awesome 50% off #couponcode for you from our friends at #Petbrosia
We've been loving Petbrosia's custom pet food for quite some time, now. Their high-quality ingredients and options for grain-free diets are impressive, but the fact that they customize the food blend based your your pet's individual needs is truly unique. With the added convenience factor of having food delivered straight to your door and auto-ship options, we can't say enough about Petbrosia.
Petbrosia is offering Well Minded readers 50% off a box of Petbrosia! So if you've been curious to try it, now is the time, my friends. I haven't seen a better offer.
This promotion will EXPIRE on September 1st, so go now!
If you'd like to hear what we've had to say about Petbrosia in the past, here are links to our reviews:
petbrosia's new grain-free option
This offer applies to U.S. customers only. Well Minded is an affiliate of Petbrosia, but was not compensated for this post. Well Minded only shares information with our readers that we feel is relevant. Product image photo courtesy of Petbrosia.
introducing your baby to your pet: just act natural
My baby had been in the house for five minutes. This is the nursery. Act as you mean to go on.
It is important to prepare your dog or cat for your baby's arrival. But contrary to conventional "methods," I feel that the introduction shouldn't be a big production. Just act natural. It's true that some pets can feel cast aside or put off by the new addition, but there is a lot you can do behind the scenes to make sure the initial meeting and lifelong bonding between your baby and your pet go as smoothly as possible.
Before the Baby Comes
• If your pet has not spent a lot of time with infants, invite as many babies to your home as you can. This will help your pet get used to the smell, sounds, and attention-hogging nature of tiny humans. Be sure to supervise all interactions at all times.
Everyone can help paint the nursery!
• Make sure training is in order. This may require professional help. If your dog is prone to jumping on you or jumping right on your lap as your bottom is only halfway down to the couch cushion, you may need to train your pet to "sit" and "wait" to be invited into your lap. This is more crucial with larger or boisterous animals, but may also apply to cats or small dogs. Your lap will soon have a baby in it. That lap can be shared, but it needs to be on your terms, and it needs to be safe for the baby.
You can teach your pet to "settle." Give him a special place nearby (don't shun him from the family)–like a cushy bed–to go to when needed. Provide small treats to create a positive association with that spot so when you tell your pet to "settle," he is happy to do so. Polite manners around baby are important.
• Get your pet used to newborn noises and paraphernalia. Many pets will ignore a mechanical swing, but some might be startled. Even a glider or rocker that moves may be all new to your pet. Let him get used to these things before baby arrives. You can even use a baby doll to get your pet used to having a little body around.
Good thing we practiced this before.
• If you plan to walk your dog with a stroller, practice before baby arrives. It may seem like a simple thing, but walking a dog and pushing a stroller at the same time can be a challenge for you and your dog. Toward the end of my first pregnancy, I started walking our dog while pushing an empty stroller. Sure, I got a lot of odd looks, but it gave us a chance to practice without the worries of a real live being in the stroller. We worked all the bugs out, so we were ready to roll as soon as we brought my son home from the hospital.
• Most people don't want their cat lying in bed with their baby, so be sure that the baby's crib does not become a pet bed. Train your cat to stay away from the crib before the baby arrives. If this is a challenge and your cat insists on making it her own, the ASPCA recommends placing pennies in cans and lining them up along the crib rail. An attempt or two should be all your cat needs to know that the crib is off limits.
Do you want to play?
• Talk to your pet about the baby, and use your baby's name, if you've chosen one. It is thought that cats can understand between 25-35 words, and the average dog, approximately 165. That's about as many words as a human two-year-old! Your pet may not understand every nuance about the baby, but you'll have a nice head start if the concept isn't completely foreign.
• Pets are very sensitive to smell, so use that to your advantage. If you have lotion or some such thing that you plan to use on your baby's skin, rub a little bit on your own skin in the weeks leading up to your baby's birth. Your baby will seem more familiar to your pet.
• Start as you mean to go on. Don't drastically change your pet's routine as soon as the baby gets home. It is best to change your pet's routine as little as possible. If small adjustments have to be made, do them gradually over the duration of the pregnancy.
Once the Baby Arrives
• Make sure you have someone on call to care for your pet when it's time to go to the hospital. It's best to have a family member or professional pet sitter stay in your home to maintain your pet's routine.
Just hanging out.
• It is often recommended to have a staged initial meeting in a special room under special circumstances, but if you've done your work ahead of time to properly prepare your pet, something so formal shouldn't be necessary. I'm in favor of keeping the initial meeting as natural and casual as possible. Introduce your baby to your pet in a way that feels natural and safe to your family so everyone will be relaxed.
