8 Game-Changing Pet Products To Treat Your Dog Or Cat To ASAP

A treat-dispensing camera, a cat-food delivery service, a candle that banishes pet odors, and more — all tried, tested, and approved by BuzzFeed editors/pet parents!

We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, BuzzFeed may collect a share of sales from the links on this page. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication. This post features a mix of items that we purchased with our own money and those that were provided to us at no cost for the sake of review. (But! We’re under no obligation to write a review of those things, let alone a positive review.)

1. A treat-dispensing two-way camera so you can check up on your pet (and talk to them!!) when you're away from home.

Emmy Favilla / BuzzFeed, Furbo

These days, I like to think of my dog-owning life as divided into two discrete parts: BF and AF (before Furbo and after Furbo). If you've never owned a pet camera before and decide to take the plunge, I have good faith you might find yourself doing the same.

First off, the Furbo is no ordinary pet camera. Unlike snoozy ol' security-type cameras of yore, the Furbo, which is controlled via app and operates on Wi-Fi, has been designed especially for dogs (and, sure, cats too, if you'd like to keep an eye on your kitty when you're away). It's a two-way camera with a crisp AF picture in addition to sound, so you can hear what's going on on the other end and you can talk to your pup through the app! Plus? YOU CAN GIVE YOUR DOG TREATS THROUGH THE CAMERA!!! The top portion of the device has a lid you can lift to fill with the (small) treats of your liking, and then you just push the treat icon on the app to fire away; the camera comes with a complimentary bag to start you off and so you have a good idea of how big the treats should be in order to be dispensed properly.

Other fun features include automatic night vision if the room gets dark and specific alerts when your dog barks, when a human enters the frame (if you have a dog walker you could even creepily say hi to them through this thing), when your dog takes a "selfie" (aka is near the camera and looking straight at it), and any activity caught on camera. You can choose which alerts you want on and which you want off, so you're not getting a push notification every time your dog moves around — which for me would be never anyway, since I've learned that my pup's favorite activity when I'm gone is to just lie on the bed looking sad. I could also see it being a great choice for new dog owners worried about leaving their pup at home alone, or for pet parents with anxious dogs who may be soothed (albeit a bit confused) by hearing their human's voice through the camera. Go ahead and change your life and buy this thing already. —Emmy Favilla

Get it from Amazon or Furbo for $199.

2. A front-facing dog backpack to safely and comfortably tote your pup around during outdoor adventures.

Harper Hendrickson / BuzzFeed

I take my dog Lily everywhere: We go to the beach, to the lake, to the park, and on hikes and camping trips together. Lily still has plenty of energy for a 10-year-old doggo, but sometimes — such as on a particularly long hikes — she conks out and needs to be carried like a little babe. Hence, in my anywhere-I-go-my-dog-goes adventures, I’ve tested just about every dog carrier there is. Backpacks are ideal because of the weight distribution for me, and Lily senses she is close to me and completely chills out once she is in there.

I was using a black dog-carrying pack just at home for a while, so I could carry Lily around while I need to cook and when she needs to be snuggled. But Lily didn’t fit perfectly in that pack, so I wouldn’t trust it in the great outdoors. Recently I took Lily with me on a trip to North Carolina, where we did a lot hiking and swimming and frolicking around in nature together. During our trek, I tried a K9 Sport Sack, a bag designed to go on your back while your pup faces forward. It’s very adjustable for both you and your dog, and it even has little leg holes so your pup can rest their legs on your shoulders as you carry them around (the cutest thing ever). Lily was not really into that leg positioning, but I got her a medium-size bag (in an adorable mint color) so she still had plenty of room to sit in the bag however she pleased.

I loved that this bag was comfy for her, but secure enough so that I had no worries about her falling out. I used this bag with Lily while hiking in the mountains, and on a particularly hot day while walking around downtown. Everyone thought she was the cutest as she rested up. I replaced the old pack with this one because it’s much better, and I recommend this bag to anyone who brings their pup everywhere. Also, if your dog likes to snuggle down for a snooze at the bottom of bags, I recommend sizing up so they have plenty of room to do so! —Harper Hendrickson

Get it from Amazon for $54.45+ or K9 Sport Sack for $69.95 (available in four sizes and five colors).

3. A pet odor–neutralizing candle that looks and smells delightful (and comes in 19 scents).

amazon.com, Elizabeth Lilly / BuzzFeed

Residing with a 40-pound-plus nugget with enough sass to bring down an ancient empire can take a toll on things, including upholstered furniture. Cleopatra, queen of the apartment, spends a good chunk of her time on our hand-me-down couch. As a result, it smells like eau de dog. Regular candles have helped some, but there's always been a lingering smell. So I decided to try a Pet House Candle, which promised to help help banish the doggo stench.

