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Thursday, October 25, 2012

It's National Lead Poison Prevention Week!

This week is National Lead Poison Prevention Week, a week to create awareness of the dangers of lead poisoning.

Originally designed to bring awareness of lead dangers for children, the National Lead Poison Prevention Week is also a great time to bring awareness to the dangers of lead poison for dogs!

What you may not know is that lead in our environment is much more prevalent than many realize. Dogs by nature are mouthy creatures, they lick surfaces, eat soil, chew toys and drink water from whatever container you may provide for them and more. All of this mouthing could be a recipe for a dangerous amount of lead intoxication to lead to lead poisoning in your dog unless you know what to help them avoid.

Many believe that lead based paint is the most common source of lead poisoning in children and pets. But the reality is that exposure can occur through a wide variety of sources including lead paint, dog toys, drinking water, ceramic bowls and more.

If your home was built before 1978, chances are it was painted with lead containing paint. Undisturbed this paint is not dangerous, but doors painted with lead paint when rubbed together and chipped lead paint can expose enough lead toxin in the environment to poison a child and a dog.

If you suspect that your home may contain lead paint or any of your furniture may have been painted before 1978, or if you have lead pipes in your older home, we encourage you to have your home and items tested for potential lead exposure by contacting your local certified lead inspector and renovator.

In addition, in past years we've written about a wide variety of products that dogs are exposed to that may contain dangerous amounts of lead; everything from water from the garden house, tennis balls and other toys made in China, to certain types of dog bowls. We encourage you to read up on these past posts to learn more about how to keep your dog safe.
For more information about lead poisoning and lead related potential sources visit the CDC website. And to learn about the symptoms and treatment options for lead poisoning in dogs visit PetMD.

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Make a homemade Halloween costume for your dog!

Want to have some fun, be unique, be more green and have your green dog be the bell of the Halloween Ball? Here are some great pet costume ideas and instructions that you can make right at home.

Remember to always use reusable materials you have around your home if you can to make your dog's costume the greenest it can be!

One of our absolute favorite costume ideas is this handmade spider dog costume that Martha Stewart made for her Sharkey. Make it green by using some old black and orange material from a sweatshirt or sweatpants!

For more fun make-your-own pet costume ideas and instructions visit MarthaStewart.com.

Be creative and have fun finding reusable materials around your home as substitutes for suggested materials. Like this cute costume dress from an old t-shirt and some lace!

Here are a couple of patterns from McCalls that may help give you some sewing help. If you like to knit or crochet, here are some great ideas. And for some other pawsome ideas, check out these:
Happy Howl-o-ween!!! Arrrooooo!!!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Is house cleaning harming your dog?

A couple of weeks ago our friends at the Environmental Working Group released their 2012 Guide to Healthy Cleaning, a list of more than 2,000 household cleaning products that are graded from A to F, according to health safety.

The EWG report includes ratings of all types of household cleaning and deodorizing products from air fresheners, to floor cleaners, and all purpose cleaners, to kitchen, laundry and bathroom cleaning products.

Not surprising they found that 'some household cleaning products can expose unsuspecting users to toxic substances linked to short- and long-term health problems, including asthma, allergic reactions and even cancer.' If they are affecting humans in this manner, just imagine what affect they can have on our dogs who are closer to the floor, eat off the floor, and lick a wide variety of surfaces!

Did you know that a full list of ingredients on labels are required for food, cosmetics and drugs sold in the U.S. – but not for cleaning products?

According to EWG, 'just 7 percent of cleaning products adequately disclosed their contents. To uncover what’s in common household cleaners, EWG’s staff scientists spent 14 months scouring product labels and digging through company websites and technical documents. EWG staff reviewed each ingredient against 15 U.S. and international toxicity databases and numerous scientific and medical journals.'

Back in 2008 a similar study was conducted by the University of Washington focusing on the top-selling laundry products and air fresheners. They 'found the products emitted dozens of different chemicals. All six products tested gave off at least one chemical regulated as toxic or hazardous under federal laws, but none of those chemicals were listed on the product labels.'

Let's look at an example on the EWG's list:

Simple Green Carpet Cleaner - You'd think that with a name like Simple Green that this product would be not only healthier, but more eco-friendly, as well. According to research by the EWG, Simple Green Carpet Cleaner contains a wide variety of toxic chemicals that are linked to developmental, endocrine and reproductive effects, cancer, skin irritation, allergies, damage to DNA, respiratory effects, acute aquatic toxicity, digestive system effects, nervous system effects, and damage to vision. This is a dangerous combination, especially for dogs that spend much of their life on our floors and carpet.

However not all Simple Green products are harmful. Simple Green Naturals Carpet Care and Floor Care products get much higher ratings than the above mentioned Carpet Cleaner.

Before you reach for that cleaner - whether it be labeled green, all-natural or not - be careful and think about how these store bought cleaners may be harmful to you and your dog. Do your research and read more about what the EWG found when conducting this study of very popular cleaning products.

Watch for an upcoming post to help you make healthier and safer cleaning products from common household items you probably have around your home, easily and quickly!

Monday, October 8, 2012

Welcome new RAGD Partners RedMoon Custom Pet Food and All Dogs Big and Small!

We are super excited to introduce two new Raise A Green Dog Partners today!

The first is RedMoon Custom Pet Food!

If you are looking for a quality kibble for your pup that's completely customized to their dietary needs and contains only fresh, all-natural ingredients, look no further!

RedMoon selects only the healthiest, freshest ingredients, using locally sourced meats such as chicken, lamb and liver, along with raw fruits and vegetables. Their food contains no corn, no wheat, no grain, no soy and no gluten. And they include supplements developed by natural pet nutritionists which are not cooked or denatured in any way.

They are committed to fresh food, and your bag of RedMoon Custom Pet Food is not made until you order it. Developed by PhDs in animal nutrition, their base formulas are designed to help with common pet allergens and they are so confident that you and your pet will love their food they back it up with a no risk guarantee and free shipping too!

It easy to order your RedMoon Custom Pet Food, just go to their site, and click on the button to start creating your custom pet food. select your preferred protein, select your pet's energy level, choose a bag and kibble size (coming soon), select the supplements you would like to add (includes immune boosters, skin and coat, oral health, join reviver, digestive aids and more), name your custom pet food (cool huh?), and you're done!

RedMoon also has amazingly healthy treats available that you can add to your pet's diet...really nice treats that compliment your pet's custom diet! Don't forget to visit them on Facebook too!

Our other featured Raise A Green Dog Partner today is All Dogs Big and Small, where the good, green, eco-friendly products meet for the health and happiness of pooches, people and the planet!

All Dogs Big and Small carries a wide variety of eco-friendly, healthy and safer products for your dog including, collars, shampoos and conditioners, toys, treats, supplements, cool gifts for dog lovers and more!

Inspired by dog Tay Czar and the rest of the pack, the site and company is committed to bringing you the healthiest and greenest products available for dogs. Tay Czar even has a list of paw pals on the site talking about how much they love the products and the service!

Their product listing features brands such as Waggin Green, Naturally Bamboo, Nikki Green, Pet Naturals of Vermont, Wagatha's, Antlerz, Aroma Paws, Bach Flower Remedies, Cain and Abel, Cloud Star, and more!

Be sure and visit them on Facebook too!
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