The kind people over at
Pets by Paragon sent me some of their pet hygiene products to review. We received their
100% Natural Flea and Tick Powder (£6.98),
Dog Conditioning Shampoo (£2.99), and perhaps what I was most excited to try, their
Dog Deodorising Spray (£2.99).
Pets by Paragon state that they only use the best ingredients in their products, and strictly test and scrutinise what they produce. I would consider Pixel to have sensitive skin, and none of these products irritated in him in the slightest.
I was eager to use all of these products, so I thought I would try them in order of how they would most likely be used, starting with the Shampoo, then the Flea and Tick powder, and finally using the deodorising spray to finish off.
Dog Conditioning Shampoo
We wash Pixel fairly regularly so you could say we have experience with dog shampoos. We've used
seaweed bath bombs (Old Sea Dog) to scented shampoos, to old fashioned
soap bars (pure nuff stuff). They have all been good in their own ways, but I have always felt like they have lacked any sense of long lasting smell. Looking at the Pets by Paragon page, I was happy to see the wide range of scents and hoped that they might pack the punch I was looking for. Costing £2.99 for a 250ml bottle of conditioning shampoo, here is what their website has to say:
Paragon Fruit Fusions Shampoo is a specially formulated Conditioning Shampoo which encapsulates the fresh smell of Forest Fruits. Organic wheat proteins are used to add body to your dogs fur, nourish and naturally detangle. Formulated using Glycerine oil, to rapidly reduce skin dryness. This full body shampoo leaves your dogs coat, clean, fresh and totally conditioned.
When I first started using the shampoo I was immediately impressed by how well it lathered up. Pixel is a short-haired dog so we typically get away with using very little of the shampoo, I feel that this bottle could last us for quite a while, so at £2.99 offers great value for money, especially for short haired dogs. We received the Forest Fruits scented conditioning shampoo, and while washing Pixel off, it had a vibrant fruity smell that was certainly very pleasant, which is good because you always run the risk of sharing the shampoo with your dog if they decide to shake.
Once Pixel was dried off he was left with a bright, clean coat. It also left his fur well-conditioned and soft to the touch. Once completely dried, it did seem as if the smell of the shampoo was almost completely gone, which would be my one criticism of the shampoo. In reality I think that that is something easily handled by the deodorising spray which I will cover later.
I was left satisfied with Pets by Paragon's Conditioning Shampoo, I would happily recommend it and I look forward to using it in the future.
100% Natural Flea and Tick Powder
When it comes to dog foods, I can be pretty obsessive over what I am feeding to Pixel. If it has anything that I remotely question in it, I am not not feeding it to him. I'll admit though, when it comes to his flea and tick treatment, I have previously gravitated towards "Spot-On" like treatments with little thought, so I was excited to try Pets by Paragon's 100% Natural Flea and Tick Power. Costing £6.98 for 25 grams, the powder is carefully sprinkled/puffed onto your dog's coat and gently worked in. Brush away any excess powder and you're all done. The powder requires reapplication every two weeks. On their website they say:
Paragon dog flea powder is an organic, naturally mined mineral product made up of fossilised remains of diatoms, a type of hard shelled algae. 100% Natural product, free from pesticides and chemicals. Safe to use on dogs & puppies.
It is probably best to start by saying how easy it is to use. With "spot-on" like treatments, I am stuck holding the medication for five minutes waiting for it to warm up before application otherwise it irritates Pixel. For this all I had to do was grabbed the dog and puff the powder over him, and gently work it into the fur. The Flea and Tick powder didn't seem to irritate Pixel at all, and I liked that it didn't leave a horrible greasy patch that liquid flea treatments leave where they have been applied.
Unlike the majority of other treatments, the Pets by Paragon 100% Natural Flea and Tick powder requires reapplication every 2 weeks, rather than every 4 weeks so it does require you to keep in mind when your last application was. It was also difficult to determine how much powder to use. I tend to be sparing when I am using these sorts of things and it leaves me wondering whether I've used enough.
That being said, I like that this product kills fleas and ticks on contact, rather than applying an insecticide to Pixel. I also like that this can be used on Pixel bedding too, if it is ever required. The 100% Natural Flea and Tick powder seems to be an outstanding alternative, especially for dogs like Pixel, who might suffer with irriatable skin.
Dog Deodorising Spray
I know lots of people probably say this, but I consider myself to be a clean person who likes to keep a clean and tidy house. I was lucky enough that we got a fairly fastidious dog who does his level best to remain clean and tidy. Despite this he can become a bit smelly, especially if it has been a little while since he had his last bath.
Designed to be "spray & go", the deodorising spray gives your dog that just cleaned smell. We received two bottles of deodorising spray, one Vanilla scented, the other Mango and Passion fruit, at present neither of these currently appear on their website, so I've grabbed the description from the Forest Fruits page:
Paragon Fruit Fusions Dog Deodorising Spray is specially formulated to deliver a fruity blast of Forest Fruits leaving your dogs fur smelling clean and super fresh. An invigorating spray designed to refresh and revitalise your dogs coat, giving it that 'Just Washed' fresh smell. Incorporates odour neutralising actives and natural oils which help to detangle your dogs fur.
As I stated before, this product was the one I was most excited to test out, and I wasn't disappointed by the product. We used a small amount on Pixel to freshen him up a little and were amazed at how long the scent kept with him. After three days Pixel still smelt of Vanilla, even after a walk in the drizzle and mist. It is worth noting that after walking Pixel in the pouring rain that constitutes British Spring time that the scent was completely washed away but that was to be expected.
The Deodorising Spray is an absolutely fantastic product, and one that we will keep using for a long time. The ability to just freshen up Pixel is a couple of sprays is very appealing, whether your dog just requires a little something to make them smell better or if you have company coming over and you want your dog to pleasant to be around. Much like the shampoo, I feel like £2.99 for a bottle is great value of money.
Summary
Ultimately I was extremely happy with the products that we received from Pets by Paragon, and will most certainly be continuing to use the 100% Natural Flea and Tick powder and the Deodorising spray specifically.
I encourage you all to check out their website at
petsbyparagon.co.uk to check out their products for cats, dogs, and birds, as well as following them on Twitter
@ParagonPet, and Facebook
here. They regularly post competitions and other useful information so be sure to check up on them regularly.
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I know lots of people probably say this, but I consider myself to be a clean person who likes to keep a clean and tidy house. I was lucky enough that we got a fairly fastidious dog who does his level best to remain clean and tidy. Despite this he can become a bit smelly, especially if it has been a little while since he had his last bath.
Baking!
