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Spring is on it's way and while you're busy spring cleaning inside your home and preparing the gardens outside your home, don't forget about your precious pooch! Your dog likely needs a few things done to prepare him for the nice Spring weather and being outdoors more often. Here's a few things to keep in mind when it comes to preparing your pooch for Spring.
Many of you know by now that I have always owned rats and this time I got two males, Meeko and Jax. They were siblings and they've been getting along great. I've always read that having more than one is great because they have a constant companion to bond with. I also read that sometimes they can fight and need permanently separated. Well, that happened with Meeko and Jax.
You come home from literally THE WORST day at work...
Your favorite heels broke, traffic was horrific, you missed a deadline, and you have a splitting headache. But as you open the door you're greeted by a wagging tail, a meowing cat, a chirping bird, a thumping rabbit, or a beautiful fish.
Pets can enrich your life so much and there's no greater feeling than the love of a pet. As an owner of 4 dogs, 2 rats, and 1 fish, I know a lot about balancing your pets with a clean and tidy home. And today, I'm going to give you some tips on how you can have a happy home with pets AND a clean one.
Christmas is such a fun time of year and everyone loves to celebrate by giving. But what about your furry friends? You can't forget them! Every year since I've been a pet owner, I've given gifts to all of my pets for Christmas, yes, even my fish. So today I'm going to give you some ideas of gift ideas for different types of pets you may own.
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Let's be honest here and admit that there are plenty of people that feel squirmy when they even think of a rat in their home. You may be one of them. I think that people assume that ANY rat is basically the giant, gross, sewer rat you see on TV. That's not the case. Domesticated rats are nothing like that and to me they're no different than a gerbil or hamster (except that I like them better!).
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So your children have been BEGGING for a hamster or guinea big and you've finally caved in.....
And I bet you're feeling pretty nervous because there's a lot of things that COULD go wrong like the little guy escaping, chewing through the wall, and eventually leaving a smell behind when he expires.
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Well, that wraps up my Chewy 30 Day Challenge with Only Natural Pet Dog Food. In the first post I introduced you and told you the basics about the food, and in the second post I told you about the changes I'd seen.
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A couple weeks back I shared with you my first thoughts about Only Natural Pet Food from Chewy. With all natural ingredients and nothing that would irritate and make my dogs sensitive I've been super excited to see how they do. Pixie and Rocky were my main testers for this challenge. So what changes have I noticed with their progress on this new diet? Well...
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Stella has been a therapy dog for a couple months now and she's doing really well with it. I'm convinced that she has the most ideal laid back personality for it too. She just sits there. She's like a little stuffed animal that you can snuggle without her getting fidgety.
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So recently I've been looking more into a human-grade frozen dog food diet for Grace. She sometimes gets bored with her regular kibble and she's the most energetic dog I own so I know she needs the right nutrition for her energy levels. So when Chewy gave me the chance to try Tylee's Human-Grade Beef Recipe Frozen Dog Food, I jumped on it!
Here are the reasons I encourage you to try it with your dog.
Saving Time
It gives all the benefits of a homemade meal to Grace without the prep time. And let's be honest, I have a ton on my plate on a daily and weekly basis. I work full time, blog part time, volunteer every week with Pixie doing pet therapy and Stella every 3 weeks, and I keep the house running and clean. So by the time I have to cook my own dinner the last thing I want to do is make sure I have the ingredient to cook dinner for my dogs as well. This is already made for you and it's frozen so it keeps all the flavor and nutrients in. If you want to give your dog homemade food but you don't want to make it yourself then look no further!
Saving Money
By the time you locate all the ingredients and vitamins you need for a homecooked dog food you will have spent too much money. Plus if you don't utilize all the items in time they can go bad so that's more money wasted. But with Tylee's the meat, fruits, and vegetables are already in the food and all you have to do is defrost it before serving! And some of the ingredients can be pricey to buy yourself since there is stuff like mango, flaxseed, sunflower oil, and spinach.
