Doggy Ice Cream

Holy Poop!

It's been scorching hot here over the past couple of weeks, so staying cool has been almost impossible. What's that? The best thing to do on a hot day is get ice cream? I agree! But what if you're covered in fur and sweat through your feet? Still, the answer is ice cream!

Last week on our way home from an adventure, Boyfriend and I stopped off at a local pet food store to get some 'doggy ice crem'. Oz and Holly loved it, but it was pretty expensive stuff. Since I'm  super cheap  a creative person, I decided to make my own ice cream for the puppies.

Here's what you need:

 

Mash the banana into smithereens and then mix in the yogurt and peanut butter. It's important to use plain yogurt because you don't want any added sugars or aspartame. For similar reasons use natural peanut butter. If you want to play with flavours, add strawberries, blueberries or raspberries instead of peanut butter! Now put your mush into a clean ice cube tray and freeze until ready to serve!



Once it's frozen, serve a cube or two (based on the dogs size) and wait to become their favorite person!



Always remember that it's just as hard (if not harder) for your pets to stay cool on hot days, so make sure that there's lots of shade and fresh, clean water available to them. Never leave your pet in a car, even with the windows rolled down. It's an oven in there!

If you like this recipe, you might like this!

Hugs and poops,

Nichole

Peanut Butter Banana Cookies For Dogs

I was really in the mood to bake the other day, but didn't want to eat a million cookies, so I decided to make some cookies for the lovelies in my life - my dogs!

Here's what you'll need:



Mix everything together and spoon the desired cookie sized amounts out on a baking tray. Bake at 350 degrees until the bottom of the cookies become golden brown (you'll notice the browning along the base of the cookie).

Let them cool and then this will happen:



Just incase you were wondering, these cookies are great for kitty cats too, just break them into smaller treats and be sure not to over feed!

Hugs and poops,

Nichole

Renovating With Dogs

Renovations aren't exactly the easiest things to deal with. The constant mess and stress that go along with them is enough to drive anyone batty, but change (even something as simple as moving around furniture) can have an especially strange effect on animals.

Holly is a bit nuts to begin with, but for whatever reason she found the renovation process very stressful. Normally when she's not playing or out for walks, she's snoozing away her time on the couch or one of the million dog beds we have in the house. As soon as we started taking the furniture out of the bedroom she started to panic.



She started pacing back and forth and couldn't be without Boyfriend or myself at any time.
To Holly, by ripping up the carpet we weren't just cleaning up the bedroom, we were blowing up the world. With each piece of scrap and nail that came out of the room, Holly became further convinced that we were going to either abandon or stop feeding her at any moment.

She very early on decided that we couldn't possibly do anything bad if she stayed as close to us as possible. READ: AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE.



My new velcro-like friend was with me every step of the renovation process AND every day life. When I used the bathroom she was as close to me as she could get without actually getting peed on.

This went on for a week and a half.

When the room was finally done and the furniture was put back in, the first thing she did was jump on the bed to have a nap.

**For anyone out there who is about to do renovations or construction around your furry friends, keep in mind that this can be a very stressful thing for them. It's important to try and keep life as 'normal' as possible. Take them out, get them away from the house, and be patient. They aren't trying to drive you insane, they just don't know what's going on and they look to you for stability. Though I played up the humour of it for the purpose of the blog, I love my dogs more than anything and was sure to take great care of the little stinker while she was feeling stressed.**

On the plus side, the room looks great and my calf muscles look fabulous from lifting doggy weight for two weeks. Also, I now know how to lay flooring and paint with a forty pound dog on my feet. Isn't that a magical skill? Definitely something for the resume.

Hugs and poops,

Nichole

For a really hilarious read about animals and stressful situations, check out Hyperbole and a Half's comic. I've read it about a million times and it still cracks me up.

5500 Views and 101 Posts!

How many views!?

I can't believe we've hit 5500 views after only a few months! I really appreciate every single viewer, idea, and comment that's made, so a great big thank you to all of you guys!

