Review of #InstinctRaw Dog Food

This post is sponsored by Instinct® and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Instinct Raw but I, Carma Poodale, only shares information I feel is relevant to my readers. Instinct is not responsible for the content of this article.

When people ask ma what type of food I eat, she tells them that I am on a rare diet. I prefer my food slightly warm or extra rare. Sometimes this isn't convenient especially while traveling or when we have been doing errands all day and she has forgot to take something out of the freezer to thaw. When 4:45 pm comes around, I start to give her the "hungry" eyes or I will stand in the kitchen and stare at her until I get her attention. I prefer to eat at 5:00 sharp. 

Wish Fairies and #SuperBloodMoon

Did you get to see it?? Did you get to see the eclipse? We partially did. The clouds parted for a few minutes so that we could see the moon as the earth passed between it and the sun.
Whenever there is a full moon or a meteor show or even a starry night, ma and I are outside enjoying it together. She always tells me she loves me from the moon and beyond.

B/W - Scooby Met A New Friend

Saturday we went to PetSmart to pick up some guinea pig food. While we were there we ran into my groomer and ma asked her if she had time to do a touch up on me. She said to give her just a couple of minutes to go wash her hands and she would meet us in the salon. 

WW-Wheek Wagon

Carma Poodale, Cinnamon and Scooby Doo
My wagon is wheeking wonderful!!


Review for NUTRO™ ROTATIONS™ and FARM’S HARVEST™ Dog Food. #AD

*I was asked if I would like to know more about the Nutro Farm's Harvest blend and Rotation food and I said yes. I was sent a bag of each type to try out for myself. I do not eat kibble because I am on a rare diet but Jenny Sue does. This is a review of each product. Mars Petcare, Nutro and PetSmart are not responsible for what is said in this post. This is my honest review*
Nutro Logo

 A couple of month's ago we were shopping and seen the new Nutro food that sparked ma's memory. Our PetSmart had a display out with a small clear bowl of what the kibble looked like and it really looked like something that Jenny Sue, our spaniel would enjoy. After all, it had dried apples, cranberries, green beans, sweet potatoes and peas. All the things that Jenny Sue loves! 

Ma had talked with the Mars Petcare folks while we were attending Blogpaws. They had a display set up of the new food but we could never get close enough to talk about the Farm's Harvest foods. There were so many people and so little space. Ma handed them my card and said she would touch base after the conference.   

Nutro Farms Harvest food


Nubby Squirrel Vs The Hawk

Tuesday morning started out as any other morning. We got up , ma gave Jenny Sue her diabetis shot, she gave her breakfast, we went out to potty the Scooby and I jumped on the bench in front of the window and started our block watch.

We have our windows open and we like to watch the birds eating their seed and we have a special squirrel that we refer to as "nubby". This squirrel is a little girl and she is special because she has no tail. 

Nubby squirrel has been hanging out near our house for 2 years now. In a tree somewhere near by she must have nursing babies. The parents leave special treats out for her like peanut butter crackers, peanuts and the occasional french fries. Nubby squirrel will sit under the tree and eat her treats and if ma lets Jenny Sue out, nubby squirrel will run up the little tree and wait. I think she knows that Jenny Sue can't see. When Jenny Sue comes in, nubby squirrel comes down out of the tree. 
Tail less squirrel eating fries

We were watching nubby squirrel eating when all of a sudden this really big shadow flew above the tree. All the birds started flying around like they were terrified and nubby squirrel ran up the little tree. Next thing I knew there was a very large bird flying around my yard. 

Ma yelled "HAWK!!!" and ran to the door. She flung that door open and ran outside. Scooby and I shot out the door before it closed and I seen Nubby squirrel running for her life. She was trying to get to the big tree and just before she got to it , this big bird flew down and was about to scoop her up!! I thought NOT ON MY WATCH, BIRD!!! I jumped in between nubby squirrel and the hawk and that hawk hit my shoulder. Scooby flew past me on the opposite side and started chasing nubby squirrel the other direction. When that hawk hit me it must have been like hitting a wall because that hawk went tumbling backwards. Scooby had chased Nubby squirrel around the tree and Nubby ran up the big tree as fast as she could. I let out a loud WOOF!!!!!! The hawk disappeared as fast as he appeared. Nubby squirrel was sitting up in the tree just breathing heavily. 

Ma started clapping and telling us we did a wonderful job. She was cheering us on like we had just won a race. Talk about excitement! We came in and ma gave us the premium treats. She kept telling us what a great job we did and how we are a awesome team. Scooby and I were all excited. We jumped back on the window seat and I kept a eye on the bottom of the tree and Scooby watched the skies. Ma took some peanut butter crackers and put them in the big tree where Nubby Squirrel could find them. A few minutes later Nubby squirrel came down low enough to get her cracker but she sat there and ate it. Ma was saying how it looked like she was shaking while eating her cracker. 

Ma got her camera out to zoom it on Nubby squirrel to make sure she hadn't got hurt or have any blood on her. She was okay. After she finished her cracker she found the second cracker and she took it to her nest. We took a nap. 

Later on that evening while we were all eating dinner , ma looked out and there was Nubby squirrel sitting under the small tree eating. All was okay in the Nubby squirrel world. Nubby squirrel is about the size of our guinea pigs. If a hawk will come after that little squirrel , it will come after our piggies. Nubby squirrel moves faster than Cinnamon or Cookie. This is one of the reasons I stay outside with them when we have outdoor time. I protect them from large birds. 


Tail less squirrel closeup
They call me the "babysitter". 
Don't worry Nubby squirrel, I will do my best to keep you safe too. 
Tail less squirrel
Thanks for reading my blog.Have a beautiful day! 