Great Ingredients
As I already mentioned the ingredients are ON POINT! We have beef, sweet potatoes, mango, broccoli, spinach, and zucchini to give your dog fiber, antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals. There's also flaxseed and sunflower oil for a healthy coat. And of course there's no corn, wheat, soy, or by product meal. Tylee's is made in the USA with ingredients from around the world.
Better Energy
Grace already had a lot of energy but there's something about her now where she seems to be lazy only in the late evenings and she has plenty of energy for our late afternoon walks before that. She also isn't as gassy as she always was. Thank goodness for that!
Better Coat
I've noticed Grace hasn't been licking her paws which always seemed to be an itchy allergy thing. She also hasn't been scratching at her neck as much and her coat is gorgeous and hardly sheds. My house is very clean compared to the normal fur balls I'd find collecting under the couch and in between the cushions.
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| Before, Grace always finished her food AFTER another dog moseyed on over. |
Great Taste
How do I know it tastes great? Because Grace devours it! For a while Grace started to pick at her existing dog food as if she was bored with it. She'd only eat it all once Pixie made her way over to the bowl as if she'd eat what Grace didn't. I am so glad to see Grace eats her entire dinner now and wags her tail the whole time she's eating!
You can feed Tylee's Frozen Dog Food as a topper to get your pet used to it or you can just start serving it as the main meal itself. I'm so happy Grace has improved so much with this food!
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You may remember some of my Chewy 30 Day Challenge posts from the past where over a period of 30 days, my dogs try a new food from Chewy and I give my thoughts on it. Well, there's a new food for them to try and today I want to introduce you to it!
The brand is Only Natural Pet and the food is Raw Nibs. They make this food for dogs and cats, by the way! Now, you may have heard of a raw or freeze-dried dehydrated diet before but that can be a lot of work. While it's great for pets because it improves digestion, reduces symptoms of allergies, and gives your pet healthier skin, it's very time consuming to prepare.
The great thing about Raw Nibs is that it's already been prepared for your pet and you can feed it as a complete meal or even just sprinkling it on top of their existing food. The ingredients are minimally processed and it's ideal for pets with allergies and even picky eaters (I'm looking at you Mr. Rocky!).
So my initial thoughts were that I'm pretty impressed with this food!
It comes in a nice attractively packaged bag and the kibble looks appetizing and safe for my dogs' tiny mouths since it's definitely bite sized! The fact that there's raw organic goat's milk in here is also very impressive. There are no grains and the bag is resealable which makes this super easy on me. No prep and easy storage is a huge relief! There are lots of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals in this food so I know my dogs are getting what they need. There are even probiotics and the protein is highly digestible. Pixie has struggled a lot lately with a sensitive belly so I am really excited to see how she does on this. I think Rocky will really enjoy it too!
Check back in a couple of weeks to see how my gang is doing on their new food!
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So it's been a little over a month since Stella became a therapy dog with KPETS just like her sister Pixie. She
has been to several places now and seems to be getting right into the swing of things. I think she's a natural. However I wanted to highlight some important things especially when it comes to little dogs like Stella.
Doing therapy work basically means Stella gets lots of attention and interaction with people which seems easy enough but it can be exhausting for any dog and it seems to wipe smaller breeds out even more quickly. I always look for any calming signals from Stella to show me that she is starting to get bored or overwhelmed and is ready to leave. Sometimes she'll do that by licking her lips a lot or yawning a few times in a row. I make sure to reassure her that she's a good girl and then I start to withdraw from what we are doing so I can exit with Stella.
If you ever get into pet therapy make sure you always listen to your dog and their needs. Even if we can only do a 15 minute visit that's fine because it's all Stella can handle. The dog is always the boss. There's no point in forcing them to keep going when they are done with it and in fact that can cause issues because they can be a little less friendly with people.
