Top Dog Picks From Amazon
Hey guys! If you follow me on Instagram you’ll know that I recently found a dog on the side of the highway. After weeks of not being able to find his owner we decided to adopt him! Now we have three dogs in our lives and I thought I’d round up some of my favorite dog items over the last few years from Amazon! Each item we personally own and love.
P.S. All of the images are clickable! :)
See more:
See the “What’s In My Dog’s Travel Bag” blog.
See the “Low Cost Spay/Neutering Place in Atlanta” blog.
See my Amazon Storefront here.
P.S.S. I know it’s not an Amazon item, but I’ve been buying the Bark Box Super Chewer box for two years now so I wanted to throw that in as well! My dogs love it!
Low Cost Pet Vaccines and Spay/Neutering in Atlanta
Having a pet can be really expensive so I’ve created a list of low cost and moderately priced vet clinics in the Metro Atlanta area. This includes vaccines, spay/neutering, and more.
Hi guys! If you follow me on Instagram you know that I found a dog (again) on the side of a busy highway a few weeks ago. After I had no luck finding his owner I knew that he needed to be neutered and vaccinated in order to be around my dogs while I fostered him. Spoiler alert, I’m a foster fail, we are keeping him, and I named him Franklin - haha! Anyways, as you can imagine a new dog was quite the unexpected cost and I set out to give him everything he needed as inexpensively as I could.
As you know, owning a pet is a HUGE responsibility and pretty dang expensive so I’m going to list the places that offer low cost vaccinations and spay/neutering in the Atlanta area. I’ve also listed a few moderately priced places because the super low cost places are booked a month+ out because of Covid-19.
P.S. My public service announcement for today is to remind you to always give your pet heartworm preventative medication! After finding Loki in a parking lot a few years ago, we found out the day of his neutering that he was heartworm positive. Heartworm disease is spread through the bite of a mosquito and can result in lung disease, heart failure, organ damage, and death if untreated. Heartworm disease treatment is VERY expensive, the animals can’t play/get their heart rate up for months, and the injections are painful. Be a good pet owner and GIVE YOUR ANIMALS HEART WORM PREVENTATIVE MEDICATION, PLEASE! Ok, back to my post…
Here is a list of low cost and moderately priced places that offer vaccinations, spay/neutering, and additional vet services in the Metro Atlanta area:
I am not directly affiliated with these programs, just listing them to help out. Please contact the respective programs directly for more information.
Planned Pethood in Duluth, GA offers low cost vet care including a vaccine clinic (click for pricing) and spay/neutering clinic (click for pricing). This is where I took Loki to be neutered and vaccinated. (Spay/Neuter $70-$110 dogs and $35-$60 for cats, price includes pain meds/cone is $10) (Vaccines/testing $10-$25/each) (Microchipping $25). Check their website for a complete list of pricing and services.
My Kids Have Paws in Dalton, GA offers low cost vet care including a vet & vaccine clinic (click for pricing) and spay/neutering clinic (click for pricing). Spay/neutering cost includes pain meds, nail trim, and cone which is amazing! They also have unbelievably low cost vaccines, microchipping, and preventative tests. They also offer an array of surgical services including dental cleaning, amputation, mass removal, and more. (Spay/Neuter $70-$110 and $35-$55 for cats, price includes pain meds, cone, & nail trim) (Vaccines/testing $10-$25/each) (Microchipping $10). Check their website for a complete list of pricing and services.
Atlanta Humane Society Clinic in Atlanta, GA offers low cost vet care including a vet & vaccine clinic (click for pricing) and a spay/neutering clinic (click for pricing). Spay/neutering cost includes free microchip, pain meds, and cone which is amazing! Additional vet services include annual physicals, vaccines, testing, prescriptions, nail trims, microchip, dental services, heart worm care, surgery, and more. This is where I took Franklin for his vaccines, heart worm test, fecal test, and purchased his heart work medication. (Spay/Neuter $100 for dogs and $60 for cats, price includes free microchip, pain meds, and cone) (Vaccines $20/each) (Microchipping $20). Check their website for a complete list of pricing and services.
Lifeline Animal in Atlanta, GA offers low cost vet care including a vet clinic (click for pricing), spay/neutering clinic (click for pricing), and low cost vaccine wellness days (click for pricing). If getting spay/neutering you can add vaccines, microchip, tests, and treatments the same day. If you only need vaccines, you must go to one of their wellness days. (Spay/Neuter $70-$95 for dogs and $25-$60 for cats; pain meds are $8-$15, unsure if cone is included) (Vaccines $10/each during spay/neutering and $40+ package pricing on wellness days) (Microchipping $25). Check their website for a complete list of pricing and services.
H.E.L.P. Spay/Neuter Clinic in Newnan, GA offers a low cost spay/neutering clinic (click for pricing) with the option to add low cost vaccines, microchipping, nail trim, heartworm testing, and deworming at the time of surgery. (Spay/Neuter $80-$125 for dogs and $45-$60 for cats; unsure if price includes meds/cone) (Vaccines/test $13-$20/each during spay/neutering) (Microchipping $25). Check their website for a complete list of pricing and services.
