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Dolly Parton Adds New Products With 'a Little Extra Sparkle' To Her Doggy Parton Pet Line

Dolly Parton is sharing her love for pets with the world by launching a glamourous new pet collection at Petco under her Doggy Parton brand.

The collection offers "a range of chic apparel, accessories, and toys designed exclusively for our furry companions," according to a press release obtained by PEOPLE, which noted that the collection is "a harmonious blend of Dolly's glamour and rock 'n roll personality" and can be purchased at various Petco's nationwide.

"Pet lovers and Dolly fans alike can now treat their four-legged friends to the epitome of pet fashion with the dazzling Doggy Parton collection," the release added. "From glamourous, glittery gowns to show-stopping moto jackets, cozy beds, and plush toys, every piece is a tribute to Dolly's timeless style, her god dog Billy The Kid, and love for animals."

Amanda Press, Senior Photographer at SportPet Designs

According to the brand, this new line offers products in a range of sizes so pets of all shapes can find something to enjoy. Animal lovers can expect to find unique products such as a limousine toy that pays tribute to Dolly's song and album "White Limozeen," a glittery pink collar for cats, various styles of the classic blonde Dolly Parton wig, and a coordinated pink and silver dress and cowboy hat outfit.

"I've always said that a little extra sparkle can make anyone's day brighter, and that goes for our furry friends, too! It's a 'ruff' job, but someone's gotta do it!" Parton, 77, said in a statement about the new line available at Petco.

A part of the proceeds from every Doggy Parton purchase goes to Willa B Farms, a rescue that provides love and care for animals who have lost their homes. 

Amanda Press, Senior Photographer at SportPet Designs

Parton announced the launch of Doggy Parton in 2022, over 60 years after her first record, "Puppy Love," was released.

"My love for pets is stronger than ever," Parton said in a statement at the time. "This inspired me to start my own line of Doggy Parton apparel, accessories, toys, and more with a little 'Dolly' flair."

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The singer and philanthropist partnered with SportPet Designs to create Doggy Parton. The singer's beloved god dog, Billy the Kid, serves as the brand's ambassador.

Amanda Press, Senior Photographer at SportPet Designs

Parton's third children's book, Dolly Parton's Billy the Kid Makes it Big, features the canine companion, who is owned by Dolly's longtime manager, Danny Nozell.

"I am so proud to bring this book and the message it conveys to life," Parton told PEOPLE in a statement ahead of the book's April release. "Years back I wrote a song 'Makin' Fun Ain't Funny' for my children's album I Believe In You. I wanted kids to understand how harmful bullying can be to someone."

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"When I launched the Doggy Parton line of pet products earlier this year, my god-dog Billy got to be the star of the show. Since he's a big star now, I knew a story with him at the center could help drive home important messages in a unique way," she added. "I hope this is the first of many books with Billy."

Her Son's Pet Frog Got Lost In A Hole The Wall. This Mom Would Not Sleep Until It Was Rescued

A Tennessee mom is going viral after sharing a ribbeting story about rescuing her son's pet frog, Kermit.

In TikTok video that has been seen by nearly 15 million people, Shelby Rideout explains that her 10-year-old son, Luke, is "hysterical" because Kermit is lost in a wall.

"Luke was convinced Kermit would be dead in the morning," Rideout tells TODAY.Com. "And I felt so responsible. I was the one who suggested we take him out of his little habitat. He was nervous and I was like, 'Don't be nervous. This will be great.'"

Moments later, chaos erupted.

"I kid you not, Kermit jumped from my hand, to my son's back to the floor and into the wall," she says. "The whole thing happened in three seconds or less."

The look on Luke's face broke his mother's heart. Just a few days earlier, the fourth grader had to bury his beloved goldfish, Kai. Kai had been in the family for more than two years.

"I was determined to save Kermit," Rideout says. "I didn't care if it took me all night. I wasn't about to let him shrivel up and die in there. Not on my watch. We weren't going to lose two pets in one week."

