Giveaways
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Dr. V | Tuesday | March 27, 2012 |
I have a giveaway today, which is good because I’m as you can imagine a little off my writing game this week. I’ve been digesting a lot these past few days. Transitions always do that, don’t they?
So anyway, today we have a giveaway of *two* Doggy Day Spa packs, courtesy of Royal Canin. The dog pack giveaway is being done in celebration of the release of their new X-small dog food, designed for dogs under 8 pounds. I saw this diet for the first time when it was being premiered at Global Pet Expo.
"Taco" was adopted by a toy-development specialist from PetMate. Jackpot!
Like many companies at Global, Royal Canin brought in some adorable munchkins to get people over to the booth for some love and pets. But they did it in a particularly great way- they partnered with local rescue Florida Little Dogs Rescue, bringing in adoptable dogs who were on the new diet. It was such a success that Royal Canin donated 2500 bowls of food to the rescue- AND- seven dogs left the booth for a forever home.
From the press release:
All of the Royal Canin X-SMALL formulas contain premium nutrition to support heart health, highly digestible proteins and fibers to help regulate digestion and prevent constipation and are enriched with EPA and DHA to help maintain a beautiful skin and coat. In addition, the formulas feature a kibble designed to promote dental health, by reducing tartar build-up as the dog chews.
To summarize: little dogs tend to be high energy, have skin and coat issues, and dental issues- so this is a diet that focuses on those things. Do small dogs HAVE to have a special small dog diet? No, of course not. One size never fits all. But if you have a little one and you’re interested in trying it out, here’s your chance. And if you don’t have a little dog, enter anyway- your local shelter would be happy to have it and you can use the rest of the stuff.
Each Doggy Day Spa pack contains the following:
- A 2.5 lb bag of Royal Canin X-SMALL dog food
- Earth Bath natural grooming wipes
- Zwipes Microfiber Small Pet Towels (pack of 5)
- Toothbrush and toothpaste combo pack
- Fresh ‘n Clean oatmeal and baking soda shampoo
- Li’l Pals grooming brush
- Li’l Pals nail trimmer
- Grooming lead
I’m pretty sure the beige chair is NOT, however, included.
To enter, simply leave a comment on this post about who would get to sample the Royal Canin x-small dog food and then enter on the Rafflecopter widget! Bon appetit!
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Dr. V | Friday | March 2, 2012 |
One of the leading complaints that brings a pet into the vet is allergies. It is a complicated problem, and like all complicated problems, there are no easy answers. Some pets need special food, others respond to antihistamines, and some need very strong immune suppressants just to make it through the day.
Watching a pet lick and chew themselves raw is so sad and frustrating. All you want to do is help them get rid of that horrible, painful persistent itch. So you go to the vet, and lo and behold, you find out the diagnostic and treatment process is also a drawn out out and complicated deal. Allergies really stink. (more…)
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Dr. V | Tuesday | February 21, 2012 |
Eye exams for animals are a little different than they are for people. Sure, you can examine the physical structures of the eye and evaluate its anatomic vigor, but figuring out just how well your pet sees is a little more tricky. We can’t exactly sit them in front of one of those big eyeglass flippy things (I’m sure they have a name, but I never bothered to ask) and get the dog to tell us which is better: This, or….THIS?
Nonetheless, the ubiquitous eye chart is synonymous with the doctor’s office. To that end, Local Paper Studio has created two charming eye charts- one for dogs, and one for cats- that might not reveal whether or not your lab is nearsighted, but they will add a touch of whimsy to an exam room, office, or home of a pet lover.
For today’s Giveaway Tuesday, Local Paper Studio is giving away THREE sets of eye chart posters. Gift one to your vet or keep them for yourself! Who can resist the cute? To make it even better, read on for the way they use eco-friendly paper and donate to Best Friends for each sale!
Set of Two 18″ x 24″ Dog & Cat Eye Charts – Standard Size Posters
Designed for veterinary clinics, this set of two posters makes a
perfect gift to say thank you to your favorite vet. They are sure to
get a laugh in waiting rooms or exam rooms. Also fun to share with dog
and cat enthusiasts.
Each poster measures 18″ x 24″ and will fit easily into a standard
size frame. All posters are shipped rolled and are not matted or
framed.
The artwork was printed in the U.S.A. by a Forest Stewardship Council
certified printer, using vegetable inks on 100% recycled paper from
60% post-consumer waste and processed chlorine free. Due to the
environmentally friendly production of this paper, please note that
small amounts of fibers and recycled matter may be visible on the
paper surface.
$1 from the sale of every poster will be donated to the Best Friends
Animal Society. Visit them at bestfriends.org.