I had hoped to do some sort of giveaway to celebrate, but alas, the blog is still too itty bitty to attract sponsor gifts, so I thought I'd ask you people at home what you'd like to do to celebrate. I do make jewellery, crochet and various other crafty things, so I could potentially make something for a giveaway if you're interested. Please give me some ideas and feedback, we'll celebrate together and have a merry ol' time!

Thanks again!

Stop posting pictures of me on the internet.

Lots of hugs and poops,

Nichole

The Pet Food Wars

"Rawwwrr, me so hungry!"

Ever wonder what the difference is between those higher quality pet foods and the familiar grocery store brands?

I love my pets, and I am borderline obsessed with monitoring their health and happiness, so a few years ago I researched and asked questions until my head was filled to the brim with information. If this was a category on Jeopardy, I would kick some butt.

Using two of the most popular brands from each spectrum, I'll show you how I choose foods and why.

In this corner:

ALPO
The heavyweight champion of cheap pet foods.


Ground yellow corn, meat and bone meal, soybean meal, beef tallow preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), corn gluten meal, animal digest, salt, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, potassium chloride, zinc sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, added color (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 2, Yellow 6), choline chloride, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium carbonate, copper sulfate, calcium pantothenate, natural flavor, pyridoxine hydrochloride, Vitamin B-12 supplement, thiamine mononitrate, Vitamin D-3 supplement, riboflavin supplement, calcium iodate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite. E-5020.

And in this corner:

Blue Buffalo
The contender for the crown and popular choice of concious pet owners.

Senior food pictured, adult food in description. Sorry, couldn't find a good adult food picture!

Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Whole Ground Brown Rice, Whole Ground Barley, Oatmeal, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Peas, Tomato Pomace (source of Lycopene), Natural Chicken Flavor, Whole Potatoes, Flaxseed (source of Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids), Alfalfa Meal, Whole Carrots, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Blueberries, Cranberries, Barley Grass, Dried Parsley, Garlic, Dried Kelp, Yucca Schidigera Extract, L-Carnitine, L-Lysine, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Turmeric, Sunflower Oil (source of Omega 6 Fatty Acids), Fish Oil (source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids), Dried Chicory Root, Oil of Rosemary, Beta Carotene, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Niacin (Vitamin B3), d-Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Biotin (Vitamin B7), Folic Acid (Vitamin B9), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Ascorbate (source of Vitamin C), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Choline Chloride, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate, Salt, Caramel, Potassium Chloride, Dicalcium Phosphate, Dried Yeast (source of Saccharomyces cerevisiae), Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, Dried Bacillus subtilis fermentation product, Dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product

When I shop for food, one of the first things I look for in the ingredients list is anything unnecessary, like added color and corn. Dogs and cats don't care what color their food is, and corn adds no nutritional value to the food.

I also check to make sure that there are proper meat sources as the source of protein instead of soy or unspecified meat meals. Lots of people don't know that 'meat meal' means that the source could come from rejected meats from human food plants or any type of animal at all. Bone meal is another gross ingredient that you don't want to see, because it's unclear exactly what animal the bones are from and what condition they may have been in. If there has to be a type of 'meal' in your pets food, you want it to be specific. You also want the main fat source to be from a specific protein/animal source (unless there's an allergy to worry about). After the main ingredients meet my standards, I check to make sure that the remaining ingredients are fruits, veggies, vitamins and minerals.

A full belly gets in the way of editing, but makes for a happy kitty.

If most pet owners knew that the most popular foods are actually no good for their furry friends, they would get the better stuff... if it weren't for that scary price difference!

I can help explain that too!

A big bag of Blue Buffalo can run you an easy $60.00, when the same size bag of Alpo will only be between $20.00 and $30.00. No wonder it seems like a no brainer to most! Here's the catch though: you need to feed about twice the amount of Alpo that you do the Blue Buffalo. The corn in Alpo makes for more frequent poop trips. It also expands in the belly initially to give a feeling of fullness, but after a quick potty trip, the hunger will be back! A food with more quality ingredients will keep the belly happy for longer, and you don't need to feed as much. What does all of this mean? It means that in the long run, both foods end up costing a similar price! You might spend more money on Blue (or other quality foods) initially, but you'll need to re-stock on Alpo more frequently.

