Eat Those Veggies # Chewy Influencer

This month we decided to try something a little different, so I selected Halo Vegan Garden Medley Canned Dog Food as one of our review choices from Chewy. I have mixed feelings about this food and I'll explain.

I do believe in feeding fruits and veggies to my dogs. I think they get a nice mix of vitamins and other benefits from eating veggies. When my pups were little I gave them cold baby carrots to chew on. They loved them and the cold helped sooth their gums when they were teething. I credit those carrots for saving the legs of my chairs as well as my ankles from those sharp little teeth.

When they were a little older we used carrots and apple chunks as their afternoon snacks. As they grew we started giving them other veggies and they now love broccoli,

green beans,

spinach and Brussels sprouts. Whatever veggies we have, they share.

Sebastian came to us already an adult and had never eaten veggies. It took awhile to introduce them to him and today he loves them almost as much as the others, except for carrots. He's never really learned to like carrots, though he sometimes takes them to please me.

I knew the dogs would probably like the Halo Vegan Garden Medley and I was right. It doesn't look as I expected, it's a pate that I mix with their kibble. I told them they were getting salad with their dinner.

 It's made of vegetable broth, chickpeas, potatoes, pea protein, carrots, olive oil, peas, spinach, dandelion greens and lots of vitamins and minerals.  My dogs all liked it.

 I'm not really sure why anyone would buy vegan dog food unless their dog had a severe meat allergy or some other health issue. If you can't give your dog fresh veggies or he refuses to eat them, this might be a solution.

We've tried Halo products in the past and I like them. I don't think, however, that I would buy this particular food again unless one of my dogs was ill and needed a special veggie diet. It's a good product, but I prefer to feed fresh vegetables.

One other thing to mention, we learned during the evening that veggie farts are just as bad as fish farts.

Chewy provided us with a case of Halo Vegan Medley at no cost to us in exchange for our honest review.

Let's Catch Up

Hi Everybody,
Have you missed us? Did you ever see one of those circus guys that spins plates on sticks? Mom said last week she felt like one of those guys, running back and forth trying to keep everything spinning and not let them all crash to the floor. This week seems to be starting out a little calmer, so we've come to catch up with the happenings in Blogville.

 So, here's some of the stuff that's been going on with us. First and most important, I finished my third set of antibiotics for my terrible infection. Mom took another urine sample to the vet and then we waited for the results. Mom's not a good waiter, she gets nervous and paces a lot. After a couple days the call came. I'm cured!! Dr B said the PH was perfect, the gravity was good and there was no blood. Now I just need another urine test in a month to make sure it stays away. We were all very happy about that news.

The same day that my test results came in, we got a really neat surprise from Chewy. My post last month won the summer fun contest. For a dog that's kind of like winning the Pulitizer but with yummy treats. The big box held lots of wonderful things for us.

  There was a Chuckit toy with extra balls. We can use it here in the yard or even at the lake. As soon as the hot temperatures go down, we'll give it a test.

There were a couple of Nylabone chews for the two little spotty demons, Syd and Mac. They love to chew and have destroyed some of our good toys. These will keep them busy for a nice long time and hopefully quiet, too.

There was a tug toy that some of the girls will enjoy. They like pulling each other around.

There was stuffy snake for Bailey.  Her crate is so full of her stuffy babies that there's hardly room for her at night, but she's always ready to adopt a new one.

There were bandanas for us and a shirt for Mom and socks for Dad.

 And best of all, there were two bags of American Journey treats, chicken for the girls and turkey for the boys. What a great prize box with something for everyone.

We've been having a pretty nice spring and summer with warm but not hot temperatures and lots of rain, but that all changed. Suddenly last week it got hot and dry. Today it's supposed to be 100 degrees, way too hot for a dog. The first hot day last week our air conditioner died. We have fans in the house but even with them running it got really hot and I was panting really hard. Our air man came over about 6 o'clock and it was just a little part that needed to be replaced. By bedtime we were comfortable again and Mom's mood was improving.

We've had some of the usual summertime dog stuff going on too. Some scratching and limping and all those other things that we need Mom to fix.  Dad has been busy giving us haircuts and baths.  Mom has been treating the bites and scratches and sprains. 

