Pawsitively Pets

Wordless Wednesday: Shade is Delite-ful!

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Staub) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:00:00 +0000

Now that it's been much hotter outside, Honey Delite is spending her days underneath this old truck where it's nice and shady. The truck is almost never driven, so she is not in danger under there. She has a nice view of the nursery barn and the people that come and go. She even comes out during the day when people are around to snack on her cat food.

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

Pets to Make You Proud – Churchill’s Dog Boot Camp Competition

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Staub) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:00:00 +0000

Do you think your dog has what it takes to be a member of the military? Today, I'd like to share a fun competition for dogs that is sponsored by Chuchill Insurance. If you think your pooch has what it takes, I encourage you to enter the contest! There are some great prizes to be won.

Photo via f/orme Pet Photography

It’s not uncommon for a pet owner to think that their furry creature is capable of anything – but even the most optimistic of us might hesitate when asked the question: ‘could your pet serve its country?’

A new TV series called Animal Heroes has been helping to answer this question, showing audiences some of the most inspirational and dedicated animal companions currently serving alongside human handlers in the British military.

It’s been a real delight seeing how these animals work, especially when the risks are so high, and seeing the amazing attachment which soldiers have to their companions throughout the process is particularly heart-warming. Naturally, such a show does make you curious and questions of ‘could my pet achieve the same results with the right training’ are bound to circulate.

Dog Boot Camp Competition from Churchill Insurance

Churchill Insurance (which sponsors the programme) has set out to answer this question with its newest competition: Churchill’s Dog Boot Camp. The insurer with the famous canine mascot, they’ve drafted John Fitzpatrick, a recently retired Warrant Officer and dog handler in the Royal Air Force Police, to help give owners establish whether their dogs have what it takes to be a top military recruit.

The expert handler has made a series of videos detailing how to train your pooch in military style, giving every dog a chance to experience life ‘in the ranks’.

The premise of the competition is then to simply watch the videos and attempt to replicate the results with your own furry friends. Record the results and upload them onto the competition’s website where they’ll be viewed and dog boot camp finalists selected by a public vote.

Four lucky dogs (and their owners) will be chosen for the final test: to see if their pet really could handle it in the military. Tests include jumping over hurdles, searching for and retrieving toys, walking at heel and being sent away to markers – all tests which simulate real-life military situations which trained dogs (such as those featured in the programme) would be expected to handle.

The last episode of Animal Heroes will air on ITV at 8pm on 18th June. Applications for Churchill’s Dog Boot Camp Competition can be submitted until 11.59pm on 14 July 2013.

Disclosure: This is sponsored guest post. Pawsitively Pets was compensated to share this information with readers. However, we only share things that we support or believe might be of interest to our readers.

Happy Father's Day to All the Pet Dads

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Staub) — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 05:00:00 +0000

Today, we'd just like to wish all the dads out there a great day. Hoping you get to have a nice relaxing day with your kids, whether they are human, furry, feathered, or scaled. Here's our daddy with his furry and human kids.

The rat daddy wasn't too "thrilled" about the idea of me keeping a rat, but he finally said OK. Now, Nibblet and the rat daddy get along great!

And of course there is Shiner with her dog daddy. Some of you may have seen this photo before, but I just love this one!

And here's the daddy with our first daughter, Lily.

Here is baby Violet and her daddy taking a nap together.

Enjoy your day dads!

Social Pet Saturday: Contest Results

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Staub) — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 07:02:00 +0000

Remember a few weeks ago when Shiner asked you to vote for her in DogTime and CatTime's May Day Play Day video contest? We want to thank everyone who voted, shared, or even wished her luck in the contest. You guys are awesome and we appreciate your support!

Unfortunately, Shiner did not win the contest, but she did come in second place! She was up against some other great pets, including the winner - Odilia a blind kitten that many of you may know. Congratulations to cute little Odilia from the blog Tails from the Foster Kittens! Here's her video, which is super cute ~

Now on to some other updates from around the interwebs. Enjoy!

Congratulations to Oz the Terrier on winning our latest giveaway - a copy of "The Richest Dog in Town" by Bruny Hudson and her dog, Hobo! If you didn't win, but would still like to purchase the book you can do so here.

I think Oz and Hobo look similar :)

Do you know what a reverse sneeze in dogs sounds like? It's hard to explain, but DogSplendor had a great post about it this week.
On the blog What Remains Now, I was very amused by Lori's post "Mini-me Theatre - New Kid on the Block".
2 Brown Dawgs blog posted about a personal experience they had with bloat. The post gives some wonderful insight to bloat in dogs as well as great advice and information.
I found an interesting DIY for natural Aquarium fertilizer balls for aquatic plants at All Natural Pet Care. It says that these fertilizer balls can also be used in potted plants or gardens. I find it interesting since I have a new outdoor fish pond with lily pads. Maybe someone else might find it useful as well. You can read the full article and instructions here.

Infograpic via AllNaturalPetCare.com

And that's it for this week... short and sweet! See you again soon!

Seed Mixes for Pet Birds are Nutritionally Deficient

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Staub) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 05:00:00 +0000

Budgie or Parakeet. Photo via Cordelia Naumann

When it comes to pet birds, many pet owners are not aware that the seed mix diet they are feeding their bird is nutritionally deficient and lacking in vitamins in minerals. Well, why do the companies sell them? Why does the label say it's fortified with vitamins and minerals? The pet store sells it... All of these are common responses.

So if seed mixes for birds are nutritionally deficient, what else are you supposed to feed them? If you're an expert on birds, you may be able to formulate a nutritionally complete diet for your bird by cooking and preparing meals for them daily, which is great. For everyone else, there's pellets. Pellets are about as nutritionally complete a diet is for birds these days.

Why Are Seed Mixes Unhealthy for Pet Birds?

As I mentioned above, seed mixes are lacking in several vitamins and minerals. Feeding a seed mix to your pet bird is unhealthy because they can experience many illnesses due to poor nutrition. In fact, at least half of the sick birds I helped care for in a veterinary setting were ill because they ate a poor diet - seeds. Here's a list of some of the most common diseases seen in pet birds with nutritional deficiencies:

Obesity
Egg binding
Fatty Liver Disease
Vitamin A Deficiency
Kidney Disease

One common indicator that a bird has a nutritional deficiency can be seen by how quickly their beak or nails grow. A normal and healthy bird should not need to have their beak trimmed. If their beak grows quickly and needs regular grooming, I can almost guarantee that it's because they are eating a poor diet. Most likely, a diet of seeds.

What About the Pellets in the Seed Mix?

