Pet Care

Tevra Brands has officially announced the release of a new formulation of their SlimPaws supplement for dogs. These supplements, intended to be given to dogs twice daily, show lab-backed results in the field of canine weight loss, helping dogs go from fat to fit.

SlimPaws soft chews feature a proprietary blend of Leucine and Pyridoxine developed and patented by Nusirt Biopharma Inc. and formulated for dogs by Tevra Brands. Independent lab studies conducted by the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine1 show that dogs that were given SlimPaws lost an average of 21% of their body weight in 12 weeks. These same dogs also showed an increase in muscle mass and a 40% increase in insulin sensitivity.

Dr. Michael Zemel, who spearheaded the development of the supplement, spoke to the importance of their mission. “56% of dogs in America are classified as obese or overweight2 – roughly 56 million dogs. Veterinarians call it an epidemic and it’s leading to reduced quality of life and premature death of dogs. Dogs that are at an ideal weight live an average of 2.5 years longer than a dog that is overweight or obese. Our goal with SlimPaws is to make weight loss easier for dogs and to give their owners a simple solution that dogs love to eat.”

SlimPaws still encourages pet owners to exercise their dogs and practice a proper diet to assist in the weight loss. SlimPaws is currently available online at slimpaws.com and in many brick-and-mortar stores such as Pet Supplies Plus.

BarkerFun joins design giants such as Oxo, Ferrari, and Google as a Good Design Award winner for 2021.

The Treat Clincher, invented by the sister and brother team of Susan Mravca and James Mravca within their family business, was developed for functionality and sustainability.

“We rejected the pet industry’s throwaway culture,” said Jim Mravca. “We wanted to create an elegant product that pet owners could use for the lifetime of their dogs. Our pets are members of our family and this speaks to their permanence in our lives.”

The Treat Clincher is a safe and effective way to allow dogs to chew on bully sticks, bones, or other treats while pet owners have the freedom to go about their daily activities, whether joining zoom meetings, completing an exercise routine, or just having dinner with friends.

Constructed from solid aluminum and stainless steel, the Treat Clincher holds treats up off the ground in its patented “clincher”. Suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, it is safe to use on fine furniture and strong enough for outdoor picnic tables.

“No more holding a pizzle stick with your hands or pliers,” said Susan Mravca, who came up with the idea for the Treat Clincher after spending hours holding bully sticks for her puppy. “No more slobber on your carpets.”

The Treat Clincher solves a serious safety problem while creating time for dog owners, as their pets stay safely engaged with a treat.

The Hinsdale Humane Society has been using the Treat Clincher in their kennels as part of their enrichment program for their rescue dogs. “The Treat Clincher greatly reduces the risk of our dogs choking,” says Tom Van Winkle, CEO of the Hinsdale Humane Society. “We only use highly durable items in the Clincher, and we can see exactly when we need to change out or remove the item. We feel this is a must-have in our organization.”

In an exciting move for the pups of North Dakota, Three Dog Bakery has opened at 465 32nd Ave E. in West Fargo. Owners Megan Pechin Bergseth, Kelsey Yesteboe and Kristen Burbank, and the Three Dog Bakery team, are ready and waiting to spoil dogs with fresh-baked cakes, cookies, pupcakes and doggie ice cream on the side. In addition to the irresistible pastry cases, the bakery is also packed with dog food, toys and other supplies for dog needs.

“We believe in spoiling our dogs daily, and our Fargo bakery is the best place to do it,” said Joe Dent, president of operations and franchising for the company. “We’re so excited to be open and share our tasty treats with the pups and pet parents of Fargo.”

Three Dog Bakery is in the celebration business, focused on the unconditional love shared between pet parents and their dogs. The company believes there is a reason to celebrate every single day, not just birthdays and gotcha days.  

“We’re beyond excited to have expanded our involvement in the Fargo community with lots of dog lovers ready to spoil their pups daily, and we can’t wait to meet each and every one of them,” said Pechin Bergseth, Three Dog Fargo co-owner.  

Born and raised in Kansas, Pechin Bergseth has heard every Wizard of Oz joke out there. Her resume includes over 15 years of marketing and media planning experience, working for large corporations such as MGM Resorts and Cirque du Soleil. When her marriage landed her and her husband in North Dakota, she changed career paths and became certified to teach yoga and fitness classes. After arriving in Fargo, she started researching opening a Three Dog franchise, and now, Pechin Bergseth ironically owns three dogs. Feisty miniature schnauzers, Kimba, Stella and Ozzy. All are currently in training to become resident shop dogs. When she’s not teaching yoga or working in the bakery, she enjoys traveling with her husband, Ryan, running and watching sports.

