Posts tagged "pet care products"

Each week, Ben Westhoff shares the ups and downs of owning Pippi, the dalmatian mix he and his wife Anna adopted as a puppy in late 2009, and the first dog Ben's ever had.

Like lots of folks, I pay lip service to the importance of supporting local merchants but tend to do my actual shopping at the distant megastore, which I figure is cheaper. But that's not always the case, I recently learned, at least when it comes to pet products.

Here's what happened. I was on the prowl for ear-cleaning solution for Pippi. Pressed for time, I checked the websites of the major pet retailers in our area to see if they had the product. They both did, and so I chose one which had the solution for about a dollar cheaper, at $14.99. I even called ahead to make sure they had the item in stock.

After making the 20-minute haul out to Whoknowswhere, N.J., I picked up the solution and brought it to the counter. When the cashier rang it up, the cost had ballooned to $19.99! I asked her to check the price, which she did, before informing me it was correct. "That's, like, 33 percent more than what you advertised on your site," I said, secretly proud of myself for the quick math. "Oh, we don't price match with the website," she countered.

I'm always on the hunt for great natural pet products. My poor dog, Jasper. Not only does he have to put up with weekly Sunday baths, but he also has to endure nightly paw washings with soap and water. Since he is allowed to sleep on my bed, I'm careful to rid his paws of grime and bacteria picked up during our walks through the city. In the past, I've used various natural pet products and shampoos, from oatmeal to natural flea shampoo. One of them turned Jasper's sensitive skin an alarming shade of bright pink. He scratched at himself and dragged his wet body across the carpet like a dog possessed.

I was glad to discover DERMagic, a line of all-natural pet products products. I was even more pleased to learn the products were developed by the company's founder, Dr. Adelia Ritchie, an organic chemist.

Of the DERMagic products I tried on my dog, the standout was the Certified Organic Shampoo Bar, made with coconut, castor, sunflower, jojoba and olive oils, and scented with rosemary and lavender. It smells pretty and looks nice, but best of all, it works great. It lathers up nicely and I can hold the bar and my dog with both hands while giving him a bath. I use the bar of soap every night on my dog's paws and it is not drying. It also works spectacularly well getting my dog squeaky clean, and his white fur shining bright. Best of all, it is gentle and my dog's skin has suffered no reactions to it. At $7.95 each, these shampoo bars for dogs are a must.

Jasper and I also tried DERMagic's top seller, the Hot Spot Lotion ($24.95). It's a soothing, lightly scented topical lotion containing aloe vera gel, Vitamin E and sulphur. It's meant to quickly soothe dry skin, hot spots and other skin irritations. Jasper didn't seem to mind when I rubbed some into the spot on his belly where he had scratched himself on a prickly bush.

All in all, I've become a big fan of DERMagic's all-natural pet products. For cat owners, DERMagic also offers a line of products for your feline friends.