• Since your pet is sensitive to smell, bring home one of your baby's hospital blankets for your pet to smell before you bring your baby home. Having the garment around before the baby joins the family fold will help get your pet used to the actual smell of the new arrival.
Snuggles.
• Energy is important. Remain calm during the initial meeting, and try your best to be relaxed during all interactions between your baby and your pet. If you feel anxious, your pet will pick up on your nervous energy and feel anxious, too. Stay even-keeled, and it's likely your pet will, too.
As Baby Grows
• Once your baby becomes mobile, it's a whole different ball game. Teach your baby–even before he's mobile–to respect your pet and your pet's things. If everyone is to live in harmony, your baby will have to be trained as much as your pet. Your initial inclination may be to separate your pet and toddler, but teaching is a better tactic in the long run. (Though providing your pet a safe, quiet spot away from the madness of the day is a must.) For best results, teach your baby from day one.
Family time!
As a professional pet sitter, I started bringing my babies on pet sitting visits soon after we came home from the hospital. I talked to them about the animals in our care right away, even when they were just little mushy lumps. They learned to respect the animals. They learned early on the proper way to greet an animal, they know how to protect themselves from "jumpers," and they know the signs of an animal who simply wants to be left alone. They are not "tail pullers." I credit their behavior to early exposure and constant teaching.
• Keep it positive. Interact with your pet while the baby is around so your pet has positive associations with the baby. If you withhold attention when the baby is present, your pet will feel cast aside. Include your pet in interactions with the baby, instead.
Getting to know you...
• A little bribery never hurts. You can create a positive association with the baby or with any object your pet might need adjusting to by providing treats. For example, if you pet is bothered when the baby cries, have some small treats on hand to provide when the baby cries out. Your pet will soon realize that crying is just a part of what babies do and he doesn't need to hide each time it happens.
• Don't be afraid to let them interact, but never leave them unsupervised.
When my son, Porter, was about eight months old, I left him unsupervised with our dog, N.A.S.H.A. (I did not practice what I preach). He and N.A.S.H.A. already had a tight bond, as she'd rarely leave his side. I took for granted that nothing could go wrong. On one occasion, I left the room for a couple of minutes. I heard N.A.S.H.A. let out the slightest whimper–a noise I'd never heard form her before. I rushed in and saw Porter with two dog fur pom-poms, one in each hand. He was smiling, and she was not, yet her loyalty to him overrode any instinct she had to bite or run away. She stuck by his side and didn't harm him. We were lucky. She's a dream to have not slaughtered him. I learned a lesson. I felt terrible for N.A.S.H.A., and so thankful as I pondered the possibilities of how things may have gone down, had she not been so tolerant.
A Word of Caution
Pets are part of the family, and I'm all for making sure your baby and your pet are the best of friends, but caution should always be used, both for the safety of your child and your pet.
Best friends forever.
NEVER leave your baby or toddler with your pet unsupervised. Until your child is older and consistently treats your pet with respect and care without guidance, children and pets should never be left alone. There is no magical age...it all depends on your child and your pet.
If your pet shows any signs of aggression toward your baby, it is important to get professional help immediately. For a list of certified trainers, go to the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers web site.
Overall, I feel that the more time your baby and pet spend together, the better. Bonding is important. Your baby's first interactions with animals will help shape her attitude about animals for a lifetime. Focus on the positive. If you keep things positive for all parties, you're sure to foster a winning partnership to last your baby's childhood, and a respect for animals to last a lifetime.
Further reading:
How to Approach and Pet a Dog: 10 Steps Kids Need to Know
Kids and Animals: Instilling Respect
Dogs Should Never be Trusted: Leighton's Story
This article by me originally appeared on Hybrid Rasta Mama, for whom I create original content. It has been published here with minor changes with permission.
using apple cider vinegar for natural flea prevention and control
Natural flea prevention and control with apple cider vinegar. ACV image source: bragg.com. Flea image source: wkanimalhospital.com.
Fleas can be a big problem for dogs and cats, especially during summer months, but there is a bigger problem: the commercial chemical-laden treatments that–in my opinion–do more harm than good. Flea collars, sprays, powders, shampoos and the like may be mildly effective, but the dangers outweigh the benefits.
