All Things Dog Blog

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• Fido's Freebie Friday Loves Halloween Fun
• #SafeHowlOween Twitter Party Barking Up Great Prizes
• Halloween Dog Toy Handout Fun: Enter Here to Win!
• Pawsome Pet Poop Prizes!
• Canine Arthritis: Symptoms, Tips, Supplement Information and a Giveaway

Fido's Freebie Friday Loves Halloween Fun Posted: 13 Oct 2011 01:00 PM PDT by Carrie Boyko, CEB Did you notice all the fun Halloween  giveaways in last week's Fido's Freebie Friday? There were costumes, treats, photo contests, movies, Halloween toys and more. I'm expecting to see more of the same this week and next, so don't miss out. Be sure to drop back in over the weekend to catch all the goodies that were listed here through midnight on Friday. Help for Linkups: Help Page Info on the FTC Guidelines Details of Facebook's new contest rules Photo Tips Our 2 rules for linking up: Fido's Freebie Friday Blog Hop is open to posts about giveaways, contests, drawings, prizes, and freebies for pet products or services only, including pet-related or pet-themed items for owners. Feel free to link up multiple items if you have more than one giveaway going on. Please post the badge above (the code is in the sidebar and also on the HELP PAGE) or a link to this post in your Fido's Freebie Friday blog post and invite your readers to tell us you sent them. Your hosts are All Things Dog Blog and Doggies and Stuff. You may also find some of these giveaways at other sites such as: Individual rules of entry and guidelines for winning may apply to each listing. All Things Dog Blog and Doggies and Stuff take no responsibility for the legality of the rules governing the listings on other sites and giveaways that are posted here. We simply provide this forum as a gathering place for pet product giveaways to be offered. Please consult All Things Dog Blog's Giveaway and Contest Rules for more detail.

#SafeHowlOween Twitter Party Barking Up Great Prizes Posted: 13 Oct 2011 12:13 PM PDT by Carrie Boyko, CEB © Carrie Boyko One of Many Twitter Party Prizes I guess it's time to let the Bat out of the Bag! This cute Bat Tug Toy, along with 2 bags of Terrapaws treats and a mini flashlight for Trick-or-Treating with Fido, are all part of the Twitter Party fun to come on October 23. What you see here represents ONE PRIZE of the many to be given out that evening. This super cool little flashlight doubles as a collar-light for Fido (there's a clip for his collar and a light around the handle area that illuminates to help Fido be seen) and also comes apart to reveal a pen inside.  Best of all though, there are 2 bags of Terra Paws with every prize to be given away. These Sweet Potato Terra Paws are Tanner and Oliver's favorite, and they are perfect for the Fall season. You'll love the fact that they are not sticky or messy, and they break easily to use for training or to feed tinier bits to your itty-bitty pups. So, have you signed up on the RSVP list for the party yet? You can find the guest list here and helpful tips for using the signup linky list here. If you need more help understanding Twitter lingo, read these tips and more on DMs and RTs here. Maybe you've noticed that we've been running some early drawings from the RSVP list? You could be next. But only if you get your RSVP in on time. Check out the prize our last RSVP drawing winner received here. I'll leave you with a few photos of additional prizes, just to wet your appetite. Now get on over and RSVP quickly. I'd hate for you to miss your chance at the next surprise drawing. Good luck!

Halloween Dog Toy Handout Fun: Enter Here to Win! Posted: 13 Oct 2011 05:30 AM PDT by Carrie Boyko, CEB © Carrie Boyko Giant Breeds to Teacups We've Got You All Covered! This toy handout is designed to surprise and delight you all for Halloween fun. I've got a toy for every size dog out there: TINY (under 8 lbs.): A Crocheted Mouse by Hip Doggie, made of organic cotton for the tiniest of our fur-ends. NOTE: This is not intended for a puppy; it is meant for an extra-small breed, adult dog. SMALL (8-24 lbs): A complete collar, harness and leash set from Planet Dog. This set is sized for small to medium-small pups, and comes in a beautiful, season-specific ORANGE! MEDIUM (25-49 lbs): Medium sized dogs such as Cockers may enter to win the traditional Red Kong. LARGE: (50-80 lbs.) Large Dogs have a chance at the Black Extreme Kong. EXTRA-LARGE (81 lbs.+): For our super-sized Fidos, I have a Fur Tug toy from Petmate with a huge ball on the end and a handle just for you. Good luck winning against your big Bowser! © Carrie Boyko Hemp Set is Super Soft! In order to keep this as simple as possible, I'm going to ask you to leave a comment/entry that specifies your dog's size category, based on the weights I've outlined above. I will draw each toy separately, seeking a winner that has the appropriately sized dog. If you don't see the Rafflecopter entry form below, simply click on the post title to refresh and it will appear. Remember, you must tell me the weight of your dog and, as always, leave a contact method in order to win. The assortment of toys presented here have been acquired as conference swag and promotional samples. I am under no obligation to give them away and have not been paid to do so. No purchase necessary to enter. Giveaway open to residents of the US and Canada, except Quebec. Void where prohibited. More detail available at our Giveaway and Contest Rules page.