——————————————————–
This is a little bit about our studio:
Printed With Love And Care For The Environment And You.
This pledge appears on all of Local Paper Studio’s projects and
summarizes our belief in community, sustainability and giving back.
Our main goal is to give you fun ways to share a little joy with your
family and friends—the people local to you. 100% recycled papers are
used for all of our projects and we work exclusively with eco-friendly
printers located in the U.S.A.
To enter, leave a comment below and make sure you enter here on Rafflecopter! Additional entries available for tweeting the contest. Good luck!
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Dr. V | Tuesday | January 31, 2012 |
When I was in school, there was a resident who could best be described as a holy terror. She ate senior students for breakfast, washing it down with the salty tears of our despair when she would mercilessly rip us to shreds in rounds. And hoo boy, did she love me. And by love, I mean, love to rip me up one side and down the other. I was an easy target; I didn’t know much at the time. Her very favorite snack.
“The patient in room two is a….” I studied the chart…”Belgian Mali-noy?”
“Malin-WAH,” she would correct, rolling her eyes. That sort of thing. You had to see her in action to get just how well she did ‘condescending eyeroll’. And then I would make it through the room, and proudly pronounce the next day that there was another Malinois there on the service, only to have her whip out a droll, “No, um, that would be a … Tervuren” plus eyeroll at the senior clinician. While the difference between a Malinois and a Tervuren are now clearer to me, they really weren’t at the time, and well, they are hard to tell apart to the untrained eye.
We don’t learn breed identification in school. We learn it on the fly. We learn that the whatever-it-is in the room has an ear infection, and how to deal with it. It’s much easier in a clinic, where the owner has already filled out paperwork and told at least two other people what breed you are looking at before you go in and mess it up.
It’s still not easy. While this may be easy to ID: (more…)
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Dr. V | Tuesday | January 24, 2012 |
My husband sometimes gently mocks me for my love affair with cards. But I love cards. I love stationery, little joyful repositories for a happy word or two. Who doesn’t love getting a note in the mail? Especially in this day and age when bridal shower invites come over Evite, there is something nostalgic and extra special about getting a real, paper, happy card in the mail.
Unsurprisingly, most of the cards I have in my stationery drawer are of the animal persuasion. It’s not intentional, it just kind of happened. And now I have even more to love: check out the adorable goodies over at Jack’s Master! All the cards are hand-painted, beautifully designed, and made to be admired.
The collection goes much further than just dog-friendly designs, as you can see at the Etsy Shop; but obviously you know where I gravitate. 
A portion of all proceeds go to the ASPCA as well, to make your heart melt even a little bit more.
Want to make someone’s Valentine Day a little brighter? I have an awesome giveaway for you. FIVE winners will each get two dog-themed lovely cards, in your hot little paws in time for V-Day itself.
Got a secret crush? Who will you send your Valentine to?
To enter:
Follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter widget- leave a blog post comment, and like Jack’s Master on FB. Note: If you just click that you left a blog post comment but didn’t actually do it, you won’t win.
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Dr. V | Tuesday | January 17, 2012 |
We go through a lot of dog toys in these parts, and I can say with confidence that Brody has yet to come across a Kyjen toy he didn’t love. They’re fun, they’re well-made, and they have interesting configurations that engage the dog in a way different from standard toys, either with a big mat of squeakers or hidden eggs or an unusual food puzzle. To this day Brody’s penguin egg is the only toy I have actually ordered replacement parts for. He loves it that much. So today, I’m happy to be giving you all several opportunities for some fantastic goodies from this great company.
The first giveaway is for an Excursion Dog Backpack, size M. I actually used this as a demo in the news story I’ll post the video of tomorrow, so the tag is removed. It’s a great backpack and I was tempted to not give it away, but the medium is for a size 18-50 pound dog so Brody really needs a large. I’m sure one of you will have lots of good times with it backpacking in Nepal or something along those lines.
The second giveaway is for not one, not two, but THREE random selections of Kyjen goodies. Each of the three winners will each get three items that could be any combination of the following: (more…)
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Dr. V | Tuesday | January 10, 2012 |
You know by now how I feel about cutesy pet stuff, right? I mean, it has its place, but as far as my own tastes go I’m constantly on the lookout for something that falls on the sleeker end of things. (This from the person who bought a dinosaur barrette from Anthropologie, so take it with a grain of salt.)
But I digress. When it comes to pets, function still has to have a place over form, or you end up like me with a nice wooden bowl holder that is chomped to bits within a few weeks. So when I see a product that has both form and function, I get admittedly disproportionately excited. I can’t help it.
