Pet supplies YOU can use in a pinch

I stood in the middle of a bustling tradeshow floor chatting with another blogger.

I sipped my coffee, then caught the tiniest whiff of BO.

With that small sniff, three things flashed through my mind in half a second: omg I forgot deodorant, that smell is me, and I need to take care of this NOW. It was like 9 am. I had roughly 10 hours ahead of me before I could get back to my hotel.

As I’m the type of person who forgets deodorant, I’m clearly not the type of person to carry a back-up stick in my purse. So I brainstormed for a bit, high-tailed it to the free samples of new products that were being handed out in the press room, and snatched a bottle of dog shampoo. I raced into the bathroom, snagged some paper towels, and totally made that shampoo into my temporary deodorant for the day. And it worked! (Thank goodness.)

That experience got me thinking: How many pet supplies can I commandeer if I’m in a pinch?

The second possibility presented itself less than two weeks later. It was certainly a less acute emergency, but Louisiana got HOT. I was getting ready to head out to a dinner. I pulled on a skirt, slipped on my sandals, and realized… winter feet. Obviously not having painted toenails isn’t a real disaster, but once I got it in my head, I just felt like my first sandal wearing of the year NEEDED painted toes. No time for a pedicure, but AHA! I had a sample of:

Happy Pink nails in a flash!

A third option came up when I picked up some grooming products that had come in the mail. I looked through them and one was a bottle of scented coat refresher, which I would never use on my dogs. I think their noses are too dang sensitive for that type of product. So, that day I had exercised and walked the dogs, then – before I changed – I ran to the post office and gas station. (It sort of seems like a theme is emerging here. Apparently I smell.) As I was pulling away from the pump, John called and he and his coworkers were grabbing a beer at a bar that was within a block of the gas station. It wouldn’t make sense to drive home, freshen up, and drive back… so I spritzed some coat refresher, pulled a pin brush through my hair, and headed off to happy hour!

Finally, and I don’t have personal experience with this, but it’s worth mentioning: Single ingredient jerky! When I was at Global Pet Expo, two different PR people demonstrated how people-friendly their jerky was by taking bites during our meeting, and the Pet Age assistant editor taste-tested, too. Keep a stash in your car for an snack emergency for yourself (or your pup, I suppose)!

Am I missing any? What pet products have you used on yourself in a pinch? Anything you’d recommend?