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Let Us Remember 9/11
2007-09-12 03:10:00

Our Beloved Seniors
2007-09-11 21:03:00
Amberfield’s Dare Me Not (Abbey) (9/13/89 - 9/19/05) Most of us would not consider our dogs to be seniors at age 7 but they are in fact just that. It is very important to take your dog, no matter what age, to the vet for a yearly check up (even if no vaccinations are due) and you should do blood work yearly from the age of 7 on to be sure that all organs are functioning properly.  If any area of blood work is out of range and it is caught early there are holistic approaches that can be taken to reverse the problem or just keep it in check and prevent it from getting worse. I believe in going holistic whenever possible.  However, there are times that synthetic medications must be used.  This is something to discuss with your vet, or better yet, a holistic vet. Arthritis: Senior dogs will at some point begin to slow down and be less active from age and often times from arthritis.  Arthritis is not diagnosed thru blood work but rather physical exam and better yet, x-rays. I...
More About: Seniors , Belo , Beloved

Ben Roethlisberger - Dog Gone Good Deed
2007-09-07 00:16:00
I have to say, this is one of my favorite weekends of the year! It is the start of football season. I am a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan and I just ran across an interesting article. Ben Roethlisberger is donating money in each town he plays in to a police department for the keeping of their k9 patrols. “It’s something we decided to do, my foundation is doing, after the police dog in my hometown got shot and killed. We decided to do it for every away city I play in and every time we play at home - pick a department here in Pittsburgh to donate to,” Roethlisberger said today. I think this is a cool and noble thing to do. Kudos to you Ben! Now go get us some touchdowns!!! Read the rest of the article here Big Ben goes to the dogs for Cleveland
More About: Good , Berg

Apology
2007-09-03 18:38:00
I would like to apologize to anyone whose comments have been deleted on my blogs.  Apparently there is a technical glitch.  I have not deleted anyone’s comments.  I just wanted that to be known.  Thank you! Gizzaroo
More About: Apology , Ology , Polo

Happy Labor Day!
2007-09-03 15:40:00
 Good morning all!  Happy Labor Day!  Hopefully everyone is getting a break today.  I have attached a link for those who may be interested in the history of Labor Day.  http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday. htm  I would like to thank everyone for their comments.  It’s nice to get nice comments on a blog.  Kudos to Patty and the great info she gave on picking good breeders.  As many of you probably know, there are horrible breeding practices going on out there as well such as “puppy mills.”  We don’t want to support anyone such as that either.  She makes some good points to keep in mind, much of which can be used with other animals as well.  BTW, nice web site and great pics of your dogs, Patty.  Take care all! Gizzaroo

Finding A Reputable Breeder
2007-08-31 19:58:00
Snowco’s Final Justice ( Miya) There are many things to consider when searching for a reputable breeder to purchase a puppy. Depending on the breed of pup you are looking for you need to do your research on health problems that particular breed is prone to and be well aware of the proper testing that is to be done, the certifications needed for proper breeding and at what age those certifications are done to produce the healthiest pups possible. A reputable breeders main reason for breeding is to improve their lines in their particular breeding program.  As well as to produce soundness, temperament and good health.  They should only produce one or two litters a year or every other year.  Having 2+ litters on the ground at one time can be a red flag.  A female should only be bred on “every other” heat and only up to the age of 6 or 7 years of age. The Labrador Retriever: In the Labrador Retriever hips, elbows, eyes and heart are important health screenin...
More About: Breed

Non-Safe Pet Items
2007-08-28 07:36:00
A Poison Safe Home  Many people who have pets have already seen bits and pieces of this list on the ASPCA web site.   I won’t list everything here, but please visit the site to see the items listed.  It lists foods to avoid feeding your pets, holiday dangers, warm and cold weather dangers, dangerous plants, etc.  While much of this is common sense, some of the items you may not have thought about before are or can be dangerous to your pet. http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?page name=pro_apcc_poisonsafe  Cat litter is listed there.  I have read a lot about “clumping” cat litter causing serious blockage problems.  If you use this type of cat litter, make sure your cats and dogs are not ingesting it.  Even inhaling too much of the dust can be an issue from what I have read.  One thing that is not listed are plastic bags or more especially, clear plastic.  If they chew the plastic bags or wrappings, and ingest bits and pieces, this could create a blo...
More About: Items

