With 4 dogs and 6 cats, pet hair sometimes seems to be everywhere.  As a former groomer, I know the way to keep it under control is by regular brushing.  If you take a trip to the grooming aisle at your local pet store, you’ll see more than just brushes.  Newer and more effective tools have come on the market including the ShedMonster, a professional shedding tool. I was contacted by ShedMonster about doing a review and they sent me 2, one for short-haired pets and 1 for long-haired pets.

When they arrived  and I looked them over, they reminded me of the rakes and dematting tools I used to use in the grooming shop.  These are tools we used all the time to remove excess hair and matts.  They worked well, but you had to watch, sometimes it didn’t take too much to scratch the dogs skin or even cut ourselves with the dematting tool.  And we didn’t use them on cats, they definitely wouldn’t appreciate it.

The ShedMonster is made differently with no sharp edges. I tested it on the skin on my arm to see if it scratched when used.  I applied more pressure than you would need to when using it to remove loose hair.  While I could feel the pressure, it wasn’t unpleasant and it didn’t leave a scratch, not even any lines.

Next I tried the ShedMonster on several of my pets- Ricochet, my smooth coated Jack Russell, Mellie, my short haired Springer Spaniel and Omar, my long haired cat.  I used it on each of them for about 5 minutes to see how much hair it would get off each coat type.  I got about the same amount of hair off of each of them.  I was actually surprised because I didn’t expect the ShedMonster to work that well on Ricochet with his smooth coat.  None of them minded having it used on them, especially Omar who tends to run from brushes so it must have felt okay.

The last one to get the ShedMonster tested on them was Malarky.  Malarky is a little tomboy dog who seems to love being wet and dirty. She’s a rough coated Jack Russell who really needs her coat stripped so she looks like one.  Because of her love of water and dirt, she tends to get matted.  Malarky’s hair mats in cords rather than clumps. I found the ShedMonster worked well on areas that were tangled and slightly matted, but in areas that were a little more matted, it didn’t work as well at getting mats out.  I ended up switching over to my slicker brush and comb.

Review Wrap-up

+ Skin safe.  I found the design makes it hard to scratch your pets skin even if you get a little over zealous in your grooming.

+ Works on all types of hair.  It did as good a job removing hair from my long-haired cat as it did removing it from my short-haired dogs.

+ It seemed to do a good job of removing the loose hair, even on my smooth-coated dog.

+ The Zoo Crew liked it.  Half the battle of grooming is having a pet that lets you.  None of my animals were bothered by having the ShedMonster used on them, in fact, they seemed to enjoy it!

– Didn’t notice much difference in using the ShedMonster for short hair and the one for long hair.  (This may be a non-issue now as I don’t see an option to purchase one depending on hair type on their own site, although both types are available on Amazon. It looks like it may just be the one.)  I used each ShedMonster on my different pets to see if there was a difference and I really couldn’t see one.  In fact, I thought the one for short hair worked better on my long haired cat.

– While it worked fine on smaller mats, I didn’t have the same luck with larger ones.

I liked the ShedMonster and will continue to use it especially for my cats who aren’t very fond of being combed.

You can purchase the ShedMonster directly from ShedMonster, although I only see an option where you have to order it with the Free grooming kit which requires an additional shipping charge.

You can also find it on Amazon without the additional grooming kit.

Have you tried the ShedMonster? Leave a comment letting us know what you thought of it.

Disclaimer:  I received a sample for use in my review.   The review of this product is the opinion of me and my pets. I received no compensation for my review and receipt of this product did not influence my review. The review may contain affiliate links for which I may receive compensation when you make a purchase from the site linked to in the review.

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One problem I had during my first review was that a few of my cats wouldn’t use the box with WBCL in it.  With cats being the finicky critters they can be, this isn’t unusual, but since I did a rapid litter change with that review, this time I decided to do a slow switch-over.  I started by adding the original WBCL ( I wasn’t able to find the scented formula in my area) in with the brand of clumping litter I usually use whenever I needed to add more litter to keep the level up.  It took some time, but finally I was able to add the scented formula.  Unfortunately even with the slow switch, I still had some hold-outs. Charm and Pyro steered clear of the box.  I need to work on my felines cooperating with my reviews.

