The Pet Supplies Blog - Pets, Dogs, Cats, Pet Supply Reviews, Equine, Rabbits, Aquariums

• Getting funding (if necessary)


• Finding suppliers and products


• Equipping your business - whether it be a Dog Sitting business or Pet Spa


• Attracting—and keeping—customers


• Pricing competitively for your locality


• Taking your business online - getting exposure for your pet business


• Keeping records

Some other good resources:

• Pet Groomer Career Training at Penn Foster


• Veterinary Technician Career Training


• Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine


• My Pet Business DVD Series - Startup Info

Labels: Pet Startup Business Resources

• Recent pet food recalls


• A desire for more holistic alternatives for both humans and pets


• Rising costs of veterinary care with an emphasis on preventative care

There are many supplements available that solve specific health problems for cats -- everything from hairballs to over active kittens to anxiety.

Cats are famous for having urinary tract infections and hairballs - pet manufacturers have addressed these health problems by offering treats, vitamins and supplements formulated specifically to address these feline issues. A few of our favorites:

• HomeoPet Cat and Kitten Digestive Upsets A homeopathic formula that provides relief for cats that throw up 20 minutes after eating. Vomiting or diarrhea are quickly relieved.
  


• UTI Paste for Cats Urinary Tract Health A popular supplement by Mark & Chappell that provides a source of dl-Methionine and natural cranberry extracts. This unique formulation acts as an aid in the management and maintenance of urinary tract health for your cat.

Education opens the door to possibilities for cat owners who are trying to prevent or treat a chronic problem in their cats and it seems that the pet manufacturer industry is finally stepping up to meet the prior educational lapse.

Labels: Cat Vitamins

Feng Shui is the Chinese art of placement. It is enjoying a revival not only in China but in the USA as well.

According to Feng Shui, cosmic breath or ch'i energy permeates the atmosphere, the earth and all living things. Feng Shui experts seek to channel and enhance environmental energy or ch'i to improve human and animal energy and thus increase pet happiness, your wealth and prosperity. Feng Shui offers a method of integrating our personal humanistic energy so it flows in synchronicity with the entire energy flow of the universe. In this way we move gracefully and live in harmony with universal energies rather than opposing them.

According to Feng Shui, the energy of our home greatly affects our general well being and thus our pet's well being. Great pains are taken with interior and exterior design as well as furniture and object placement in a home designed by a Feng Shui Consultant so that everything works in harmony with the cosmic force or energy for the highest benefit possible. Most individuals who employ the art of Feng Shui report positive changes.

Serenity Health has developed Pet Beds that focus on the well being of your cat or dog.

Besides increased happiness, wealth and prosperity, they have also reported such things as improved health, more harmonious relationships and a general feeling of well being.

In nature, all things are in harmony. Animals living in nature live harmoniously with the energies that surround them. When animals spend most or all of their time in artificial indoor environments, they are at the mercy of the inharmonious energies that might be present in the environment.

Tea Tree Oil (formerly Melaleuca Oil) - is a natural antiseptic that stimulates the immune system. Effective for bacterial and fungal infections. 4 oz. Richards Organics Product.

Energies can greatly affect our cat, dog or other pet's health and emotional well being. You may have taken great pains to create a harmonious and esthetically beautiful atmosphere in your house without considering that, for your pet companion, things may not be inline
with Feng Shui. This can be better understood by taking a look at indoor life from the perspective of your cat, dog or other small animal. Get down at their eye level (or in the case of your bird .. get behind the cage) and take a look around. Often the area closest to the floor is the most neglected from a housekeeping standpoint, being the most untidy. It is all a matter of perspective.

What you experience and what your cat, dog or rabbit experiences can be quite different, indeed!

Cats, in particular, are extremely sensitive to the energies given off by different objects and the energies generated by different configurations of objects.

Labels: Feng Shui for Pets, Homeopath Pet

Beware - strong opinions will be exposed in this article. I am an believer of natural remedies both for myself and my pets.

