I know I have talked to you about how much I believe my dogs and Sam, the cat, are a part of the family. We like to make them feel that way as well and one way we do that is to feed them the same quality food we eat. That can be a challenge to do, well, it can be if you don't know about the great food and treats available from Evanger's.
We were lucky enough to get to try a variety of their canned foods. We started with the hand packed which seriously look better than most pre-made people food; seriously! These pieces of meat are hand picked and when I opened the cans I was amazed at how good it smelled. The dogs were all over me as soon they got a smell of it too. We also tried the Signature series which was also of simply stunning quality. I could see whole peas and tell that the turkey was actually turkey. There was also a can of low fat vegetarian food that could be eaten by cats or dogs, that is handy since Sam always seems to be pushing the dogs out of the way to get at their food. I swear he thinks he is a dog, and the dogs actually encourage him.
In addition to the luscious canned food for dogs, they also have a dry food line that we tried three varieties from: Pheasant & Brown Rice, Whitefish & Sweet Potato, and Chicken & Brown Rice. All of the varieties are complete balanced nutrition for all life stages and as with their other products are made with high quality ingredients. The fresh protein is the number one ingredient in each variety as well.
Next, we tried some of the jerky treats. These are a great size for training and they only have six calories per treat. They are wonderful, natural treats combined with fruits and vegetables and I can honestly say all of the dogs really did give me their undivided attention when I had one in my hand. They come in four fabulous flavors: chicken, pheasant, buffalo, and venison; all of which are grain free and made in the USA.
While I am talking about treats, how about a one ingredient treat? All of out fur babies, even the cat, loved the Raw Gently Dried Beef Liver and my guess would be that is because it is only beef liver, nothing added, nothing! I really love being able to treat the animals to something so pure and that they find so delicious. In addition to giving these as treats, you can also mix it into their regular food to make something really special.
Not to leave out Sam, because we tried some pretty awesome canned cat food as well. He was able to try the hand packed, whole, uncut sardines, which I think should go without saying that he loved! He also really loved the holistic pheasant from the Super Premium line which was grain free, protein based nutrition. I think his absolute favorite was the Against the Grain line though, which had such fabulous sounding meals, like Caribbean Club Chicken & Cheese and Tuna Mango Tango Duck! They sound and look like something you might order when you are out at a fine dining restaurant.
If you are looking for high quality, natural foods and treats for your pets, I recommend you browse the Evanger’s site and see what they have that your furry friends will love.
Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers.
I have some fabulous treats to tell my doggy parents about today! You may recall me talking about Loving Pets before, twice in fact. My babies loved their treats so much that when I heard there was a chance to try a few varieties, I was eager; almost as eager as the furry kids.
We were happy to get to try Waggles 100% All Natural Chicken Skins. First, I have to state the obvious: the name is too cute! It is cute and it is also appropriate too, because the dogs, all four of them, were full of wags each time they heard the bag open. They sure made treat time in my house an exciting time. After they figured out where I stored the bag they would actually try and lead me to them in the middle of the day at random times. It was hilarious!
A few things I love about feeding these to the dogs are that they are 100% farmed and made in the U.S.A. They are wheat, gluten, corn, and glycerin free. You can actually tell that they are chicken skins; they smell good and they have a crispy feel to them. The thing I love most is that the dogs all seemed to love them, they were all very happy every single time we had treat time with Waggles.
The next treats we tried were the Puffsters. These actually look like people treats. They are puffed snacks, as the name suggests, and come in a great variety of flavors. We tried the Banana and Chicken, Cranberry and Chicken, and Sweet Potato and Chicken, all of which were a smashing success with the dogs.
These are also 100% made in the USA. I liked that they have only 10 calories per treat, and are 100% all natural. There are no additives, glycerin, preservatives, soy or corn. The size makes Puffsters a perfect training treat, or any time snack. It is also pretty great that there are more than 50 treats per bag, that makes the bags last a decent amount of time and makes it a great value.
Make sure you browse the Loving Pets site, I am sure you will find a lot of great things for your furkids! You can also connect with Loving Pets on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date with new products!
Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers.