The scented formula performed just like the original- no dust, good odor control, clumped well and not hard to scoop.  But I have to say I prefer the scent of the original WBCL.  It may be because I don’t really like the smell of lavender, but I found it to be pretty strong.  When I first added the scented to the box I din’t mix it in and I could smell it from 3 rooms away.  Some people may love that and I might if it were another scent (citrus maybe?).  Once the litter was mixed into the original  WBCL it wasn’t so strong so that may be an option for those who find the scent over-powering.

Review Round-up-

+ Very low to no dust
+ Great odor control
+ Flushable (as WBCL points out on their bag, regulations vary as to whether it is okay to flush litter box waste in your area)
+ Environmentally friendly. It’s made of corn so it’s completely biodegradable.
+ Requires less litter per pound  than regular clumping litter to fill to the same level
+ Light texture making it easy to scoop all the way to the bottom of the box
+ Clumps well, but breaks down in water so it shouldn’t cause problems with plumbing
– Some cats and dogs may find it appealing to eat. It’s important to remember to monitor your pets to make sure they aren’t ingesting a large amount of litter. If they are this may not be the litter for them.  There were some health concerns posted on my previous review.  Any type of litter can be a problem. Since corn and other grained based products (including pet foods) can get a mold called aflatoxin, the litter box should not be kept and the litter should not be stored in damp areas as moisture can cause this mold to develop. Please if your cats show any signs of illness, get them to a vet! Cats, especially ones that are overweight, can develop a deadly condition called hepatic lipidosis if they are not eating regularly. Their body starts to metabolize their fat stores which their liver can not handle. This condition can happen for what seems like  no reason, so please do not wait several days to see if your cat gets better.

– Some cats may have a problem with a sudden switch from the current litter, so a slow change-over may need to be done.

+/- Some people may like the scent, some people may not.  Mixing the scented into the Original WBCL may work for those who like scented litter, but find it overpowering.

+/- Some cats may like the scent,some cats may not.  Living with a cat with litter box issues I know how important it is to make sure the litter box is to the cats’ liking so for cats with litter box issues, keep an eye out for problems.

I think the World’s Best Cat Litter Scented Multiple Cat Clumping Formula will please a lot of people.  For other’s like me who don’t really like the scent, there is still the original WBCL to use.  It’s always nice to have a choice.

To find World’s Best Cat Litter in your area- Visit Where to Buy.

Or find it online at Amazon*.

Disclaimer:  I received a sample for use in my review.   The review of this product is the opinion of me and my pets. I received no compensation for my review and receipt of this product did not influence my review. The review may contain affiliate links for which I may receive compensation when you make a purchase from the site linked to in the review.

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I was contacted by Heartland Pet Care LLC to see if I would be interested in trying ProActiveBalance for one of my dogs. With all my dogs being less than 50 pounds, I opted for the Regular Breed Formula.  Since I don’t give prebiotics or probiotcs to my dogs, I read up a little on them while waiting for my sample to come.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine division of the National Institute of Health gives the following definitions-

Probiotics are live microorganisms (in most cases, bacteria) that are similar to beneficial microorganisms found in the human gut. They are also called “friendly bacteria” or “good bacteria.”

Prebiotics are nondigestible food ingredients that selectively stimulate the growth and/or activity of beneficial microorganisms already in people’s colons.

These are given to help balance and keep the balance of the bacteria in the digestive tract which can become unbalanced due to taking antibiotics, infections or health conditions.

The probiotic in ProActiveBalance is bacillus coagulans and the prebiotic is Nutriose which is a   food dextrin with high fiber content (dextrin is a carbohydrate). ProActiveBalance also contains dextrose.

After reading about the ingredients, my only concern is the addition of the dextrose. I am not a big fan of adding sugar to my dogs’ diet.  Heartland Pet Care LLC has a nice FAQ page about ProActiveBalance and it would be nice if they could tell us the purpose of the dextrose especially for people who have diabetic dogs.

