Other products for your pets

Author(s)Bob Alaburda, Associate Editorial Director, Julia Burke, Associate Editor, Sydney Yankowicz, Assistant Editor

Advice on selecting and recommending the best pet products for patients and clients

There is a plethora of products available on the pet market for play, grooming, hygiene, and more. The following survey results feature veterinarian recommendations for dog chew toys, nail trimmers, cat litter, pet insurance, microchip implants, and DNA testing.

Toys

Toys are for more than just fun. Play is essential to a pet’s overall well-being. Owners can find the best toys for their pets by providing options, then analyzing their behavior to determine the best fit. In an interview with dvm360®, Debbie Martin, CPDT-KA, KPA CTP, LVT, VTS (Behavior), co-owner of TEAM Education in Animal Behavior, said dogs’ preferences in toys can be breed specific, such as retrievers. “They like to put [or hold] things in their mouth. Maybe they like to chase, get the thing, and bring it to you,” Martin said.

Nail Trimmers

In a recent episode of the Fear Free Pets podcast, Steve Dale, CABC, addressed the anxiety some pets face with nail trimmers. He spoke with the lead animal trainer for Fear Free Pets, Mikkel Becker, CTC, KPA CTP, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, CDBC. For the owner whose pet runs or hides when the nail clippers come out, they provided the following tips and tricks:

Replace trimmers your pet already associates with fear.
Make a positive association before clipping a single nail.
Give positive reinforcement for each nail clipped.

Cat Litter

Finding the right cat litter is important not only for the cat, but also the cat owner. According to The Humane Society, “Most cats prefer fine-grained litters, presumably because they have a softer feel. Newer scoopable and ‘clumping’ litter have finer grains than typical clay litter and are very popular because they keep down the odor. But high-quality, dustfree clay litters are fairly small-grained and may be perfectly acceptable to your cat.”¹

Pet Safety Products

With technology consistently evolving, there are more and more pet products available for ensuring the safety of your pet. Some of these include pet insurance, microchip implants, and DNA-testing.

Reference

Preventing litter box problems. The Humane Society of the United States. Accessed July 28, 2022. https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/preventing-litter-box-problems