The added color and lack of nutrients in the cheaper food also causes tartar build-up on teeth, bad breath, and can lead to health issue later on. Lots of people will argue that they've always fed this food to their pets with no issue, to which I say that's great, but you're very lucky. Some people could live their whole lives just eating chips and hot dogs, but it doesn't mean they should. Again, these are just my opinions, based on experience and research.

If anyone has any questions about pet nutrition or care I would love to hear them! My pets mean the world to me, and so do yours :)

Hugs and poops,

Nichole

An Afternoon Drive Through The Fiery Gates

Have you ever woken up and thought "Hmm, something tells me I should close my eyes and pretend this never happened"? I have. It happened a few mornings ago actually, when I was waking up at six a.m to start the drive back home. Why didn't I blog about this earlier? Well friends, it's called shock, and it takes time to recover from it. Also, it's pretty difficult to type when your eyes are twitching.

See the darling photo of Harvey above? It's a lie. This is not what he looked like that day. He only has one eye, but when it wasn't filled with disdain for putting him in a moving vehicle, it was filled with a fiery and urgent look of complete insanity. As I drove away from the peace and safety of my mom's house (with Oz and Harvey in the back seat), I already had a sweaty brow and an understanding of why people smoke cigarettes.

Let me explain something. Boyfriend's home town is about fifteen minutes away from mine (in car). It took me thrity-five minutes to get there.

I first had to stop two minutes after leaving the house because Harvey had crawled up onto my head - I was having a hard time seeing cleary with  my scalp being slowly removed. The second stop was about ten minutes after that, when Harvey started yowling (usually a sure sign that a brown crime is about to occur). The third and final stop before finally picking up Boyfriend was five minutes later, when Harvey managed to remove him harness and jump onto the dashboard (in front of my eyeballs).

I pulled into Pasadena as a much older woman, having aged at least twenty years on my short drive. I don't drink, but if someone had offered me something when I arrived, I might have taken it.

Apparently the only way that Harvey can travel is in my arms. For the next seven hours, I sat (pretzel legged) with Harvey nestled into my chest and belly. I would have been mad if he hadn't been so clearly scared, and now so relieved to be safe in my arms. Good thing he's a momma's boy. Looking back it feels nice to know that he's so comfortable with me that he can put aside his fear as long as I hold him, but at the time all I wanted was to cry while singing some Celine Dion. Mental break, perhaps?

That's not a smile on my face... it's crazy, taking form as a curled lip.

Hope everyone else had a lovely traveling experience over the holidays!

Hugs and poops,

Nichole

Happy Birthday Harvey!

This handsome little turd nibblet is one year old! Well, approximately. You see, when I adopted him from Heavenly Creatures in January of 2012, they told me he was around eight weeks old... putting his birthday around the end of November/beginning of December 2011. I decided that December first sounded like a perfect day for a purrfect kitty (get it? Cats make a purr sound! It's funny, give it a minute to sink in, you'll get it).

Since it's his birthday, I thought I'd share his story with you guys. It goes a little like this:
There is a man in St. Mary's, NL that is kind enough to feed the stray cats that hang out on his porch. One day, he looked down and noticed that there was a tiny kitten among the regulars, but the kitten didn't look well. His left eye clearly had something wrong with it. Thanks to this kind man, the kitten was picked up by Heavenly Creatures and brought to a vet. Unfortunately, Spot's (that's what they called him) eye couldn't be saved and was removed as soon as enough money was raised for the surgery. My lovely friend Jessica is the founder of Heavenly Creatures, so when I read his story on her Facebook page I messaged her to see what I could do. I told her that I couldn't possibly adopt him, but that I could foster him just for the weekend so that he didn't have to stay at the vets office. As soon as I layed eyes on him I was in trouble. I fell in love right away. Boyfriend was pretty clear about the fact that no cats were being adopted, but I managed to sucker him into the fostering agreement... and then adoption. Heh heh

This is what Harvey looked like when I picked him up from the vet. If you want to see him pre-surgery, here's the link. It's pretty graphic, but he's all better now :)

I named him Harvey Mad Cat, because he had too much pizazz to be a 'Spot'. Harvey, inspired by the character Harvey Dent (yes, he's named after a villain, but a villain with a good side and an evil side! I think it's perfect for him because he's gorgeous and he makes my heart beat, but he's also the most mischievous, evilest trouble maker, who breaks off bits of my sanity and eats them for breakfast), and Mad Cat because Dr. Claw knows how to name a cat!