And oh my goodness, these candles work crazy-well. They're quite fragrant from the get-go, so you don't have to keep them lit in a never-ending cycle. And they smell and look lovely, not like something that's made specifically for neutralizing odors. The Lavender Green Tea is refreshing, but I'm partial to the Ruby Red Grapefruit scent. Cleo is too caught up in napping and nesting in blankets to notice a difference, but *I've* noticed it! On top of that, the jars are cute, they're made of 100% natural soy wax and without dyes, and the company supports nonprofit, no-kill animal rescue groups. —Elizabeth Lilly

Get it from Amazon for $21.95 (available in 19 scents).

4. A luxe AF waterproof pet bed perfect for active or aging kitties or pups.

Mallory Mower / BuzzFeed

I like to think that my cat Chuck is great at a lot of things, but he really isn’t. He is an adorable, lovable critter, but is a little lacking in the “special skills” part of his resume. There is definitely one cat-egory he excels at, though, and it is sleeping. Charles is a master napper and he needed a bed to match his special skills.

A brand called Bedgear, as it turns out, makes "performance bedding" for active pets. Because Charles is a chunk, I have an indoor cat wheel he runs on while he’s inside, and I walk him on a leash when the weather is warm. As the protector of our little family, he often leaps from tables and shelves while attempting to save his people from the likes of the common housefly. His success rate is dismal, and I worry about how often his leaps turn into falls. Bedgear designed their bedding with dogs and cats like Charles in mind. The bed my boy has uses Air-X and Dri-Tec technology that helps manage temperature control and gives support to my little boy’s joints while he rests. The case is removable, which makes washing a breeze, and the inner cushion is waterproof. I love this feature already, but I also know what a great thing it is for senior pets to have a waterproof bed that also supports aging joints.

Chuck loves snoozing against the sturdy headrest and immediately took to the cushioned bottom (much to the relief of my own human pillows). He’s a scratcher, and I prefer to give him as many surfaces as I can for scratching. He was thrilled when he realized he could scratch into this without getting scolded, and it has held up incredibly well. I have been so happy seeing how quickly he took to this bed, and seeing how active and happy he seems after a well-deserved snooze sesh. Charles loves to sleep, so I’m glad he loves what he is sleeping on. —Mallory Mower

Get it from Bedgear for $149.99+ (available in small, medium, and large).

5. An adorable collar-and-leash combo that supports a good cause to boot.

Neptune & Co., Emmy Favilla / BuzzFeed

My dog pulls on his leash a lot. I adopted him when he was 3 years old and don't know much about his former home, but his leash skills were so poor that I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he'd never been walked on a leash prior to entering the shelter! There's been a little improvement over the past two years, and I've used some few tricks I've been taught by trainers, but he's still got a ways to go before our walks can be described as remotely leisurely.

That said, a comfortable collar and leash is paramount to making the experience less miserable for the both of us while he's still learning to chill out on walks (if he ever learns to chill out on walks). I recently started using this super-cute gingham Neptune & Co. collar and leash set, and while I'm not sure what my dog thinks of the collar (I've asked, but he won't respond), the leash is the most comfortable I've used to date. It's nice and sturdy, and has a padded handle that makes me feel like I have more control over my 50-pound pup when he decides to pull me in every which direction down the block. It also has a convenient ring right under the handle for hanging a poop-bag dispenser.

In addition to being available in a ton of fun patterns — including a vibrant-colored summer collection — the best part about buying one of these guys is that for every product purchased, the company donates a dollar to a different doggie charity each month! (For July, it's the Fresno Bully Rescue, an organization that helps pit bulls and other bully breeds in need.) Yeah, that's gonna be a yes for me, dog. —Emmy Favilla

Get a collar and leash set from Neptune & Co. for $27.99 (available in three sizes and seven styles), and use code BUZZFEED at checkout to get 20% off your order!

6. Human-grade cat food delivered to your doorstep, because let's face it — your cat deserves it.

Emmy Favilla / BuzzFeed

I wrote about NomNomNow once before, in a post about things that've helped to relieve my dog's allergies: It's homemade dog food made from human-grade ingredients that's delivered to your doorstep. Based on my experiences with other home-cooked dog-food delivery services, its recipes are a tad bit cheaper than its competitors', plus the company also offers the options to switch to a "topper" plan (aka smaller portions, to top your pup's current food with) as well as to rotate the recipes you get delivered.

But we're not here to talk about dog food, because update: NomNomNow now delivers homemade cat food! Having recently made the leap to home-cooked dog food, prompted by my pup's allergies, I was feeling a little guilty that I hadn't thought to feed my cat Benny a mostly fresh-cooked meal too when I heard about this new offering.

Delivered to you in frozen "NomNomMeow"-labeled packages (you keep most of them in the freezer until it's time to let them thaw), the premise of the food is the same as it is for dogs: customized, pre-packaged portions based on your cat's current weight and goal weight, using human-grade ingredients, but now formulated for cats (i.e., with a higher percentage of protein and water, since cats get most of their water intake through food). Recipe choices are currently fish and chicken, and I opted for the fish flavor — a mix of salmon and tilapia, plus carrot, yuca, and beef fat. I wasn't expecting Benny to be super pumped about his food; he's pretty picky when it comes to wet food, and I've had to switch up his canned food over the years because he's a little diva who seems to get bored of the same thing easily. But I've been pleasantly surprised that he's generally enjoyed his NomNomNow fish meals! Luckily the company has already anticipated that cats can be a little tougher to sell on homemade food than dogs are, and so the first box comes with samples of flavor flakes and broth to help entice less-than-enthused kitties. You can also try warming up the bag in a bowl of warm water for about 30 seconds before serving to entice your finicky feline.