You all know I love my dogs like family and as such, I would do anything in my power to make them happier and healthier. When I was asked to take the 28 day challenge to see what changes, for the better, I would notice in babies I was pretty excited.
The most exciting part to me was that Purina SmartBlend True Instinct is nutrient dense food, with the main ingredient being real chicken - not fillers. In fact, they don't use fillers like corn, wheat, or soy in the blend.
We had a hilarious first week as we tried to slowly and responsibly transition the dogs. We started by adding a little to their regular food intending to add a little more every day until after a week they would be eating all Purina ONE. The dogs, of course, had other ideas.
The first day we noticed that there was food on the ground around the bowl, which is unusual because none of our four dogs are messy eaters. The next day we watched what was happening. Every singe one of them was picking out the pieces of the old, regular, food and spitting onto the ground beside the bowl! They were not willing to transition slowly. They only wanted the new food, the Purina ONE, and that speaks volumes.
Our dogs have always been responsible eaters so we typically feed them from one of those bowls where you pour in a lot and they eat at leisure. It took them a few days to realize this was now their food and not a treat, which had us worried we might need to get regular bowls. I am happy to say they did start to eat responsibly again.
As the days wore on, I noticed they all seemed more vibrant and willing to play, even when we were not outside with them, they were playing with each other. It was awesome to see that change. I am going to assume that is because the Purina ONE has 30% protein to support energy.
Another change we noticed, in addition to them having more energy and seeming to be more engaged with each other, was that their coats looked better; thicker even. Now, I can't swear that was all the food because it is Fall and their coat could be seasonally thickening. However, that wouldn't account for the extra sheen.
What changes could you see in your dogs in 28 days? I know I have a lot of readers with furry kids so I want to share the link with you where you can sign up for the 28-day challenge and receive a $3 coupon that you can use to start your challenge. You can also like Purina on Facebook and follow Purina ONE on Twitter.
Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers.I received these products from Smiley360 in exchange for an honest review. You can join Smiley360 at www.smiley360com.
You all know I view my dogs as part of my family, and, of course, Sam, the cat too. Today, I want to focus on something for my dogs. Just like with humans, it is important for dogs to have good dental health. I have tried a few toothpastes, which they all like to lick. but it didn't seem like they let me really get their teeth clean.
Whimzees, takes all of the work, on my part at least, out of the equation, and the dogs can take care of their own dental hygiene.... Plus they actually love to do it. That is mostly because they think they are just getting a treat, and judging from their faces they are. My dogs eat treats in a rather ravenous manner, and it can be hard to find treats that will last more than a few seconds, which is why I was so happy to see that these actually took time to chew and they really seemed to love them.
What I love best is that they are made with vegetarian and gluten free ingredients! Plus, all of the ingredients are natural, even the dyes! There was not an ingredient on the list that I didn't recognize. It makes me feel good to give them something so wholesome. Plus, I think I may have mentioned the faces! I'll mention it again, there was no doubt as they sat with treat between paws, chewing intently, that they loved every minute.
Whimzees comes in a lot of neat shapes and sizes, we were able to try the large toothbrushes. But I have to note, the alligator is adorable too and I will be looking for some of them next time I go shopping!
Speaking of shopping, Whimzees are available at most pet supply retailers. Please visit their website for more details and to find a store near you! You can also connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.
Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers.
Hello again pet parents! Have you ever tried to brush your dogs teeth? I did once, only once, a long while ago. Every one involved didn’t care for the process. Thankfully it is a bit easier to get dogs to brush, that is kids, most especially when you have a brushing treat that they love.
Minties Dental Treats are vet grade dental treats that help to clean teeth, freshen breath, and remove plaque and tarter! These awesome little dental treats are made with natural freshening ingredients including alfalfa, parsley, fennel, dill and peppermint! I sure love all that breath freshening power for my stinky breathed friends.
What is really great about having a brushing treat like this is that the dogs will actually remind you it is time to brush. In fact, they really have come to look forward to it. These dental treats come in sizes designed for certain weight ranges. My babies needed to try the medium and large sizes, which looked the same expect one is just a bit bigger as you might have expected. Of course, the smaller dogs did notice that Patches seemed to get more but then again my gentle giant always takes more time to savor her snacks than the youngsters do.