Bird seed mix. Photo via Hidenori Inagaki

Some bird owners may defend their bird's mostly seed diet by claiming that the mix contains pellets. Chances are that the bird is picking through the mix and only eating what they like. Pellets are not as tasty as seeds, so naturally the bird isn't going to pick them out and eat them.

And while the bag may claim that the diet is nutritionally complete and fortified with vitamins and minerals, take this into consideration... The seeds are "fortified" or sprayed with a coating of vitamins and minerals. Does your bird actually eat the hull of a seed? No.

My Bird Refuses to Eat Pellets

If you have a bird that's been eating seeds all it's life, chances are that they are a seed junkie now. Converting them to a pelleted diet will not be easy. Pellet conversion can be very tricky and some birds even require long hospitalization with tube feedings to make sure they do not starve themselves during conversions. That is just how important converting your bird from seeds to pellets is.

I'm not going to go into the details here about how you can convert your bird from seeds to pellets, as there are lots of different ways to go about it. Just know that you should never stop your bird's seeds cold turkey because chances are that they will starve themselves. I will have to save that topic for another day.

Bird Pellet Diets Are Boring

Many pet owners like for their companions to have some variety within their diet. This seems to be the case for most types of pets. There are lots of healthy things you can give your bird for some variety! There are plenty of healthy vegetables, grains, and some fruits that are great for birds to eat.

You can even give them seeds sometimes as treats! Some birds, like cockatiels, actually need a little bit of seeds in their diet. Feeding your bird a treat like one or two Lafeber's Classic Nutri-Berries once a day will help them get the seeds they need in their diet and offer some variety.

Cockatiel. Photo via Ken & Nyetta

And those are the main reasons why seed mixes for birds are nutritionally deficient diets. Many people are usually surprised to hear that they've been feeding their bird something that is not really healthy. If you believe your bird may be suffering from a diet related illness, please consult with your trusted avian veterinarian!

Bird Pellet Diets I Recommend

All of the following bird pellet diets are ones that I have recommended to others with pet birds.

Amazon.com Widgets

Did you know that bird seed mixes were nutritionally deficient? What do you feed your bird?

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. Clicking the links will take you to Amazon where you can purchase the recommended products. Your purchases through affiliate links help support Pawsitively Pets.

Sugar's Furry Friend

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Staub) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 05:00:00 +0000

Today, I bring you a special book review and guest post from a very special little person. Recently, I won a contest at Golden Woofs - Sugar the Golden Retriever's blog. It was for a copy of a children's book written by Sugar's mom - Maria Rosalyn Acero. The book is titled "Sugar's Furry Friend" and it's about Sugar's friendship with Fred the chipmunk throughout the seasons. It's based on a true story.

Shiner with our new book.

I was so excited when I got the book in the mail. Lily, my daughter, loves to read. She especially loves to read anything that has to do with animals. When she got to the back of the book, she saw that there were two pages to color in. Well, she also loves to color and got so excited that she immediately got her crayons out and went to work.

Lily coloring in the pages of Sugar's Furry Friend.

I asked Lily if she would write a review of Sugar's Furry Friend for my blog and she agreed. She spent a lot of time writing the review. Here's what Lily has to say about Sugar's Furry Friend -

"In Sugar's Furry Friend, Sugar meets a chipmunk and they become friends. Sugar meets the chipmunk in a bush. What I like about the book is that it has coloring pages on the back and that it is easy to read and that it is based on a true story. I think that other kids would like to read this book."

Lily and Shiner reading... Shiner's mostly just sleeping.

A big GOLDEN thanks to Sugar and her mom for giving us the chance to win a copy of their fabulous book. We enjoyed it very much and recommend it if you're looking for a great children's book!

You can purchase the book for Kindle here through Amazon. Or you can purchase a good old fashioned copy of the book at Sugar's Paw House.

Reptile Visitors

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Staub) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 07:05:00 +0000

I've noticed that we have been getting a lot of reptile visitors lately.

This frog has decided our fish pond is the perfect place to cool off during the day. I even saw him in my daughter's inflatable swimming pool one afternoon.

We found this little toad hiding in one of the logs that encloses our garden yesterday.

This red-eared slider turtle found her way to my drive the other night. She's pretty big and this is the second time I've found one in the last few months. You can read about my first red-eared slider turtle rescue here.

And of course, we've got lizards a plenty. These cool little guys are Texas Alligator Lizards. I saw a group of three run into our pomegranite tree the other day.

This green anole lizard was doing a little dance on my AC unit right outside my window. You can see him stick his little red neck pouch out while he's dancing.

We've also got grass snakes and I've seen them about three times this year so far. This photo is from last year when I caught one chasing a frog through the yard. As you can see, the frog didn't win the race. Sorry if this photo is sad for anyone. Snakes gotta eat too. =/

What do you think of reptiles? Are there any wild reptiles where you live?

Thanks to BlogPaws for hosting the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop!

Why Do Some Pets Have Different Colored Eyes?

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Staub) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 05:00:00 +0000

Cat with heterochromia iridum.
Photo via Laura

I'm sure you're seen pictures of cats or dogs with gorgeous colored eyes. You know, the ones with one blue eye and one green eye and whatnot. Have you ever actually asked why some pets have different colored eyes? It's a condition called heterochromia iridum. In most cases, it's just genetic and isn't harmful to the pet.

Heterochromia occurs when melanin is not distributed equally among both of the irises. Melanin is what gives color pigment to an animal's skin, fur, and their eyes. Many animals have blue eyes when they are babies. As they grow older, melanin will begin to distribute in their irises. This is the time when an animal will show signs of having heterochromia.

Cats With Different Colored Eyes

Most cats with different colored eyes are white although heterochromia could occur in any cat. There are certain cat breeds that are more prone to having different colored eyes than others. Some examples are the Turkish Van and Angora cat breeds.

Since white cats lack melanin because their fur is white, they are more likely to have different colored eyes than other types of cats. In most cases, one eye will be blue and the other will be green. The blue eye is the one that is lacking the melanin.

Dogs With Heterochromia

There are also dogs that have different colored eyes. Breeds like the Australian Shepard, Dalmation, Catahoula Leopard Dog, and Husky are very commonly seen with different colored eyes. I have personally seen many other breeds with heterochromia including Shelties, Boston Terriers, Welsh Corgis, Great Danes, Dachsunds, Pit Bulls, and others.

Dog with heterochromia.
Photo via xlibber

Some dogs with different colored eyes may have partial heterochromia. This means that one eye is two different colors. Commonly, half of the eye will be brown while the other half is blue.

Should I Be Concerned if My Pet Has Different Colored Eyes?