Bouquet From The Yard

Roses
Its black and white Sunday but the roses that ma got off of her rose bush today was too pretty to take the color out of. She put in some lavendar and I think it gave it a beautiful touch. They smell amazing!

Hope your day is as beautiful as ma roses are. 
Happy Sunday! 

Crazy Eyed Cat

Crazy eyed cat
Why you pay attention to birds when you have ME!

5 Things To Do If Your Dog Has An Allergic Reaction

Saturday night something happened to Scooby Doo. We don't quite know what it was but we went out at 10 pm like we always do and after we were done with our business , we went to bed. Around 11 pm he woke ma up from her sleep kicking her. It was like he couldn't get comfortable. He jumped out of bed and the next thing we knew was dad was turning on our light and telling ma to get up. Something was wrong with Scooby Doo.

Once ma's eyes got adjusted to the light, I heard her say "Oh My Gosh, what is wrong Scooby?" I looked at him and thought dad had the wrong Scooby. 
chihuahua with swollen face
Scooby's entire face was beyond swollen. His eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head and his muzzle was twice its size. He was so red. Ma told dad that he needed a Benedryl immediately. Dad brought ma the medicine and ma pilled Scooby. Ma held and rocked him while they waited for the pills to take effect. She had her phone in case she needed to call the vet. Dad and Ma examined him and couldn't find any signs of a bite or anything. Ma asked dad for a ice pack thinking it would help bring Scooby some relief. 

Scooby refused to lay on the ice pack but ma told him if he did she would rub his belly. She put his head on the ice pack and started rubbing his belly. When he picked his head up , she stopped rubbing. She positioned his head the ice pack and rubbed his belly. He quickly figured out what she would do for him if he would do something for her. He laid his head back on the ice pack and she rubbed his belly until he fell asleep. Ma kept checking him to make sure he was breathing okay. He wasn't having any problems breathing, he kept a steady inhale and exhale so she decided to wait to call the vet. 

Scooby had some problems with itching in the springtime. First the parents thought it was a flea allergy but none of us had fleas. Ma checked us regularly. When we had spoke to the vet about the itching in the spring , he told us it could be some type of pollen. They would have to do allergy testing to see what it was. Our diet was ruled out as the problem since over the early spring into summer ma has introduced one food at a time to him. Each meat was given over 3-4 weeks at a time. No reactions. Treats weren't the problem either. 

Its been very puzzling but ma is determined to get to the bottom of what is causing it. She has kept Scooby on Benedryl every 5-8 hours and continued monitoring him. He wouldn't eat or drink and ma didn't like that. She would take a 10 ml syringe and fill it with water. She would force him to drink. She also got some chicken broth and pureed pumpkin and put it in the syringe to force feed him too. He didn't like it but he didn't fight her when he seen her coming with it. He took it with no problems. Ma wanted to keep him hydrated and something on his stomach so the benedryl didn't make him sick to his stomach. 

Sunday evening Scooby ate his dinner and drank from the water bowl. He still had to have his doses of Benedryl but at least he was eating and drinking on his own. The swelling had disappeared. He laid around and cried when ma would leave the room. She had to take him to her room and lay down with him. It was the only way that he would stop crying. Guess its true that when the babies are sick they all want their mama's. Mama's make things better. 

chihuahua smiling
By Monday he was much much better. There was no swelling and he is on Benedryl 2 times a day. Hopefully by Tuesday he will be off of Benedryl. Ma will be calling the vet and speaking to him about what has happened. We need to get to the bottom of this because the next time it may be worse. 

Here are a few tips of what to do if your pet has an allergic reaction. 

1. Check breathing. If pet is having problems breathing call vet ASAP or go to emergency hospital. 
2. If breathing okay, give Benedryl. 1 mg per pound. Monitor your dog to make sure condition is not worsening. 
3. Check for bites or causes of reaction- Did you do get bit by an animal or a rodent? Call vet if find marks
4. Keep pet hydrated. Benedryl is a antihistamine. Pets can become dehydrated. Offer water. If dog does not drink put put a few drops of water on muzzle so dog licks it off or use a spoon or syringe to give small amounts. 
5. If condition doesn't improve within a hour, CALL your vet. 

Ma always keeps diphenhydramine in our house and we have it in our 1st aid kit that we travel with. Make sure that your Benedryl has only diphenhydramine in it. Some have artificial colors or other ingredients in it. 

Please note ma is not a vet. These are tips that she has learned over the years and she has taken first aid for pets courses in the past. If you have any questions or concerns, please discuss them with your vet. They know you pets health history. 

Has your pet ever had an allergic reaction?? What did you do??

BW- Carma and Cookie, World's Cutest Team

Poodle and Guinea pig

WW- Cookie Shares a Guinea Pig Smile

Cookie says Smile, its Wednesday! 

Guinea Pig smiling

Oh Where Oh Where Did My KFC Go?

Someone posted today that our local KFC that is closest to me was closing and a Krispy Kreme is moving in. That perked my curiosity up and I begged ma to take me one last time to get the world's best chickyum (in my mind).
I got brushed and put my maryjane socks on and away we went. When we pulled up in the parking lot I rushed to the door like I always do. I waited and waited but none of the girls opened it for me like they always do.
Carma Poodale at KFC
Why are they closed?
 I waited some more but then I started seeing things that didn't look right. Where was the big letters, KFC? Where was the photo of the Colonel that was at the end of building?? Why did the sign on the door say CLOSED??
 We walked around the building and seen that most of the signage was gone. This only meant one thing.... I wasn't getting any chickyum.
Carma in front of the KFC building
Only thing left was the colonel sticker.
Yes Owensboro, our KFC on Frederica St is now closed. It makes me so sad. Now we have to go to hwy 54 to get our chicken. That makes me even more sad.
Goodbye Frederica St. KFC.
I will miss you