Once the ProActiveBalance arrived, I started adding it to Mellie’s food in the morning. None of the dogs had digestive issues at the time (surprising consider what they find to eat), but I figured I’d try it anyway since probiotics and prebiotics are good to give all the time.  ProActiveBalance is said to be odorless and tasteless.  I couldn’t smell anything and sorry, being the world’s pickiest eater meant I didn’t try a little taste. Mellie didn’t seem to notice the addition to her food bowl.  It was real simple to grab one of the premeasured packets and sprinkle it on her food each morning.

After Mellie had been on the ProActiveBalance for a week, Malarky hurt herself and started antibiotics.  I thought it would be great to try it on her so waited until she was done with her antibiotics and then used the rest on her. She didn’t seem to notice it on her food either. The antibiotics didn’t give her diarrhea so I can’t say how well ProActiveBalance worked in that respect, but even without showing signs, antibiotics still affect the good bacteria in the colon so it’s good to get it back in balance.

Review Wrap-up

+ Easy to use.  The premeasured packets are nice, especially if you are half awake in the morning like me.

+ Tasteless/Odorless.  Some dogs are picky. Mine are not so adding a supplement is not usually a problem, but for those dogs that might turn up their nose, this is a good thing.

+ Information on website.  Heartland Pet Care LLC has a nice FAQ page to help answer questions you may have. But I would love to see some info on why dextrose is included.

– No bulk size for the Regular Breed Formula.  With 4 dogs under 50 pounds, I would prefer to purchase one package to use than 4 boxes.

ProActive Balance can be found in select pet supply  stores in the Midwest.  These stores are listed on their Find A Store page.

It is also available on Amazon.

Disclaimer:  I received a sample  for use in my review.   The review of this product is the opinion of my pets and me. I received no compensation for my review and receipt of these products did not influence my review. The review may contain affiliate links for which I may receive compensation when you make a purchase from the site linked to in the review.

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The one solution I had thought of was to put a floodlight on my garage that will add some light in the back.  Right now it’s not in the budget, so if I can’t light up the yard, the other solution is to light up the dogs.

Brad from SeeSpot Collars contacted me about reviewing the light-up collars he developed.  After finding available collars didn’t quite work as he wanted, Brad designed a collar that fit what he was looking for to help him keep track of his dog. When other people seemed interested in it, he decided there was a need for his collar.  The collars are great for the average pet owners who want their dog to be more visible at night either so they can see them or so other people can; Brad has found that canine search and rescue teams also use them as well as those who use guide dogs.  Along with the SeeSpot Lighted Dog Collars, Brad’s company also makes products to help make people such as bicyclists more visible at night.

Two SeeSpot Lighted Dog Collars arrived in the mail for me to review.  The collars come in 2 sizes- medium which fits dogs with neck sizes from 19- 21 inches and large which fits neck sizes from 22- 25 inches. The collars feature Velcro for adjusting each size range.  Made of nylon webbing, they come in two colors- red and blue and each collar has 5 blinking LED lights on it. A battery pack measuring about 2 ½ inches by 1 ½ inches powers the lights off of 3 AAA batteries. The switch to turn on the lights is on the end of the battery pack.  It’s a nice simple push button switch- push it to turn it on, push it again to turn it off.  The battery pack isn’t too heavy and the collar is designed so the weight of the battery pack falls under the dog’s chin leaving the LED lights on the back of the dog’s neck where they are more easily seen, especially under long ears.

One of the first things I do with a product is look at the construction.  The stitching on the collar was good and there were no exposed wires.  The lights each come though an opening in the cotton webbing.  I tried pushing them back into the inside of the collar because I wanted to see if there was a possibility of this happening while being worn.  It took a lot of manipulation for that to happen (bending the collar in half and pushing real hard with my fingers) and when I was finally able to do it, the light wasn’t completely inside.  I was satisfied that the lights wouldn’t disappear during normal use by my dogs. I slammed the lights down on the desk a few times to see how the bulbs held up.  None of them broke so it looks like it would stand up to my dogs rough and tumble playing.

The week they arrived I happened to be watching my sister’s English Setter, Baxter.  This gave me a chance to try both collars, the large on Baxter and the medium on my English Springer, Mellie.  You can see how bright the collars are and how visible they are from 120 feet away.