Since Stella is a hard working gal I mad sure to get her on a great food. Nutro Ultra Grain Free Dog Food from Chewy is great for Stella since she gets itchy very easily and I really do believe it has to do with grains in her food. Stella LOVES the Beef Potato and Spinach Recipe and I love that the first ingredient is ALWAYS real beef. She has a really shiny coat and her digestion seems a bit more on track with this food. And since Stella had issues with an ACL injury before, it's important that I give her a food that has vitamins and nutrients to help build up strong bones and joints.
moment with Nutro Ultra Dog Food.
I'm also glad there's no by-product meal, corn, wheat, soy, or artificial flavors and preservatives. Sometimes I even mix a little wet food in with her dry kibble. And of course this food gives me great peace of mind because it's made in the USA and is sourced from trusted farmers and suppliers when it comes to ingredients.
I'll continue to post updates on how Stella does as a therapy dog!
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So it's time to wrap up the April Chewy 30 Day Challenge with Rachael Ray Nutrish Peak Grain-Free Natural Wetlands Recipe from Chewy. The chicken, duck, and pheasant flavor was clearly a big hit because dinner time and breakfast are still dancing time in our home. Yes, that's right, they begin to dance when they see the food pouring into their bowls!
Chewy even sent me some of the wet food for me to mix in with the regular dry kibble with my pups and it was great. I love the choice between dry or wet! This is by far one of my favorite food brands for my dogs. I love that there is no more incessant licking of the paws and there is a whole lot less shedding.
Their stools are even more regular than ever before and the smell isn't so horrid. Keep in mind, my dogs go inside on pee pee pads so the smell is a very big deal in my household. Many times I didn't even know they went because I couldn't smell it from the other room.
Stella's been able to maintain a healthy weight on this food which means I can continue to keep her on this since I have the proper portion control figured out for her.
I am definitely going to stick with this brand for a while. I love the price, the packaging, the kibble itself, and the results I've seen with my dogs. If you are looking for a new brand of food to try, please consider Rachael Ray Nutrish!
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Last week I introduced you to my April Chewy 30 Day Challenge with Rachael Ray Nutrish Peak Grain-Free Natural Wetlands Recipe from Chewy. As I said in my intro post, Rachael Ray Nutrish Wetlands Recipe has chicken, duck, and pheasant. I have to say it's been a REALLY big hit in my household. The dogs are loving the unique blend of the different protein sources. They are used to chicken but duck and pheasant is a nice change for them. The kibble is a great size and they've had no issues eating it even though they have small teeth.
Their coats are really shiny after just two weeks of eating this food. They were looking a bit dull this winter and I know that flax seed and fish meal has natural omegas and this food has plenty of them. That means a healthy coat and skin and speaking of skin, I've noticed they aren't as itchy. They aren't licking their paws as much either.
Feeding a quality natural food has so many benefits no matter what breed of dog you own.
I know that fillers and artificial ingredients can irritate pets so I am confident that because Rachel Ray Nutrish is free of those types of ingredients, it's really benefitting the gang!
I'm also super stoked that Pixie is doing excellent on this food because as a therapy dog team, we both need to have energy and feel good on our visits!
Check back in a couple of weeks to see my final thoughts!
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It's been quite a while since I've done a Chewy 30 Day Challenge but I'm excited to be back at it. I love introducing different brands and products to my fellow dog owners. This month I am going to be taking a look at Rachael Ray Nutrish Peak Grain-Free Natural Wetlands Recipe from Chewy.
Over the course of this month I'll be letting you know how my dogs do on this food and I'll explain any benefits that I notice. First, we need to meet the brand and the product.
Rachael Ray Nutrish Wetlands Recipe has chicken, duck, and pheasant. It's a dry dog food and it's formulated with real USA farm-raised chicken as the first ingredient. It's full of easily-digestible animal protein which is beneficial for muscles and it's also loaded with veggies as an alternate source for carbohydrates that give energy. Of course for a healthy skin and coat you need the flax seeds and fish meal that give your dog natural omegas. This food also contains a lot of vitamins and minerals for over all well-being.