Generally speaking, no - there is no reason to be concerned or alarmed as the condition is genetic most of the time. Some people find this look desirable and will choose their pet based on this unique feature. Others may find it weird and think something is wrong with an animal that has different colored eyes. Pets with heterochromia should be able to see just as well as pets with "normal" eyes.

Photo via Dan DeLuca

Have you ever seen an animal with different colored eyes? What did you think?

Social Pet Saturday: Giveaways Galore, Tasty Treats, & Kitten Seeking Forever Home

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Staub) — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 05:00:00 +0000

Welcome to another edition of Social Pet Saturday - hope you're having a fabulous weekend so far. I'm never so sure what to say in my intro's to these posts so I'll let this pup take it away...

Congratulations to Linda from 2 Brown Dawgs on winning our latest giveaway - a bottle of Wondercide Skin Tonic Spray!
Have you entered our current giveaway? Win a copy of "The Richest Dog in Town" by Bruny Hudson.
Check out the giveaway over at Glogirly - win a Peach Industries Kitty Lounger! It ends today so hurry and enter.

Photo via Peach Industries

What will your dog do for a KONG Treat? If you submit a video to KONG Treats right now of your dog doing something cool for one of their tasty treats, you could win 3 bags of KONG Treats just for submitting the video! The top 3 winners of the contest will win a variety basket and KONG Treats will donate 2 cases of treats to the animal shelter of your choice. Visit their Facebook page to enter and for more details.

And speaking of tasty treats, my tasty Mother's Day strawberry treats for dogs and their moms was featured here along with some other tasty frozen dog treats. No, the tasty looking strawberries are not my photo. Mine were probably too ugly to use!
There's a little kitten named Peyton who's looking for a forever home. Peyton was injured by a child who was found twisting her neck. She's receiving veterinary care now and is recovering, but still needs that special someone to call her own. Visit this link to learn more about Peyton and how you might be able to help her.

Photo via Forever Home Wanted

Are you a dog person or a cat person? Check out Caren Gittleman's guest post on the blog If They Could Talk. I absolutely loved the post and feel the same way - I'm an animal person!

That should do it for today - I think I'm digging this bulleted list stuff. Maybe I'll keep it around. :)

Nibblet the Rat Takes on Extreme Sports

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Staub) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 05:00:00 +0000

I'm sure most of you are aware of the fact that I have a pet rat - Nibblet. If you didn't know, now you do! :) Some people, I know, just can't grasp the idea of keeping a rat as a pet but domestic rats are actually highly intelligent and clean animals. In fact, I think Nibblet stays cleaner than my dog. Rats are so intelligent that they can be taught to do tricks, just like a dog. They are easily clicker trained.

Nibblet doesn't really know any tricks, but that's simply because I haven't taught her any. She will come when I call her, however. She also learned how to jump onto my bed the other night. It's a pretty far jump that I've never seen her do, so I thought I'd record it and share it with everyone. (Nibblet's also been complaining that she hasn't appeared on the blog in awhile...)

Nibblet says she may take up extreme sports next. I think a skateboarding rat would be pretty awesome!

Plus, she's already an expert with helmet safety! ;)

Hobo Hudson is The Richest Dog in Town | A Book Review

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Staub) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 05:00:00 +0000

Have you ever tried your hand at being an entrepreneur? I hope that everything worked out great if so, but if not maybe you can give it another try after reading The Richest Dog in Town: The Adventures of Hobo Hudson. The book is written by Hobo Hudson, a small terrier living in Florida with his mom and dad. He shares several short stories of how he came from rags to riches. It wasn't easy, but with hard work and dedication Hobo was able to become a successful business-dog.

I was absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to read and review The Richest Dog in Town! Hobo's life starts out rough, but he finally manages to find his perfect family and trains them to match his needs. He's also able to work out some compromises with his cat sisters, who also meow their own opinions in the book.

After getting settled into his forever home, Hobo becomes an entrepreneur and successfully runs several growing businesses. He's always looking for a good way to make a buck. He's a millionaire in no time! Running a business can be hard work and he does run into a few unfortunate events along the way.

Here are some of Hobo's fun business endeavors he shares in his book - The Richest Dog in Town:

A successful clothing store on Ebay.
A cruise ship for people and dogs.
Smuggling Cuban cigars into America to sell on the black market.
A university for dogs.

Hobo has many more great business ideas, which you can read about in the book. Who knows - you may just be inspired to start your very own business! However, Hobo isn't all work and no play - oh no. He travels the world to visit his friends and shows them all how to have a good time.

The Richest Dog in Town by author Bruny Hudson is a wonderful collection of stories from Hobo's point of view. If you're looking for a good dog book with a fun twist, this is the one for you! I found that I was smirking and chuckling to myself quite often while reading it.

If you'd like to purchase The Richest Dog in Town: The Adventures of Hobo Hudson, it's available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble as a paperback. You can also download a copy to your Kindle. You can visit Hobo at his mom's website - News and Tales - and his blog if you're interested in reading more of his fun adventures.

Bruny and Hobo were also nice enough to offer Pawsitively Pets' readers a chance to win a copy of their fabulous book! This giveaway is open to the residents of the United States & Canada only please. All you need to do is fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Choose as many entry options as you like - they are not all mandatory but the more you complete, the better your chances at winning. Giveaway will end next Thursday, June 13th at midnight CST. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this book review. Bruny Hudson sent me a copy of The Richest Dog in Town to review, which I was very happy to do. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own! Winner of the book giveaway will be contacted via email once selected. The winner has 48 hours to reply to this email or a new winner will be selected. Pawsitively Pets is not responsible for shipment of prize. Only US and Canadian residents may enter.

Garden Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Staub) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 05:00:00 +0000

Tomorrow is "Gardening Exercise Day". During Memorial Day weekend, I spent most of my time outside fixing up my garden and I certainly did get lots of exercise planting it! I wish I had taken a before picture to share, because the changes are pretty dramatic... at least to me. I'm very lucky because I was just able to walk down to the nursery and grab some dirt from the dirt pile and then pick out whatever plants and flowers I wanted. It was free to me which also makes me a happy camper! Shiner also had a good time helping dig holes and sniff around.

I'm a good helper - honest!

This is a full shot of the main garden. My daughter had already previously planted some things around the fish pond to the right and in front of those panels that need to be put up on the left. Our bathroom was recently remodeled so that's why they are like that. The tree in the very middle was overgrown so I trimmed it way back. Under the tree were some dead box shrubs. At first, I didn't think I'd be able to get them out, but my daughter tugged on one and it came right up! That bird bath in the shot is going somewhere out of my yard...