Pet Safe Products
2007-08-28 03:56:00
Having cats in the house, or other pets, one thinks or should think about the cleaners, etc., used in and around the house. I have found that a few good basics are working for me.  Vinegar, baking soda, and citrus based products.  I use  LOTS OF VINEGAR!  Ah, wonderful vinegar!  Many people don’t realize that it is a good disinfectant, and that it is used for hundreds of other different things. “Heinz company spokesperson Michael Mullen references numerous studies to show that a straight 5 percent solution of vinegar—such as you can buy in the supermarket—kills 99 percent of bacteria, 82 percent of mold, and 80 percent of germs (viruses). He noted that Heinz can’t claim on their packaging that vinegar is a disinfectant since the company has not registered it as a pesticide with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). However, it seems to be common knowledge in the industry that vinegar is powerfully antibacterial. Even the CBS news show 48 Hours had ...
More About: Products , Safe

All You Dog Lovers Out There:
2007-08-27 22:11:00
Hello everyone, My name is Patty and I will be heading up the Breeder section of the Blog. My family has been breeding Labrador Retievers since 1970 and are truly devoted to this wonderful breed and all dogs/animals in general.  To learn more about me please go to our web site at www.snowcolabradors.com.  If you scroll down on our Gallery page you will also see pictures of our Morgan horses we have bred and raised and of wild baby animals we have raised.  My life would not be complete without animals in it. I am also a certified personal trainer and get great satisfaction from my work.  You can see more about that aspect of my life at www.thebodymarket.com I also enjoy, cooking, gardening, reading, good wine and antiquing, but Labradors are my passion.  I live my life around my dogs and truly enjoy educating and helping others where their dogs are concerned. I will be discussing many topics here such as, finding a reputable breeder, buying a puppy, training, diet, and health is...
More About: Lovers

Cat Litter
2007-08-27 16:55:00
The topic of cat litter can be quite extensive as I have found being in cat groups on the Internet.  I, myself, prefer the more “natural based” cat litters.  I have used Arm and Hammer, Sweatscoop, ”World’ s Best Cat Litt er”, and various pine, cedar, and grain types.  I have allergy sinus problems, so dust is a big thing with me…plus, it means more cleaning.  I finally ended up with the Healthy Pet Brands.  I mixed the 2 types I used to be able to buy locally.  One was a pine blend I believe and the other was the milled grain that you will see here at Hearty Pet.  They stopped selling it locally, so it was off to the Internet for me.  I searched and researched and finally found Healthy Pet online at various web sites.  I have ordered from sites other than Hearty Pet, and their delay in placing the order and shipping was unreal.  I love how quickly you can get things here at Hearty Pet.  Well, at least in my area.  I live ...

Premium Pet Foods - Real Stories #1
2007-08-27 15:53:00
Hearty Pet will be sharing stories from our customers about their decisions to buy premium pet foods and the results they have seen. The stories are truly inspiring. Enjoy the reading  To Whom it May Concern: In March of 2004 we learned that one of our cats, Miss Weezer, had diabetes. I read as much as I could about the disease in cats and came to the conclusion that, since cats are obligate carnivores, I would remove as many of the carbohydrates from her diet as possible. I started by cooking chicken, beef, fish for her and eventually found Wellness canned cat foods. At that time, it was difficult to find premium (or any other) cat food with out grains or rice. Wellness fit the bill and it is a large part of her diet to this day. She especially likes Turkey and Salmon. We were able (with our vet’s supervision) to gradually reduce insulin over the years and, as of July 12, 2007, she is insulin free. If you’ve ever had a diabetic animal, you know that this is huge&nd...
More About: Stories , Real , Foods , Real Stories , Premium

The FURminator!
2007-08-18 16:01:00
Awesome grooming tool!  Has anyone else tried it?  I bought one the other week at the vet’s office and it has made the difference between night and day for me in grooming my cats.   They have three sizes available through veterinarians or pet supply stores.  They can be used on both cats and dogs.   Here is the link if anyone is interested.   http://www.furminator.com/testbed/index new.html Check out the video there.  Trust me, my cat’s hair came off just like that even though I have been brushing him daily with one of those small wire bristle brushes, which I thought was a good grooming tool until……THE FURMINATOR! 
More About: Mina

