Mad About Pets!

Mark your calendars for Madison's first annual Dogs on the Square!

May 22, 2011
12pm to 3pm
Capitol Square, Madison WI

Admission: $10 per dog, humans are FREE!

Benefiting: Madison Police Department Capital K9 Units

Tell your friends, grab a leash, round up your furry companions and join us at the Capitol Square for a fun packed day of games, contests, prizes and more. You won’t want to miss this event! The event begins with a Dog Walk around the Square at NOON, immediately followed by sponsor-led games and challenges. Turn in your Challenge Card to win an assortment of great prizes. Don’t miss out!

For more info or to register, visit http://www.dogsonthesquare.com/

If you’re a pet owner, you’ve probably tried just about every cleaner under the sun to get rid of pet stains and odors. I was lucky enough to try out Fizzion, a new and unique product designed to break down the toughest stains and odors (even urine!) Fizzion is a little different than the “usual” cleaners, as it comes in a concentrated tablet form rather than a pre-packaged spray bottle. You just drop the tablet into a 16 oz. spray bottle full of warm water, let it dissolve, and you’re ready to go. This is a great concept, as you are reusing the same bottle over and over, thus reducing plastic bottles in landfills and the petroleum needed to produce more plastic bottles. During my test-run of Fizzion, I just used a well-rinsed bottle from a previous cleaner that I had run out of.

Fizzion was developed by a chemist, and oddly enough the formula was originally developed for cleaning bowling lanes. As it turns out, the product worked amazing on all kinds of stains, including chocolate. The formula breaks down proteins to dissolve them, and also includes a bacteria-killing chemical that prevents stains and odors from sticking around. This awesome stain and odor removal plus the non-toxic nature of the formula made it a perfect match for the pet care market.

Personally I rarely have difficulty getting stains out of my carpeting, but odors are another story. Urine, in particular, is a smell that I’ve found to be nearly impossible to get out. I decided to test Fizzion on a urine spot—the ultimate challenge. I had an old couch in my basement that one of our more neurotic kitties decide to urinate on…repeatedly. As you probably know, once a cat pees on something it will likely continue to do so if it continues to smell the urine there. After several incidents of urinating on the couch, the urine began to seep through the frame and ended up on the carpeting below. Even after we got rid of the offending couch, the carpet still reeked of nasty boy-cat pee. Icky! After I prepared the Fizzion (which is super-fun to watch dissolve, by the way!), I liberally sprayed the area and crossed my fingers. I should mention that Fizzion smells really, really good…it has an amazing clean scent, like freshly washed laundry or something. I let the cleaner do its job, and checked back in on the carpet the next day. Amazingly, it did not stink of cat urine any longer. I gave it another week, just to see if the cat in question would begin urinating on the carpet, thus indicating the smell of urine was still there (but undetectable to me). He didn’t. As of today, he has not peed on the carpet and is back to 100% litter box usage. Yay!!! Turns out Fizzion's claim to get rid of that stinky ammonia smell is absolutely true.

Here are some highlights of Fizzion, straight from their website:

*Fizzion promotes the use of a reusable spray bottle to prevent landfill waste.
*Non-toxic formula is safe for pets to sniff or lick.
*Prevents pets from returning to the same spot to relieve themselves.
*Easy dissolvable tablets mix up fresh every time you use it.
*Formula lasts over one year at 100% potency after activation.
*Can be used on most protein-based stains including red wine and chocolate.
*Can be used on most fabrics and textiles.

Rory, the guilty party

Fizzion is also a very affordable cleaner. All in all, it works out to around $3.50 for one full bottle of solution. Compare that to other leading pet stain and odor removers: Nature's Miracle (around $10/bottle), Urine Off (around $10/bottle), Simple Solution (around $12/bottle), Arm and Hammer Pet Stain & Odor Remover plus OxiClean (around $6/bottle). The best part is, you mix up Fizzion when you need it; this way, it's at its strongest and most effective. And it stays effective for up to 1 year after dissolving.

After testing Fizzion, I’m a true believer in their product. In addition, they have the lowest carbon footprint of anyone else in their category, so they are truly a GREEN company. Fizzion is currently available at 2 stores in the Madison area: Bad Dog Frida and Nutzy Mutz & Crazy Cats. It can also be purchased online at the Fizzion Online Store.

Use code MADABOUTPETS at the Fizzion Online Store for $1.00 off your order!

Food-releasing toys are best known for dogs, but did you know cats can also benefit from them?  High-energy, overweight, and many other kitties could use this extra enrichment during their stay at the shelter.

Dane County Humane Society is looking for around 30 food toys for their fun-loving felines. Please consider donating one today!