Our dog item list; 7 must haves!
Our dog item list; 7 must haves!
Our dogs need these
If you have a dog, you have certain items that are routinely handy. They make life with your best friend more fun, easy and/or comfortable. I’ve put together a short list of stuff that our household deems necessary. Your list is probably not the same, but this works for us.
Homemade dog food
We used to buy store bought food like everybody else we knew. But then we became aware of all the recalls out there. A little online research introduced me to the idea of cooking meals from human grade food. I found a couple of books to help me provide the right nutrition and got started. Everyone seems to have a different opinion of what the “right” way to feed a dog is, but this sure works for us.
- We don’t have to worry about recalls
- We have fewer tummy issues
- They have shiny coats and white teeth
We’ve had vets tell us that they’d like to recommend regular food but they just can’t tell us to change because our dogs look so good.
We don’t even use store bought treats. Chunks of cooked chicken or raw carrots work great! Chicken, rice, eggs, green beans, pumpkin, carrots, bananas, cottage cheese; these are dog items we always have on hand.
A camera. Specifically the one on my iPhone
Seems like everybody has their mobile phone on them lately. It keeps us connected to the outside world and has some pretty cool features.
The camera feature is one of the most important ones to me. If somebody does something funny or cute, I pull out the camera. And if I see a problem or am wondering what something is, the easiest way to explain is to take a photo and share it as needed. Nothing is as clear as a good photo. And those fun photos sure do make good memories. That’s why my camera is on the dog stuff list.
Supplements
You can find tons of various supplements out there. They can help with skin, overall health, relaxation, allergies, joints………………the list is endless.
The ones we like are Dasuquin with MSM for joint health and CBD Oil. We have seniors, as well as hip dysplasia and canine juvenile arthritis, here so joint maintenance is vital. We make sure we have these two dog items all the time.
Cold laser
Cold laser therapy has been working wonders for our dogs with their various issues. The one we decided to invest in was the XLR8 by Erchonia. It was definitely an investment, but our animals seem to get pretty effective pain relief, making the use of pain medicine much less frequent. We use it at least 2-3x/week on anyone who needs it. On the must have dog item list.
See my post about lasers for more info.
Martingale collar
We like the ones made by Lola, Ltd. They’re absolutely gorgeous and so well made. They’re nice and wide too, so the pressure is spread out, decreasing the chance of injury if your dog jerks really hard. They have the option of using prongs for training if necessary. We take the prongs out since we don’t have any that are pulling super hard. Prongs can be controversial, I know. I’m not going to debate their use here.
Winter coats and summer cool coats
Many dogs have difficulties in the cold or heat. A nice winter coat (which I happen to make, see Made by De for more) can help dogs enjoy the outdoors more. Likewise, a cool coat (which I also make) helps keep them cool so they can enjoy the fun! How much either of these is needed depends on your dog and the specific weather conditions. Living in Wyoming and having elderly/active dogs, we find the need for winter coats and cool coats from time to time. On the dog item list!
Chuckit Balls
A couple of our guys absolutely LOVE to play fetch. These chuckit balls are the only ones we use. Quinn, the resident ball addict, will choose to play fetch over high value treats every time. We don’t use the thrower, but just throw by hand. These balls can hold up to some chewing without getting ruined or getting chewed to pieces that could possibly get swallowed. Can’t live without these!
You and your dogs probably have items that you can’t live without, too. What are your favorites? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear!
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P.S. I make custom dog clothes to help dogs reach their best lives. If a custom dog coat sounds like a good idea, go to www.madebyde.com. I make every coat just for your dog.
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