On Saturday Mom went into the kitchen and stayed there all day. We all stayed with her, of course. She made human cookies and dog cookies. She cooked Swiss steak and chicken with rice. She said she wanted to get all the cooking done ahead before it got too hot. We love when Dad cooks because he lets us sample and test the food. Mom isn't as generous, but when she's all done there's usually some good stuff for our dinner and this time we had rice with spinach to top our kibble.

 So we had an extra busy week last week but now things are getting back to normal and we're ready to wander around Blogville and check in on all of you. See you soon.
Your pal,  Fudge

The Noisy Holiday

Hi Everybody, 
It's that time of year again, Kaboom Day or as the peeps call it 4th of July. I've got to admit, it's our least favorite holiday. Some of us, like Norma Jean and Lola and Mackey are totally terrified of the noise. Sebastian and Noah bark back at the booms and Tess, Bailey and Sydney just tremble and stay close to Mom. I just do my best to get thru it.

 This year Mom tried to cheer us up by baking some Kaboom Day cookies. She made sugar cookies from the Heart Association cookbook. She made them look like stars, then she iced them pink, white and blue for the holiday. She says it's hard to make red icing without using up the whole bottle of coloring.

 Then she cut some of the cookies into littler stars and iced them plain white for us. And look what else she added.... SPRINKLES!!

 Now that's what I call a holiday treat, iced sugar cookies with sprinkles. Thanks, Mom.

Try to stay safe everybody and keep your ears closed. Oh yeah, today is Sebastian's gotcha day. He's a good guy and we're all happy that he found us.

Your pal, Fudge

Something Yummy - # Chewy Influencer

Hi Everybody,
You all know that I've been on a strict diet for a few months. Believe me, diets stink! I was perfectly happy before except that my back hurt sometimes and it was hard to stand up after a nap. Dr B told Mom that I was too fat and she decided I should diet. I still don't know why.

But now the diet is over. I lost ten pounds and guess what.... my back doesn't hurt anymore. I still have to take my arthritis medicine but it makes me feel good, so that's OK.

Mom says that I was such a good sport about sticking to my diet that I could be the tester for the next Chewy review. It's a good one.

Chewy sent us this Natural Balance Duck and Turkey Formula Dog Food Roll . It looks like a big sausage.

 This is made with duck, turkey, chicken liver and other good things like cranberries and apples. Mom says that what isn't in it is important too. There's no corn, soy, wheat or artificial colors or flavors.

 Mom cut the roll into slices, then she broke a couple slices up on my dinner. I was the only one who got to try it and oh dog, it was so good. After starving for months, this just gave me a warm, happy feeling in my tummy.

The next day Sebastian and I each got some with our dinner and tonight the others will all have some.

 Mom says to tell you that it can also be cut into pieces to use as treats or for training. She says it's easy to cut. She stores it in a little container in the fridge.

If you don't like duck and turkey, it also comes in beef, lamb and chicken formulas. Chewy sent us this Duck and Turkey Food Roll at no cost to the peeps in exchange for our honest review. Take it from me, Fudge, this stuff tastes really great.

Your pal, Fudge

S*T*R*E*S*S

As you may have guessed from the title, I'm feeling a bit stressed. No, I'm feeling a lot stressed and I'm about to share it with you.

Let's start last week. After not having a seizure since January, Mackey had one. Then six days later she had two more in the same day, about an hour apart. We had hoped that her condition was getting better, but now we think she may be getting worse.

 Since Noah's eye exam last month we've been treating his eyes with two different ointments daily, but I was getting frustrated because they didn't seem to be getting better. They were both still red and in the morning they were goopy.

 We had sent another sample off to the lab for Fudge to see if the 'killer' antibiotic had cured his e-coli infection but we hadn't heard from them yet.

Then on Friday we had yet another thunderstorm. At 1:00 there was a lightning strike and the power went out. Then the real fun started!

The power stayed out for 22 hours. No lights, no air conditioning, no telephone, no internet, no hot food or coffee. For dinner we ate ice cream because it was melting. I sat up until 3AM reading on my Kindle because the dogs wouldn't settle down. We all finally got a couple hours sleep while I worried about the food in the freezer and other things.