I also really love that they are made in the USA with no wheat, soy or corn. If you have struggled with a way to get your dogs teeth clean then I recommend you visit the Minites site, they have a great deal information about these treats. You can also connect with Minties on Facebook and Twitter.
Disclosure: The opinions in this article are my own. I do not work for, or with, any brand mentioned in this article, nor do I have any official relationship with them. I have a relationship with GigaSavvy, for whom I create original editorial content.
Hello pet mommies! I have something pretty special to tell you about today. My dogs, like yours and all dogs for that matter, really love treats. When I look for treats I want to make sure that what I am giving them will not only taste delicious but also not be filled with anything harmful like I keep reading in the news.
One of the main things I look for is a Made in the USA stamp and one of the most recent and most loved Made in the USA treats I tried were from Betsy Farms. We tried the Betsy Farms Natural Turkey Jerky. And when I say we I meant them, I do love treats too but I prefer chips.
These Turkey Jerky Fillets are made from American raised turkey and they are low fat, high protein and have no artificial fillers of flavors! They look like rectangular strips of jerky similar to jerky people eat but lighter. They are flexible and judging from how the dogs ate them they are nice and chewy.
I love any treat that lasts more than two seconds with my ravenous bunch. Cleo and Fudge, my littlest imps, really fell in love with these. They took note of where I left the bag and when I passed by it they would sit pretty beside the shelf just to remind me the treats were there and they deserved one.
The next time you are searching for something delicious, Made in the USA with great ingredients to give to your furry family, I recommend you browse the Betsy Farms site and learn more about these great treats which are also available in duck and chicken favors. You can also connect with Betsy Farms on Facebook and Twitter.
Disclosure: The opinions in this article are my own. I do not work for, or with, any brand mentioned in this article, nor do I have any official relationship with them. I have a relationship with GigaSavvy, for whom I create original editorial content.
Doggy parents gather around! I have something very special to tell you about! If your dogs are like mine, they really look forward to treat time. In fact, since we have developed a sort of ritual. During certain times of the day, they often come around just to remind me that I forgot it was treat time!
You know I like to eat naturally, and I try to feed my babies natural as well, so when Sojos asked if we wanted to try their new treats I was so excited! We have tried Sojos in the past and I have loved them because of the wholesome raw ingredients, while all of the dogs loved them because of the awesome taste - I assume that from the way they reacted eating them, I didn’t eat them myself!
The new treats are Simply Meat Treats and, as the name suggests, they are made with just meat! Honestly, they are one hundred percent raw freeze-dried meat. Seriously they are single-ingredient, meat treats. What dog wouldn't love that? They come in three puppy pleasing varieties Beef, Lamb or Turkey and they really are just beef, lamb and turkey!
You can tell by looking at them they are just meat and you can tell by the way the dogs act when I even touch the bag that they are delicious! These are certainly something my dogs love and since I know they are a pure, wholesome treat I don’t mind tossing them an extra one just because.
If you are looking for something you can feel great about feeding your pets and that they will love, you should head over to the Sojos site and look at the varieties. In addition to dog treats, they also have dog food and even cat food and catnip! Make sure you follow Sojos on Facebook and Twitter too so you never miss a new product!
Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers.
Where are all my readers with furry friends? Dogs to be more precise. It’s time to talk about my furkids again and some wonderful ways to spoil them. I know I have mentioned Loving Pets to you before but I have some great new products to tell you about!
The first thing I want to tell you about will make life easier for you as a doggy momma. It is the Bella Spill Proof Pet Mat. The Bone-shaped Bella Spill-Proof Dog Mat is too cute! As the name suggests it is bone shaped and even has little bones all over it for detail and to keep bowls from sliding around. It prevents splashes and keeps spills contained with it’s raised edges. Plus it has anti skid feet which is nice because my pushy babies like to skid their bowls across the floor when they eat! It is non-toxic, BPA-free and quality tested and can used inside or outside. I really love that it can easily be cleaned with water, I do have rather messy babies.