In the clip, Rideout hilariously shares that she prayed to Saint Anthony, a patron saint of lost and stolen articles. She also played sounds of crickets in an attempt to lure Kermit from his hiding spot. At one point, Rideout gently pokes him with the tip of an aquarium plant. That plan backfires: Kermit jumps deeper into the hole.

Then, suddenly, there's progress. Could it be the live cricket Rideout is baiting him with?

"The frog is prairie dogging out of the hole, which obviously means I can't go to bed," Rideout says, zooming in on Kermit so that viewers can get a glimpse.

"Can you see him?" she asks. "Dude, we're in a legit standoff."

Rideout is bleary-eyed and exhausted — but she refuses to give up.

After three and a half hours, Rideout draws Kermit out of the hole by turning out the lights — a trick she learned on TikTok.

"YES! I got him! I got him!" she exclaims. "Oh my God, that was amazing."

Rideout is so relieved she appears to be on the brink of tears.

"My son just woke up because he heard me cheering," she says. "I can't tell you how good I feel."

Frog in the wall mom (Courtesy Shelby Rideout)

"This happened to us once with our hamster. My dad tore down the whole wall lol. Saint Anthony help us bring this frog home!"

Added another, "the bloodshot eyes."

Rideout tells TODAY.Com that Kermit is safe and as hoppy as can be.

"When we bought him he was totally brown. When they're grumpy they're brown," she says. "But in the video, he's green as can be. I think he's happy with his living conditions."

This article was originally published on TODAY.Com

FDA Pet Food Investigation: What To Know About Diet-related Heart Disease In Dogs

Since the Food and Drug Administration first warned about a possible link between a potentially fatal canine heart condition and "grain free" pet foods in 2018, owners and veterinarians have continued to report cases of dogs developing diet-related dilated cardiomyopathy, or DCM.

DCM is a disease in which the heart gets larger, leaving it weaker and less able to pump blood. Some larger breeds of dogs, such as golden retrievers and Great Danes, are susceptible to the condition.

The FDA's most recent tally of dogs, and a much smaller number of cats, with diet-related DCM included 1,382 cases, 255 of which had been determined between Aug. 1, 2020, and Nov. 1, 2022.

In 2019, the FDA named 16 brands of dog food associated with the rare form of heart disease, although it didn't suggest that owners stop giving the food, which often contains high levels of peas, lentils and potatoes, to their pets.

Researchers and veterinarians don't yet know exactly how dog and cat food might cause damage to some pets' hearts, but a study published in 2021 suggested that a culprit could be the high levels of peas in certain pet foods.

That finding was backed up in May when Canadian scientists published a study on the effects of a 28-day diet on eight adult beagle dogs, a breed chosen because it's not known to be susceptible to the heart condition. The veterinary researchers from the University of Saskatchewan fed the dogs one of three diets: a traditional diet; a grain-free diet high in lentils; and a grain free diet high in peas. They then repeated the experiment with the other two diets so that all the beagles had experience with all three diets. The researchers observed "DCM-like changes" in dogs that had been consuming the pea diet for 28 days.

It's not yet clear what it is about peas that could be harming pet hearts, said the study's senior author, Lynn Weber, a professor of veterinary biomedical sciences at the University of Saskatchewan Western College of Veterinary Medicine.

One possibility is the amount of fiber in peas. "I suspect if we remove all peas from all dog and cat foods we're still going to run into a problem," Weber said, noting that more research is needed to find out what it is about the peas and possibly other ingredients that is leading to heart damage.

The best evidence relating DCM to certain diets is how dogs' hearts improve once they are switched to a traditional diet, said Dr. Aly Cohen, an associate veterinarian at the Riney Canine Health Center and a clinical instructor at the Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program at Cornell University's School of Veterinary Medicine.

The peak in the number of reports — 608 between May 1, 2019, and July 31, 2020 — came shortly after the FDA released the brand names of the pet foods that appeared to be linked to the development of DCM.

FDA spokeswoman Veronika Pfaeffle noted that the agency's investigation of the issue continues but cautioned against reading too much into the new stats.