Now it's a new week. We have electricity and air conditioning once more.  Mackey has had no more seizures, but Dr B and I did have a conversation about her. She'll probably be starting some medication because her seizures last from 12 to 15 minutes and having two in one day is a big concern.

The news about Fudge did nothing to help my stress level. The culture came back positive again for e-coli. We can't seem to get this infection under control. Dr  B was worried that it might now be a drug resistant strain, so he had the university do another test. Yesterday it came back and there are several drugs that should kill it, so we're trying a strong one for the next two weeks and then we'll test again. Keep those paws crossed because Fudge really needs some help with this. If this drug doesn't work, he may be in serious trouble. The vet says he can live with e-coli, but not for long.

Then there's Noah and his funky eyes. Monday they actually looked better, no pink and no goop. On Tuesday morning he went for a recheck and the news was excellent. The conjunctivitis is gone. We did another dryness test and that was better, too. The number we shoot for is 12. His right eye was up from 10 to 14 and his left eye was up from 4 to 10. Dr B was pleased and said there is no sign of permanent damage and his eyes look comfortable. Noah will need his ointment for the rest of his life, but at least it's still working for him. We think the recent problem was a reaction to a new medication he was taking. I know you're all asking, how do you even know Noah's eyes look bad, we can't even see his eyes.

Well, here's a picture of Noah with his happy, comfortable eyes.

So there you have it folks, my stressful week. I'm still not sleeping well and I feel as if I've been dragged behind a bus, but at least we have light again.

Summertime # Chewy Influencer

Hi Everybody,
Here in the USA it's summertime. Sorry Bella, Roxy and Dui. Mom says that summer officially started yesterday and today it's really hot, even though it's raining a little. We're going to remind you of some of our favorite summer activities. Maybe you'll even want to try a few of them yourselves.

 Here in the USA baseball is called the national pastime. We're not sure why that is because we can think of a couple of things we like better, like swimming and eating. But we do play ball too. I'm the captain of the team.

We have lots of pitchers, but Mackey is the newest.

We really miss Morgan, she was our best batter.

Running the bases is the most fun.

Another fun thing to do is chasing paper airplanes. Dad makes them and sends them flying.

We are the chasers, but sometimes we disagree about who caught it first.

 In the end our job is to mulch them up.

Most of us are Water Dogs, so our favorite sport involves water. Any time the hose appears, we're ready to get wet. Mom says it makes watering the garden a lot tougher.

 We love when Dad fills our little wading pool and we all try to get in at once.

Probably the very best water fun is when we go to the lake. Just riding in the boat is super fun. Some of us have to wear a leash in the boat because we get so excited about swimming that we can't wait to get to the swim spot. 

 Then finally we arrive at the swim spot and we can get just as wet as we want to be. We keep the peeps busy throwing toys for us to retrieve. These are the very best days of summer and we get tired out doing what we were born to do.

But then there's another important summer activity. Eating! When we see the big pink dish come out, we know we're about to get something good to eat. We might have to work for it, like when we bob for apples of hot dogs.

Sometimes the pink dish has our summer favorite, watermelon! Dad cuts it up into bite sized pieces and we get as much as we can grab. I can grab a whole lot.

 Then after a day full of summer activities, we need a good nutritious dinner. That's where our friends at Chewy come in.  This month they sent us something new to try. It's called Taste of The Wild Pacific Stream Grain Free. Mom has heard about this food from some of the other Portie peeps and it seems that their dogs all love it. We thought it was about time we tried it, too.

This food is smoked salmon in gravy. Doesn't that look good? It's big chunks of fish in a light gravy.

 It mixes nicely into our kibble and oh the taste....... It also has sweet potatoes, blueberries and raspberries, so it's high in Omega 3, which is super important, and also in antioxidants. If you're on a diet, it's also low fat, just 3%. This is a great meal for an athlete or for your couch potato.

Ruby, this food  does have a delicious fishy odor that your Mom won't like, so you can come join us for dinner. After all you are an honorary Portie. Bring your bubble machine.
So excuse us while we eat up and get ready for a full summer of fun.

Chewy sent us a case of Taste of The Wild Pacific Stream at no cost to the peeps in exchange for our honest review.

Your pal, Fudge