The Animal Project in Ball Ground, GA offers a low cost spay/neuter clinic (click for pricing) with the option to add additional services the day of surgery like microchipping, vaccines, dewormer, flea preventative, and heartworm testing. (Spay/Neuter $80-$105 for dogs and $55-$65 for cats, price includes rabies vaccine, nail trim & pain meds. Cone is $10.) (Vaccines/test $10-$20/each during spay/neutering) (Microchipping $25). Check their website for a complete list of pricing and services.
Paradox Spay/Neuter in Loganville, GA offers a low cost spay/neuter clinic (click for pricing) with the option to add additional services the day of surgery OR by separate appointment. (Spay/Neuter $60-$80 for dogs and $35-$55 for cats, price includes pain meds. Cone is $12-$16) (Vaccines $17/each) (Microchipping $25). Check their website for a complete list of pricing and services.
Value Vet in Lawrenceville, GA and Tucker, GA offers moderately priced vaccines (click for pricing) and low+ cost spay/neutering (pricing not on website). Their website doesn’t list their spay/neutering pricing, but in June 2020 I was quoted $115 for a 50+lbs dog and the price includes pain meds. Come is $15. Check their website for services and call for pricing.
Pet Vet in Cumming, GA offers low/moderately priced spay/neutering (click for pricing), and vaccine packages (click for pricing). They aren’t as inexpensive as the first few places I listed, but worth checking out. Some of their services are a good price (like their annual vaccine package) and some are a little high, like microchipping for $50 is a lot in my opinion), but their website is completely transparent for pricing so it’s worth checking out if you can’t get a timely appt elsewhere. (Spay/Neuter $80-$100 for dogs and $50-$60 for cats, unsure if cost includes pain meds/cone.) (Vaccines/testing packages $65 for puppy/kitten, $125 for adult dog, and $100 for adult cat) (Microchipping $50). Check their website for a complete list of pricing and services.
Thrive Affordable Pet Care has multiple locations and offers low/moderately priced vaccine packages (click for pricing). Their spay/neutering is VERY expensive so I recommend going elsewhere for that. (Spay/Neuter is not low cost, but I wanted to put it for reference: $275-$335 for dogs and $220-$230 for cats) (Vaccines/test packages $59-$99, this works out to be about. $16-$20 each) (Microchipping $35). Check their website for a complete list of services and call for pricing.
Wellpet Humane in Doraville, GA offers moderately+ priced vet services, spay/neutering, vaccines, prescriptions, dental care, surgery, and more. They aren’t as inexpensive as some of the others, but you can get in quickly and it’s still reasonably priced especially if you do a package instead of single services. They don’t list their pricing on their website, but this is where I took Loki for heartworm treatment when we first found him. Side note, check with the Atlanta Humane Society clinic because I just found out that they do heartworm treatment as well and I would assume they are less expensive than Wellpet, but call to confirm. Sometimes the wait for them to answer the phone is long, but they are always happy to answer any questions you have and are fully transparent about their pricing. (In June 2020, I was quoted $184 for neutering a 50+lbs dog and that includes the office exam, cone and medicine. They will waive the office exam if you get vaccines done through them prior. I was also quoted $209 for exam, heartworm test, fecal test, rabies, distemper, bordetella, lepto, and influenza. Their packages are better value for money than single services. Check their website for a complete list of services and call for pricing.
Shepherd Animal Hospital in Duluth, GA offers moderately priced vet services. They waived my $39 exam fee because Planned Pethood recommended me which was nice. They do not list their pricing on their website, but are great if you call and ask. (This is what I was quoted for Franklin in June 2020: Vaccines are $19/each for some, but others are $21 and $32. Fecal testing is $36 and heartworm testing is $39. Neutering for a 50+lbs dog is $124, $25 for medicine, and $15 for cone). Note: the day I came in for surgery they said I had to have an influenza vaccine which had I known I would got it when I was at the ATL humane clinic for $20 and Shepherd wanted to charge me $32 for the same vaccine. They did waive that requirement after I mentioned that no one told me this information prior. Check their website for a complete list of services and call for pricing.
Spay Georgia provides low-cost spay/neuter certificates (click here) at an affordable price.
The following places may be closed currently due to COVID-19:
14. VIP Pet Care is a moderately+ priced clinic offering an array of services. Their individual vaccinations are pretty expensive honestly, but they are low cost for things like microchipping and vaccine packages. See their pricing here. Services include vaccinations, testing, bloodwork, microchip, nail trim, deworming, tapeworm treatment, anal glad expression, ear care, skin care, eye care, urinary care, GI care, and physical exams.
15. Paw Atlanta in Decatur, GA offers low cost vaccination packages every other Sunday (click for pricing). Their individual vaccine ($25-$35/each) and microchip ($30) pricing is pretty expensive, but the packages are low cost.