Contradictory to my opinions, modern veterinarian medicine feels, in most cases, that the elimination of the symptom that your pet may have is the same as elimination of the disease that may be hurting him or her. In allopathic medicine (the type of veterinarian medicine that we are used to) - a symptom is usually thought of as the dog or cat's real disease and the goal is to hold back, decrease or eliminate this symptom in your beloved pet.

This is often done without addressing the underlying cause of your pet's pain. Bringing this to the human level, let's say that your tooth hurts and the dentist injects a local anesthetic. The pain goes away but that does not mean the problem is gone! If we use pet medications to suppress these symptoms in our pets then the vital force tries to create new symptoms to compensate for the pet's imbalance that is still there.

If the vital force is strong, then the original symptom your pet may be suffering from may return. Otherwise, it may be unable to express on the same level and create a symptom in your dog, cat or other pet that is more interior and could be much worse per Herring's Law.

HomeoPet products by Tomlyn can eliminate problems with your pet naturally. Many of Synergy Labs Pet Products (Richard Organics) are effective also.

• HomeoPet Leaks No More


• HomeoPet General Anxiety


• HomeoPet Digestive Upsets


• HomeoPet Skin & Seborrhea


• HomeoPet Travel Anxiety


• Pet Calm - Richards Organics

Featured above (picture) is Nature Remedies Pet Alive: Performance Plus

Performance Plus contains a specially selected combination of herbs known to improve physical and mental performance in pets, including show animals as well as pets in training classes.
This winning formula also helps to promote brain health and functioning in elderly pets.
The herbal ingredients chosen are known for their ability to support healthy memory functioning, concentration and mental alertness.

It also promotes adrenal health to support the body’s natural ability to endure and remain consistent in all demanding situations.

Especially aimed at pets that participate in shows and competitions as well as those undergoing training classes, Performance Plus helps to give cats and dogs the competitive edge.
Performance Plus is also highly recommended for mature pets to help promote brain health and assist with routine age-related forgetfulness.

Labels: Pet Natural Remedies

We are in the midst of winter and boredom from being cooped up has set in. I am not talking about people, I am talking about horses. With the cold winter and short daylight hours, chances are that our horses are spending long hours in the stable. Of course, they are bored being cooped up! The biggest problem with horse boredom is the behavioral issues that crop up from being bored. These issues range from cribbing or chewing his stall to weaving or becoming aggressive.


What to do? Easy answer - break that boredom and prevent the behavioral problems from even beginning. There are many horse "toys" that are available. My favorite ones are manufacutred by Talisker Bay. All the toys I describe use Likits.

In case you are unfamiliar with Likits, let me explain. Likits are a naturally flavored molasses or glucose based treat (depends on the flavor). They come in a variety of flavors, such as apple, carrot, mint, honey, salt, molasses and more! Each flavor is fortified with Vitamin E and Biotin. Likits are available in standard size or small size, known as a Little Likit.

My horse's favorite is the Likit Boredom Breaker, appropriately name, is a combination toy. The picture above shows how it includes a Likit Holder that holds a regular size Likit and a robust ball that will hold two Little Likits. This product is designed to be hung in the stable and comes in red, blue, pink or purple. The Boredom Breaker is most effective when hung a minimum of 3 feet away from any wall, that way the horses can't pin it down. I will say that she was not too keen on this product at first when I filled it with carrot likits. She loves carrots, but I guess she was apprehensive about the "unknown" object hung in her stall. I changed the Likits to molasses and left her alone. The molasses Likits were a hit, as was the Likit Boredom Breaker toy. She now gets carrot, apple and honey; along with her favorite molasses. She hates the mint and she lets me know how unhappy she is with that flavor.

My sister's horse likes the Likit Tongue Twister. This toy is mounted on the stable wall and will hold 2 Little Likits. The Likit Tongue Twister swivels as the horse licks at it. It should be attached it to the wall above the height of the horse's shoulders and haunches, so the horse cannot bang into it.