Pawsome Pet Poop Prizes! Posted: 13 Oct 2011 05:00 AM PDT by Carrie Boyko, CEB © courtesy Petmate.com Did that title get your attention? I thought so! Yesterday I posted an article about the hazards of leaving pet dog doodie to naturally biodegrade into the earth. The consequences of our laziness are causing pollution problems and the answers are right in front of us. Today's giveaway is in support of this post and its message: We ALL need to clean up after our dogs! © Carrie Boyko At Home and Away: No More Excuses! This one Pawsome Poop Prize will include two of my favorite tools for Eco-friendly dog doodie cleanup: A clean up bucket with scooper/rake and a month's supply of Flush Puppies for one dog, with an extra package to leave in your car for outings. No excuses now! Enter below to show your support. If the Rafflecopter entry form does not appear here, please click on the post title to refresh. This should bring it up just beneath this line: No purchase necessary to win. Offer available to US addresses only. Void wherever prohibited. These samples of Petmate's Clean Response Swivel Bin and Rake and Flushpuppies flushable poop bags were provided for promotional consideration. I was not paid to provide the information shared here or in associated posts, and these experiences and opinions are my own. Giveaway participants and winners agree to the rules at our Giveaway and Contest Rules page.

Canine Arthritis: Symptoms, Tips, Supplement Information and a Giveaway Posted: 12 Oct 2011 09:01 PM PDT by Carrie Boyko, CEB © Carrie Boyko Jumping Activities  are Tough on Big Dog's Hips © Carrie Boyko Fetching Fun Adds Brain Work to Swimming A few months ago I began to look ahead, thinking of the health issues that could be a part of Tanner and Oliver's future. Reading about arthritis opened up a whole world of possibilities, most linked back to the use of a now commonly-used supplement combination, Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM. I wanted a simple-to-understand dosage plan in layman's terms that could be modified to meet both Tanner and Oliver's requirements. Obviously, with my two dogs at such diverse sizes, breeds and activities, I recognized the need to come up with an appropriate dosage for each dog when I feel it is time to begin proactive measures. Prior to our experiment, I poked around on the Internet looking for suggested dosages. I was eager to compare to the prescribed amount on the GNC bottle.  The Internet is replete with all manner of brand names of glucosamine/chondroitin supplements. Many include MSM, while others do not. Well documented books on human use of this supplement, such as The Arthritis Cure, have been around for years and a growing number of veterinarians have supported its use for sometime. One of the authors of the orginal version of this NY Times bestseller, Brenda Adderly, also co-authored The Arthritis Cure for Pets. My husband's experience with this supplement has been successful, so we're diving in to see what we can do provide Oliver and Tanner a long and pain-free life of full activity. © Carrie Boyko Flexible Hips=Healthy Hips Our goal? Knowing that flexibility is one of the signs of a healthy joint, I'd like to maintain this in my pups. The benchmark is shown in some of these photos where you can see my Fido's apparent comfort in lying on the floor sprawled like a yoga master.  Tanner's fifth birthday arrived this summer and with it his usual trip to the vet for a preventive care checkup. I asked when is too early to begin supplementation so as not to leave anything to chance.  Much to my surprise, this question brought on a great discussion about other preventive measures. Although none of these tips were new information to me, I felt they might be helpful to share here. Certainly these are pertinent to this product profile. Here are some tips shared with me: © Carrie Boyko Swimming: Easy on Joints As your dog ages, begin to move gradually toward less impacting activities, and more that place no strain on the joints--swimming is perfect. Tanner has no complaints over this guideline. Maintain a daily regimen of walking to keep the joints producing their natural lubrication that comes from movement. This is excellent protection again worsening joint issues, and what dog doesn't want to get outside and smell the bushes? Providing supportive, yet soft bedding in all your dog's favorite places to rest allows him to watch the view and remain comfortable. Encourage stretching and offer therapeutic massage, especially after vigorous activity. Cold, damp weather may be tougher on your Fido's joints, just as it is on ours. During these times, an extra layer of blanket or other insulation under his bedding will separate him from the cold floor. © Carrie Boyko Good Hip Support Provided by Tanner's Fave Bed Indications of trouble brewing should be watched for in behaviors such as: Difficulty or adverse reaction to walking, playing, or going up stairs Falling behind on walks General lethargy Limping Difficulty getting up when laying down Signs of pain when petted or touched Aversion to contact Lack of appetite Disinterest in previously-enjoyed activities