As your skin does, your pet's skin absorbs everything you put on it, so topical treatments make their way into the bloodstream. If the products are filled with chemicals (most of them are), those chemicals also enter the bloodstream. Over time, they pose serious health risks. These products can also cause respiratory issues.
I've talked before about how adding Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) to your pet's diet can help the overall health of your pet in so many different ways. Flea control is one of these ways. Regularly giving your pet ACV can help with long-term flea control. ACV can also be used topically in the form of a rinse or spray if your pet is already flea-infested.
Before treating your pet with ACV, do your best to remove as many of the buggers as you can. You can pick them out or use a flea comb, which will also help remove some of the eggs.
As a rinse, shampoo your dog as you normally would, and rinse thoroughly. Then rinse your pet's coat thoroughly with ACV and massage. Fleas do not like the odor or taste of the vinegar, so they should bail out or rinse off when you next rinse off the ACV. As an added bonus, the ACV will likely improve your dog's skin and coat. It can help with dry skin and increase the shine in your pet's coat. It can also help with odor.
As a spray, you can use an ACV mixture for flea prevention and control. You can make a simple mixture with one part ACV to two parts water. Another commonly used recipe is as follows:
• 8 oz of Apple Cider Vinegar
• 4 oz of warm water
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
Mix the salt and baking soda together, then add the mixture to the water and ACV mix in a spray bottle. Shake gently, as the mixture will foam. Apply to your pet and comb or massage through fur. Be careful not to spray in your pet's eyes (or your own) because it will sting, and do not use on open cuts our wounds. Again, ouchie.
There are many brands of ACV, but we use Bragg. It can be found in health food stores and nearly any grocery store, typically where the salad dressings or health foods are kept. You'll want to make sure that whichever type of ACV you choose, it has "the mother," strand-like enzymes of connected protein molecules.
The greatest part of this natural flea remedy is how safe it is for your pet and for your family. Don't forget, while we're cuddling our creatures, whatever they have on their fur gets transferred to us. Natural flea treatments keep the whole family safe and happy.
If you have tried ACV for flea control, please share your story!
This article, written by me, was originally posted on Hybrid Rasta Mama, for whom I create original content. It appears here with permission, with minor changes.
we love dr. tim's genuine freeze dried treats
When you think of a "treat" for yourself, you think of something special outside of your normal diet, right? Perhaps you think of something indulgent. That's okay, because it's just a treat–something in which you partake on occasion. Our pets sometimes end up getting even more treats than we do. Who can resist those adorable faces?
Pure and simple.
I know that when we give our dog, N.A.S.H.A., a treat, we want it to be full of only good things. We don't do artificial colors or flavors, and we don't want 372 ingredients in the mix, because, who knows what half that stuff is, anyway? We look for something pure and healthy that will benefit her. As far as the indulgent aspect, N.A.S.H.A. lets us know which treats she likes, and there aren't many. She's pretty picky.
When chewy.com gave me the opportunity to try Dr. Tim's Genuine Freeze Dried Treats, I had a pretty good feeling they would be a hit. We received the Natural Beef Chips to sample, but other varieties include Natural Chicken Chips, Natural Turkey Chips, Natural Beef Liver, Clean Tripe, and Natural Oxtail Chips.
One glance at the ingredient list let me know we were headed in the right direction. Don't blink. you might miss it.
Ingredients: beef hearts
N.A.S.H.A. waits patiently for her first taste.
Only one ingredient. The treats are made with 100% all real USDA inspected meat from Wisconsin. Knowing the beef comes from the U.S.A.–not China–is something that is becoming increasingly important to all pet parents. We can feel safe with Dr. Tim's.
These treats provide all the nutrition and flavor of raw meat without the mess, and they are designed to be delightful to both cats and dogs. So many of us purchase separate treats for the different species in our families, but now you don't have to! I wouldn't recommend feeding them to your fish or rabbit, but at least we can get our cats and dogs on the same page.
So were they a hit in our house? Absolutely! N.A.S.H.A. was eager and happy to sample the Natural Beef Chips. These high-quality simple treats made the cut, and we are excited to add them to our lineup of trusted and desired treat options. We even had some eager friends on hand to verify our assessment.
Our friends liked the treats, too.
Connect with Dr. Tim's on Facebook and Twitter.
Connect with chewy.com on Facebook and Twitter.
Chewy.com provided us with a sample of Dr. Tim's Genuine Freeze Dried Treats–Natural Beef Chips in exchange for our honest review. Well Minded only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Neither Chewy.com or Dr. Tim's are responsible for the content of this article.