Some of the most frequent questions I get on Instagram are about what pet products I use for Pani. People ask about everything from simple things like dog shampoo to more specific questions about how I make her food. I spent today going through all the products I have for her and finding the absolute top must have ones that I would recommend to all of you. These are the ones I’ve bought over the years for my foster dogs and Pani that I absolutely love and cannot live without. Here my recommendations for the best products for dogs:
1. Dr. Pitcairn’s Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats (4th Edition) // If you’ve followed for a while, you’ll know I sing this book’s praises all the time. This book added years to my family dog Cody’s life and has been my absolute guide for caring for all my previous foster dogs and now Pani. I learned so many invaluable lessons from this book including the importance of nutrition for our four legged friends, that skin issues are the first sign of internal issues, the many effective holistic treatment options that exist for our pets and so much more. Since I’ve raised Pani using the principles in this book, she is so much healthier than any of the dogs I’ve had before, and that’s even despite the fact that she is paralyzed and can’t walk on her own. She has no skin issues at all (she had them when I first started fostering her and we healed them naturally), she takes no medications, despite being paralyzed she is so physically fit and can go for walks in her wheelchair for hours on end, has the softest fur (people always comment on this), and has no gunk in her eyes or tear stains. This book is also full of recipes for making your dog’s food at home, which is what I do for Pani. If you are interested in natural, holistic pet care, this book is for you. I really can’t recommend it enough!
2. Furbo Dog Camera // Oh my gosh not only do I love this thing for the peace of mind it offers, but I also love it because it has been so helpful in learning how to best care for Pani. Furbo is a dog camera and app that you sync up on your smartphone. It allows you to check in on your pup LIVE whenever you want to see exactly what they are doing. The Furbo camera is great because it allows you to throw your dog treats and talk to them directly – so useful if you see them doing something naughty (or something really good that deserves a treat 🙂 )! It has several great functions like alerting you if your dog is getting active, barking repeatedly or if the camera spots a human. I was apprehensive to get it at first because I thought I might obsessively check it all the time, but turns out I don’t at all. Most days I even forget to check it when I’m not home, but just having the peace of mind that I can check in on her if I want/need to is so reassuring.
And Furbo helped me in transition Pani out of her crate while I am away. I used to leave Pani in a crate because I wasn’t sure if she would a) do anything naughty while I was gone or b) if she would bark or cry (which would not be good because I live in an apartment building). So when I decided to do the first couple trial runs leaving her free in the apartment while I was gone, I learned from watching the Furbo that not only did she not do anything naughty or bark at all, all she does is sleep by the front door and wait for me to come home (ugh, how cute!). After learning this we were able to retire the crate for good and she hasn’t used it for over 8 months. You can also set up the Furbo to alert you if your smoke or carbon monoxide alarm is going off. The Furbo is an investment but to me it feels worth every penny!
3. Organic Canine Toothpaste // If you follow me on Instagram you’ve seen me post about this canine toothpaste before because it is a product I was sooo happy to discover after years of searching for an organic, clean, natural and effective toothpaste to use for Pani. Dental care is so important for our dogs and something most of us learn the hard way when our pets are older and end up needing several teeth removed. Prevention is key, so I brush her teeth everyday! There are several canine toothpastes on the market, but most of them are full of chemicals and animal products (like beef fat), which is totally unnecessary. I stumbled upon eco-friendly dental care brand Radius’ Organic Canine Toothpaste earlier this year and I was so pleased to see that in addition to being organic it is also vegan and cruelty-free. Such a hard combo to come by in canine toothpaste! If you need a toothbrush for your dog too they also have these Organic Canine Dental Care Kits that include a toothbrush.
4. Vegan “Bones” // Years ago I was introduced to these vegan-friendly bones called “gorilla chews” that are made of wood. Pani loves hers and every night takes one out of her toy basket to chew it. I highly recommend it for a vegan-friendly bone alternative. I also found them in a larger size for big dogs here.
5. MaryRuth’s Organic Liquid Probiotic for Dogs // We know probiotics are helpful for our own gut health, and the same goes for our dogs and cats. One of the cleanest and most respected supplement brands for humans (MaryRuth’s Organics) makes probiotics held to the exact same human grade standards, for our pets too. This probiotic is USDA organic, non-GMO, raw, vegan and cruelty-free. Pani has taken this probiotic since I first started fostering her. I add it right to her food. MaryRuth’s makes a probiotic for cats too.
6. Earthbath Dog Shampoo // Just like I want the products I put in Pani’s body to be clean and healthy, the same goes for what I put on her body too. I have used this brand of dog shampoo since my first family dog, through all my foster dogs and now with Pani. They have a puppy shampoo as well as shampoos for all different canine needs and cat shampoos too. This brand was created for conscientious pet lovers who also care about the environment. Their production process is aimed at reducing their carbon footprint and their products are cruelty-free, vegan and made from only the safest ingredients from nature. Since Pani gets a lot of baths (because she wears diapers), I still use the Mild Puppy Shampoo for her. Shop all the Earthbath shampoos here.
Hope you find these products as helpful as I do. Do you have any other recommendations for the best products for dogs? If so leave them in the comments section below.