Of course if you get your babies a new bowl mat they need new bowls too. Loving Pets has a lot of new designs in the Milano Collection in a range of size as well. The bowls are stainless steel and resist bacteria, which is awesome. Plus it has a no tip design to help prevents spills. The actual bowl is removable from the base to make it easy to fill and clean. Speaking of cleaning the whole thing is dishwasher safe so it’s really easy!
We got them two new bowls, one was the Dive Zebra, I do have some diva dogs as you know, we also picked the Bad to Bone design because poor Fudge needed something to call his own. He deserves it for putting up with all of these diva girls! They are both just adorable and look great on the new mat. I think is was funny that Fudge actually picked the Bad to the Bone bowl, almost like he knew somehow the other one was for the girls!
Of course no pet shopping trip is complete without some treats! Loving Pets has so many wonderful treats to pick from too. We picked the Natural Value Chicken Tenders. These fantastic treats are 100% farmed and made in the U.S.A. They are cooked on open grilling racks to reduce fat and give them a delicious flavor that all of my babies loved. I love that they are wheat, corn, soy, gluten and grain free, and contain no by-products. They loved them so much it was pretty hard to get them to hold still for a picture. Now they know I put the bag in the room where they sleep, for their late night treat, and I have no issues getting them to go to bed at night!
Make sure you browse the Loving Pets site, I am sure you will find a lot of great things for your furkids! You can also connect with Loving Pets on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date with new products!
Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers.
You might be surprised to know that Sam, my fat cat, can be a pretty finicky eater. In fact, if there is something in his bowl that he either doesn't like or things isn't fresh enough he will sit there looking at it and meowing in his complaining voice. If nothing is done to fix it right away he will kick his bowl off the counter letting the dogs empty it!
This makes trying any new foods for Sam a bit, well...scary. However as soon as I saw Against the Grain’s new cat food line I knew he would just love it. This is real human quality cat food. You can see the real meat and vegetable chunks in the thick gravy. It even has a nice smell and is totally unlike that nasty canned food smell you often get with cat and dog foods.
I was shocked that when I opened it and sat the lid down he actually started to lick the lid! There are very few things that make me lick the lid… pudding comes to mind… you know nice stuff, the stuff you don't want to miss a drop of. I took his lid licking as a huge sign that he simply loved it.
He was able to try four of the flavors; Tuna Aubergine with Sea Bass & Egg Plant, Tuna Mango Tango with Duck, Chicken Mayflower with Chicken & Turnip, and Tuna Tuscano with Tomato & Salmon. Of the four it was impossible to tell which was his favorite because he ate them all with the same look of pleasure and while purring.
It’s no surprise he loved them because these are no stock ingredient meals. They are made with Thailand ocean caught fish and other proteins. Plus hand selected native fruits and vegetables found at farmers markets. They are all GMO free, hormone free, antibiotic free, and certified dolphin safe.
For more information about these and their others foods, including dog foods as well please visit the Against The Grain website. You can also connect with them on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on great offers and new products.
Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers.
It’s no secret my dogs are very special to me. They add so much happiness to my day and I like to add as much to their days as I can. I often wonder if they are like us in that the food they most love to munch on isn’t really best for them. It is hard to know what you should be feeding them because they can’t really tell you how they are feeling.
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Thankfully there is Petbrosia. Petbrosia makes a food blend that is specifically designed for your pet. They take into consideration things like your pets age, activity, health and weight and then formulate a food blend that will be best for your dog or cat! It’s really easy to get started with a few questions you answer right on their website.
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They then mix up the right blend and ship it to you! I like that a lot because it saves me having to lug around those heavy bags at the store (or make my husband lug them around). My blend was made up for the little yellow princess, Cleo, and she seemed to know as soon as it was delivered it was for her. She put her nose right in the box!
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It comes in a resealable bag so that it will stay fresh to the very last crunch. I put a small bit in my hand to see if she was attracted to the scent, and of course she was. In fact, I could barely get off a picture before she started trying to get the food. While she is well behaved, she inherited her patience from me. It wasn’t long before she was in my lap trying to get it all.
It is recommended when you change pet food you do so slowly mixing it in your old brand so that they adjust without any tummy aches. While I did my very best to do this, Cleo liked her new blend from Petbrosia so much that she would pick through the bowl to get those and she actually spit the old food out onto the floor! Messy girl.