This is my backyard during the daytime.

Here are the collars in action in my backyard at night.

I thought the collars did a good job at letting me know where my dogs were.

I wanted to see how long the lights would last so I turned the red collar on and left it on.  The LED lights continued working for 5 days-over 100 hours which is quite a long time if used for just a short time each day.  About the 4^th day the lights did get noticeably dimmer. During regular use, I would probably change them at this point.

The manufacturer does say the collar is weather and water resistant, but doesn’t recommend that it be submerged.  They do say if it does get submerged, it won’t hurt your dog.  You just need to remove the batteries and let it dry.  They did their testing; I decided to do a bit of my own.  I turned on the shower and held the one collar under it for a few minutes. No problem, the collar worked fine afterward.  Next I filled up the sink and put the other collar in while the collar was on.  I left it sit in there for about 10 minutes and checked on it.  There was a small issue with the water slowly draining out of the sink, but some part of the collar was always in water at for those 10 minutes.  About mid way through the lights had turned off, but came back on when I moved the collar.  They were still blinking when I took the collar out of the water after the 10 minutes. I turned the collar off, took the batteries out and set the collar overnight to dry.  The next day I put the batteries in and turned the collar on.  Nothing.  I was a little worried, but decided not to give up on it until I tried a new set of batteries.  They did the trick.  The collar was working as good as new.  It’s nice to know that if my dogs are out in the rain or happen to jump in their swimming pool while wearing the SeeSpot Lighted Dog Collar the collar is done for.

Review Wrap-up

+ Bright.  I was impressed with how bright they were.  I could easily see my dog from over a 100 feet away.

+ Adjustable.  The Velcro makes it easy to fit different neck sizes.  This is great for dogs who get their hair cut so need different size collars at different times.

+Weather-resistant.  While it probably wouldn’t be a good idea for your dog to wear the collar while dock diving, it’s great that it can be safely worn out in wet weather without a problem.

+/– Not a collar that is meant to take the place of your regular collar(plus or minus depending on your view).  The manufacturer does not make any claims that it does.  It doesn’t have a ring to attach a leash or tags to and while the Velcro is strong, I know I wouldn’t trust it to hold a pulling dog.  I personally like that it is used separate from the regular collar and that you put it on when you need it.  No chance for it to get ruined by a dog who might chew it.

– Currently sizes are only available for medium and large dogs.  Even though Jack Russells act like big dogs in little dog bodies, the collars still wouldn’t fit them.  And they are the ones I need to keep track of the most!  I asked if there were plans to make smaller sizes and was told that there are plans to add small dog sizes to the line.  Yay!

I liked the SeeSpot Lighted Dog Collar.  I looked at what was available in my local PetSmart and the only one they offered looked a little weighty. It wasn’t too attractive with 3 lighted parts that were the size of those reflectors you put in your driveway.  I prefer the nice clean look of the SeeSpot collar. I do want to try the collar on a dog with more hair than my crew so I can see how visible it will be.  Since I would put the collar on and off as I let the dogs in and out, I think it wouldn’t have a chance to work its way underneath the coat as collars tend to do.

To buy a  SeeSpot Lighted Dog Collars visit the manufacturer’s website- SeeSpot Collars or if you leave in Austin, TX check and see if your local pet stores carries it.

Giveaway Giveaway closed

Along with the 2 collars Brad sent me to review, he also sent 2 collars for me to give away to my readers!

• The giveaway will be open to US residents only.
• The giveaway will end on January 31^st at 6pm Eastern time.  I’ll use random.org to determine the winners from the comments that are left.
• There will be 2 winners- one for the red medium collar and one for the large blue collar.  You will only be able to enter to win one size collar so put Medium or Large in each comment you leave to let me know which you are entering for.  Any comments without a size included will be included in the drawing for the Large.
• I will email the winners to get your mailing address.

So what do you have to do to enter?

Required entry (1 entry): Visit SeeSpot Collars and leave a comment below letting me know what feature  about the collar you like.