I recently received a bowl from ModaPet (“Moda” means fashion in Italian, for those keeping track) and I’m hooked. So hooked that I want you to have one too. I’m giving away one ModaPet bowl in the happy Sunflower color.
Form: This particular bowl is a 4 cup version, enough for even the big pooches like Brody and Koa, and comes in a variety of jewel tones like orange, teal, and red. They have the weight of a heavy ceramic bowl, but with the look of glass. They’re pretty enough that my daughter put a handful of flowers in them before realizing they were actually a dog dish. And somehow despite this fragile appearance, this is a bulldog of a bowl.
Function: ModaPet bowls are made of BPA free plastic that is dishwasher safe. The sturdy soft plastic bottom makes it skidproof, and because it is molded on as opposed to being glued on, it will hold up through multiple go rounds in the washer. This puppy is heavy. Even Koa leaves it in place, and I’ve seen her push steel bowls clear to the dining room when she’s in an eating frenzy.
I really like these bowls an awful lot, and I’m not one to wax poetic about eating implements, usually. So here is your chance to have a lovely bowl all for yourself, and you can impress your guests with your Italian designed dog ware to distract them from the Italian shoes they just trashed. Well, at least that’s what I did.
To enter, you know the drill! Comment on who you would like this bowl for, and make sure you enter on the Rafflecopter widget. US/Canada only, please.
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Dr. V | Friday | December 30, 2011 |
I can hardly believe it myself, but I’ve just passed the thousand post mark on the blog. That’s a lot of hammering on the keyboard. What a cool benchmark to ring in 2012! Thank you for sticking with me through all of it- the good, the sad, and the goofy.
I know lots of you are reading this from chillier climates than mine, so to celebrate, we’re having a giveaway of one Original Goose Down Filled Doggie Coat from Joy Pet Products!
Our Original Goose Down Filled Doggie Coats are so unique they have two US Patents! Filled with 550 fill power white goose down – no inexpensive feather down blends here – the Original Goose Down Filled Doggie Coat features cozy fleece reversing to water resistant nylon for two different looks. Quick and easy on and off with two secure Velcro closures. Offering a very adjustable fit, easy wash and dry care and plenty of hip coverage, this coat will help keep your best friend warm and dry when temperatures dip. Smaller sizes are available with an opening for the lead to pass through. Sizes XS through XL. Made in Canada or USA .
These coats normally retail for $79- $100, but there’s a huge end-of-the-year sale going on right now, so even if you don’t win the giveaway, this is a chance to get a coat for HALF off! Almost makes me wish we lived somewhere it snowed, because Koa would look stunning in leopard print. I’m just sayin’.
Enter below! For the blog comment just let me know who you want to win this for. Winner will notify Joy Pet Products of the size (size chart here) and Joy Pet Products will choose the color from available stock. Good luck!
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Dr. V | Thursday | December 22, 2011 |
The holidays are right around the corner- and to celebrate I have the first of a series of giveaways running between now and the New Year!
To kick us off, I have TEN chances to win either:
So here’s the interesting thing about pet food nutritionists, and this is the same across the board in terms of the big companies I have talked to: they don’t mind corn. They have in front of them the data from years of research and can say with assurance that based on science, it’s not an evil thing.
But here’s the other thing: there are lots and lots of people out there who do not like corn, and no matter what the studies may say, it is not an ingredient they want to feed their pet, for a variety of reasons.
I get both sides, actually. I like data and numbers and science but I also can’t help but intuitively feel certain ways about foods based on my own anecdotal experiences, and at the end of the day, I still encourage people to trust their instincts, as long as they are leading you in the right direction.
I am a veterinarian with a scientific mind sometimes, but I’m also a person who does exactly what drives scientists batty, which is ignore studies and go with my gut. Why not? As long as it’s balanced either way, companies would be out of their minds not to give people what they want. That is what sells.
So I’m happy to see Hill’s add meat first, grain-free, no corn products to their line, because it means this: companies are listening to what consumers want. And the more options there are out there for consumers, the better, I say.
Hill’s has provided me with ten coupon codes, each of which are good for a 12-15 pound bag of either of the above diets from Pet Food Direct. (Note: the dog diet is grain free, but the cat one is not. Check the links for full information.) The coupon code includes shipping, so each is a $49 value.
Want to try it out? Or if not, want to give a bag to a friend or your local shelter? It’s easy to enter, but do it while you’re thinking of it: the codes expire 12/31/11 so this is a short giveaway ending 12/27.
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Dr. V | Monday | November 21, 2011 |
I am super-duper excited for today’s giveaway. You see, I’ve been thinking about all the things I am thankful for, and there’s a lot- my family, my health, my dogs. And all of you, because you guys are what makes all this carpal tunnel stuff worthwhile. You put up with zombie apocalypses and cheer me up when even Brody isn’t doing the trick.