"While adverse event numbers can be a potential signal of an issue with an FDA regulated product, by themselves, they do not supply sufficient data to establish a causal relationship with reported product(s)," Pfaeffle said in an email. The FDA hasn't recalled any pet food products, and the agency doesn't plan to release further public updates until "there is meaningful new scientific information to share."

While the rate of new cases seems to have slowed, experts say the problem may be more widespread than the number of reports suggests.

Dr. William Rausch says his cardiology practice still sees about one new case every week. And because studies have found that dogs can be developing DCM for years without symptoms, "it suggests that for every case I see there are many more [dogs] walking around out there that seem normal but are developing the disease," said Rausch, a veterinary cardiologist in private practice and an adjunct professor at the University of Washington in Seattle.

The Pet Food Institute, an industry group that represents most pet food companies in the U.S., appreciates the FDA's attention to the issue, Sherri Kirk, a spokesperson for the organization, said in an email. "Our members continue to conduct research to determine the highest quality and safest ingredients to provide complete and balanced dog food to help dogs live long and healthy lives."

For the most part, dogs don't show any signs until they are experiencing heart failure, said Dr. Terri DeFrancesco, a professor of cardiology and critical care at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Signs that a dog is developing heart failure include:

Decreased activity.

Tiredness.

Lethargy.

Coughing.

Shortness of breath.

Decreased appetite.

For dog and cat owners, the discovery that carefully chosen foods could have damaged the heart of a beloved pet can be wrenching.

Julie Carter was stunned when her 3 1/2-year-old golden retriever Oliver was diagnosed first with a heart murmur and then, after an echocardiogram, with full-blown DCM in February 2018. A short time after that, Carter's other golden retriever was diagnosed with DCM but at an earlier stage than Oliver.

After explaining the condition, Carter's vet asked what type of dog food Oliver had been eating. "It was really horrifying to think that I could have in any way been responsible because of my choice of his diet," the Florham Park, New Jersey, resident told NBC News.

Carter switched both dogs to a food with a more traditional formulation and started them on heart medication. But the damage to Oliver's heart was too great and within six months, he died. Carter's other dog, Riley, eventually recovered.

Julie Carter with her Golden Retriever, Oliver, who was diagnosed first with a heart murmur and then, after an echocardiogram, full-blown DCM in February of 2018. (Courtesy Julie Carter)

Before the first FDA advisory, some vets had already been seeing cases of DCM that appeared to be related to certain dog foods.

"The first case I saw was in 2017," said DeFrancesco.

The veterinary cardiologist said she used to report every case, but with news coverage of the issue and the loss of the staff member who used to handle FDA reports, she has stopped. It's likely that the reports to the FDA are just the tip of the iceberg, because many owners and vets don't have time to fill out the forms, DeFrancesco said.

DeFrancesco believes that diet-related DCM is most likely multifactorial, with some pets inheriting a genetic susceptibility that is triggered by certain types of diets.

"Millions of dogs eat these diets but millions do not get DCM," she said, adding that she advises pet owners to avoid nontraditional formulations because it can't be known in advance whether a pet might be susceptible.

There is a way for pet owners who don't want to switch from their nontraditional brand of pet food to check on heart health, said Dr. Joe Bartges, a professor of internal medicine, interventional radiology and nutrition at the Veterinary Medical Center at the University of Georgia.

"There are biomarkers that can look at whether the heart muscle has been damaged," Bartges said, adding that veterinarians can run a blood test that measures levels of a protein called BNP.

Cornell's Cohen advises owners to steer clear of any pet foods that have these listed in the top 10 ingredients:

Even with the news coverage of diet-related DCM, there are owners who are not familiar with the issue. Carter, who participates in a Facebook DCM group, recently heard from another golden retriever owner whose dog had died from the condition.

"Her 5-year-old golden retriever had died two months ago after being fed one of the diets linked to this disease," Carter said. "Her loss hit me hard, especially considering her dog's age and breed. I put my head down on my desk and cried."

CLARIFICATION: (Aug. 27, 6:50 p.M. ET): An earlier version of this article did not include the full response from the FDA. It has been updated to reflect that the agency says it hasn't "established a causal relationship" between heart damage and the reported pet food products.

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