After a good deal of time on her new blend she stills loves it and is feeling great, always has lots of energy and smiles, as well as kisses and hugs. Now I am wondering if my Sam, the fat cat, would be able to lose some weight with a special blend of his own.
If you are looking for a food and want to know you have one that is made with the highest quality, all-natural ingredients, grown and raised by farmers across America, with no corn, no wheat, no soy, and no by-products you need to check out Petbrosia. You can also connect with Petbrosia on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date with specials. And right now you can get $10 off your first purchase of Petbrosia Pet Foods by entering the promotional code: BRL10.
Now for some exciting news, one lucky winner will win a 3 pound box of food specially designed to met the needs of their own pet! Enter to win the 3 pound box below, using the Rafflecopter. Open to US residents in the lower 48, 18 years and older. Winner has 48 hours to respond before a new winner is drawn.
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. My Empty Nest is not responsible for prize fulfillment.
It gets pretty cold here in the winter and I do worry that my dogs might get some joint pain, like I do, especially my big girl who is a bit older. I always want to make sure my babies are comfortable and I look for easy, natural solutions that are healthy for them, which is why I am so excited about Achy Paws.
Achy Paws is a self warming pet mat that uses an inner layer of 100% activated bamboo charcoal that actually activates with your pets body heat and gently warms to sooth their tired muscles and reduce soreness while they rest on it. I love that it works with them, naturally and according to their current body temperature.
It feels very plush too, being triple layer thick and made of comfy fleece. The sides are seamed together nicely and sturdy too. A big bonus is that it absorbs odor and dander as well. As soon as I laid it down Cleo naturally gravitated toward it and was soon joined by Lady, who then proceeded to push her off the mat!
One thing that is really telling is that my dogs, which always stay in the room we are in, actually left our side to go rest on this awesome mat which was a full room away. That is just crazy surprising. Seriously, my dogs will whimper if I accidentally shut a door between us and my neighbors have complained about the racket they make when we leave. So for them to head to another room and sleep is something very special. It makes me so happy to think they are that comfortable.
If they love it this much in the warm, Spring weather I think we will be needing to buy a few more for them this winter so they don’t have to fight over it. Which brings me to another great point about this mat, it adjusts to their temperature which means it also can have a cooling effect when they use it on hot days. That is pretty awesome that they can use it all year long. I also want to mention that it is machine washable too!! How cool is that? I love it when you can machine wash dog things because let's face it, they can smell after some use.
To find out more about this great mat please visit the Healing Tree website. While you are there take a look around because they have a great selection of other products. I personally have my eye on the warming blanket for myself! You can also connect with them on Facebook to stay up to date with news and special offers.
Now for some exciting news, one lucky winner will win an Achy Paws Pet Mat for their own pet, up to size large! Enter to win below, using the Rafflecopter. Open to US residents, 18 years and older. Winner has 48 hours to respond before a new winner is drawn.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. My Empty Nest is not responsible for prize fulfillment.
I know I have talked to you about how much I believe my dogs and Sam, the cat, are a part of the family. We like to make them feel that way as well and one way we do that is to feed them the same quality food we eat. That can be a challenge to do, well, it can be if you don't know about the great food and treats available from Evanger's. 
We were lucky enough to get to try a variety of their canned foods. We started with the hand packed which seriously look better than most pre-made people food; seriously! These pieces of meat are hand picked and when I opened the cans I was amazed at how good it smelled. The dogs were all over me as soon they got a smell of it too. We also tried the Signature series which was also of simply stunning quality. I could see whole peas and tell that the turkey was actually turkey. There was also a can of low fat vegetarian food that could be eaten by cats or dogs, that is handy since Sam always seems to be pushing the dogs out of the way to get at their food. I swear he thinks he is a dog, and the dogs actually encourage him. 
In addition to the luscious canned food for dogs, they also have a dry food line that we tried three varieties from: Pheasant & Brown Rice, Whitefish & Sweet Potato, and Chicken & Brown Rice. All of the varieties are complete balanced nutrition for all life stages and as with their other products are made with high quality ingredients. The fresh protein is the number one ingredient in each variety as well. 