This is the right side of the garden that has the fish pond. From right to left you'll see some 4 o'clocks that we planted from seeds last year, Pentas, Gerber Daiseis, Coleus, Miniature Rose, Dianthus, Caladiums, Periwinkles, Angelonia, Mexican Petunia, and some other stuff.

On the left side of the garden from right to left there are Impatiens, more Coleus, a Hydrangea, Chicken Gizzards, different kinds of Begonia, more Caladiums, Airplane plants. You can't really see them but there are also some Skullcaps in the garden too, but they're still small. I hope that once the plants start to fill in more over here it will look really nice.

I also created two brand new gardens in some new areas around my house. The next one is right out my backdoor and under my kitchen window. There's another ugly missing panel from some construction. From right to left there are Caladiums, Oxalis, Primrose, Torenia, and I don't know what those plants in the back are.

The final flower bed is on the other side of the stairs under one of my bedroom windows. From right to left you'll see those blue flower plants that I can't remember the name of, Periwinkles, Firebush, more nameless plants, and some Angelonia.

I know it's supposed to be Wordless Wednesday, but I've been seeing so many other gardening posts that I wanted to share my own! Happy gardening everyone!

Choosing Heartworm Medicine for Dogs and Cats

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Staub) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 05:00:00 +0000

It's the time of year when mosquitoes are out ready to make a tasty snack out of your dog or cat. That means that the risk of heartworms for your pet are more prevalent because mosquitoes carry heartworms. I decided to make a list of common heartworm prevention medications to help pet owners be able to tell the difference between all of them. I know it can get confusing when choosing heartworm medicine. There are so many different brands available today and they all do different things.

Please also note that I will only be going into the details about heartworm prevention in this post. Some products do provide protection from fleas and other parasites as well. I hope to do a similar post about flea prevention in the future.

Heartgard Plus

Heartgard Plus for Dogs.
Photo via Jo & Joey

Heartgard Plus is probably the most popular form of heartworm prevention available for dogs. They also make Heartgard for cats. It comes in a soft meaty chew that most dogs love. It's safe for dogs who are older than 6 weeks. It's given once a month - most vets recommend to use heartworm prevention year round, depending on where you live. It contains the drugs Ivermectin and Pyrantel pamoate. Both are common dewormers for many types of animals. My personal experience with Heartgard has always been positive.

The drug Ivermectin kills any of the baby heartworms a dog may have picked up during the month's time since they last took their heartworm medication. I've read some misinformation lately about heartworm prevention and how it works and just want people to know that it's a dewormer... it kills worms that have already begun to live in your pet. The Pyrantel will kill and protect against roundworms and hookworms the same way.

Generic Brands of Heartgard Plus

There are some cheaper generic brands of Heartgard Plus available as well. I actually use one of them for my own dog. It's called Iverhart and has the same ingredients and does the same things as Heartgard. The only real difference is that Iverhart comes as a hard chewable flavored tablet. Many picky dogs do not like this. Fortunately, my Shiner doesn't mind so much. I've always had good results with this heartworm prevention medication.

Tri-Heart Plus is another cheaper generic version of Heartgard Plus. It contains the same ingredients, but again comes as a chewable hard tablet. I have no personal experience with this brand of heartworm medicine.

Sentinel

Sentinel is another oral heartworm preventative. It does not contain Ivermectin, however. This may be a good drug choice for dogs who are allergic to Ivermectin. Sentinel contains the drug Milbemycine oxime which is effective against heartworms. It's a once a month hard chewable flavored tablet. Dogs must be 4 weeks old and over 2 lbs to be able to take Sentinel.

Sentinel also protects dogs against other parasites including roundworms, whipworms, hookworms, and flea eggs. This protection is offered from the drug Lufenuron. Many pet owners get confused and think that Sentinel is a flea prevention. It can help with fleas, but it will not prevent adult fleas from living on your dog. It only sterilizes them and makes them unable to reproduce. I have had a positive experience with Sentinel.

Interceptor is a cheaper generic version of Sentinel that I've also had positive experience with.

Trifexis

Trifexis is a chewable flavored tablet for dogs that is given once a month. It protects dogs from heartworms as well as fleas, hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms. It's safe to give to dogs that are older than 8 weeks and weigh more than 5 lbs. The active ingredients in Trifexis are Milbemycin oxime and Spinosad.

I personally don't have any experience with this heartworm preventative option and haven't heard too much about it.

Revolution for Dogs and Cats

Now we are starting to get into some of the topical heartworm preventatives available to pets. Revolution is a monthly topical heartworm prevention. Revolution offers a product for dogs as well as cats. Be sure to use the appropriate medication for your cat or dog. It's not safe to use dog medicine on cats.

The active ingredient in Revolution for Dogs is Selamectin. It's labeled for use to provide dogs with additional protection against fleas, flea eggs, ear mites, sarcoptic mange, and American dog ticks. It can be given to dogs who are at least 6 weeks old. I personally have not had a good experience with Revolution for heartworms. Many dogs were still coming up heartworm positive while taking Revolution, so our clinic actually stopped selling it. It is great for the treatment of other parasites though.

Revolution for cats also provides monthly heartworm protection in a topical form. In addition to heartworms, it is labeled to protect against ear mites, fleas, flea eggs, one type of hookworm, and one type of roundworm. It also contains the drug Selamectin.

Off label, I have seen this drug used for rabbits and ferrets. We've used it to treat ear mites, sarcoptic mange, maggots and more on a variety of animals. This doesn't mean you should try using Revolution on other pets without the consent of a veterinarian.

Advantage Multi for Dogs and Cats

Advantage Multi is another popular topical heartworm preventative for both dogs and cats. Again, there are separate products available for each species. Advantage Multi for Dogs is also effective against fleas, heartworms, roundworms, and whipworms. Dogs who are older than 7 weeks and weigh more than 3 lbs can take Advantage Multi. It contains the drug Moxidectin, which takes care of the heartworms and Imidacloprid which takes care of the other parasites. I've had good experiences with this drug and would recommend it. Especially if you're looking for something that protects against both heartworms and fleas. Because it is a two in one drug, it is more expensive. However, the cost adds up to be about the same as if you bought heartworm and flea prevention separately.

Cats get heartworms too.
Photo via Misty

Advantage Multi for Cats is effective in the prevention of Feline Heartworm Disease. Yes, cats get heartworms too. If you're interested in learning more about this, I've written an article about it that you can read. Advantage Multi for Cats is a topical once a month prevention that is safe to use on cats that are older than 9 weeks and weigh more than 2 lbs. It's also effective against fleas, roundworms, hookworms, and ear mites. It contains the drugs Moxidectin and Imidacloprid. I've also had good experiences with Advantage Multi for Cats.

