Best Eco Pet Gear of 2018

Below is a list of winners from the 2018 Eco Excellence Awards in the Pet category. They have all showcased excellence in a form of sustainability, safety, social responsibility, and health and wellness. For the full list of our 2018 Eco Excellence Winners please refer to this page.

Pet Grooming - 4-Legger USDA Certified Organic Lavender Dog Shampoo with Organic Calendula and Organic St. John's Wort

Need relief for your dog's dry and itchy skin, atopic dermatis, or hot spots? 4Legger combined Organic Lavender, Organic Calendula, and Organic St. John's Wort to provide relief of painful inflamed skin and encourage skin healing.  While beneficial for all skin types, our organic lavender dog shampoo truly excels at soothing sensitive skin, dry and itchy skin, and providing relief for hot spots while reducing skin inflammation.

Known for its antibacterial, anti-fungal, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory properties, lavender is used to treat common skin disorders where it can help to reduce itching, swelling, and redness. Check them out here https://www.4-legger.com/

Why we love it: You can finally quit worrying about the ingredients in your dog grooming products! This is the first USDA Certified Organic Dog Shampoo using safe & non-toxic organic aloe juice, organic oils, and organic essential oils. It smells great, and cleans great. Not to mention, 4Legger gives back to rescues, shelters, and canine cancer research programs - something integral to their mission.

Pet Cleaner - Biokleen Bac-Out Stain & Odor Remover

Biokleen's highly touted Bac-Out Stain & Odor Remover is a 4-time champion in our Eco Excellence Awards and for good reason. The enzyme cleaner works at a molecular level on all of the organic messes your pet can create. Its performance with non-toxic and environmentally friendly ingredients is the essence of what these awards are about - highlighting those that give us effective, sustainable, and healthy solutions that don't sacrifice the performance of commonly owned products. If you are a pet owner, or just looking for a safe stain remover for laundry, this is a must own.

Why we love it: As a 4-time champion it is safe to say we love it and so do all of our voters out there. We want to use this space to bring up why we love biokleen the company. They are a family-owned company that produces plant and mineral based cleaners. More than 80% of their products received an A from the EWG. In 2018 the planted 120,000 trees to fight back against coastal erosion and restore the aquaculture and wildlife in Indonesia. Great people, great mission, great products.

Dog Food - Clear Conscience Pet SuperGravy Pet Food Topper and Broth Mixes

SuperGravy Pet Food Toppers are completely natural dry gravy and broth mixes which are designed to REPLACE CANS and other liquid pet food toppers such as pre-made broths and ready-to-use pet food gravies. The SuperGravy recipes are nutritionally exceptional, made only with whole superfoods which are air dried and concentrated to create healthy and holistically balanced pet food enhancers that transform dry kibble into moist and healthy delicious pet meals. SuperGravy is made in the pet parent's home from our dry mixes by simply adding tap or filtered water. As proof of the nutritional value, SuperGravy has won 10 Awards in the pet food industry for excellence and innovation to date. NO other pet food topper can make this claim. The use of SuperGravy as a pet food nutrition enhancer, palatability booster, and digestibility supplement has the power to eliminate countless thousands of tons of landfill waste, excess packaging, and substantially reduce the carbon footprint of the pet food industry in the USA and worldwide. Check it out here http://www.supergravy.com

Why we love it: SuperGravy is a transformative disruptor with the capacity to create a huge shift in the pet food industry. Because they aren't packaging, shipping, and selling water, SuperGravy leaves baby steps instead of big messy footprints on the environment. They do it all with dramatically less packaging and landfill waste, with a far smaller carbon footprint than production of premade liquid gravies, broths, and canned foods.  In fact, 2 pallets of SuperGravy can replace an entire truckload of canned dog food or premade broth used as a topper!

Dog Treats - GivePet

GivePet provides enough treats for at least 10 shelter dogs for every bag sold. The free treats for shelter/rescue dogs are given back to the retailer where the bag was purchased. Then, the retailer gives the free treats to local rescues of their choice. Retailers get feedback from their customers on where they would like to see the treats go and love the fact that their purchase gives 10 treats to local rescue dogs. Treats are on the very top of the list of needs for nearly all shelters. Additionally, they would like healthy, nutritious treats. They use the treats daily to socialize and train the dogs. The more socialized and trained a dog is, the more successful the adoption will be. This means less dogs return because of behavioral issues, etc. And most importantly, they want shelter dogs to get something special just like our dogs do! The treats are grain-free, all natural, with no added salt or sugar. The treats all start with protein first which is very uncommon due to the high cost of meat and fish. Check it out here http://givepet.com/

Why we love it: We love when a company is built for a purpose larger than creating capital for stakeholders. GivePet was conceptualized with the complete intention of making an impact in area they believe they could - this of course being sheltered dogs. For every bag you buy, they donate enough treats for at least 10 sheltered dogs. Understand who you are buying from, because not all the companies out there are doing socially responsible work like GivePet.

Pet Gear - Coolaid Canine Cooling Blanket

When athletes perform at a professional level they often head for a nice ice bath or cooling tech to control the inflammation on their joints. Well, just like human athletes, exceptional equine athletes, such as Linc the horse, needed this option after performing too. Coolaid was born from a market of subpar cooling blankets and products for animals. Coolaid provides chemical-free cooling products for animals.  What sets them aside from their competitors, any temperature of water can start the cooling process, their products are machine washable, provide a UPF of 30+ and the cooling lasts the lifetime of the product.  The canine blankets are easy to use and lightweight, once their patented technology is soaked in water, the fabric will cool up to 30% lower than surface temperature. With temperatures on the rise, this is a must-on for those pet-owners living in high double or even triple-digit temp numbers. Check them out here https://www.coolaid.com/

Why we love it: Its compact, and a quick solution for your dog on a hot summer's day of playing or hiking. Its comforting and not invasive for your furry companion so he/she won't mind wearing it.

PetAlive - Cushex Drop-S

In a healthy pet, the pituitary gland produces adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), stimulating the adrenal glands to secrete glucocorticoid, or cortisol hormones, into the bloodstream. Cortisol is necessary for the body's health and functioning, affecting your pet's metabolism, nervous, immune, and cardiovascular systems, as well as kidneys. When the pituitary gland or adrenal gland malfunctions and excess glucocorticoid is secreted, your pet develops Cushing’s disease. As a result, your pet may begin to experience increased appetite -- the most noticeable effect of long-term exposure to cortisol -- and frequently beg, become possessive of food, or get into the garbage. With Cushing's disease you may also notice increased thirst and water consumption in your pet, leading to more frequent urination and indoor accidents. Hair loss and thinning, especially around the elbows, flank, and abdomen may also occur after extended cortisol exposure. 

Cushex Drops-S™ is a 100% safe and effective, non-addictive, natural herbal supplement. Cushex Drops-S™ contains a unique and scientifically chosen selection of herbs known for their beneficial effects on promoting balance in the endocrine system, specifically the HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis, thereby supporting many functions of the body. It can be used to help the body naturally mitigate the effects of long-term exposure to high levels of cortisol, supporting healthy energy, strong skin and coat, digestive health, and more.

Why we love it: In our seemingly busy lives we often can over look moments or behaviors of those we love, especially our pets. If you have noticed an increased thirst and water consumption in your pet, leading to more frequent urination and indoor accidents. Hair loss and thinning, especially around the elbows, flank, and abdomen the may have an extended cortisol exposure. PetAlive is doing their best to help reset your dog's adrenals and give them a break, the same way naturopaths are instructing us to do so. Our pets are our babies, and PetAlive is making an extraordinary effort to keep them healthy and happy as long as we can.