Things Emmy Used

Emmy trotted at about 4mph on our 12-year-old Health Rider treadmill for approximately 2 – 3 miles, during bad weather, and on days I could not walk her. (With close supervision, of course!) Not only did she not “mind” it, she seemed to enjoy it after learning how. It only took us about 2 weeks to get to that point (using a clicker and lots of treats), but it was more than worth it! If our treadmill ever gives up the ghost, we probably will get a used treadmill at a used sports equipment store or via Craigslist or eBay.

Petrodex Pet Toothpaste or Nutri-Vet Pet Toothpaste – usually Malt Flavor.   Recently discovered Virbac C.E.T. Enzymatic Dog & Cat Vanilla-Mint Flavor Toothpaste which Emmy liked even better. It also works better. I brush her tongue and the roof of her mouth, too, to reduce dog-breath odor.

For those who want to, you can get teeth wipes, paw wipes, and, yes, even butt wipes! I just used baby wipes for paws and butt, and didn’t bother with teeth wipes. Between brushings, I did use Petrodex Breath Spray (the red color) and found it worked well – especially over time. It’s effectiveness seemed to accumulate over time with regular use.

Dental Fresh Water Additive (works for cats, too) To keep her breath fresh and reduce plaque, both for her and for the cats. Seems to work! Her breath is not nearly as “doggie” as it was.

Nylabone DuraChew Textured Bone Chicken Flavor Dog Toy Available from Many dog toy suppliers. I like Chewy.com the best.

Service Dog Tags – these are wonderful for traveling.

Kong Saucer (available from PetSmart) (Emmy wasn’t enthusiastic about it…)

Kong 2 1/2″ diameter ball (available from PetSmart)

THIS was a bust, so I gave it to someone else! Emmy did NOT like chasing balls, no matter the treat. GoDogGo is an automatic ball launcher that “threw” balls 12 – 35′. The new model throws them 12′ – 45′. And I will get one for the new Woof – once I ascertain that she enjoys chasing balls. In the meantime, I DO recommend it for dogs that enjoy chasing balls. It has a bucket that can be filled with nearly 25 balls at a time! If you train the dog to return the ball to the bucket, your dog can have hours of play without anything more from you than enthusiastic encouragement.

Hyper Dog Chew Disc

Kong original chew toy (available from PetSmart)

A cloth frisbee – Hyper Products Gnaws Disc Dog Toy! She loved it. We can play frisbee indoors in the hallway.

Hyper Dog Chew Disc

 Little stuffed toys that she can carry around with her – especially if they squeek or squawk when she chews on them. She loves the little “dachshund” stuffed toys. Also, those little “stuffless” toy things that look kind of gross – but she likes her fox and will chase it all over the house! They have squeakers in head and tail.

Nylabone Wolf size (She destroyed them regularly – loved them!) (Available from Chewy.com, PetSmart, PetCo, Pet Supermarket and other pet stores as well as Walmart.)

Used to eat Nutro Natural Choice Lamb Meal and Rice (available from PetSmart), then switched to Taste of the Wild Wetlands Formula. It did not help her allergy symptoms so we had her allergy tested. YIKES!

She was allergic to wheat, corn, barley, and sweet potato (among foods). So she was then put on Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Hypoallergenic Selected Protein PD (Potato & Duck) Dry Dog Food – which we have to get from the Vet. I have ordered it from Chewy.com. They called the vet each time to ensure Emmy was still on it. Price was pretty consistent between Chewy and our vet.

In addition, she was allergic to pine (PINE?!?! 10 pines of various types in our yard alone! Not counting the neighbors’!), ragweed (YIKES!!), Burmuda grass (OMIGOD!) and Bluegrass! (WHERE did she get exposed to Bluegrass???) So allergy shots began in Jan or Feb when pollens are at their lowest. Giving an opportunity for her immune system to build up so she would, perhaps, have less reaction to the spring pollens. GOODNESS gracious!

Treats: baby carrots – cut into about 1/4 – 1/3 inch thick rounds or Sargento Light String Cheese – cut into 1/4 – 1/3 inch pieces for treats. Treats are just that – TREATS. Not for just giving because she does something cute, but because she performs her behaviors on cue.

We used the Gentle Leader® Headcollar – she is strong and I cannot handle her if she pulls too hard even with a Martingale collar. The Gentle Leader® Headcollar makes it much easier to control her when she gets a “bee in her bonnet” to investigate something in the leaves as we walk along. This is NOT a muzzle, and does not interfere with her picking small diameter things up for me, receiving treats, etc. IF she had been a “biting” kind of dog, it would not have prevented biting. With a service dog, however, their temperament is such that they do NOT bite! That is not a concern.

We used the Sure-Fit® Harness in the car.

At night we used a SpotLit from Gadgets and Gear so we could see the black dog in the shadowed back yard at night.

We used a leather lead – twisted style. She wears a 3/4″ wide leather collar. Both are available either from LDS Leather Company, or Bold Lead Designs

Doggie Walk Bags. They are little rolls of poop bags in colorful dispensers.

I like (and use) the S.A.S.I (Scoop And Sack It) pooper scooper for the back yard.

At vet’s recommendation, we started using OTI-Soothe which reduced her ear itching a bit.

We used the Dremel 7300-PT 4.8-Volt Pet Grooming Kit She was not enthusiastic, but became tolerant of the procedure. I only tried to do about 3-4 nails at a time, then let her do other things for a while. We came back and did 3-4 more nails later. We kept at it until the job was done – usually taking a couple of days a week to do it. It only took a few minutes each time. Plenty of treats for her keep her very happy!

We once used Perfect Coat Dog Wipes to keep Emmy smelling sweet. These really worked GREAT! Available from PetSmart and online from a slew of places, including Drs. Foster and Smith (which is one of my favorite places). BUT, they got really expensive. Then I heard that several service dog owners just use Baby Wipes! So I started using them – and they work just as well. Getting the store brand makes them soooo much cheaper!

If I were going to be among people known to be allergic to dogs, I had Allerpet. It can be used for dogs, cats AND birds!

She used Poochie-Bells to let us know when she needed to go out – much better than whining!!

Why am I listing all this stuff? Because now I will know exactly where to find this list when the time comes that I need something and can’t remember what the brand is, or where I got it! The new Woof will need some of this stuff, too.

If this helps others, more to the good! I’ll add more as things change or are added.