Choosing Heartworm Medicine - Which One is Right for Your Pet?

Choosing heartworm medicine can be difficult. I hope this list has helped you clear up the differences between all of the common preventative medications available. They all do very different things and all contain different drugs. I have found that many pet parents can become overwhelmed choosing heartworm medicine for their pets.

If heartworms are a concern where you live, your pet should be taking the proper dose of heartworm medication year round. Mosquito repellents are not adequate forms of heartworm prevention, although they can be helpful.

Also, it is common practice for a veterinarian to perform a heartworm test once a year. A negative result is needed before more heartworm prevention medicine can be prescribed again. Just like with people, dogs and cats need to see their doctors on a regular basis to continue receiving medication. Some people will fuss about this, but just know that it is a very common practice.

Are heartworms a threat where you live? What type of prevention do you use?

Disclosure: I am in no way affiliated with any of the brands mentioned above nor was I compensated for talking about them. I am just sharing my knowledge and experience of the different brands of heartworm prevention medications available on the market.

Adopt a Feral Cat for Your Barn

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Staub) — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 05:00:00 +0000

My barn cat - Honey Delite.

June is National Adopt a Cat Month, so I wanted to write a little bit about adopting feral cats as barn cats. A couple of months ago, my dad asked me to find him some cats for his barns because we're having a bit of a critter (voles to be exact) problem around the property. We also have rabbits. That's how we ended up with Honey Delite.

I went to my local animal shelter's website and saw that they had a feral barn cat program. Turns out that many shelters offer very similar programs. Farmers and other property owners can adopt cats who are not suitable to live as a family pet to come and live in their barn. The cats, who would be otherwise euthanized, get to go live with the farmers and hunt mice and other rodents.

Benefits of Adopting a Cat for Your Barn

There are many benefits of choosing to adopt a cat from your local shelter's barn cat program, if they offer one. Here are some of them.

Keep rodents and other unwanted creatures out of your barn and property. Protect any grains or other feed from rodents by employing the cats to hunt for you!
The cats are already spayed/neutered and vaccinated. Most of the things I have read offer the barn cats to farmers for free. If not free, the charges are relatively low. This way, your cats won't overpopulate your property.
Cats are enjoyable to watch. Whether or not you're able to pet your barn cats, they are still pleasant to watch.
You'll be saving a life! The cats who are adopted out in these barn cat programs would otherwise be euthanized. They are usually considered feral or not friendly enough to adopt into new family homes.

I'm sure there are other benefits, but these are some of the main ones. You will still need to offer the cats food and water on a daily basis, as well as an area that they can find shelter when needed. Veterinary care for the cats is also something to be considered.

Our original hardcore rodent
hunter - Kitty Kitty Meow Meow.

If you or someone you know has a farm with a barn or some other type of property, perhaps you can check out your local animal shelter to see if they offer a similar program. Especially if you have rodents on your property.

If you'd like to check out more adoption stories, please visit Peace, Love, & Whiskers this month!

Romeo - Adoptable Cat in Texas Needs Forever Home

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Staub) — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 05:00:00 +0000

This week, I am featuring a sweet kitty named Romeo. He was also in one of the front cages when I went to pick up Honey Delite from the Williamson County Animal Shelter, so he's been there for awhile now. I remember a young couple oooh-ing and aaah-ing over him while I was there. The man kept talking about how cool Romeo was, but the lady didn't seem convinced. Don't know what she was thinking! Romeo was a sweetheart!

Adopt me!

Romeo is a 4 year old boy kitty that is neutered and is up to date on all of his shots. He is located near Austin, TX just outside of Round Rock in a kill shelter. He is also FIV positive so he really needs someone to look after him. FIV positive kitties can still live long and happy lives. Here is what the WCRAS says about Romeo on their website:

"Romeo is a total sweetheart! He is friendly and affectionate and loves everybody. He was found wandering around lost so he is really wishing and hoping for someone nice to come and rescue him. Romeo has FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus), but that is not a death sentence. With proper care and nutrition, he can live a long and healthy life. It is not contagious to dogs or people, and only transmitted to other cats through biting. If you are looking for the love of your life, who will be your only cat, Romeo is the one for you!"

Doesn't he just sound wonderful?! You can learn more about Romeo at his details page here. If you're interested in adopting Romeo, please visit the WCRAS website for more information!

Romeo is a sweetheart!

Opt to Adopt! Dogs N Pawz hosts a weekly adoption Blog Hop - visit the links below to find more adoptable pets!

Social Pet Saturday: Graduation, Dog Tips, & Super Cute Cats!

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Staub) — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 07:10:00 +0000

Happy Saturday everyone! It's the start of summer over here at my house - yesterday was my daughter's last day of 2nd grade. Woohoo! Now she's graduating on to the 3rd grade. Speaking of her graduation, I've got something fun to share with you today.

Special Graduation Day Present

Our pal, Speedy, has a crafty mum. She just opened a shop where she sells handmade cards and other things. I decided to order a card from Speedy's Gift Shop for Lily's graduation. Rachel, that's Speedy's mum's name, was very nice and let me customize my card. Here's a picture of the design I choose -

Rachel sent me this picture before she actually made the card to make sure I was happy with it. Sadly, we had some rain here and there last weekend and my actual card got a little wet. Regardless, Speedy also added an autographed photo of himself as well as a but of his very own luxurious fur for Lily! She put his autographed photo on the fridge. I decided to record a video of Lily opening her card.

You can see Speedy's fur and photo in the video. You also might notice that some of our ink got smudged a bit from the rain. Thank you Speedy and Rachel!

Thank You for Your Votes!

I also want to take just a minute to thank everyone who voted and/or shared or even just sent good luck wishes for Shiner in the May Day Play Day video contest. We had some tough competition, including a super adorable blind kitten named Odilia from Tails from the Foster Kittens. I can't wait to find out the results from the contest, which won't be announced for another 2 weeks.

We really appreciate all your help!

Good Dog Tips

So now on to some stuff that I read on other blogs during the week. I found some nice tips on dog health and thought I'd share. The first post is from Bren and her dog Titan from Pibbles & Me. It's about the benefits of feeding your dog with raised food bowls. Bren decided to do a homemade raised platform to feed Titan with also. I encourage you to check out the posts if you're a dog parent!

Over at Life in the Dog Lane there was a post about a condition in dogs called "Swimmer's Tail". This was something I had never heard of before. I thought it was pretty interesting and is good information to have if you've got a dog that loves swimming - stop by and check it out!