Yesteboe is originally from a small town in Minnesota and made her way to Moorhead, Minnesota, about 15 years ago. After graduating with a degree in business administration in 2014, Kelsey has been working in the accounting industry ever since. She enjoys reading, cooking to the sounds of Kenny G and going to musicals and concerts in her free time. She resides in Moorhead with her husband, stepson and Heinz 57 rescue dog, Marty.

Burbank is a business owner, yoga instructor, wife and mom that discovered her passions of growing a business and helping others through teaching clients about stress reduction, movement, breath and building a supportive wellness community. Her job as a studio owner has shown her the stress, struggle and pain that many of her clients experience in trying to manage home and work life. She was born and raised in Fargo and graduated with a degree in business and public administration from the University of North Dakota in 2004. Seven years ago, she switched her focus — after working nine years in corporate financial services marketing —  to entrepreneurship. She opened Mojo Fit Studios, a yoga, and fitness boutique studio, in 2013 with three instructors. Today in 2020, Mojo’s team has grown to 32 instructors, one studio manager and two Fargo locations. 

Founded in 1989, Three Dog Bakery is America’s original bakery for dogs. Headquartered in Kansas City, the company provides oven-baked treats and pastries for dogs in over 50 retail bakeries worldwide, along with independent national pet and mass retailers.

Phelps Pet Products recently announced a new nationwide distribution partnership with Phillips Pet Food & Supplies to carry its Disney Table Scraps line of innovative clean-label dog treat products.

The eight-item Table Scraps treats collection, as well as a free-standing shipper display, now can be purchased directly or through six outstanding distribution partners.

“Our network of regional distributor partners has been key to launching the Disney Table Scraps line in the independent pet retail channel, and the addition of Phillips is an exciting milestone as it ensures that retailers across the country will be able to differentiate their assortment by sharing the magic of the world’s No. 1 consumer brand with their most loyal customers,” said Sydney Stewart, Table Scraps marketing manager.

Retailers interested in carrying the Disney Table Scraps line should contact their local representative at the following market-leading distributors:

ADMC | Serving the central region from Minnesota to Texas

AFCO | Serving the Pacific Northwest

Bradley Caldwell | Serving the Northeast from Michigan to Maine

LeeMarPet | Shipping nationwide

Phillips Pet |  Serving the continental U.S.

Rio Grande |  Serving the Southwest from Colorado to Texas

Phelps Pet Products recently introduced the Disney Table Scraps dual brand line of clean label jerky-style dog treats that combine drool-worthy recipes with beloved Disney characters. This innovative Made in the USA collection features 8 initial items including two USDA Organic recipes, four superfood recipes and two 100 percent plant-based jerky recipes. The line also offers sustainability benefits as each recipe includes the use of upcycled ingredients that have been certified by the Upcycled Food Association.

Pets love their lawns, a little too much. Any pet owner (or pet-driven business owner, including pet boarders, doggy daycare owners, veterinarians) can attest to the ease-of-use, low maintenance, and overall enjoyment of a synthetic grass pet lawn. Say goodbye to muddy conditions after a rainstorm, and all of the mud that is tracked into the home, with a lawn that drains faster and more efficiently. Grass!365’s NEW SealTuft backing drains over 1,000 inches per hour (more than 30 times the industry average) and has a stronger bind than standard turf. It also stands up to the needs of active pets and is much more resilient than natural grass. Forget having to refill lawn holes due to digging or resodding because of pet traffic. Grass!365 installation also results in less fleas and ticks as these critters don’t thrive or multiply on artificial grass. Not to mention that Grass!365 doesn’t stain or die in areas where pets use the bathroom. From enclosed residential pet lawns to dog parks to pet boarding facilities, pet owners and pet professionals are using synthetic sod pet lawns in new and interesting applications that last the test of time.

“Grass!365 changes the lives of pets and their owners, making daily pet ownership even more rewarding. It’s easy to clean and convenient due to its minimal maintenance, no more watering your lawn, using chemical inputs or lawnmowers, and it’s 100% recyclable,” said Grass!365 CEO, Stan Pennington.

Grass!365 synthetic sod is manufactured in Dalton, Georgia, the carpet capital of the world, and features revolutionary SealTuft backing, which features sealed tufts for superior strength along with offering open drain channels that shed water faster. It differs from the urethane, 40+ year-old technology in which tufts aren’t sealed together and has to be hole punched to drain, resulting in harder to clean and lesser quality drainage capability. Pet owners will love that their furry friends can pee and poop on artificial grass just like they would natural grass, as it drains perfectly and after removing the poop, in most cases, only requires a hose down to completely eliminate any other residual mess. At a drainage rate of 1,000+ inches, any required cleaning is easily flushed through the surface. Less mess and more play is what every dog owner is looking for these days.