So because I love you all, we decided to give away something super cool right before the holiday season. I don’t have one yet, except for the one I’m giving away, but I hear they are pretty awesome. I know you all like to read as much as I do. And one of you gets to win one!
Kindle Fire Giveaway!!
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Dr. V | Wednesday | November 16, 2011 |
Lots of people like to cook for their pets, but most people don’t do it every single day. Of those who do, most do so because they have to, a pet with kidney disease who also has food allergies and diabetes, that sort of thing. Occasionally there is the person who just likes to do it, like the chef who makes seared sea bass for his two incredibly spoiled schnauzers every day. I admire that dedication, which is significant.
More common are people like me, those who do it every once in a while for giggles at times like Thanksgiving- and yes, I’ll be coming up with something for the dogs because why not, it’s a holiday. And then they will go back to their regular food until Christmas, when I make them gingerbread. Because cooking is a show of love, even if you only do it twice a year.
(Yes, I made those both last year in a peppermint induced fit of insanity.)
For those sorts of occasional treats, balance isn’t a big deal. But when you are making a maintenance diet, a complete and balanced diet is vital.
I recently wrote an article on the topic of home cooking for Good Dog Magazine, and rather than re-invent the wheel I’ll just give you the link because I worked on it for quite a while, and I’m very proud of it, and it has tons of information about how to go about the process if home cooking is something you’re interested in. I had to interview a bunch of people for it, which as you know is a show of journalistic effort I don’t undertake on a regular basis, so you know it’s something special.
For the article, I interviewed Dr. Sean Delaney of BalanceIt.com. Dr. Delaney is a board certified veterinary nutritionist who just happened to be a resident in training when I was a senior student at Davis, and he remains just as friendly and knowledgable and excited about nutrition as he was that day one hundred million years ago when we were in a cramped room in the hospital annex with some Flintstone-era nutrition software doing nutrition consults.
We talked about food. We talked about online recipe sites and books. We talked about kabocha squash (did you know it caused neurologic signs in a group of labradors? Brand new info here, guys. You heard it here first.) I kept the poor doc on the phone for an hour but it was so interesting, and I love nutrition topics, and I know you do too.
Dr. Delaney has since developed newer web-based versions of nutrition software that creates custom recipes for veterinarians as well as for consumers. BalanceIt has about 500 recipes to choose from, all designed by a board certified veterinary nutritionist and best of all, balanced. When clients tell me they want to cook for their pets, this is where I send them because I know they’re getting information from a trusted source. After the melamine fiasco, I’ve been mentioning this site more times than I can count.
It’s a neat site because, as you can see above, you can really customize your options. You select the protein source and the carbohydrate source, enter your pet’s age and weight, and out comes a list of choices that fit your criteria. If your pet has a medical condition, you can ask your vet to create an appropriate recipe on the section of the site that is just for veterinarians.
So here’s their gift to you all: with the holidays bearing down, perhaps you are looking for a little something special for your dog or cat’s festivus plate. Dr. Delaney is offering all pawcurious readers one free recipe from the Pet Lovers BalanceIt site- a $20 value! The diets can be made using BalanceIt supplements or human supplements- you’ll get options for both.
Just enter the code “pawcurious” at checkout. And don’t forget to give them a like over on Facebook and tell them I said hi!
Will you get the English dinner? The Surf and Turf? Which recipe are you going to try? Have you ever cooked for your pet?
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Dr. V | Wednesday | November 16, 2011 |
I miss Oprah’s favorite things show. That was the best show ever, and also how I ended up with a pile of things I never knew I HAD TO HAVE until Oprah said I had to have them. That is how I wound up with a quilted pink Burberry jacket six years ago, and I don’t even like pink.
Anyway. Giving stuff away is fun.
I spent all day yesterday sorting through the giveaways to pick winners, and to make my life easier I’m listing them all here:
Biscuits by Lambchop giveaway: Susan Montgomery
Iams Gift Packs: Jason and Michelle Spayde
Scent of the Missing: Catherine, Karen B and julie in chicago
Lickety Stix: Quinn and Esther
Calming Collar: BBQduck
6 Packs 9 Lives: Emily E
If you’re a winner you should be getting an e-mail from me this morning, but if for some reason you don’t have anything by noon shoot me a line through the contact page with your shipping address and I’ll get your prizes to you!
I have another giveaway for you all that I’ll have up some time this week. I’m super excited for it because it’s something really cool and I don’t have one, but I decided to give one away as a thank you to all of you for your support the last three years. And NO, it’s not a Boston terrier. Stay tuned.
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