News, Advice and Resources for Thoughtful Pet People
Here’s Episode 106 – Vet Visit:
Learn the steps you can take so your dog is less anxious when visiting your vet.
Click below to play.
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You can listen to it here and or on iTunes. We also have an RSS feed you can subscribe to if you use an RSS reader.
Check out these topics mentioned in the podcast:
Here’s Episode 105 – Thrifty Pets:
Ideas for saving money while still taking great care of your pets.
Click below to play.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
You can listen to it here and or on iTunes. We also have an RSS feed you can subscribe to if you use an RSS reader.
Check out these topics mentioned in the podcast:
(Full disclosure: We do have some Costco stock. In our vast, vast holdings. Oh yeah!)
Update April 19, 2011: I’ve recently gotten a few questions about this post, so I thought I’d repost it for those of you who may have missed it. This is such a great idea for an Earth Day project! Let me know if you make one yourself.
Last week I wrote about an environmentally friendly way to dispose of your dog’s poop using a waste digester—the Doggie Dooley or the Staywell Eco Clean. They work like a miniature septic tank. They can also cost a pretty penny and depending on how many dogs you have, may not be able to handle all your poop problems.
Happily you can make your own pet waste digester for dirt cheap. You’ll need:
Don’t locate your waste digester anywhere near edible plants. And don’t put one of these too close to water, like a river bank, or anywhere where the water table is high. Waste digesters won’t work properly in very clayey soil and digestive activity stops below 40°F, but picks up again when the weather warms up. If you live in a cool area, try to locate your digester in a sunnier part of your yard. Also, too much chlorine in the water you add to the digester may slow digestive activity.
Check out the detailed slide show for a DIY waste digester and make your own.
The video tells you how it works and how to maintain you DIY Doggie Dooley.
Here are three tutorials for easy no-sew dog toys you can make last minute. These aren’t for heavy chewers. Don’t miss these no sew cat toys for your kitty friends. Looking for more DIY inspiration? Check out the DIY Archive for lots of pet projects!
The first is a fleece pom-pom. You’ll need about 1/8 of a yard of fleece–it can be scraps. You could scale this down for a smaller dog.
Here are patterns for a fleece cube or triangle made by tying the pieces of fringe together. The amount of fleece you need depends on what size toy you want. You’ll also need some fiberfill or scraps for stuffing.
The last one is a tug toy made from yarn twine. You’ll need about 14 yards of yarn and about 34 yards of cotton or polyester twine. It seems you could also use thicker line or rope.
Before you get rid those out-of-style sweaters you’ve been holding onto, consider making them into a snuggly bed for your pet. One way is to make a pet bed by crocheting strips of old sweaters. Pick colors that look good together—that awful 1980’s mustard yellow should probably be avoided. Visit a thrift store if you’re short on old sweaters. Or if you only have ones that are mustard yellow. No really.
