Mad About Pets!

Summer is here, and unfortunately so is allergy season. But did you know that many pets suffer from seasonal allergies, too? If your pet is one of those unlucky allergy sufferers, you know just how uncomfortable the sneezing and itching makes them. Just in time for allergy season, Mad About Pets was given the opportunity to test out 2 seasonal allergy products for dogs by Vet’s Best: their Seasonal Allergy Support supplement and Hypo-Allergenic Shampoo.

Canine volunteer Harley

Since there are currently no dogs residing in the Mad About Pets household, I enlisted the help of a canine volunteer to test these products. Harley, a friend's 9-year-old Golden Retriever, stepped in to assist. Harley is allergic to flavored rawhide bones, damp weather, and certain foods such as lamb and rice. Harley is currently on allergy medication, and his owner reports he is generally uncooperative in that he tends to spit out his allergy pills. Two days prior to administering the first dosage of the Seasonal Allergy Support supplement, Harley quit taking his allergy medication so that he would have a clean testing slate. Much to my surprise (and to Harley’s owner’s), Harley had no qualms about taking the Seasonal Allergy Support Supplement. He was given one pill each morning and evening for a week and took the pill with no issues. To quote Harley’s owner: “I let him play outside as it was rainy and damp all week. I left him run through weeds. I let him eat flavored rawhide bones. I gave him extra meaty treats. He did not break out with a hot spot. I was surprised that the supplement worked!”

Harley was also on the job to try out the Hypo-Allergenic Shampoo. Harley was allowed to get extra dirty during the week, so his fur was nice and full of weeds, dirt and even a bit of poo when the time came for his bath. Harley’s owner reports that “the shampoo cleaned him nicely by removing all the dirt, weeds, grass, loose fur, loose dander, and poo.” She also states that it did not irritate his sensitive skin like many shampoos do. Due to the hypo-allergenic nature of the shampoo, it is unscented so it should not bother the sensitive skin and noses of dogs with allergies. In other words, your dog will not have that freshly-shampooed smell…just a clean dog with no extra scent.

Many thanks to Harley and his person for giving these great products a try!

Want to win a bottle of Vet’s Best Hypo-Allergenic Shampoo for your dog?

Win a bottle of Vet's Best Hypo-Allergenic Shampoo!

Mad About Pets is giving away 1 bottle of Vet's Best Hypo-Allergenic Shampoo  to a lucky reader. Here's how to snag a free bottle for your pup:

To enter the giveaway:

All you need to do is leave a comment on this post telling me a little about the dog who would enjoy this shampoo. Make sure to leave me a way to contact you, whether it be Twitter, email, etc. so I can notify you if you win!

Want some extra entries? Here's how:

5 extra entries:

*Blog about this contest with a link to this post (leave me a comment with the link)

1 extra entry:

*Tweet a link to this giveaway @MadAboutPets
*Follow me on Twitter
*Join my Facebook fan page
*Subscribe to my feed
*Post a link to Mad About Pets on your blog or site

Please leave a separate comment for each additional entry to state you have completed the requirement. I highly suggest that you leave your email address (use "name [at] domain dot com" format to avoid spambots) in your comment(s) so that I am able to contact you ASAP if you're a winner. If I cannot contact the winner within 3 days, I will have to draw a new winner.

Entry deadline is July 13, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time. This giveaway is open to United States residents only.

Good luck!

Critter Camp Exotic Pet Sanctuary cares for unadoptable, abandoned and abused small pets other than cats and dogs. Currently we care for over 300 pets of 36 different species. Critter Camp is the only such licensed non-profit volunteer-operated sanctuary in the entire country. We are located in northern Illinois, but accept animals from as far away as Texas and Florida. We also offer hands-on educational tours where folks get to meet the animals we care for, and we provide public awareness and educational presentations.



Tell us a little about your animals. Which are the most unique? Which are the most challenging?

Critter Camp Exotic Pet Sanctuary has saved the lives of thousands of unadoptable pets: elderly, aggressive rabbits, ferrets with adrenal disease and insulinoma, hedgehogs with tumors, birds that bite, mice, rats, hamsters, fennec foxes- you name it – we've saved it!



Most were going to be euthanized, some were found in trash cans and dumpsters!

The kinkajous are the most unique; they have both mauled people and are considered dangerous. Kinks are very cute when they are small, but they often turn mean out of the blue and can do major damage such as tearing an ear off of a person. The fennec foxes are also unique. They are not as dangerous but they are a challenge. They need to be free range roaming about but they are not potty trainable, so there is always a mess. Plus they get into things, so we have to basically baby-proof everything.



Where do the animals at Critter Camp come from?

The animals come to us mostly from shelters where they are going to be euthanized because they are unadoptable due to aggression, old age or chronic illness. Some have come to us from law enforcement, such as the rabbits and guinea pigs that were to be used as bait in a dog fighting ring.



How would winning the Pepsi Refresh challenge help Critter Camp?

Critter Camp relies on donations to care for the animals and, as with many non-profits, the economy has caused a decrease in donations. Fundraising takes a lot of time that could be better spent caring for more animals. Critter Camp is also at capacity for most of the animals we care for and we have plans to expand to a larger facility. Winning the contest would mean that the care of the animals would be funded for a year and we would also have money to buy the land to begin the expansion project. Basically it would mean that Critter camp could save the lives of thousands more pets!