This is a great food for my dogs because they have a lot of energy and the recipe provides 30% of high-quality protein that they will crave out of instinct. It's also a great food for dogs with sensitivities because there are no glutens, grains, fillers, poultry by-product meal, or artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. And of course your purchase of this food gives back because a portion of the proceeds helps animals in needs through Rachael's Rescue.
I love the packaging. It's pretty and durable. The kibble is an ideal size for my dogs. When I opened the bag the smell was good, not like it's filled with strange ingredients or anything like that. I can't wait to see how my dogs do on this food and I can't wait to share the results with you!
Check back in a couple of weeks to see their progress.
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You've seen me post before about my own pet rat Charlotte and how awesome she is as a pet. I love rats and they are an amazing option if you want a furry critter for your kids or yourself. But for those of you thinking about getting one, you may be wondering what all is required for a pet rat. They are actually fairly cheap. The most expensive thing you'll get for them is a cage in the beginning but their monthly upkeep is so easy and so affordable. Today, I'll break it all down for you.
1. A Sturdy Secure Cage
So you want something that has metal bars because trust me, rats love to climb. It strengthens their little bodies. It's also good for ventilation. The cage Charlotte has actually comes with 3 different platform levels and little ramps that take her up and down. She has a level at the top where she meets me to get her food, a level below that where she goes for her water bottle, and then the 3rd level which is where she sits when she wants to just see what's going on around her.
2. Safe Bedding
The bottom of your rats cage should always have some sort of soft bedding for them to make a nest with and to cushion their feet. It also absorbs their waste. NEVER use any sort of pine bedding as it causes severe respiratory issues when they breathe it in. My go to bedding is CareFresh Complete Small Animal Bedding from Chewy. It's safe for Charlotte and it works so well to absorb stuff and keep odors at bay. It's also great for her little nest bed that she makes. Bedding should be changed once or twice a month depending on how much waste accumulates. Keep in mind rats are very clean animals so they don't like when their cage gets too dirty.
3. Hay for Nesting and Eating
Charlotte likes to make a bed for herself everytime I refresh her cage. She also loves using hay to help hold it together and keep it sturdy.
CareFresh Timothy Hay from Chewy is a great addition to your rat's cage. It's also nutritious for them to munch on. It's full of protein, fiber, and fat. It's harder to wear down than other cuts of hay since it's from the first cuts of fresh Timothy hay. This makes it ideal for helping clean and maintain a rat's teeth which grow very rapidly. Plus the fiber in this hay helps with digestive health.
4. Nutritious Food and Steady Water Supply
You may see a food brand that has lots of fruits and nuts and seeds in it. That's technically like feeding junk food to your rat. That kind of stuff should only be given as treats. I personally love Oxbow Regal Rat Food from Chewy for my rat. It's a low fat diet and it'll help prevent obesity which can be life-threatening for your rat. Once a rat is older than 4 months old they require different nutrients and fat since they are less active. They can't have the same amounts that baby rats get so a formula like this one is ideal. It contains brown rice, oats, wheat, soy, fishmeal, and protein sources with healthy fats. Rats should be fed once a day and should ALWAYS have fresh clean water. A water bottle on the side of their cage will do just fine.
5. Toys and Treats for Rewards
Rats are so intelligent that they can get bored like we can. Toys are a must. Rats love things they can chew and things that make noise. I have a wooden toy for Charlotte with a bell inside. She loves playing with it in her cage when she's bored. We even have a little tunnel that she crawls through when I have her out in the evenings.
Treats are also a great way to reward your rat for behaving and listening to commands. Yes, that's right, you can train a rat. There are plenty of online resources to teach you more about that.
Most of all, your rat will thrive from attention that you give them because they love interacting with their owner.
Are you considering a pet rat in your house?