Bonus entry (1 entry):

Follow @petproductrevue on Twitter (see sidebar for my Twitter account link) and tweet this giveaway-

Pet Product Review and SeeSpot Collars is giving away 2 SeeSpot Lighted Dog Collars at www.petproductreview.net #SeeSpotCollars

Once you’ve tweeted about the giveaway, leave a comment below that includes the url of the tweet.  (You can get the url by clicking on the time in your tweet.)

Good luck!

Disclaimer:  I received 2 collars for use in my review and 2 collars to giveaway to readers from SeeSpot Collars.   The review of this product is the opinion of my pets and me. I received no compensation for my review and receipt of these products did not influence my review.

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In October, Marc from Shaggytag contacted me and sent me one of their unique driver’s license pet I.D. tags to review. Because the tag has your pet’s picture on it just like your license, the first thing I had to do was find a nice headshot of Mellie to send Marc. Not finding one in my pictures, I had to get out my camera and take one.  This proved to be the hardest part of the process.  I could not get Mellie to look at the camera.  She was acting as if lasers would come shooting from the lens at her, so I ended up sending in a picture of her from the side.  So instead of a nice cute I. D. photo, Mellie looks like she had a mugshot taken.  Gotta love my pets sometimes.

Once I got the picture I emailed it to Marc along with the other info needed- pet’s first name, pet’s last name, address, phone number, gender, height, weight, eye color, hair color, breed and date of birth -just like on a person’s license.  While I sent my info to Marc because of doing the review, you can order your tag through the website, upload your picture or mail it and then pay with Paypal.

The tags are available for each of the 50 states, so Mellie’s tag came as a Pennsylvania license.  They are available in 2 sizes. The small is for pets under 6lbs and it measures 2″ x 1.12″.  The large is for pets over 6 lbs and it measures 2.25″ x 1.25″.  I actually thought the large sounded like it would be too big and look gaudy, but when I got the actual tag changed my mind.  It’s just a little longer than the metal tags I’ve had and just as wide. Definitely not as big as I pictured in my head.  I was happy with how it looked once I put it on Mellie’s collar.

I like to test products out before I review them especially how well they stand up to what-ever activity your pet may put it through. This time of year, my dogs aren’t as active as they are during the summer so I tried to simulate some of the conditions the tag might go through while being worn. The first thing I did was put it on Mellie’s collar and let her wear it for 2 weeks going through her normal everyday life.  At the end of 2 weeks, the tag still looked as good as new.  My next test was to submerge it in a glass of water for 3 hours.  I wanted to see if there would be a problem with the water getting under the laminate.  No issues with that.  My last test was to hook it onto my fence outside for about 2 weeks and see how it held up to the elements.  They say that if you don’t like the weather in Pennsylvania, wait 10 minutes and it will change.  In those 2 weeks we had temperatures from 60 degrees to below freezing and weather that included sunshine, rain and snow.  The tag really got hit with it all.  Other than the ring getting a little bit of rust, the tag held up with no problems.

Review Round-up

+ Weather-proof.  The Shaggytag ID Tag held up to my water and weather tests with no problem, so should hold up to whatever activity (swimming, hiking, etc) your pet does.

+ Clear and easy to read.  What good is a tag if you can’t read the information.

+ Quiet. No jangling tags, the laminated Shaggytag is completely quiet.

+ Customization.  I think this is my favorite feature.  It’s great that they can add individual information to a tag if requested. Phone numbers can be added for those families that have multiple cell phones or health conditions can be listed so anyone who might find the lost pet will know it could need medical attention.

+ Different and eye-catching.  You want people to see an ID tag and these will be easy for them to find even in the furriest of dogs.

+ No staining.  Sounds weird, but I’ve always used metal tags and ended up with my white dogs getting discolored from them tarnishing.  Not an issue with laminate.

–The price is higher than a regular tag, but when you consider the pluses, I’m sure you find it’s worth it.

–If you have a pet who likes to chew on their tags, this probably won’t hold up well, but it won’t hurt their teeth if they do chew it.

Along with the ID tag,  Shaggytag offers mousepads, magnets, keychains and a luggage tag.   I actually love the idea of the luggage tag to put on my cat carriers so the carriers have my info when they are left at the vet.  They will know which carrier is mine.