Since he's lived with us there hasn't been a dull moment. On the first day here, he found a way into the bathroom wall. He hid in the wall (behind the shower!) and the only way I could get him out was to lure him with a can of fresh tuna. He's also become my new alarm clock, waking me up when it's breakfast time (sometimes breakfast time is at three A.M, apparently).

Harvey shares my love of Criminal Minds.

I love my sometimes terribly behaved cat. He's really clever, cuddly, playful, and he always makes me laugh.

Happy Birthday Harvey!

(he got cat nip for the first time today... he's high on life right now)

Hugs and poops,

Nichole

Buy Books, Save Stinkies

Happy Sunday everyone!

On the last day of the weekend I either try to cram everything I should have done earlier in the week into this one day, or continue with my streak of doing nothing. Today is a cramming day, but not a stressful one, since I'll be getting some of my Christmas shopping done and parusing the toys at Chapters. Today is Chapters for Critters day! At the store on Kenmount Road here in St. John's, proceeds from anything you buy between the hours of 3:00 and 8:00 go to Heavenly Creatures. I get the bonus of not only crossing some things off my to-do list, but knowing that in doing it, I helped someone furry.

If you're not familiar with Heavenly Creatures, check out their website. You can donate there as well :)

Not only have I volunteered for this rescue organization, but it's also where I adopted my cat Harvey, so it's got a very special place in the thumpy chest chamber that I call my heart.

Help hungry animals like Harvey so they won't eat our fingers.

If you've got some shopping to do at Chapters anyway, why not do it today? Get it done and be helpful at the same time. Also, my friend Haley works there and she is SUPER HOT (and also loves animals).

I hope everyone has a great day!

Also, start commenting on my posts! I feel lonely, tell me what you most enjoy reading about here on zee blog.

Hugs and poops,

Nichole

Top Ten - Things People Don't Tell You About Pets Edition

Hugs and poops,

Nichole

The Golem-Grinch Transformation

Holy poop. I don't know what it was about this day, but I'm beat! I went shopping with Boyfriend and Mamma Not In Law (now to be known as MNIL...no, that sounds stupid. I'll call her Mamma Two). Have you ever watched a person transform right in front of your eyes? I'm not talking Transformers style, but personality wise. My usually relaxed, carefree and funny boyfriend somehow shriveled up and became a Golem/Grinch hybrid. It was scary. The man really hates clothes shopping, but it was unavoidable since his current wardrobe is being held together by pure stubbornness and miracles. Each piece of clothing we handed him to try on was greeted by a murder threat and some comment about cutting us. It was pleasant. In the end, we all made it out relatively unscathed. Luckily, the Golem-Grinch shopping demon left Boyfriend's body immediately after we were done shopping, so the three of us had a really nice meal together.

When we came home there was a sick puppy waiting for us. He is in the middle of a terrible allergic reaction and has turned his sad puppy eyes to max power.

Seriously, just look at this guy:



I guess I must have been paying extra attention to Oz, because all of a sudden everyone wanted my attention:

Please excuse my extremely pasty face, I have the immune system of a dead person.

I had personal space once, I don't remember what it felt like.

Anyhoo, I hope everyone had a loverly day today, I'm off to sook my sick puppy dog.

Hugs and poops,

Nichole

Celebratory Story Glory

The blog reached 1000 page views today!



It's true! A great big wet kiss to everyone who has contributed to this by reading and passing along the good word. I really appreciate it! I started blogging daily only two weeks ago, so this support is super unexpected and it warms my insides. It would be super fun to do a giveaway to celebrate, but alas, I have nothing fun to give away, so I'll tell you a little story about why I used to get better postal service than everyone else in my neighborhood.

In 2008 I adopted this little ball of fuzz and guts:



It was love at first sight.

