I really had fun giving folks on local Sacramento TV some tips on pet travel when PETCO sent me to the West coast recently. If only they had asked me something like pet grooming when traveling – I was thinking that while the nice hotels give out sample shampoo and conditioners, it would be so cool if the pet friendly hotels gave out little bottles of Halo’s Cloud Nine Herbal Shampoo!

It is an absolute favorite in our house where all three of my gigantic dogs gets a bath at least twice a month and truly no shampoo comes close to Halo’s for easy rinse-ability, soft skin, and cleaning without being harsh.

Maybe one of the nicer hotel chains like the Four Seasons – which puts out bowls and beds and leashes for their traveling dog guests – could also pop some Cloud Nine Herbal Shampoo in there and people could take advantage of the nice low edges on hotel bathtubs to give their travelling four-leggeds a little bubble bath?

Here’s me, sent to Sacramento by Petco to chat about pet travel issues. You can see it’s pretty fun! Sacramento & Company TV Appearance.

Tracie Hotchner, author of The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible, guest blogs here every Thursday on healthy, natural choices for pets.

I only recommend detergent-free shampoo, like Halo Herbal Shampoo, which contains natural botanical oils and extracts that nourish the skin and coat instead of stripping the skin of its essential oils.

It is important to bathe no more than once weekly to prevent excessive drying.

Pets that have skin breakouts may also benefit from Halo Herbal Healing Salve applied to the affected areas two to three times daily.

The healing salve is a great ointment that cures a world of skin hurts—I also love it for soothing dry or cracked pads.

Read more about dry skin remedies.

Here’s a wonderful video sent in by a good friend. Enjoy!

To help us all get in the spirit, here’s a 25% off coupon code for Halo’s all natural herbal shampoo (but hurry, it expires at the end of May)!

Coupon code:

DOGWASH
(enter coupon code AFTER you enter your credit card information on our site).

Of course we use the shampoo on our boxer boy Bert at home. It smells GREAT and rinses super-fast. We especially like the ingredients, which are:

Ingredients: Saponified Oils of Coconut, Olive and Jojoba, Tea Tree Oil, Rosemary Oil, Sage Oil Cedarwood Oil, Peppermint Oil, Sweet Orange Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, Pine Needle Oil, Aloe Vera, Rosemary Extract (as a preservative)

Here’s where you can buy Halo’s herbal shampoo. Or even better than this 25% discount: just go to your local halo retailer, save the shipping charges, and print and bring this $2 coupon!

Enjoy – and get a towel!

The Natural Resources Defense Council, a leader in saving the environment, issued a report in 2000 called Poison on Pets, with a list of dangerous chemicals contained in flea and tick products; since then, the NRDC has helped to get most of the poisons banned, and is working on getting rid of the final two still on the market.

The issue is so important that the NRDC has created a special web site — www.GreenPaws.org — to increase awareness of pesticide use on and around pets. Many of the most popular brands of flea and tick treatments and their ingredients are listed, with possible side-effects including cancer-causing agents.

The site also has tips on how to protect your pet without the use of chemicals, including regular combing and baths.

As you probably know, Halo does not use any of these unsafe chemicals, and offers a full line of natural pet grooming products as a safer alternative for both your pet and the environment.

Nicole Martin, Examiner.com’s NY Pet Products Examiner reviews Halo Cloud Nine Herbal Dip, saying “Many over the counter and prescription pest control products contain chemicals that have the potential to harm both you and your pets… Thankfully there are natural solutions that do the job just as well.” Bottom line according to Martin? “The natural oils repel insects and make your pet smell great too!”

At home, we diluted Herbal Dip and spray it on our boxer boy Bert every so often, and we mix it in his Herbal Shampoo. We live in deer country so Bert needs protection, but he also shares beds with everyone in the family. We sometimes spray the beds and couch too – and the kids like the smell too.

Click here to read more.