If you have any other suggestions or know of any updates that I should make to keep the post up to date, please leave it in the comments below. The more resources people have, the better! Let’s help other pet parents out!
What's in my dogs travel bag
Hey guys and welcome back to another blog! Today is all about packing for your doggos! As you might have seen in a previous blog post (here), we took Sweetpea and Loki to a super dog friendly place in Georgia called Jekyll Island. We are big fans of traveling with them whenever we can so I’ve become pretty organized when it comes to their packing situation.
Quick note: The flat lay photo above isn’t everything we bring, but the list below is! :)
PACKING LIST:
Dog Food with measuring cup - I always measure out how much we need so I’m not over doing it or under doing it. I do typically add an extra days worth of food to the large ziplock bag (if it’s just for a weekend) or small food container (if we are traveling for a long time) for each dog incase we were to get stuck or something random happened that extended our trip.
Dog bowls | 1 water to share and 1 food bowl for each
Collars with tags that have their names and our phone numbers on them - I am the QUEEN of finding other peoples dogs and it’s so frustrating when owners don’t have any tags on their dogs. Please have your contact info on your dogs tags so if something were to happen they can be returned quickly.
Harness - each dog has their own harness that doubles as their seat belt. When in the car we clip the leash to their backs so their necks aren’t being pulled but they will stay safe if we get in an accident. It also has a place to clip from the front if they start pulling on a walk.
Leash - again, each dog has a leash that doubles as a seat belt. Each one is looped around my back seat head rest and clipped to each back part of their harness while driving. And, of course, also used as a walking leash.
Hands free hiking leash and leash coupler - This is great for taking both dogs on a walk together. The hiking leash was given to us from a friend and it’s become one of our most used items. It goes around our waist, has a bungee leash which is AMAZING because Sweetpea is 70lbs and Loki is 50lbs so it’s absorbs a massive pull if they were to see something and pull hard at the same time, and a handy zipper pocket for keys, poop bags, etc.
Poop bags and poop bag dispenser with hook to attach to belt loop or leash.
Travel collapsable bowls and water bottle - If out and about I always bring the collapsable bowl with a bottle of water to keep them hydrated.
Medication and pill pockets- your dog may or may not take medication but if they do, you can’t forget it and we always use pill pockets to disguise the medicine.
Treats - I typically bring a few kinds incase they lose interest in one.
Toys! - A variety that usually includes something to play with together (like the big rope pictured above) and an individual chew bone for each of them. Those are always great if they have to be left at the hotel alone and I don’t want them getting bored and up to no good. Better to be safe than sorry.
Dog crate with blankets and dog bed- so crates might not be needed if your dogs are super well behaved like Sweetpea is, but Loki is an escape artist. He can get out of doors that have door “handles” instead of door “knobs” and he has even busted through single pane glass after seeing a cat in our front yard. He’s crate trained so it’s his happy place and we always fill it with blankets and a toy.
Backseat cover - I didn’t have one of these for awhile and boy can you tell. My car has nail intents on the center console and dog hair was to the MAX before I got myself a nice backseat cover.
Towel(s) - we always bring 2+ dog towels aka towels we don’t mind getting muddy or stained. They also come in handy to cover furniture and decrease the amount of dog hair you leave behind.
Long cable tie out like this one - so again, this is usually for Loki only since he’s a runner and we don’t always use it. We originally bought the cable one so he wouldn’t chew through it as a puppy and only have it on him if he’s being supervised. It’s great for taking him outside and clipping it to itself around a tree or something sturdy so he can still run around but not run away.
Life Jackets - each dog has their own life jacket. We always put it on them if they are on a boat or plan to do any lengthy swimming.
Clean up - you never know if your baby might get sick or have an accident so a bottle of carpet cleaner and paper towels is brilliant if needed.
TIPS:
if you’re staying in a dog friendly hotel, but are nervous your dogs might bark hearing every person walk by, door shut, new sound, etc - I HIGHLY recommend turning the tv on at a decent volume.
We always put the do not disturb hanger on the door so the cleaners don’t come in while we aren’t there. I don’t want to worry about Sweetpea wandering out of the door or the dogs scaring the heck out of them. Although are dogs are super sweet, a lot of people are scared of dogs so I just avoid making the cleaning staff uncomfortable and we will just ask for anything extra like towels and toiletries if needed.
Look for dog friendly restaurants ahead of time so you get optimal time with your furry babies.
Do you have anything else to add to the packing list or any extra tips? Please leave a comment below if so!
Also, if you’re looking to go somewhere dog friendly, I highly recommend Jekyll Island. We had such a great time!
#SweetpeaIsSpecialized
I feel like you all have seen me in my favorite kit a hundred times, so lets hear it for Sweetpea looking real cute in my get up. Surprisingly she loved the jersey and buff, but we had to do a little bribing with treats to get her to sit still with the helmet on. I didn't feel well at all yesterday so I had to make use of my gear somehow. <3 I hope everyone has been having an amazing weekend and that this puts a smile on your face!