Abnormal seclusion  Frequent, abnormal indoor accidents. © Carrie Boyko Tanner Awaits Permission to Eat Just as I was moving in the direction of thinking about Tanner's hips and Oliver's knees as they age, I was contacted by PetSmart about their new GNC brand of Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM supplement. My vet had given me the okay to begin at whatever time I felt comfortable. I read through the dosage information on the PetSmart/GNC product and found that it was within range of my earlier dosage investigations.That was a good start so we opted in! I located some online sources and determined that the sample offered for review would allow for modulating the dosage for each of by boys, so I agreed to give them a go, eagerly interested to see how their tummies would like this new addition to their diet.  Each time I add something new to my dog's diet, I play it safe and am careful not to introduce two new foods or supplements at the same time. Doing this can leave you with a question when trouble arises. Which treat or food supplement upset Fido's tummy or caused his constipation, burping or gurgly belly? Just as with babies, one new introduction at a time is a safe rule for determining what Fido's system will tolerate. © Carrie Boyko I Said Smell, Not Lick! GNC Pets Ultra Mega Hip and Joint Health comes in a chewable tablet. When I opened the bottle, I was instantly greeted by two willing science experiment participants. Tanner and Oliver caught a whiff of the Fish oil--obviously a significant amount of it--and eagerly took their places at their dishes for a opportunity to partake in this delicious smelling 'snack'. Who was I to tell them otherwise. They were clearly not put off by its vitamin/medicine table appearance one iota.   As I removed the tablets from their container, I found myself pleased to know that Oliver only required 1/2 tablet. They are quite large and I'm certain he would not have had an easy time of biting into a whole tablet, his tiny mouth not serving him well. No problems with 1/2 though, thank goodness. Needless to say, Tanner and Oliver's experience with GNC Pets' formula was a success. I started them with one-quarter of the suggested dose and gradually moved up to the full dosage in weekly increments, when there were no digestive issues. We watched their "output" for more than 30 days. No problems, no hiccups, no nothing.  While I cannot guarantee the efficacy of this supplement from my own trial (no one can), I can tell you that there appears to be a large amount of support for use of such a formula in your older dog, or even one with a genetic predisposition to joint issues such as Oliver's slight luxating patellas.  Additionally, there is evidence that preventive treatment can help stave off problems in dogs (and humans too) who have had serious injuries or strain to their joints. How you evaluate this may be an owner's choice. My take is that if your pup has been highly physically active, such as an agility competitor, dock diver or participant in any other extremely aggressive activity, the addition of a proactive supplement to his diet may serve him well.  There appears to be no adverse side effects in human testing and veterinarians seem to largely support its use in dogs. My own experience has been a positive one; we will continue to treat Tanner and Oliver with joint support supplements to a healthy old age. Tanner has graciously volunteered to do Oliver's swimming for him, and Oliver plans to continue his daily walks as long as it isn't raining. No way; no how; no rain! Their individual personalities never cease to entertain me.  PetSmart has offered a giveaway of their GNC Pets Ultra Mega Hip and Joint Health supplement, for those of you who would like to give it a go. I will be giving away a bottle of this formula to two winners in this drawing. This is a $50 value to each winner.  © courtesy PetSmart.com If you're not into the giveaway method, feel free to order your own from PetSmart online.  They also carry a formula of this same product for senior dogs. Find them both for purchase at their link in this paragraph. You can also use their Store Locator to find your closest PetSmart store. Be sure to take Fido along for some extra exercise and a chance to socialize with other PetSmart visitors. If the Rafflecopter entry form does not appear here, simply click the post title above to refresh, and it will be just below this line: Always consult your veterinarian before beginning a new vitamin or nutritional supplement for your pet. Some health conditions may be contra-indicated for this therapy. As with most nutritional supplements, serve with or following a meal. No purchase necessary to win. Offer available to US and Canadian addresses except Quebec. Void wherever prohibited. A sample of PetSmart's GNC Hip and Joint Health supplement was provided for review and testing by my dogs, both large and small. I was not paid to provide the information shared here and these experiences and opinions are my own. Giveaway participants and winners agree to the rules at our Giveaway and Contest Rules page.

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