Oz was is insane. I love him, he's what keeps my heart beating, but he is absolutely coo coo for cocoa puffs. I have a bunch of stories about how this cute face tested my sanity, but this one belongs to Boyfriend. I used to work at a breakfast themed restaurant, so I'd go to work at six a.m and not get back until four p.m., leaving Boyfriend to take care of Oz. Usually everything went just fine.

On this particular winter morning however, "fine" wasn't the 'F' word used to describe the days events.

Boyfriend had dropped me off at 5:30 a.m, and then come home to go back to bed. Because it was so cold and also because he was having broken sleep, he was feeling particularly tired. The doorbell rang around 9:30 a.m and woke him up. Groggily, Boyfriend pulled himself out of bed to answer the door, leaving the bedroom door open behind him. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, Boyfriend quickly realized that he was wearning nothing but an old pair of ratty boxer shorts, but was sure that whoever was at the door would be gone if he went to change into something before answering. As someone who was waiting for a record in the mail, he didn't want this to happen. Sure enough, it was our regular postal delivery lady with Boyfriend's package. He carefully concealed himself behind the door and only poked his head around to say hello and grab the box with his hand. Just then, Oz busted past Boyfriend and greeted the lady, he then took off and started burrowing his entire body into the giant mass of snow in our front yard. Without thinking about what he was wearing, Boyfriend ran out into the snow (in his bare feet) to grab the puppy. Thinking that this was going to be the most fun game ever, Oz took off. He was leaping fences and runing through our neighbors lawns, evading the grasp of Boyfriend by inches every time. Boyfriend finally managed to catch Oz and carry him back to the house, only to find that the postal lady was still standing there, and had been watching the whole thing.

We've since moved from that neighborhood, but right up until we left our mail was delivered personally and with a huge smile.

I hope that everyone is having a great day and remembering those who gave/risked their lives for our freedom.

Hugs and poops,

Nichole

The Garbage Incident

Today I'm going to tell you one of the most embarrassing stories that I have in my little collection of red faced moments. First, you need to know that I'm incredibly awkward and naive, two things that work together to make me very hard to embarrass. On this particular day, however, the cards all lined up to hand me a doozy.

In 2009, I adopted Holly from the S.P.C.A here in St. John's. At the time, I was lucky enough to work at a place that allowed me to take my dogs to work, which was perfect because I had a lot of training to do. Holly wasn't interested in learning to pee outside, or play ball, or fetch. Why would she be? I mean, when you can pee on plush carpeting indoors and someone can get the ball themselves, why would you do it any other way? I had to start leaving Holly at home with Boyfriend because she liked to pee in the shop occasionally, and partake in what seemed like a free buffet (I worked at a dog food and retail shop).
On this weekday morning, however, I decided that I would bring Holly to work with me. Most mornings are fairly slow, so I thought it would be a great chance to teach my little fuzz face how to act while at work. I couldn't believe it, she was perfect; when she had to pee, she went by the door and waited, when she wanted to play, she was patient while I did other things. She even explored around the shop on her own (which was amazing because she normally wouldn't leave my side).

The Culprit

After about an hour or so of just myself and Holly fiddling around, the first customer of the day came in. He was a really good looking guy who was close to my age, and he had a lot of questions. Here's where I made my first mistake; I took my eyes off of Holly. I didn't think anything of her wandering off, I mean, she'd been exploring all morning and she'd been so well behaved. I just focused on the customer. He asked about a million questions, picked out stuff to buy, and I got it all ready at the cash. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Holly come down the stairs that lead to the bathroom. "Oh good, I thought, there she is, she's fine." She bypassed me and ran straight for Hot Customer. The rest happened in slow motion. He smiled at the sight of her, she jumped to greet him. He looked down inquisitively at her, and she excitedly passed him something. His face went white, and Holly ran over to me. He walked up to the counter, said "your dog gave this to me, I think it's yours", and handed me a used tampon.

I learned a lot that day; Always keep an eye on your pets; Always buy garbage containers with lids; and hope to God that Boyfriend never leaves, because there's no way my dog is ever going to help me get another man. I gave up on trying to teach Holly how to fetch. I think I'm too scared to see what she might bring back.



