dogs odor should be avoided if they were not made for dogs. It might be just one ingredient in that product could be toxic to your dog so err on the side of not using it.

Removing tear stains

If you have a white or light colored dog then you probably have had to deal with those yellowing stains that are around the eyes and streak down towards the dog's nose. They are made from the acid in the dog's tears. Some dogs will exhibit more staining than others due to eye problems. A dog that has eyes that are being constantly irritated will have more tears.

There are many dog products on the market that will remove or reduce the stains, but the best way to keep the staining under control is to remove the irritation of the eyes. Irritations can be caused by air borne particles, allergies and nutrition. Yes nutrition even plays an important part.

If you plan on asking your vet or a dog groomer for advice I would stick to the vet, since a dog groomer might only know how to remove the stains and not prevent them. It is like asking someone "what is best eye cream for dark circles" rather than finding out that the best treament is getting enough sleep. Your dog's vet can also isolate any underlying allergies that are constantly bothering your dog.

A puppy for Christmas

How many times have you heard the saying, "never give a puppy as a Christmas gift?" I am going to bet that you hear that at least once a year on the TV news, right before Christmas.

Now I am going to go out on a limb and say that if a dog needs a home (from a shelter or rescue) then why not at Christmas? It would surely make that dog happy as well as the family. A dog is better than a toy, cell phone or other electronic entertainment device. Sure the dog will need care and someone responsible for it, so maybe having a member of the family learn how to be responsible is better than them learning how to text message. A dog or puppy would be one of the great christmas gift ideas for teenagers. Walking that dog will keep a teen healthier than sitting and playing video games. Having interaction with the dog will help with a teens' mental stress level. Having a dog will teach responsibility and allow interaction between two living things that have a positive benefit for both.

Yes, a puppy for Christmas is a good idea.

Poor quality dog foods

If you are having a problem with finding a dry dog food for your dog that lacks any real nutrition for your dog, you are not alone. Sure the main ingredient might be meat, but what kind of meat? Meat can mean anything from chicken to pork and even deer meat. When you have those elusive words "by products" in the list you can add animal hides, bones and internal organs. Next comes those "filler" products. They might be listed first on the dry dog food ingredient list and include wheat, corn, rice, or another type of grain. What most people do not know is that some dogs have allergies to grains. Wheat is often the culprit for "hot spot" allergies. After the meat and filler products on the list are all those vitamins and preservatives. If the product claims to be high in protein then you might see soy or protein powder on the list. The protein powder might be made out of animal bones, soy or even sea shells.

As you can see, dog food can contain some very dubious ingredients at best.  You need to shop around and read those labels on the dog food bags.

Biking and running with your dog

You know that your dog needs daily exercise to stay healthy, just like you do. Daily walking is great for smaller dogs as your stride makes the little dog almost run to keep up, but what about the mid-size to larger dog? It is sad to say that most larger dogs do not get enough exercise, just like their owners. Breeds like the German Shepard need to be trotted for at least 40-80 minutes a day to stay in shape and not have any heart and lung problems. That being said, how can you help your dog get that much needed daily exercise?

Daily jogging is the quickest way to get your dog on the right track to getting and keeping them in shape but often us humans cannot keep up the pace that is needed for the dog to get the best benefits of the workout. Biking is the best choice for those who have to keep their dogs on a leash while out in public. I do not recommend that you hold the dogs leash but use a leash holder like in the photo above and work with your dog to get them use to it. Both biking and jogging with your dog are the best fat burners for both you and your dog, but what if you are unable to do either?

If you are not physically able to jog or bike but can walk, here is my suggestion. Walk to your nearest open area, dog park or place where your dog can be off leash and not be breaking the law. Play long distance fetch, allow the dog to go swimming in a near by pond or lake or otherwise engage the dog in long distance fast running while remaining under you voice command. Daily swimming is actually recommended for retrieving dog breeds so if you have a swimming pool don't close it for the winter but use it as a place for your dog to get daily swimming exercise.

Spam comments on the blog

I don't know what possessed me to check out my approved comments section in my dashboard just now. But I am glad I did. Somehow several really weird comments got published and I am not even sure how that happened. Then again maybe I do. I allow ping backs to appear in the comments section. Normally they are just excerpts of the blog post that wrote about my blog post, but I think that someone has done something different. Both weird comments were completely off topic (isn't all spam that way?). One was inviting me to join a blogging community, no thanks I have my own blog and the other one asked does hoodia really work?

I am going to have to keep a closer watch on ping backs since those things are sneaking through the approval process.

Guardian dogs

When you think of guard dogs I bet the first thing that comes to your mind is a ferocious junk yard dog behind a chain link fence. Guard dogs in reality are guardians over more than just "junk" or stuff. They protect livestock as well as their families.

Just picture a small child answering the front door with a Great Dane standing beside her. The front door visitor would think twice before doing any harm to the child. The dog might be a big pussy cat, but its size is intimidating.

Dogs are better than security cameras and alarms because they can take action to the situation. Unlike an camera, a dog can also hear an intruder long before that intruder can be seen.

Dogs are the preferred companions to a jogger who needs protection from danger while out running. Guardians, our dogs, our pets.

Dog in the news

I was searching to see if there was any odd or strange dog news around. I did come up with the story that a dog was supposed to buy 5,000 xbox game points from MicroSoft, or so his owner claims. This story appeared just over a year ago on Fox and then was retold on CNET. The owner claims he was in bed when the mysterious purchase was made. He also claims that he found his dogs saliva all over the xbox controller the next morning. Now here are my questions:

• If the xbox requires a password to purchase points how did the dog know it? Accident maybe?
• Why did he leave his xbox turned on?

It just sounds suspicious to me.

Coupon codes for dog supply stores

If you need a discount code for dog supplies, vet medications or food you had better check out the coupon and free stuff page at All the Creatures. The blog owner has special deals just for their readers. So if you need a free shipping coupon or a percent deal off your order then head on over there.


The coupon page at All the Creatures