You may need to experiment with the horse toys to see which one works for your horse. Just like people, all horses are not interested in the same thing.

Let's hope spring arrives soon and WE all can get back outside~!

Labels: Talisker Bay Likit

The Greenies lawsuit was settled late last year and the new Greenies are proving to be more popular, nutritious and safer than ever.


The company never really admitted to a problem and they repeatedly said Greenies were safe when used as directed. The big argument was that consumers needed to buy the correct size of treat and make sure that the dog adequately chewed it and didn't gulp it down. Seems obvious? But sometimes it's hard to keep an eye on your dog the entire time he is enjoying his or her treats.

Still, the company changed the packaging of Greenies to make its warnings more visible. Most importantly, they came out with a new formula late last year that is more digestible and designed to break down into smaller pieces during chewing.

I have to admit, I always thought that this lawsuit was similar to the "My coffee was too hot at McDonald's thing". Hopefully this very opinionated comment won't get too many RUFF comments.

According to the company: Greenies®dental chews are based on scientific data on biometrics, which analyzed canines unique physiology such as tooth position, skull shape, weight and bite force.

Traditionally, pet chews are designed strictly based on size and weight of a dog, but the biometric research shows that texture and shape of a dental chew are as important as size when it comes to the way dogs chew.

That’s why Greenies® dental chews come in five sizes from “Teenie” to “Jumbo” that fit any dog’s needs perfectly.

Jumbo for dogs over 100 pounds
Large for dogs between 50 and 100 pounds
Regular for dogs between 25 and 50 pounds
Petite for dogs between 15 and 25 pounds
Teenie for dogs between 5 and 15 pounds

Here you go: Buy $75 worth of Greenies at www.GRPet.com and use coupon code: michbiz to save $5.00

Go Green, Go White and Go Greenies!

Labels: Greenies

Web-based employee training for pet retailers:
Animal care fundamentals
Selling strategies and merchandising techniques
Brand-neutral content
Convenient, easy and fun to use on- and off-line

Free to qualified retailers Brought to you by your distributor partners and the Pet Industry Distributors Association (PIDA).

Visit us at Global Pet Expo at Booth 2515 Feb. 14-16, 2008 at the San Diego Convention Center

Created by the Pet Industry Distributors Association (PIDA), Pet Store Pro provides busy retailers with an effective tool to ensure that employees receive consistent information about animal care and pet products and learn basic business skills to interact with customers with confidence and success. The program will be available free to qualified retailers at http://www.petstorepro.com/.

The modular format covers a variety of topics of importance to pet and pet product retailers and their employees, including selling skills and customer service, merchandising techniques, and pet care and maintenance in seven core categories: dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, small mammals, fresh water fish, and salt water fish. Content is brand-neutral so it applies to the wide array of pet product lines at individual stores.

Used as a stand-alone or as part of an existing training program, Pet Store Pro is designed to be convenient, easy, and fun to use. It can be accessed 24/7 from any computer with an Internet connection, allowing retailers the flexibility to assign study at the store during downtime or after hours, or at home. Test scores are e-mailed to the student and manager, providing rapid feedback and accountability.

Study guides and chapter tests also can be printed for offline use.
Pet Store Pro was developed by the distributor members of PIDA to address the need for structured training resources by their independent retailer customers.

For more information, visit PIDA Booth Number 2515 at Global Pet Expo, call 1-443-640-1060

Labels: Pet Directory - List for FREE

There are so many reasons to walk your dog. The main reason is that it will strengthen the bond between you and your pet. My dogs can hardly contain themselves when they see the leash coming out. People say it is easier to exercise with a buddy. Well, I have 2 buddies who go with me every evening. They listen to me and don't judge me.



Oh yeah, since I have 2 dogs, one 15 pounds and one 55 pounds, I use the Double-Dog Coupler.

Labels: double dog coupler, Ethical Pet Products, Reflective harness, reflective leash, Safety collar

Labels: K and H Thermo Kitty Hut