Hugs and poops,

Nichole

Quick and Simple Remedies - Doggy and Kitty Style

"Another pet post!? Nichole, this is supposed to be a lifestyle blog, are you obsessed with your pets or something?"- Yes. Okay, I love fashion and crafts, but my pets are numero uno in my life. I'd go around naked and never sew another stitch if it meant that the fuzzballs were content. This is sort of going to be a DIY as well as a pet info thingy, so hopefully it doesn't put anyone to sleep.

Anyhoo, today I thought I'd share a few pet care tips and tricks.

Okay, let's get right into it (figuratively speaking)! Dogs eat poo poo. Yup. It's true. Some dogs do it more than others, but in general, very few dogs can pass up a passed-out buffet. If you have two dogs and one (or both) of them are cleaning up the yard for you, try this: give the pooper some fresh pineapple! When pineapple goes through the system, it alters the smell and taste of the deuce! You won't notice, but your dog will. Also, if you have a doggy friend who loves to grocery shop in the kitty litter, you can feed the kitty some pineapple as well, giving you the same effect. This little trick works for most dogs, but some won't give up easily. With them, you just have to be vigilant and cover the poo in cayenne pepper flakes before they get their lips around it. Try to think of it as a fun game. Try.

Does your cat or dog get a lot of ear infections? If you are sure that your pet doesn't have a ruptured ear drum or foreign bodies in the ear canal, this little trick could save you some time, money and help ease your pet's discomfort much quicker. The Blue Ear Remedy uses boric acid powder, isopropyl alcohol and gentian violet to fix up an infection in no time. I've used it in the past and recommended it to friends who have all been relieved to have a second option to the constant vet trips (as you have to go each time you need a new perscription, even if your pet gets chronic infections). Again, I can't stress enough how important it is to consult your vet about things like this before using them. They went to school for a reason, and just because this works for most, doesn't mean it's 100% for your pet.


Yogurt is magic. Did nobody tell you? Yogurt is a great daily treat that can help to prevent flatulence and ear infections. The bacterial cultures in the yogurt help to keep ears clean by limiting the funky building up that can lead to an infection. Just a spoonful a day with each meal is all you need. I know that someone out there is going to read this and say "Noooo! Cats are lactose intolerant!", but not ALL cats are! Also, the benefits of this regiment are well worth at least trying. Keep in mind that you want plain, sugar free yogurt. For obvious reasons, the yogurt with a bunch of flavoring added to it isn't the same. I always go with plain greek yogurt, because it has minimal ingredients but all of the good stuff! Anyone out there with a pet who can stink the crowd out of a room will be glad to know that the same cultures help decrease gas, so your farty friend might turn in to just your friend! I think we'd all love just a few less stinky farts in our lives.

Just as often as we have problems with pets putting gross stuff IN their bodies (see gross problems above), we have problems with it coming right back OUT. That's right, I went there. I love a good poop joke (I'm four years old for life), but I'm not so much a fan of real life clean-up. When your pet is having tummy troubles, there are two go to solutions to try before heading to the vet. Pumpkin, either fresh or canned (not the pie filling though), is great for aiding digestion. It will help digest whatever it is that has upset your friends belly, and make it...how should I put this...more shapely upon exit. Tripe does much the same thing. Think of it as the 'phone a friend' option. Your pets stomach isn't doing so well on it's own, so grab a can of someone else's stomach lining to help out! This is amazing, natural, works really quickly, and your pet will inhale it! It also smells like death and no amount of warning can prepare you for it.


I've come home to find that my dogs have eaten pounds worth of cooked chicken bones, raisins, grapes, chocolate, you name it. While I've been very lucky that nothing has happened to them, I'm still glad that I know what to do if I'm in a pinch. If you've witnessed your dog eat something toxic, a spoonful/eyedropper of peroxide is there to help. Obviously this is something to be used only in an emergency, when you need to induce vomiting. You need to get this into your pet as quickly as you can after the ingestion of the bad stuff. This is not pleasant for anyone involved, but it can really change the outcome of your situation. Hydrogen peroxide could do some serious damage if a large amount were to be swallowed, so definitely keep it stored out of reach.