I love that the portions are already laid out for you, but most of all I love that I'm giving my cat top-notch quality food. Sure, it's pricier than your typical pet-store varieties, but it's a new era — and we're learning how important a non-processed diet can be with regard to our furry friends' longevity and overall health! —Emmy Favilla

Get it from NomNomNow starting at $20/week (for 14 cat-food meals).

7. A harness designed to keep your pooch both safe and comfy on car rides — because they should always buckle up too.

Claire de Louraille / BuzzFeed

When I first got my dog Ruggie about a year ago, I didn't realize I needed to think much about her car safety, aside from making sure she was comfortable. And then a while ago I wrote a puppy gift guide and included a product called a Rocketeer Pack — Ruggie's a bit too big for that one, but it got me seriously considering products to ensure her safety in the car. Like a bunch of people living in LA, I spend a ton of time in my car; while I'm a safe driver, I've been rear-ended before, and it was a terrifying experience that would have been a hundred times worse if I'd had Ruggie with me.

I started doing some research and found this harness by Sleepypod. It's one of the only harnesses that 1) won't send your dog flying out the window if you get into an accident, 2) is made of shock-absorbing material so your pooch takes as little impact as possible, and 3) is actually comfortable for your dog. (They have a ton of car-crash-test videos on their website which are as fascinating as they are horrifying.) It works like a normal harness with two sets of clips: one above the shoulders near the neck, and another set around the ribs/chest. Where it differs from other harnesses is that there are two "infinity loops" connecting the top clips to the bottom clips. You slide a seat belt through those loops, clip in the seat belt, and that's it! It's designed to protect your dog against sudden impact, and they can also lie down, sit up, and move around.

It's not her favorite harness to walk around in, so I just keep her Sleepypod harness in my car and put her into it whenever we drive somewhere. Then I change her back into to regular harness. It seems like an annoying extra step but it really only takes a couple seconds. At about 16 lbs, the small fits her best but it still seems a smidgen big — the harnesses seem like they were made for medium- to larger-sized dogs.

This product is expensive, at around $70, but I cannot tell you how much my anxiety has eased knowing that Ruggie is as protected as she can be in my car. It's worth every penny, and I'm thinking about buying a second one to leave in my boyfriend's car. —Claire de Louraille

Get it from Amazon for $69.28+ or Chewy for $67.99+ (available in four sizes and five colors).

8. And an over-the-counter hydrocortisone ear solution for treating super-irritated ears easily and effectively.

Emmy Favilla / BuzzFeed

My dog Tico is allergic to basically everything — beef, yeast, and dust mites are just a few of the things that cause him to itch like there's no tomorrow. Luckily, an allergen-friendly food and veterinarian-recommended medication (Apoquel) has been keeping things very much under control lately. But several months ago, his ears were severely irritating him, despite my efforts to clean them regularly and keep his diet free of allergens. Unfortunately, because of itchy yeast buildup in his ears and his incessant scratching, he developed a hematoma — basically a big lump in his ear as the result of swollen clotted blood. A vet visit estimated a surgical removal of somewhere in the $500-$700 range, which was a shock to hear, but something I was of course willing to do to prevent his ear canal from being blocked and to relieve him from being so uncomfortable.

After my boyfriend poked around on some message boards and read about other dogs who had also developed hematomas, however, he noticed that a ton of people swore by a product called Zymox Otic to effectively treat it — a $21 investment that ultimately saved them hundreds and saved their dog from having to undergo surgery. A 4.8-star average with nearly 8,000 reviews on Amazon sealed the deal, and I instantly added it to my cart.

And let me tell you — this product is absolutely incredible. I used it for a total of 14 days, and within a week, Tico's hematoma had deflated significantly; another two weeks after that, it had completely disappeared! It's a hydrocortisone solution designed to treat inflammation of the external ear caused by bacterial, viral, and yeast infections, but it's also available in a non-hydrocortisone formula for cats and dogs with irritated and broken skin. It's a bit thicker and oilier than a normal ear cleanser, so you might want to steer clear of using it near fabrics you don't want to get stained. Luckily Tico hasn't had any more irritation in his ears, so the smallest bottle (1.25 oz.) is more than enough if you only need it for two weeks like I did. I've continued to regular clean out any crud from his ears with the Zymox Ear Cleanser since, and he's been a comfy-as-can-be, itch-free pup. You should consult with your vet before trying any ear treatments, but this one totally blew me away. (And now I have more money to spend on his treats and toys!) —Emmy Favilla

Get it from Amazon for $20.99+ (available in three sizes) or Walmart for $21.98.

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Allison Krausman / BuzzFeed