You can purchase your Shaggytag Pet License ID Tag from Shaggytag.com and take advantage of their buy 2 Get 1 Free Holiday Special on all Drivers License Pet ID Tags.

I received a ShaggyTag Pet License ID Tag at no charge in order to do the review.

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Nathalie contacted me to see if I would be interested in reviewing one of her Harness Vests.  I visited her site to learn more about her company and her vests.  I tend to be very practical (some would say plain and boring) when it comes to clothing my pets, but I really liked the different patterns that she offers and I really liked that she offered her harnesses for smaller animals.  In fact after deciding I would go ahead and do a review, I really wanted to get a harness for Glee, my rabbit.  Unfortunately, when it came to getting measurements, Glee just wasn’t into it. Not wanting to have to struggle to get the vest on her in order to review it, I went with my second choice, Malarky, my Parson Russell.

In order to make a custom Harness Vest, Nathalie needs your dog’s measurements, which include- the neck measurement, the chest measurement and the body length measurement.  I sent this information off to her and had the vest in just a short time.

The Harness Vest is made from cotton fabric with the patterned fabric (in my case a brown and blue batik print) on the outside and white for a liner on the inside.  It has a matching cotton edging around it.  The craftsmanship was very nice, no puckered edging and nice, even stitching.  I tried pulling edging up, Velcro up, even the D-ring and had no problem with the stitching pulling up. The Velcro for around the neck is a decent length which is nice because then it is a little adjustable.  Great if you have a dog that might get clipped and may need more room when they grow their coat in.

Next I tried it on Malarky.  I really like how easy it is to put on.  No having to pick up the front leg and put it through.  No having to untangle it and find the opening to put over your dog’s head.  Just place it on your dog’s back, reach under the chest to connect the Velcro and then under the chin to connect the Velcro around the neck.  Done. I lifted up on the D-ring to see how the Velcro held and I could hear it give a little bit under the chest, but it didn’t come apart. (I tried the Harness Vest on my dog, Havoc, later and tried the same thing and it didn’t give at all so I may not have press hard enough on the velcro when I put it on Malarky.)

Once that was on I attached the leash and we took a little test walk in the driveway and front yard.  I will admit I am a little wary of the strength of Velcro and was worried one pull from Malarky and she would be out of it.  Malarky didn’t really pull much so I didn’t get a chance to test, but the Harness Vest looked real comfortable to wear and gave us no problems on that little jaunt.

A few days later Malarky and I headed off on a longer walk around the block to try the Harness Vest. My first test was to give a tug on the leash.  Eeeh, the neck part of the velcro popped open.  I did try a tug a couple more times during our walk and didn’t have a repeat so again I think I may not have pressed the Velcro together well enough when I put the Harness Vest on but Nathalie does offer a solution if you are worried about this happening.  She can make the Harness Vest with the neck sown shut, so it slips over the head.  The rest of our walk went just fine, we even got a “What a cute puppy!” from a neighbor on the next street.

Review Round-up

+ Well-made

+Easy on, easy off- this is my favorite feature.

+ A variety of fashionable patterns to choose from

+ Custom made so it fits your pet (as long as you do the measurements right)

+ Some adjustability so it can fit your pet at different times during their grooming cycle

+ Can be made to fit a variety of pets- dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, monkeys, ferrets

+ Different styles for dogs and cats- vests, dresses and coats

– It is important you know your pet.  If they are not well-behaved on a leash or have a tendency to pull when they see something, you may want to consider having the neck portion shown shut.  Even if they are well behaved, that is something I would really consider for a medium to large breed dog to be on the safe side. Yes, I am a worry wart. I wish there was an alternative to having to sew it shut, an industrial snap or a way to attach it to a collar because  I really like how easy it is to get on and off.

I think Chloe’s Four Legged Fashions Harness Vest is a cute alternative to the regular nylon web harnesses, especially if you like to keep your pet in style.

You can purchase the Harness Vest, Harness, Dress or Harness Coat directly from Chloe’s Four Legged Fashions.  Nathalie has extended a discount to PPR readers. To receive 10% off your order, enter the code PPR10 during the check-out.

I received  a Harness Vest at no charge in order to do the review.

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