So, hopefully this information will be of use to someone. It's just a few common tricks, but it's good to pass on the word, right? Hope everyone is having a great day!

Hugs and poops,

Nichole


**I'm not a trained medical professional, nor am I saying that these things will work for everyone. I'm just sharing tips based on personal experiences as a person who has worked and lived with animals. I can't be held accountable if these suggestions don't turn out the way you want them to, but I am always ready to lend a helping hand and answer questions if you have any.**

DIY - Doggy or Kitty First Aid Kit

It never hurts to be ready for hurts!

I have three pets, so I've been through more emergencies than I like to remember. Of course we take care of our furry friends, but sometimes there's just no avoiding some bad luck. I've never seen a first aid kit made just for pets in stores, so I made my own and thought that I'd share what it contains and why.

1. Baby wipes. I always make sure that they're unscented and for sensitive skin. When you don't have access to clean water and cloths, these are great to clean up a cut so that you can get a good look at it. 2. Sterile gloves. Just like in any medical emergency situation, there's no need to make matters worse by spreading bacteria and/or infection. 3. BAG BALM. I love this stuff! It was made to sooth cracked cows utters, but it has a million more uses; it's an antiseptic, so I use it to help clean up small cuts and scratches. Unlike Polysporin, this stuff is safe to be licked at. 4. Gauze. If there's a larger cut to be covered up before you can get to the vet, or if you want a barrier between the bandage and the boo boo, sterile gauze is the way to go. 5. Vet wrap. If you have a pet, you really should have some of this stuff on hand. It doesn't stick to fur, so it's a perfect bandaging material. Use this to; cover up wounds if your pet is picking at them; covering up a wound to help ease the bleeding before you can get to the vet; and for replacing the bandaging from the vet at home (only if you know what you're doing!). 6. Scissors. For clipping bandaging, gauze, fur or clothing (if you need to cut off something your pet is tangled in or make a sling).

I'm sure there are tons more things that I could add to my home kit, but these are my go to items and they've always done what I need in a pinch. Having these things on hand always makes me feel a little more prepared for whatever life with pets is about to throw at me. I hope you find this helpful and have fun putting it together. :)

Hugs and poops,

Nichole

October Inspiration

I got this picture from a friend last year. If you know the original source, please let me know, I'd love to credit them :)

Only today and tomorrow left of this beautiful fall month, but I thought I'd just squeeze in one little tidbit about October; it's adopt a shelter dog month! Of course any time is a great time for an adoption, but it's nice to have a reminder. If you're an animal lover looking for a big reponsiblility with an equally big pay off, maybe this is something you'd like to look into! Hope everyone has had a lovely and leafy October :)

Jerk Infestation (Flea Talk)

Left: What they look like in my mind. Right: Img. from Pet MD

*Edited Oct.30th, 2012*

Okay, so this post is going to make you feel itchy, but it's important for anyone out there with a furry companion. When I used to work around pets, one of the most common questions I would get was "how do I get rid of fleas?"; there are lots of answers to this question, but I'm going to let you in on what I do to prevent fleas, and how to kill the little jerks if they show up. FYI, this post is in reference to the cat flea, which is the type of flea that most commonly snacks on cats and dogs in North America.

Prevention:

There are tons ways to subdue the creepies from chowing down on your fuzz balls. Most vet offices have several different options for prevention treatments (pills, shots, topical things, ect.) that you can give your pet on a regular basis. Depending on the intensity or variety of pests/parasites your environment is host to, these preventatives could be your best bet.

I prefer not to give my pets monthly treatments. Though things like this are recommended by most vets, I just don't like giving my furries a chemical dose every month for something they don't have. I'm lucky to live in a place with a climate that keeps most threats to a minimum, so I go a more natural route (this is not an option for everyone, I'm just sharing another method). Fleas hate the smell of cedar and pepermint (but I love them!). I tend to toss a bag of peppermint tea (un-used) or cedar balls into any dark, nook-like areas around my home, and in any places that my pets like to lie down. Most bugs and mice hate this stuff too, and it makes your house smell nice, so triple bonus! (CAT OWNERS BEWARE: essential oils are toxic to your kitty compadre, so stick with the real deal balls and bags... that's what she said.) You can also buy flea collars that have these ingredients in them, so your pet's bling can be functual and stylin'.