Super Cute Cats

And for my cat peeps, I've got something super cute to share with you today. I actually JUST saw this post a little earlier tonight from Texas, a Cat in New York. It's a video of Texas and his sister Kitshka giving each other licks and spooning. It is SUPER cute! You have to stop by Texas' blog and check it out.

So that wraps it up for this week's edition of Social Pet Saturday. Hope everyone enjoyed! Oh - I do have one reminder that I have a giveaway going on right now if you're interested. It's an 8 oz bottle of Skin Tonic Spray from Wondercide that contains Neem Oil. It can be used on dogs and people. You can read more about the product and enter the giveaway here. Good luck and take care!

We've Got Voles!

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Staub) — Fri, 31 May 2013 05:00:00 +0000

Vole in one of my new gardens.

Lately, I've been seeing a lot of these mice-like creatures hanging around. That's one of the reasons my dad asked me to get some cats for his barn. I always see them out in our bushes or in the yard grazing. I even see them inside my house sometimes...

They've been nibbling on Shiner's dog food that we keep in the laundry room. I occasionally catch a glimpse of one in there. Just the other day I saw one just chillin' right next to Nibblet's cage. Nibblet was asleep in one of her boxes. I'm not sure if the thing was trying to make friends or what. I tried to catch it, but was unsuccessful.

They don't seem too scared of people and will hang out even if I'm watching them at a fairly close proximity. The thing is, I've been wondering what the heck they are? My first though was mice. Then I realized that they are too big and fat to be mice. And they are too small to be rats... plus they don't have a rat's tail. So, I started to Google things and found a creature that I've never even heard of before.

They are voles. Apparently, there are lots of different types of voles and mine are probably either prarie voles or woodland voles. Have you ever heard of a vole before? They like to make intricate burrows in the ground, sometimes destroying roots of plants which makes them a real nuisance to gardeners. They eat roots, fruits, nuts, and sometimes insects. Whatever they can get their paws on pretty much. A vole is able to reproduce rapidly, but they only have a lifespan of maybe 6 months or so.

A vole scratching itself.
Photo via Peter Trimming

When our old cat, Kitty Kitty Meow Meow, was around we never had any vole (or mice or rat) problems. She was pretty hardcore. Her prey of choice was rabbits, but she also liked other small rodents like mice. Since she passed away last fall, I guess the voles have decided that it's safe to take up residence in these parts.

At least they are cute... well to me anyways, but I know some people aren't so fond of little rodent creatures like I am.

Interesting Dog Breed - Saluki

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Staub) — Thu, 30 May 2013 05:00:00 +0000

The Saluki is one of the oldest breeds of dogs.
Photo via Cayenne2006

While browsing my blog reader the other day, I came across a post on Giggly Cats that featured an interesting dog breed - the Saluki. While I have heard of the Saluki before, I have never seen one in person nor do I know very much about them. This intrigued me to do some research on them and find out more!

These dogs look like a mixture of Afghan Hounds and Greyhounds - to me anyways. They have stunning sleek bodies. It's no wonder that they are considered Royal Dogs of Egypt. They are also known as Persian Greyhounds. Salukis are actually one of the oldest breeds of dogs around. Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs show images of dogs that look similar to a Saluki.

They are sight hounds, like greyhounds, and can run at very high speeds. Greyhounds are said to be the fastest breed of dog, but some believe that Saluki's are able to run faster than a greyhound over longer distances. They have incredible endurance and stamina. Plus, lots of extra padding on their feet which helps.

Apparently, the Saluki can have one of two different types of coats - smooth and feathered. The feathered coat type has long silky fur on the tail and hind leg haunches of the dog. As far as temperament goes, I've heard that they can sometimes be a bit shy and reserved but with proper socialization at a young age, they should be fine.

Photo via thomaspetermueller

So what do you think of this interesting dog breed? Have you ever heard of or seen a Saluki before?

Wordless Wednesday: Dinner Time!

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Staub) — Wed, 29 May 2013 05:00:00 +0000

It's been a little while since I've mentioned Honey Delite. She's still around and comes out to meow for her dinner in the evenings.

She's moved outside of the barn and I notice that she spends most of the day in a small shed near the barn. It's old and has some holes in the side so she can enter and exit as she pleases.

And another reminder to VOTE FOR SHINER in DogTime's May Day Play Day video contest! Her video is titled "Zoomies!". Thank you so much for all of the votes you've already contributed - we appreciate it! Remember that you can vote more than once a day!

Thanks to BlogPaws for hosting the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop!

Neem Oil for Dogs - A Review of Wondercide Products

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Staub) — Tue, 28 May 2013 05:00:00 +0000

A Neem Tree with blooming flowers.
Photo via { pranav }

Neem oil for dogs is something I was not very familiar with until recently. I've read about it here and there, but never really paid much attention or put much thought into using it myself. That is until I was contacted by a company called Wondercide asking if I'd like to test out some of their products.

Wondercide has a line of organic pest control and natural products that are safe for use on pets as well as people. The company was formed after the founder's own dog became ill from using a topical flea pesticide on her own dog. You can read the full story here.

I was given two products to test out - Wondercide's Skin Tonic Spray and Skin Tonic Oil. The main ingredient in both of these products is organic neem oil. They also contain organic oils of karanja, jojoba, coconut, and Vitamin E and essential oils of lavendar, cedarwood, and lemongrass

Benefits of Neem Oil for Dogs & People

Neem oil apparently has many benefits for dogs. It helps them have a healthy coat and skin, strong immune system, and even healthy teeth. It's also an effective bug and parasite repellent for fleas, ticks, mites, and even some intestinal parasites. Oh and it has antifungal, antibacterial, and antiseptic properties. The benefits of using neem oil for dogs seem endless.

Neem oil is also great for people. Here are some of the common skin problems the Wondercide products I received are intended to help with for both dogs and people -

Dry skin
Itchy skin
Skin irritations
Dandruff
Hot spots
Rashes
Burns
Eczema
Psoriasis
Fungal Infections
Ringworm
Insect bites
Mites & Mange

Wondercide's Skin Tonic Spray & Skin Tonic Oil

First of all, let me just say that I am very skeptical when it comes to natural and holistic treatments. Especially ones that are intended to help with skin problems. Shiner has chronic allergies and it seems like there just isn't much out there that really helps.

The difference between the spray and the oil is that the oil seems more potent. They way the product is applied is just slightly different since one is a spray and the other comes from a pump. Here are some of the things I like about Wondercide's Skin Tonic Spray & Oil.