How can readers vote, and when does the contest end?

The entry is here: http://www.refresheverything.com/helpcrittercamp

People can vote once a day, every day until the end of June 2011 August 2011. We only need to be in the top 10 to win $50,000, and we are at #32 right now.

People can vote by signing in with email or their Facebook account, or just by texting their vote:

Text 108022 to Pepsi (73774) to vote from your cell (there is no additional charge for this text other than what they would normally pay for a text.)

Right now the most important thing is to use or send us the Power Vote codes on Pepsi products! They can send the codes to info@crittercamp.biz These are vital to our winning!

The codes are on Pepsi, Diet Pepsi and Pepsi Maxx yellow bottle caps ( 20 oz and 2 L) and inside 12 and 24 pack boxes. These can multiply your votes up to 100x!

We'd like to also invite folks to stop by our website www.crittercamp.org and sign up for our free email newsletter - the sign up box is there on the home page, and to "like" us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/crittercamp 

If we all work together we can save the lives of so many truly "thrown away" animals and give them a healthy, happy, safe place to live out the rest of their lives.

As a dog owner, you, without a doubt, consider your canine to be a part of your family, loving him unconditionally just as he does you. And while catering to the needs of your beloved furry family member, you always want to be sure that you are offering the best available care to your dog, especially when their diet and health is involved. For most of us, no expense is too high when it comes to our dog’s health, and we’ll do most anything to keep them healthy, happy, and living a fun-loving life. Like humans, dogs also experience pain from time to time, and when many of us rely on pain relief in the form of medicine, so do our four-legged friends. With that being said, it’s important to be aware of potential adverse side effects from such drugs, and perhaps introduce you to other less harsh options to pain relief for your dog. Herbal medication for dogs is a great form of pain relief and has little or no side effects. Checking with your veterinarian on what types of herbal medication to use (and the appropriate situations in which to use them) is a wonderful way to familiarize yourself with this type of medication, while fully understanding the effect that it can have on your dog.

Turmeric is great for joint pain

Chamomile can soothe eye irritation

Aloe can provide pain relief for bug bites or burns

Naked Decor designer Supon Phornirunlit

-Doggie Style Collection (silkscreened pillows)
-Animal Instinct (misc. animals, including the pillows described in this post)
-Pooch Décor (pop art style dog portraits)
-Under the Sea (sea creature pillows)

Gabe and Rory both attempt to woo the lovely lady-cat on the pillow

Mounds Dog Fest 2011 in Sun Prairie was a huge success! Just about every dog breed imaginable was in attendance, along with some very talented competitors in the dock jumping competition and other great events. Here are some photos from the day. Hope to see you there next year :)

Pets and pests both need careful management if you want to get rid of the pests without harming the pets. This concise guide provides some pointers on how to achieve pet-friendly pest control.

If you’re taking pest control measures you should also be thinking about pet control.

This is for three reasons. Firstly, the measures that you take to deter pests can affect your pets. Whether it’s poisons, traps or some other means, you don’t want the family cat or dog coming to harm by mistake.

Secondly, your pets attract their own pests. It may be fleas buried in their fur or the host of creatures that feast on stored or left-over pet food, or those which thrive on the dirt and mess which your pets leave behind.

If that’s not enough, there’s a third pet pest matter to control – stopping them from annoying you. Pets become pests when they do damage inside or outside the home or don’t behave as they should.

Control pests without harming pets


Pest control measures often come in chemical form which could harm household pets. Weed killers, slug pellets and bait for rats and mice all present a potential danger, even if not eaten.

Many commercial pest control products are highly toxic to pets

Before applying any form of chemical product it’s essential that you read the label and take note of what it’s telling you. If a serious pest problem has led you to call in professional help, either through your local council or a private firm, make sure they know what pets you have so that they can take the appropriate precautions.

Alternatively, you could use natural products which won’t harm animals. For example, sprinkling cinnamon or concentrated lemon juice outside your home and in your garden keeps many insects at bay, including ants.

Control the pests that come with pets




Fleas are a common parasite for domestic dogs, so use a good flea preventative



Cleanliness is the key to minimising the risks in these areas. Food should be stored in secure containers, bowls kept clean when not in use and any leftovers cleared away and binned. The areas where your pets sleep should be regularly cleaned and checked for signs of pests.

Pet waste should not be allowed to accumulate inside or outside the house. Regular vacuuming, cleaning of hair from furniture and tidying up mess in the garden will make your home more attractive to your family and friends and less attractive to vermin.

Stop your pets becoming pests


You want to enjoy your pet so it’s important to prevent them from being an irritant to your neighbours.


Dogs without a fenced yard should be kept on a leash at all times when outdoors-- in many communities, it's the law!

 Poor behaviour can be a problem, particularly in dogs. Incessant barking or uncontrolled running around is at best annoying and can be frightening or dangerous, particularly if older people or children are around. Investing in obedience classes can help deal with this. Dogs should also be kept on a leash at all times if they are outside in an unfenced yard.

Having a pet can provide years of pleasure but it also comes with responsibilities. By being aware of these and taking the appropriate action you can be a happy and successful pet owner.


This article was provided by London Pest Control, Bypest.com. London pest control professionals Bypest.com offer a comprehensive service for all kinds of pest-control problems throughout London and around the M25, serving both residential and commercial customers.