This next tip is a wee bit contraversial, but what the hay, I'll share it anyway. Though any significant amount of garlic may be toxic to your pets, you can sprinkle a little bit of garlic powder over one of their meals a day. Fleas hate the taste of blood with garlic, so this will encourage them to jump ship. This might be something worth bringing up with your vet before you give it a try. Not all vets are supporters of methods like this, so if you are interested in taking a more 'natural' approach to pet care, do some research in your area to see if there are vets focused in that area of expertise. My dad would call this "Nikki's hippie apprach to pet care".

Detection:

I check my pets over every night while I brush them (yup, every night. I'm obsessive and they're dirtbags). You can buy flea combs to do this, or just pay close attention to your pets skin. Fleas look like little black bugs. They move fast and they jump like olympians. If you see something scurry in the fur, you might have a problem. The easiest way to tell though, is by checking for flea poops. They are little black clumps, no bigger than a crumb (think, the worst confetti ever). Wipe a few of these clumps onto a piece of dry, white paper, put a dab of water on each one, and then squish them. If the spots turn red, you've got fleas. Flea poop is made majorily of blood, hence the red color.

Destruction:

Time. To. Murder-kill. At this point I do give my pets the vet recomended treatment. I still hate the stuff, but it's the quickest way to make your pets comfortable and flea free. If you have a lot of fleas (like, if you can actually see the little ass hats running around with your naked eye), this is the best option. Feverfew is also dandy! You need the feverfew leaves (not the tablets) so that you can make tea with it (just like you would do with any other tea. Let it steep for about ten minutes, then use a coffee filter to strain out the liquid into a bowl. Once the liquid has reached a comfortable temperature, pour it all over your pet (in a tub) and let them soak in it for at least ten minutes. Feverfew will paralyze the fleas, then you can wash them off after. I actually found a really helpful video about this here

You and your house need taking care of too. Fleas won't live on your body like they will on your pets, but you are still tasty to them, in fact, fleas usually get into your home by hitching a ride on you! A shower will clean you off, but your house is a different story. Toss a flea collar into your bagless vacuum and get going. Don't miss any spots! The flea collar will suffocate any adult fleas that get sucked up. Hope your washing machine is hungry, because you're about to do A LOT of laundry. Any clothes, curtains, plush toys, blankets and coverings need to be washed. Hot water and into the dryer, if possible. Remember, fleas are built for extreme temperatures. Put all of your clean things in new/clean garbage bags until you get the house all scrubbed. Fleas love making babies more than bunnies, so even though you've got the adults under control now, their eggies still haven't hatched. You're going to need to vacuum everyday for a few weeks. If your problem still persists after all of this effort (these friggers were built for the appocalypse), you may need to look into an exterminator.

Wow. I'm tired from just writing this, but I felt like sharing this information might be helpful to someone out there. We're currently going through a massive flea outbreak here, and a province wide backorder on the most popular vet treatment (which inspired this giant ramble). If anyone has questions, write them in the comment section, I love taking about pet stuff almost as much as I love putting food in my face!

Hugs and poops,

Nichole

**I'm not a medical/veterinary professional. I have no professional training. I only write my opinion, which is based on extensive reading and personal experience. I am not liable for anything that happens if my information makes your world suck. Consulting your veterinarian is always an excellent idea.**

Deep Breaths

Today was a foggy, rainy day. The skies were a pure, opaque gray from the moment I looked out the window this morning, to the time the sun went to bed this evening. Usually rainy days are my favorite days to get things done. I think the sound of rain and wind is really calming (unless it's coming in through your ceiling). Today, however, was a total humbug, throw away day for me. I didn't do a thing! I caught myself getting really crotchety, but then I looked around me and saw my favorite sights. Can't be a jerk when I'm snacking and looking at these stinky little faces :)

Hugs and poops,

Nichole