Easy to apply. - Both products were easy to apply. You just rub it into the skin.
No more fleas? - We have lots of fleas in our yard and they've been appearing on Shiner since a few weeks ago. I check her everyday. According to Wondercide's website, many people use these products as flea, tick, and mosquito repellents for their dog and themselves. These products are not labeled for this kind of use because "there is no product or company that can legally market products containing Neem for that purpose". My favorite part about using these products has to be the results I've seen with against fleas.
Shiner's skin is less itchy. - While her skin doesn't seem to be "cured", I do notice her scratching less than before.
My boyfriend says it feels nice. -My boyfriend has itchy man feet. He's been complaining about how itchy they've been lately so I asked him to let me put some Skin Tonic Oil on them. He said that is felt nice and soothing.
Safe and natural. - This product is a safe, natural way to help with annoying skin problems.
Cruelty free. - These products are cruelty free, which means they are not tested on animals.
Mosquito Repellent. - I hate the way mosquito repellent smells. I've been working out in the yard a lot lately and have been spraying some of Wondercide's Skin Tonic Spray on myself. Works pretty well and isn't very stinky.
Helped my daughter's ringworm. - What a coincidence that my baby daughter, Violet, came down with a case of ringworm shortly after I started researching this product a little more. I learned it's supposed to be effective against ringworm so I thought I'd give it a try. Put a few sprays on her every now and then.

There were a few things that I didn't like about the Skin Tonic products, but they are only minor. Here are my dislikes -

Please don't spray me mom!

The Skin Tonic Oil has a strong smell. - The Skin Tonic Oil is more potent than the spray, so I guess that's why the smell is so overwhelming. At first, it smells OK. I'd compare it to a weird after taste - nice at first, but then weird after a little while. The spray has a nicer smell that I don't mind at all.
Shiner hates it. - Shiner hates to be sprayed with stuff. It doesn't matter what it is, she doesn't like it.

Lily didn't like it. - My daughter has been complaining about some itchy spots, so I told her I had some stuff I could put on there. I used some of the Skin Tonic Spray on her itchy spot and she said it burned. I'm not sure what her itchy spots are from but I think she may just be a little dramatic. She wouldn't let me use it again. My baby didn't have the same reaction when I used it on her.

Overall, I think the Skin Tonic products I received from Wondercide are more useful than I could have ever expected. They can be used for so many different skin problems! And I can use it on myself, my family, and the dog.

Wondercide Skin Tonic Spray.

Wondercide Skin Tonic Oil.

I've got an extra bottle of the Skin Tonic Spray from Wondercide that I would like to share with my readers. If you'd like to give it a try, just enter using the Rafflecopter below! There are lots of different ways to enter, so choose as many or as little as you'd like. The giveaway will end Sunday, June 2nd. US residents only please. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can visit Wondercide's website to browse their full line of Natural & Organic products for pets and people.

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. I was sent some products by Wondercide for a fair and honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own, and may differ from the opinions of others. All entrants of the giveaway must reside in the USA. If you are selected as a winner of the giveaway, you have 48 hours to respond via email or a new winner will be selected.

Handsome Russian Blue Cat Seeks Home in Central Texas

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Staub) — Sun, 26 May 2013 05:00:00 +0000

This week, while browsing through Petfinder to pick an adoptable pet to share, I recognized a familiar face.

Cobalt is looking for a home in the Central Texas area.

You see, when I went to the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter (it is a kill shelter) to adopt Honey Delite and Baby Frosty, this sweet and handsome mancat was in one of the enclosures right out front in the waiting area. I thought he was such a handsome looking kitty and he seemed pretty nice too.

Cobalt is an 11 year old neutered male Russian Blue mix that is house trained and up to date on his shots. He's been at the shelter since March 16th. Here is a little bit more about Cobalt from the WCRAS website -

"Cobalt is a very handsome senior gentleman who lost his home because someone was allergic. He is a very friendly, loving, gentle cat who loves people and enjoys being petted and cuddled. He likes quiet time and would be a purrfect companion for watching TV, reading, and especially napping. Just look at that gorgeous face and those warm golden eyes... don't you feel calmer already? Cobalt is still young at heart and will be a wonderful companion for you for many years to come."

Here's a video of Cobalt in action.

If you or someone you know wants to adopt Cobalt and give him a forever home you can look on his Petfinder page here or his page at the WCRAS website. I know he will make someone very happy!

Adopt me?

This blog hop is hosted by Dogs N Pawz. Follow the links before to find more adoptable pets!

Social Pet Saturday: Winning!

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Staub) — Sat, 25 May 2013 06:19:00 +0000

Happy Memorial Day weekend to all of my US pals. I heard that my UK pals get a long weekend too! It's been a pretty nice week here, and I've got lots of exciting things to report. So let's get on with it shall we?

KONG Treats Giveaway Winners Announced!

Time to announce the winners of our KONG Treats Giveaway! There are 3 lucky winners -

Janet K.

Lynn

Dianna F.

I will be sending you an email sometime this weekend - congratulations! Response is required within 48 hours to claim the prize, or else I will need to select a new winner. This rule is in place due to past issues with giveaway winners, so thanks for understanding.

Help Save Leo Campaign

Earlier this week, blog friends Mollie & Alfie organized an auction and raffle to help support Leo. Leo is a cat who has been diagnosed with hepatic lipidosis and in an effort to save his life, had a feeding tube inserted. All of his medical bills add up for both his fosters (Savannah's pawrents) and the rescue organization. The raffle and auction helped to raise more than $400 to help support Leo's expenses.

Our good friend Misaki created this badge for those who participated in the event somehow. She was also a big help in the auction.

I bought some raffle tickets and actually won 2nd place! The prize is a mouse pad from Mollie & Alfie's shop and I can't wait to see it and share it with everyone. I also won the item that I bid on, and can't wait to share that with everyone too.

Speaking of Mollie & Alfie, they were featured on my other blog yesterday. If you'd like to check it out just click here!

More Awards and a Game of Tag

And speaking of Misaki, she gave me this awesome Dragon Loyalty Award which I haven't seen yet - thanks Misaki!

I'm not sure if this classifies as an award, but it's still fun nonetheless - I was tagged by my pal Speedy the Cheeky House Bunny! So I guess that means I'm it.

I'll be honest that I'm going to cheat a little bit on the being tagged rules. I'm a little pressed for time because my boyfriend just spent the last hour trying to fix the connection from my laptop to my phone so I could grab some pictures. (It still doesn't work!) Therefore, I'm just going to answer the questions presented by Speedy.

