Domino Doggie

Indiana, our Shar Pei mix, joined the Domino Doggie family last November. After getting him situated, one of our immediate concerns was that he had very obvious skin issues. Doggie dandruff and extremely dry skin led to Indiana developing a habit of literally gnawing on himself for relief from the itchiness, and soon he was sporting bare patches of skin that looked red and irritated.

After confirming that he didn’t have fleas or a fungal infection, we started experimenting with ways to soothe his inflamed skin. Hydrocortisone sprays were a very temporary relief, and he absolutely hated the application process. Soothing oatmeal & shea butter shampoos made his fur glisten, but seemed to have to effect on his skin problems. Changing his food produced absolutely no difference at all.

Finally, it dawned on me that I could handle his dry skin much the same way I handle mine: I take flax seed oil supplements, and the difference in my skin is huge. When I run out or forget to take my fatty acids for a few days, my skin basically throws a fit and gets overly sensitized and breaks out. I wondered if giving Indiana some concentrated doses of fatty acids would yield the same sort of soothing, healing results as it did in my own skin, so I began researching and looking into various “skin & coat” dog supplements, especially the ones that included flax seed oil.

After about a week’s worth of consideration, I settled on WellCoat Healthy Skin & Coat Formula by Old Mother Hubbard. I’d fed my dogs food and treats by Wellness before, and had always been impressed by the high grade of their ingredients, lack of filler, and how much the animals seemed to enjoy their products. Furthermore, the WellCoat capsules include a wide range of fatty acid sources - 275 mg Borage Seed Oil, 125 mg Fish Oil, 75mg Oil of Evening Primrose, 25 mg Sunflower Oil, 25 mg Flax Seed Oil, and 10 IU of Vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol). This produced a good, complete mix of essential fatty acids (CLA, GLA, ALA, etc) - the fact that it seemed like the kind of effective supplement I’d buy for myself if I was having skin problems really sold me.

Upon purchasing the WellCoat pills, my first concern was if Indiana would be down with taking a gel-cap. Luckily for me, both he and Domino have pretty much gone crazy over the taste and consistency of these supplements: it’s at the point now that whenever they hear a bottle of pills/supplements being opened, they both CHARGE to wherever the noise came from in hopes of scoring more WellCoat. So apparently, the taste is fantastic in their minds.

Indiana’s about halfway through his 60-cap bottle now (taking 2-3 gel-caps a day) and the impact it’s had on his skin and coat is staggering. I honestly didn’t expect the supplements to help as much as they have: his dandruff is all but gone, his compulsive gnawing on himself as gone WAY down - he scratches about as much as a normal dog would now. His bare patches have significantly healed and the fur is about halfway grown back, with no new hot spots popping up since he’s been taking the WellCoat.

Overall, I’m extremely please with these supplements, and if your pet is having similar problems - don’t hesitate to give the WellCoat a try. Once we’ve finished the 60-cap bottle we’re on now, I fully intend to repurchase the 120-cap size and continue buying & using the WellCoat as long as it’s necessary.

Best Price: $12.99 & $19.99 at JB Pet Supplies

Apparently, February is not only Black History Month; it’s also Pet Dental Care Month, or so countless online pet retailers are announcing on their main pages. So I figure now is as good as any of a time to review my one foray into doggie dental care (beyond Greenies and other minty chewies, of course): the Easy Brush Bone, produced by Farnam.

I grabbed the Easy Brush Bone at a deep discount when my previous pet store employer was getting rid of overstock - for under $5, I couldn’t think of a reason NOT to try it, especially since the version I got came with a free tube of the Petrodex Poultry-Flavored Dog Toothpaste. I took my impulse buy home and prepared to spring it on my unsuspecting, yucky-breathed Boxer.

Preparation is easy enough: simply squeeze a small amount of the paste on one end of the “brush” bristles, rub it in a bit, and hand it to your pet for about 2-3 minutes of supervised (the brush is very flexible; keep a close eye on aggressive chewers to make sure they’re not chomping off sections of the brush itself) chewing.

My Boxer can be picky at times, so it was a relief when she immediately took to the Easy Brush Bone and gnawed away happily at the bristled end for her allotted 3 minutes. Apparently, it must’ve been a real hit with her, because once I removed the brush and began to rinse out the bristles in the sink, she sat at attention, begging for me to return it to her. I caught her a few times later in the night, nonchalantly moseying over towards the counter where the Easy Brush Bone was sitting, hoping to reclaim her new “chew toy”. So if you’re skeptical of whether or not a dog will actually use the bone properly and LIKE it, the answer seems to be a resounding yes.

We’ve since been using the Easy Brush Bone regularly (about 2-3 minutes every other day, on average), and the dogs have never tired of it yet. I’ve used only the poultry-flavored paste thus far; they also make a beef version which I intend to buy next. I’m about ready to replace the brush bone, as well - it’s certainly been well-loved, and after a few months, it shows. But it seems to be a worthy purchase if your dog’s dental hygiene is a concern: not only is it a recreational hit, both of my dogs have almost blinding white teeth after using this regularly. Color me impressed.

Best Price: $11.99 @ JB Pet Supplies

Welcome to Domino Doggie! This website was born out of two things: my love of my two dogs (and love of rambling about them), and my love of shopping for & reviewing new products.

The pet industry has become HUGE in recent years, which has led to an overload of pet products. Picking & choosing the right products for your dog’s needs can be daunting, when a simple search for “chew toys” or “dog shampoo” can now produce hundreds of results.

How do you know which product is best? Hopefully, we can help make that choice a little easier. I’m not only a dog owner, but I used to work at a fairly large pet supply company, which has lead to me trying & testing a LOT of pet products. My dogs are extremely spoiled, and I figured it was time to share our feelings & reactions to the vast amount of stuff we’ve tried, and all the new products we’re sure to try in the future.

What exactly will you find here? Not just reviews (although there will be a lot of those - on everything from food, toys, and treats to supplements, first aid items, and training tools), but also stories, thoughts, and ideas that stem from my times as both a pet store employee AND the owner of two wonderful dogs.

So come on in, get to know us and enjoy the ride!