Q. How do I start shopping at On The Spot Delivery?
A. To find products you’re interested in, use any of the following methods:
- Browse by Categories, found in the right margin of the page
- Browse by Manufacturers, found in the right margin of the page
- Browse by Department, found in the right margin of the page
- Search with Keywords, found in the left margin of the page
Q. Do I need to create an account to shop at On The Spot Delivery?
A. No, but we encourage you to do so, because it will save you time when you place another order at a future date. When you create an account, we save your contact information, shipping address, and billing address so you don’t need to enter it every time you shop at On The Spot Delivery.
Q. How do I create an account?
A. There are several ways to create an account:
- Click the Your Account link at the top of the page, then click on the (NEW MEMBERS SIGN UP HERE) link.
- Simply start shopping, then go to checkout. Upon checkout, you will be asked if you want to create an account if you don’t already have one.
A. Absolutely. All transactions are conducted using industry-standard SSL encryption, and we never store your credit card information. Click here for detailed information on our privacy and security policies.
Q. Do I have to use the online shopping cart to order?
A. No! If you are uncomfortable using the online shopping cart, or are having problems using it, you have two more options:
- Call us at (888) 855-7768 and place your order.
- Fax us an order at (310) 275-1408. Simply fill out this form.
A. A complete discussion of these are found here.
DELIVERY QUESTIONS
Q. Does it cost more to have my food delivered?
A. Absolutely not. Our products are competitively priced and often less than big pet stores. Forget about wasting your valuable time and gas money driving to the store and then having to haul your pet food and supplies home yourself. Let us do the heavy lifting for you.
Q. How much does delivery cost?
A. Nothing. As you long as you purchase more than $50 there is no delivery charge. For all other deliveries there is a $10 delivery fee.
Q. Do I have to be home when my order is delivered?
A. No, as long as you are not ordering a RAW FROZEN food item. As long as you live somewhere that we can leave it for you, your order will be left for you on your doorstep or any other secure location which can be accessed by our driver. Just let us know where you would like the order left in the Notes field of your order. IMPORTANT: Raw Frozen food items require immediate refrigeration. As a result, EITHER YOU OR YOUR REPRESENTATIVE MUST BE AT THE DELIVERY SITE ON THE DAY OF DELIVERY. If no one is present when we attempt to deliver this item, WE WILL NOT LEAVE IT. We will contact you to arrange delivery at a later date when you can be present.
Q. When do you deliver to my city?
A. We deliver to all cities within our delivery area, most of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, every week on a particular day of the week. Click here to see our DELIVERY SCHEDULE.
Q. Are there days when On The Spot Delivery doesn't deliver?
A. On The Spot Delivery doesn't deliver on Sundays and the following holidays:
- New Year's Day
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day (July 4)
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas
Q. What if I miss my delivery day?
A. It’s not always possible, but we will do everything we can to get your order to you if you miss your delivery day.
FOOD QUESTIONS
Q. What if the item I am looking for is not on the website?
A. If you have purchased the item from our store or you have ordered the item previously, please call the store at (310) 275-2820 to have the item added to your order. If you are looking for an item that you have never purchased from us before, call or email us for availability. We offer many more products than are listed on our website and are adding items all the time. We would also like to know if there is a product that you are interested in that we do not offer.
Q. How do I transition my dog to a new food?
A. If you have the time, mix the old and the new food and gradually increase the amount of new food over about a week. If you notice very loose stools, take it even more slowly and add a bit of canned pumpkin (not the ready to use pie filling but just plain pumpkin!) to each meal.
In case you just have to switch quickly because there is no other way (rescue, adoption etc.), we recommend either a 24 hour fasting period (no, your dog won't starve!) or feeding oatmeal and plain yogurt for a day before starting on the new food. Any time a dog's digestive system is stressed, giving an acidophilus supplement is also a good idea.
Q. How often and how much do I feed my pet?
A. The amount of food fed depends on the age and size of you pet. Generally, puppies and kittens should be fed three to four times a day until about six months old. Reduce the number of meals to two per day after six months of age. Use the feeding guidelines on the back of the package as a general guideline keeping in mind your own pet’s activity level, and that manufacturers are in the food sales business so their guidelines may be high for many pets. Each animal is an individual and you should observe your pets to see if the amount you’re feeding is causing weight loss or gain and adjust accordingly.
Q. Do I need to change or rotate my pet’s diet?
A. Variety is important in your companion’s diet. A more diverse diet is far more likely to provide complete nutrition than a formulated diet fed over and over again. While all pet foods on the market meet the AAFCO (Association of Animal and Feed Control Officials) standards for nutrition for dogs and cats, which does not mean that any one of them is a complete diet for your companion’s entire life. Furthermore, just like humans pets often get bored eating the same thing day after day. We recommend rotating the protein source in your pet’s diet every two to three months.
Q. Do my pets need to be fed a food appropriate for their life stage?
A. This is what pet food manufacturers want you to believe, but it is just a way to secure their customer base early on and increase sales. The more items in a particular line of food, the higher the visibility of their product on a store shelf - an of course the more likely people are to buy and stick with the brand through the whole life of the animal. Fact is that a food declared as suitable "for all lifestages" will feed a growing puppy just as well as a lactating bitch, an adult or a senior dog - just the amounts you have to feed will change. Puppy and senior food is often more expensive than the regular type of food of the same brand, yet does not differ much in nutritional value. Compare the guaranteed analysis and ingredient list. Further, puppy food can cause large and giant breed puppies to grow at maximum rate, which is not healthy for them. A slower, more even growth results in far less risk of orthopedic problems and a healthier adult dog.
Q. What is the best thing I can feed my pet?
A. A healthy and complete diet. This can be accomplished in many different ways. Feeding pets a raw food diet is closest to what that would eat if they had not been domesticated. Due to the short length and structure of dog and cats digestive tracts, a raw diet will give them the most nutrients. That being said feeding a raw diet is both time consuming and costly. The next best alternative to a raw diet is a dehydrated diet. Dehydration suspends the activity of enzymes in the food until it is re-hydrated. Dehydrated food loses only 3-5% of the nutrients in the original ingredients unlike kibble and canned food which are cooked at high temperatures and lose 60-80% of its nutrients. There are also many high quality kibble and canned foods on the market. It really depends on your dogs dietary needs.