Hey Cat People!
2007-08-18 15:43:00
Hello all!   I will be heading up blogs dealing with cats and other miscellaneous items pending the mood.  I am Gizzaroo.  I presently have six cats.  All are “rescue kitties,” three of which are feral.  My most current adoption is Potter.  He is coming along quite well.   He is a very sweet kitten.  I caught him two weeks ago.  His mother is my next goal and hopefully, I can stop for a while.  That can be a lot of work…catching, taking care of and taming a feral.  I was worried about him being around the other big cats due to his size and how the others may bully him or ignore him.  Well, their hissing, etc., does not phase him.  He ends up chasing them around the house.  What a stinker!  He has made friends with the head of the cat household, so he pretty much is “in” with the rest of the cats…at least eventually he will be.  Just because I have chosen this route for me, does not mean I am not interested in other types of cats ...
More About: People

Shipping Costs - a Killer?
2007-08-14 04:05:00
Being in the online business, obviously shipping is always a hot topic and one of great debate. I was discussing this recently with a friend and he was shocked that people would pay to have food shipped to them. However, after  I explained it to him he understood how it wasn’t that much more expensive. Let me explain. First, there are people who live in areas that they simply cannot get their food without getting it online. For these people, its not really a matter of choice but a matter of necessity. We work hard to keep prices down and hope we can ease the pain of shipping for these people. Second, lets look at the economics of shipping. Lets say you live in an area where you have the benefit of a small premium food supplier. Chances are a place like this sits in the middle of several rural towns so best to supply everyone. Having said this, lets assume this business is 20 miles away from your house. A round trip will be 40 miles. Next, lets assume an average gas consumptio...
More About: Killer , Shipping , Costs

Here I Come to Save the Day
2007-07-23 18:43:00
Unbelievable how loyal and protecting our pets can be. Have you heard the story about the Chihuahua who lept in front of a rattlesnake to save a 1 yr old baby? Somewhere in Colorado a baby was playing around a birdbath with his companion Zoey next to him. When a rattlesnake lunged to bite the little boy, Zoey lept in front of him first and took the rattlesnake bites. The story ends happily as Zoey was treated and survived. Just mind blowing how loyal our companions are. They truly would give their life for us.
More About: Save , The D

Harry Potter
2007-07-19 17:47:00
Ok, so all the hype in the pet food industry seems to be focused on Orijen coming to the U.S. There is other hype in the world though! Mr Potter , Mr Harry Potter . This book series is truly unbelievable. The amount of interest in this surpasses anything I have seen, including the recent iPhone debut! Book stores received the new editions up to 48 hours before it was due to be released. They were under strict orders not to begin selling, but of course some retailers could not resist. And now, there are lawyers flying into retailers who broke their contractual obligations. Hold on, this is a kids book right? So, did you get your copy? In honor of the big release, we are offering a 10% discount on all orders placed between now and July 31st at 11:59 pm eastern. Simply enter coupon code HARRY at checkout. That’s it for now … until next time …

Coming to America
2007-07-19 17:36:00
Orijen pet foods have arrived in the U.S. I have to admit, a year ago I had never heard of this food. It seems the recalls earlier in 07 have prompted concerned pet owners to seek out the best of the best. From all accounts, Orijen fits this bill. Orijen is manufactured by Champion Pet Foods of Canada. Champion is a family owned and operated facility and they manufacture all their products themselves. No outsourcing here. I guess this was the key to making it so popular? Anyway, we have been inundated with requests for this and decided to bring it on board back in May. Not so fast! We’re dealing internationally! Things move slower when crossing borders I guess. Where was I? Oh yeah, ITS HERE! We just got our first delivery of Orijen and hope to get the word out that it is here at www.heartypet.com If you are looking for a new kibble to add to your rotation, I’d say give this a try. If you do try it, post back here and let us know how furry friend is doing on it. That&rsq...
More About: America , Ming

Welcome to our Blog!
2007-07-19 15:12:00
Greetings fellow pet lovers. My name is Michael Blair, and I am a Web Developer here at Hearty Pet. I will be the primary poster on this blog, but you certainly may see posts from other Hearty Pet team members. I may talk about anything from new website features, to new products, to current events. I am sure that I will stray from pet topics from time to time, but if anyone feels I get too far off course feel free to shoot me an email to let me know. I hope to get some interaction in these blogs. Our website will be much better with feedback from you, the customer. Let us know what you do and don’t like. What new types of products do you want to see us carry? What could we do to make your online experience a better one?  Well, thats my intro. Lets hear yours … until next time …
More About: Blog

Are Ticks and Fleas a Problem?
0000-00-00 00:00:00
My family lives on a 3 acre farmstead, with lush farm fields surrounded by 100 acres of beautiful rolling hills. We enjoy the outdoors but are so bothered by the pesky "deer" ticks in our area. It's very important as pet owners to protect our loved ones from fleas and ...
More About: Problem , Ticks