Posts tagged "review"

Whether you're traveling for the holidays or just spending a long day shopping for gifts, an automatic feeder ensures that your pet gets dinner as planned.

To provide pets with food around the clock, owners can choose from a range of automatic options -- from simple dispensers to motorized marvels. Our friends at Zootoo rounded up their favorite feeders to cater your pet while you're away.

Available as a set, the Le Bistro Feeder and Waterer by Petmate are easy to use, and the product's built-in antimicrobial feature means they are also easy to clean. Because the Le Bistro Feeder offers a continuous flow, pets always have dry food available. The Le Bistro Waterer holds 1 to 5 gallons of water (depending on the size you get), making it ideal for multipet households.


For pets who need or prefer to eat on a schedule, the 5-Meal Pet Feeder by PetSafe dispenses food according to an easy-to-set timer. The cup-size feeding slots are best for smaller dogs, cats, or puppies, and the sturdy base ensures that pets can't topple the feeder in search of more food. Also, the product is dishwasher safe, making cleanup a snap.

Finding a pair of dog nail clippers that fit you and your pet can be a challenge. Since I got my first dog seven years ago, I personally have only clipped her nails a couple of times. I accidentally cut into her quick (a term for the nerves and blood vessels inside the nail), and it traumatized both of us. I never had the guts to try it again, and the dog was perfectly fine with that. Every month or so, I'd go to Petsmart and pay $11 for the grooming pros there to take care of it (in about 30 seconds flat). So when I found out about QuickFinder's deluxe Nail Clipper, I was excited to try it.

You see, the QuickFinder deluxe Nail Clipper uses onboard electronics and software to sense where the quick begins on a dog's nail, and the clipper's stop-light indicator system makes it easy to determine when it's safe to clip. When you position the nail clipper at the base of the nail, the light stays red. As you move it away from the base, the light will change to yellow, and then to green, at which point you can clip away.

Rudi's a cuddler, so it wasn't hard to get her to sit with me while I positioned the clipper. The light functioned just as the instructions said it would. When it turned green, I clipped. The nail was cut cleanly and easily, with no pain or blood.

The only thing the QuickFinder doesn't do for the user is make dogs comfortable with the sound of nails being clipped. I was able to clip only a few nails at a time before the snapping sound made Rudi too anxious to sit any longer, but that's really a matter of training. The product does exactly what it says it will do, and does it well. As I become more comfortable and confident (and Rudi becomes accustomed to the sound), the task of clipping my dog's nails will only get easier.

Be sure to continue checking Paw Nation; we'll soon be giving away a QuickFinder deluxe Nail Clipper to a lucky Paw Nation reader!