Gigabite bully sticks were a big hit with our new German Shepherd, Stella, during her destructive puppy phase. She still loves them even though she’s no longer teething. It is important that she has a way to relieve boredom and stress during the day since both my wife and I work. These sticks keep Stella entertained and occupied for the better part of a day.

In addition to giving your dog something to do, these sticks help clean the teeth and gums by reducing plaque and tartar buildup. Poor dental health can start to affect a dog’s quality of life – and your wallet – pretty quickly if you neglect it.

You can’t help but be skeptical about what goes into food these days – especially pet food, as the health and safety standards are even lower for this than for food meant for humans. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the ingredients are not sourced from China, which has been a bad actor in adulterated food stuffs in recent times. In fact, these are made from grass-fed, free range beef from Brazil. I’m surprised that the company doesn’t feature this more prominently on their package, as Brazilian beef is renowned the world over (churrascaría anyone?) for its quality and would be a major selling point for pet owners who are already willing to pay the premium price for these sticks.

Gigabite bully sticks don’t smell bad or stain, unlike some other brands out there because the manufacturer cleans and dries them before packaging. We feel good about giving these to our dog because we have the impression that the company is committed to quality in every area and won’t take shortcuts to meet a certain price point.

Stop wasting your time with those cheap plastic scoops. As a life-long cat owner, I can’t believe that I just discovered this scoop in 2020. It has cut my litter box maintenance time at least in half.

The edges and corners of the litter box are always the hardest to clean, especially with a plastic scoop that flexes too much and doesn’t provide enough force to break the clumps free. This heavy duty metal scoop has enough weight to it to easily scrape the sides and get into the corners like you need to.

The wide front edge is what sets this scoop apart from the competition (even other metal scoops). The angle of the handle in relation to the scoop makes it easy to maneuver in corners. The grates in the sifter are spaced just the right distance apart to work well on both large and small clumps.

The non-stick coating has held up very well so far and actually does a fairly good job of keeping the scoop from getting fouled up. The manufacturer suggests that you can use a non-stick cooking spray such as PAM! to make it further stick-proof, but I’m not sure I want to associate my mind with a dirty litter box when I’m getting ready to cook for my family.

Do you stay on top of scooping your cat’s litter box but still want a way to mask odors? I sprinkle some Arm & Hammer Double Duty Litter Deodorizer in each box after I scoop it. They also make a product that comes in an almost identical carton that’s called Arm & Hammer Cat Litter Deodorizer. Get the one that says “Double Duty” — it works much better.

Just like us, tropical fish are happiest and healthiest when they have variety in their diet. While I also feed frozen brine shrimp and freeze-dried mysis shrimp, Wardley’s shrimp pellets make up the bulk of what my fish eat.

I have two eight-year-old featherfin synodontis catfish that love this food. In the past, they have refused to eat certain brands of sinking pellets and wafers even when it was the only food I offered to them.

Even when these pellets are not on sale on Amazon, they are still less than half the price by volume compared to our local box retailers and far cheaper than the pet store. My fish are approximately six inches long and have voracious appetites, yet one container still lasts a couple months.

Although I no longer have my clown loaches, they enjoyed this food as well. Their orange and black bands were vibrant — a sign that they are eating a healthy diet.

Improper feeding is the most common reason for water quality problems in freshwater aquariums. Only feed what your fish can eat within 10 minutes. As with any pellets or wafers, this food will turn to mush and start to decay fairly quickly if it’s not eaten. Overfeeding doesn’t just cause cloudy water — uneaten food also spikes nitrite and ammonia levels and causes oxygen and pH to drop. Both of these conditions can result in dead fish.