1. What is your favorite place in the whole world?

This is kind of a tough question... but I'm going to say our lakehouse at Lake Travis. Here's a picture of Shiner on our dock.

2. Why is it your favorite place?

Well, I've been going there since I was a little kid! I love water activities like swimming, water skiing, fishing, etc. Plus, my younger brother lives out there now so I can visit him when I go there.

3. What is the funniest thing you have ever done?

I've done lots of funny stuff... once I found this cat that looked like Kitty Kitty Meow Meow in my house. I have no idea where he came from. I decided it would be funny to put him under my brother's bed and tell him that KKMM was under there and wouldn't come out. He went in his room and tried to coax the cat out, thinking it was his cat and when he got closer he realized it wasn't. He freaked out a bit. I don't know if that's the funniest, but it's one of the first things that came to mind.

Don't they look alike?

4. What's your favorite treat?

Cadburry Creme Eggs... although I got a bit burnt out from Easter.

5. If there was one thing you wanted to do above all others what would it be?

Another tough one! There are tons of things I'd love to do... mostly travel. I'll say travel the world!

6. What is your favorite play thing?

Hmmm this one may be more geared towards some anipals. I suppose my favorite play thing is my laptop.

7. What's your favorite color?

Purple!

8. Sunshine or Rain - which do you prefer?

I think I ultimately prefer sunshine... but the rain does make it cooler out when it's really hot in the summer.

9. What's your favorite plant?

Either a lily or a violet :)

10. If you could have any 3 course meal, what would you have?

Delicious chips & queso, enchiladas, and sopapillas! That sounds delicious...

11. What is your favorite beverage?

Probably fruit punch or lemonade. I'm not a big soda drinker.

Baby Bunny Rescue Attempt

If you're following me elsewhere, you may have seen these baby bunnies. About two nights ago, I heard some horrible squeaking outside so I grabbed a light and went to inspect. Under our swingset, I found an armadillo poking his nose around. I looked down and saw a rabbit's nest with babies in it. I tried yelling at him to go away and flailing my arms at him, but that wasn't working. I grabbed the nearest weed in the yard and threw it at him and he wandered off slowly. He didn't go too far though...

I didn't want the babies to get eaten by him so I scooped them up and brought them inside. There was some blood on a few of them, but I could never find any wounds. There were four of them.

Baby cottontail rabbits.

The next day, I decided to return them to their nest in hopes that the mommy bunny would return but she never did. I know they feed at night only, so I watched and watched. The yard had just been mowed so I'm sure the lawn mower scared all the bunnies away.

I brought the babies back in late that night and am now trying to take care of them. One of the bunnies was not alive when I returned to the nest. After I brought them in again, I saw a HUGE owl sitting above their nest on the swings... I'm sure he would have snatched them up too. Caring for wild cottontail rabbits can be extremely difficult and from what I've heard, does not have a high success rate... Thanks to Speedy's mum for chatting with me about the babies and giving some advice!

One of the baby rabbits. Their eyes and ears are still
closed and they are only a few days old...

Again - I hope you all have a great weekend!

Take a moment to visit some of the other great pet blogs and see what they're up to this weekend!

New Fish Pond

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Staub) — Fri, 24 May 2013 05:00:00 +0000

A couple of months ago, we added a goldfish to our family of pets. My daughter named her Goldeen after the Pokemon. We acquired Goldeen as a sort of spur of the moment deal and got her a fishbowl until I could get her into a larger aquarium.

Goldeen's old home.

Well, the time finally came for Goldeen to move out of her bowl and into a much roomier living space. I felt bad seeing her swim around in such a tiny little bowl and got to thinking of how I could make her more comfy.

Some of you know that my family owns a plant nursery here in Texas. I live on the same property as the nursery. They sell Lily Pads, although their stock is a bit diminished right now. They keep the Lily's in these big plastic tubs. I went searching for an extra tub and found one. I cleaned it up, put some pea gravel rocks in the bottom and added some lily pads. My daughter and I added some water and the necessary water purifier for the new "tank". I put it in her garden that she planted earlier this spring.

Goldeen right before entering the new pond.

Lily pad flower in bloom.

Then, we went and picked up some new fishy friends for Goldeen, 3 more comet tail goldfish. I offered to get some fancy Ryukin or Shubunkin goldfish for Lily, but she said no. So we just got the regular ol' comet tail goldfish that cost 28 cents each.

When I put the new fish in, Goldeen seemed more eager to swim around with her new friends. My next goal was to find a fountain or something to aerate the water with. My dad said he had at least 6 extra pumps laying around and fixed me up something with this extra fountain he had.

I was rather upset later on to find that the pump had caught one of the fish in it and of course they died. :( And out of all the fish, it had to be Goldeen. Very sad and frustrating that the little fish that I did all this for died because of a little mistake. I just assumed my dad knew what he was doing and it never crossed my mind that the pump might suck one of the fish up.

The other fish - Zack, Magikarp, and Lucy - are doing well. I've fixed the pump so that there can be no more incidents... Here's a video of the remaining fish enjoying their dinner in the new fish pond.

And yes, I am able to tell them all apart! Goldeen was small and all gold, Lucy is gold and white, Zack is all gold and big, and Magikarp is gold, black, and white.

Vote for Shiner!

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Staub) — Thu, 23 May 2013 05:00:00 +0000

So I don't really enter my pets into many contests or competitions. I was on the internet the other day though and thought I'd enter a video of Shiner into the May Day Play Day Video Contest which is hosted by CatTime and DogTime. The prize is a $100 gift card to Petsmart as well as a $100 donation to the nonprofit rescue organization or shelter of my choice. The top 5 videos have a chance to win the Best Pet Video of 2013 Petties Award.

So I would LOVE you all even more than I already do if you stopped by to vote for Shiner's video! I don't know how well Shiner will do in the contest, but it's worth a try I suppose. Here's the video we submitted, which I have shared in the past. It's called "Zoomies!".

You all can vote once per day for Shiner's video until May 31st. I'll keep giving you reminders, because I know it's hard for me to remember when my pals are in contests.

Thank you so much everyone! We appreciate it! Maybe Shiner can become a famous movie star... ;)

VOTE FOR SHINER HERE!

Video Title - "Zoomies!"

Submitted by - Ann Staub

Cute Baby Cardinals!

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Staub) — Wed, 22 May 2013 05:00:00 +0000

Happy Wordless Wednesday everyone! Today's post is *mostly* wordless with a bit of cheeping.

I found these baby cardinals in a nest inside a hanging basket at the nursery.

The daddy cardinal had just flown off as I walked by and heard them cheeping.