4 Gifts for Pets Holiday Guide and Giveaway

The turkey has LEFT THE BUILDING! In its absence, I will likely need to find some bigger pants, but its departure also means we have officially entered the holiday season. This is evidenced by the fact that we spent the day swearing at lights that forgot how to twinkle, and dogs who managed to break an ornament approximately 30 seconds into decorating the tree.

If you’re like me, you have been inundated with Holiday Gift Guide emails, and posts on social media touting all of the items you should be purchasing for your family, your tiny humans, or your pets. GUESS WHAT? This post is also a Holiday Gift Guide of sorts, but with a twist.

The 4 Gifts for Pets Giveaway hop is sponsored by CleverPet. All gift card prizes were funded by contributions from the participating bloggers. 4 Gifts posts contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase we will earn a small commission, but your order will not cost you anything extra.

First, you get a chance to read about the “4 Gifts” idea, which really is a cool way of organizing gift ideas.

Second, you get a chance to read about the 4 Gifts a slew (the technical term for 18) of amazingly talented pet bloggers have assembled, if you’re so inclined.

Third, you have an opportunity to win some amazing prizes that you can gift to others for the holidays or gift to yourself, whichever you prefer.

So, let’s start by explaining the concept of 4 Gifts. It’s described well in this article, if you’d like to learn a bit more about it and ways it can be adjusted. In essence, it’s a way of categorizing gifts into 4 different categories, of which the recipient receives one item from each category. This can help to keep the gift giving from getting out of hand and can also help people to organize their thoughts.

The four categories are: something you WANT; something you NEED; something you WEAR and something you either EAT or READ. Fun, right? It makes you think a bit about the things you really want or need and the reason for it.

So what are our 4 Gifts are for Bean & Yoda? Read about our choices and enter for a chance to win prizes including the CleverPet Hub, which is on our list!

WANT

We’ve been pining over the CleverPet Hub ever since we learned about it a couple years ago (I say “we” as if the dogs actually talk to me, but I believe the voices are just in my head). Bean is smarter than many people I know, so I’ve been curious how she would react to having to solve puzzles to get treats dispensed. She has solved puzzle toys super fast, so I’d love to see how the responsive CleverPet Hub matches her wits. You could win your own CleverPet Hub by participating in our giveaway, and I hope it helps to titillate the mind of your pup! Maybe we'll get one some day so we can give it a try!

NEED

Our living room is so small, we don’t actually have couches (they don’t fit) but we do have two love seats. They cost a total of $400, which is certainly reasonable. Since then, we have spent approximately $187,000 (this may be a slight exaggeration) on covers for the couches. The drool, the dog hair, the occasional gift of vomit have resulted in weekly slipcover washes. The covers never last long. Some rip due to the excited play of two rambunctious dogs. Some stop fitting after the repeated washes. Others just look, well, gross.

Yoda sitting in front of the Christmas Tree

Yoda on one of our 2 Love Seats that is covered by a slip cover that was purchased less than a week ago and already has rips.

I’ve been on the hunt for a cover that: fits, is sturdy, can be washed easily, and can withstand the daily torture we will put it through in our household. After hours looking on Amazon, I think I’ve found the cover. Check it out using the affiliate link below and let me know what you think. If you have found one in your journeys that you really like, please let me know.

EAT

Bean takes two daily pills. Both are for her allergies. She is not fond them, which I don’t think should come as much of a surprise. Much like a prisoner, she is adept at cheeking her meds and spitting them out when we’re not looking. I guess this would be annoying, but fine, if the medication didn’t cost $2 a pill! I calculated, we will have paid over $5,000 on this medication over her lifetime so the thought of having her spit them out and them going to waste is something I really can’t bare (or afford).

Our lifesaver has been a pill paste from Tomlyn. It comes in a tin that can be easily sealed. The paste allows me to grab just enough to cover the pills, so none goes to waste. The flavor allows me to slip the pills into her food and Bean normally eats it with the rest of her meal. Sometimes, she spits it out, but its cover from the paste, allows me to slip it towards the back of her mouth and for her to swallow. I am in love with this pill paste from Tomlyn and I hope you give it a try should you need to give your dog pills and find it difficult. Check out the affiliate link below if you’d like to get your paws on a tub.

WEAR

Bean is encroaching on 9 years of age. While still spry, and active, we have noticed moments of hind quarter lameness, so much so a couple weeks ago that we went to the vet to have her checked out. While we didn’t get a formal diagnosis, we did rule out tick borne illness and neurological issues. The vet did believe she had the start of arthritis in her knees. We will continue to keep an eye on her, and we will also be making an appointment with a veterinary acupuncturist who is in our area, soon.

When we were in the throws of Bean’s mobility issues, I was able to speak with Dr. Julie Buzby, who is the inventor of ToeGrips. She helped me to be sure I asked the right questions when working with our local veterinarian. While talking, I mentioned that our entire house has hardwood flooring. Bean’s ability to gain traction on the flooring, or more likely her struggling to do so, could add to her pain and inflammation. Thankfully, Dr. Buzby’s ToeGrips can help her to gain traction in the house which will make her feel more confident but can also prevent her from having difficulty walking. I ordered her first set of ToeGrips today and I'll keep you posted on how things work out. In the meantime, you can learn about ToeGrips in a post we wrote when we tried them on Bean's friend, a Rhodesian Ridgeback named Masie.

THE GIVEAWAY

We have partnered with some amazing bloggers so we can help make your holiday wishes come true with a pretty amazing giveaway. Here's what you could win: