Bend Pet Express - Winter Newsletter 2009 / premium pet food / natural pet food / dog food/ cat food / treats / supplies / toys / delivery service / Bend Oregon

Going Greener
Bend Pet Express’ New Year’s Resolution: We resolve to reduce the amount of waste produced as a business. An estimated 2,200,000 plastic bags, sacks, and wraps enter US landfills EVERYDAY. Once there, plastic bags can take up to 1,000 years to break down completely. Beginning January, 2009, we will be giving customers $.10 for each bag brought back for reuse, instead of us issuing a new one. You will have the choice of crediting this amount off your purchase, or donating to that month’s local, non-profit charities. The charities are the Redmond Humane Society, Dog PAC, and Neighborhood Impact Food Bank.We are proud to be among the first in our community that will be charging $.25 per bag that we supply. A durable cloth Bend Pet Express bag will also be available for $1.00. When this bag is reused, a $.25 bag credit will be issued. You’ll cover the cost of the bag with four uses and will make a profit from there on out.

Spindrift has your winter fun covered

Spindrift, our locally owned leash & collar company is excited to introduce their new snow booties. These nylon booties are designed to give your dogs proper, comfortable paw protection in the snow. They have a taller profile, which helps to keep them on your dog’s paws in the deeper snow, making them great for snow shoeing trips or skijoring. At $3 a bootie, they’re a steal.
Speaking of skijoring, which, in case you were wondering, is a winter

activity where your dog pulls you over the snow while you’re wearing skis. Spindrift is also able to design you and your dog a complete skijoring outfit consisting of a custom fit harness for your dog, a towline, and a harness for you. When skijoring, it is vital that your dog has the proper harness with the correct fit. These harnesses evenly distribute the weight your dog is pulling, which greatly reduces the chance of injury. Cold winter evenings can put a damper on your nightly walk; skijoring is a fantastic way to exercise your dog, while enjoying the great outdoors. Call Mike at 306-8507 to set up a fitting appointment.

Keep your cats hydrated

Cats, for one reason or another, are notoriously bad at staying properly hydrated. Poor hydration can lead to a long list of health issues including: Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease, Cystitis, bladder infection, and renal difficulty. Originating in arid climates, cats relied entirely on their meals for adequate hydration. Being obligate carnivores, a cat’s natural diet consists of freshly killed prey, which has water content much higher than the 10% moisture content of modern kibble. Some cats have problems drinking water from a bowl. For them, still water is interpreted as stagnant. Naturally drawn towards moving water for its fresh implications, these cats might be found drinking from a dripping faucet or out of the tub post shower.

Solutions:
*Feed canned food. Canned food has moisture content of 75-80%. It’s a good idea to introduce canned food at a young age, so they grow up used to the taste.
*Feed a raw diet. Aside from the many benefits of feeding a raw diet, cats fed raw often drink little to no water because of its high moisture content.
*Utilize a water fountain. Drinkwell Water Fountains continually cycle and filter while recreating a flowing water source.
*Try separating water and food. Instinctually, carnivores never eat their prey near a water source, this lessens the chance that a bigger predator will come along and steal their kill.
*Change your cat’s water often and try filtered water
* Try a larger bowl. If the water bowl is too small, cats are unable to get to the water without their whiskers touching the side of the bowl, which is a major annoyance for some of our feline friends.

Holiday Gift Ideas
We have a wide variety of
holiday toys to help spread the
Christmas cheer. From honking
Santas, to Christmas Henrietas,
you are sure to find a toy that
will bring holiday happiness to
any dog on your list. Holiday
toys range from $3 to $16. And
dogs are not the only four
legged friends that get to
partake in the yuletide joy; we
have catnip filled Santas,
reindeers, and snowmen for
your feline friends as well.

Does you furry friend need a
new place to cozy up this
winter? Check out the new
Snoozy Beds. At $26, they’re a
bargain your pets are sure to
appreciate.

It goes without saying that
winters can be awfully cold
here in Central Oregon. In
order to help your pets stay
comfortable and safe this
winter, you may want to look
into a heated water bowl or a
heat pad. Hydration is
important year round, but
especially vital during the
winter months. When your pet
exhales, each breath contains
some water vapor, the colder
and drier the air, the more
water vapor is lost per breath.
If you have an outdoor pet, it
may be necessary to get a
heated water bowl to keep the
water from freezing.

To help your pets avoid
hypothermia, you may want to
look into a heated pad. We have
three main varieties: electric,
microwavable, and self
warming. In addition to keeping
your pets warm, heated pads
can help relieve aching joints,
muscles, and bones.

Change is Good

It is a common misconception that once you find a food that your pet does well with, its best to stick with that exact formula. Doing that may cause more harm than good. If fed the same food over a prolonged period of time, pets have a higher chance of developing allergies to that food. The more varied protein sources your pets eat, the better. We recommend changing protein sources every three months. Feeding for that long gives you a very good picture of how your pet responds to each protein source.
In addition to avoiding allergies, rotating foods may also stimulate appetite in a pet that has become bored with the same old food. If for no other reason, it’s a good idea to change for the sake of change itself, after all, variety is the spice of life!
When changing formulas, each pet will react differently. Some are able to make a seamless transition from one formula to another, while others need a transition time of up to ten days. A good rule of thumb is to use the following process:

If the pet becomes gassy, or if vomiting or diarrhea occurs, lower the amount of the new formula. Digestive aids, such as Optigest, are very effective at alleviating these afflictions. Soaking the kibble in warm water for a few minutes prior to feeding can also help in the digestion process.
All foods sold at Bend Pet Express are 100 % guaranteed, so feel free to explore. If you are not happy with the way your pet is responding to the new food, even if they simply do not like it, just bring back the remaining food or unopened cans in the original package you bought it in, along with the receipt, and we will be happy to issue a store credit.

Keeping winter fun and safe

Dogs love snow. They love running in it, they love rolling in it, they just love it! But for some of our longer coated pups, the snow has an uncomfortable side effect, the “fur snowball”. This occurs when snow accumulates on wet fur into large, cumbersome balls. To avoid this, use Show Sheen, a pet safe, silicon based solution. Simply spray directly on your dog, focusing on the belly, legs and tail, and then work the solution into the coat. If correctly applied, one application can last up to a week.

Also, to prevent snowball buildup between your dog’s toes, give Musher’s Secret a try. This 100% natural wax based product acts as a “second skin” on your dog’s pads. Much like Show Sheen, one application, when correctly applied can provide up to a week of paw protection from snow build up and ice burn.