Search Results for: blog go green with your pets

CDC Warns Against Leafy Greens, Poultry, and Dairy

It sounds crazy, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a statement about leafy greens, poultry, and dairy after a recent study and it ain’t good. For a ten-year period, between 1998 and 2008, leafy green such as kale, lettuce, and spinach were the leading causes of food-borne illnesses in the United States.  But, it was dairy products that lead to the most hospitalizations.  And, poultry – well, that led to the most deaths. Now, the CDC didn’t release this info to scare you (although it did me!).  Patricia Griffin, a food-borne disease expert with the … Continue reading →

Silly Gourmet Pet Foods

While on a walk with my dog in a nearby town I discovered a doggie cafe. I thought that perhaps this establishment was a cafe that, if it didn’t cater to dogs, at least allowed owners to take their dogs inside. I knew this was unlikely, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to take a look inside. What I found, to my disappointment (but not to my surprise) was a pet supply store. The reason it called itself a cafe was tucked into a side room. There, stretching along the entire back wall, was a bakery display case filled with … Continue reading →

Treating Your Pup’s Mosquito Bites

We have a mosquito infestation in our yard. It’s not nearly as bad as it was last year; our dry spring gave the pests less places to breed. Still, once the season’s started I can barely enjoy my yard, even on cool days, because sitting still out on the porch leads to multiple bites in minutes. I’m not the only one susceptible to mosquito bites; my dog gets them too. I think she got a bite sometime last week, because she’s been particularly itchy at one spot on her side. She chews it and scratches it all of the time, … Continue reading →

Green Uses for Vinegar – Part 1

Posted on by

Isn’t it a great thing when you can take something as simple as vinegar – something so cheap and easily assessable – and do great things around the house with it? For one thing, vinegar is great for cleaning household areas including the bathroom (i.e. getting rid of that bathtub ring and scum from the shower doors), countertops, soap dishes, the refrigerator, and cutting boards. My husband also buys dishwasher cleaners, but guess what? Putting a little vinegar in your dishwasher each month will clean it. And, if your coffee pot is getting a bit funky, run vinegar through one … Continue reading →

What’s Your Dream Pet?

A topic I’ve been playing with for a while on the families.com pets forums is: what’s your dream pet? As an animal lover since childhood I’ve gone through many species I’ve wanted to keep as pets, and it’s always fun to hear what other people dream about as well. My dream pets are usually wild species; there’s actually a chance of me getting to keep a teacup pig, for example, but I’ll never get to have a tiger as my personal friend and protector like Jasmine did in “Aladdin.” I know better than to actually try to keep any sort … Continue reading →

Does Your Household Product Meet the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval?

You are probably familiar with the magazine, “Good Housekeeping.” It has been in circulation for 100 years now. That is pretty amazing. One of the unique features is the “Good Housekeeping Seal.” This is a list of products that have been approved under their stringent judgments. The seal actually guarantees consumers that if they purchase a product with their seal and it is found to be defective within two years from the date it was purchased, they will receive a replacement, refund or repair kit. So needless to say, you pretty much can’t go wrong when you purchase a product … Continue reading →

For Green-Thumbed Pet Lovers

As I write this I’m sitting on my porch. Though many days recently have been so grossly hot and humid that I’ve never wanted to venture outdoors, some have been pleasant, especially in the mornings. These days I’ve taken to bringing my laptop out to the porch and completing my work here. I let the dog wander around the yard as I do so. Just a moment ago I had to do something that’s become common during these work outdoors mornings: chase my dog away from my garden. The majority of my garden items – herbs and berries – are … Continue reading →

Care of Your Floors

We have tackled a couple of housekeeping tips in our living areas but will end with the care of floors. Some living areas are carpeted and some have hardwood floors. So the type of care you give to your floors will depend on this. I only have hardwood floors, with just a couple of rooms in my entire house being carpeted. So I don’t do much with vacuuming and when I do, I use a fairly common type of vacuum. From what I understand however, the dream machine to own if you have carpeting is a Dyson. All you Dyson … Continue reading →

Go-To Cleaners

Like many homeowners I have a core collection of cleaners that I immediately reach for when I am in a jam. They include: Lysol, Clorox, and X-14. I use a variety of Clorox products, but they all work about the same. No surprise there since they all contain bleach as their active ingredient. Now that I think about it, I could probably save a ton of money if I simply bought a few gallons of bleach, diluted it with water, and used it to clean multiple surfaces. In addition to my trio of favorites, I also find Eco Moldzyme to … Continue reading →

Support Your Pets and The Earth with Planet Petco

An eco-conscious dog As we come out of Earth Day weekend, I’d like to take a look at how we pet owners can contribute to keeping the planet clean. Many animal lovers I know, myself included, also love nature and are often sympathetic with the green movement. However, for some of us who don’t live in more urban areas it might be difficult to obtain many environment-friendly pet items. Sometimes small local stores might carry them, but at high prices some might not be able to afford. Others might not have any purchasing options nearby. Options abound on the internet, … Continue reading →