Blog – Paw Print

How to Choose a Halloween Costume for Your Dog

October 19, 2021

Halloween is right around the corner, and what’s cuter this time of year than an already adorable dog dressed up in a cute or silly Halloween costume? Dressing up our pets can be a fun way to involve them in our Halloween festivities, even if they can’t be involved in other holiday traditions such as trick-or-treating and eating candy. However, it’s important to remember that Halloween costumes should be comfortable and safe for our furry friends! Nobody wants to spend their holiday being uncomfortable, or worse in the emergency room, our pets included! So if you are planning on dressing your pet(s) up this Halloween, have fun, but remember to stay safe as well! Here are some tips to follow when picking out a costume for your furry friend…

Just a heads up, this post does contain a few Amazon affiliate links. If you click on one of our Amazon links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Post Contents:

1 Avoid hot costumes:
2
3 Watch out for choking hazards:
4 Don’t compromise your pet’s senses for the sake of cute:
5 Choose non-confining costumes:
6 Sometimes simple is better:
7 Listen to your pet:

Avoid hot costumes:

I’m not talking about hot dog costumes, necessarily, but costumes that are too hot for your pet. Keep in mind that pets can’t sweat to keep cool like we can, and most of them already have a fur coat to keep them warm. Try to avoid costumes that are too thick, because they may make your pet too hot, especially if he/she is planning on attending a crowded Halloween party. Look for costumes that are made of thin, breathable materials, or ones that don’t cover large portions of your pet’s body.

Watch out for choking hazards:

Pets, dogs especially, like to chew. Fancy pet costumes that contain attachments such as beads or other small pieces may pose a choking hazard to curious pets. Costumes that have bits that may be annoying for pets to wear, such as hats or shoes, may encourage pets to chew on the costume in an attempt to remove it. Keep this in mind when choosing a costume, and try to avoid small or annoying parts that your pet could chew and/or possibly choke on.

Don’t compromise your pet’s senses for the sake of cute:

Eye patches, hats, funny glasses, and silly masks may sound like they’d make cool costumes, but don’t dress your pet in anything that will compromise his/her senses. Blocking your pet’s eyes, mouth, nose, or ears will be uncomfortable and could be a frightening experience for your pet.

Choose non-confining costumes:

Your pet should be able to move around freely and naturally while wearing his/her costume. Confining costumes can frighten and even hurt pets. Make sure your pet can move around freely in his/her costume, and also that the costume does not block your pet from being able to use the bathroom normally. Make sure to measure your pet and choose a correctly sized costume, as outfits that are too loose or too tight may restrict normal movement and be uncomfortable.

Sometimes simple is better:

Sometimes something as simple as a festive bandana or leash can be enough to give our pets some holiday flair without making them uncomfortable. Remember that holidays are suppose to be fun! If your pet doesn’t enjoy wearing his/her costume, it’s unfair to make them wear it for long periods of time. Maybe use that fancy costume to snap a few pictures, then replace it with a holiday themed collar, leash, bandana, harness, etc. to allow your pet to keep to the holiday theme while still being comfortable.

Listen to your pet:

Most importantly, listen to your pet. Keep an eye on him and if he appears uncomfortable in his costume, remove it. Most owners should find it easy to tell when their pet has had enough. Don’t overdo it. Wearing a costume for a short amount of time may not phase your pet, while costumes left on for too long may start to get annoying and uncomfortable. Don’t force your pet to wear anything that he/she isn’t comfortable with. After all, we want our pets to enjoy holidays with us, not suffer through them.

Are there any other factors you take into account when selecting a costume for your pet (if you bother dressing them up in the first place)? My dogs, Kitsune and Fenrir, have been used to wearing things like harnesses and sweaters/jackets since they were pups. I think that’s probably why they’re so tolerant of silly Halloween costumes! The pictures of them dressed as hot dogs are actually from last Halloween. This year I got them cute “costume” hoodies (this bear one for Kit and a moose for Fen) thinking that they’d be cute for Halloween, but the boys can also wear them to stay warm on cold winter days.

Since we moved out of the city, our last couple of Halloweens have been super low key. We don’t get any trick-or-treats to our rural home, but we still try to celebrate and have some fun. We’ll still be carving pumpkins, watching Halloween movies, baking treats, and, of course, we’ll have an adorable little ‘bear’ and a ‘moose’ running around the house. If you normally celebrate Halloween, are you doing anything fun to keep the spirit of the holiday alive despite the pandemic?

All About Dogs

Homemade Halloween Treats for Your Dog

October 14, 2021

Homemade dog treats are a cheap and healthier way to treat your dog this Halloween! Homemade cookies lack the preservatives and other unhealthy ingredients that are found in most commercial treats, are fun to make, and dogs love them!

I first posted this recipe back in 2011, and it’s still to this day one of my dogs’ favorite treats! Even my Alaskan Klee Kai, Fenrir, loves these – and that’s saying a lot. He’s a very picky eater. Despite not containing all that much peanut butter, I’m always tempted to try one of these cookies while I’m baking them because they smell so similar to (human) peanut butter cookies. Pumpkin has quite a few health benefits for dogs, including being high in fiber. It’s a common ‘go to’ ingredient for dog owners when their furry friend’s tummy is feeling off. Besides being an extra tasty way to get some extra fiber into your pooch, the pumpkin gives these treats a fun, natural orange color that is perfect for celebrating fall!

Kitsune’s Spook Snack Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Dog Treats

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs
1 cup plain (100% pure) canned pumpkin
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1/3 cup water

* This recipe makes quite a few treats, depending on what size you make them. Feel free to half the recipe if you’re looking for a smaller amount of treats, or want to make sure your dog likes these before making a ton!

Baking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350*F (175*C).
Mix ingredients together. The dough will be sticky (see photo above).
Shape dough into rounded treat sized balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Feel free to play around with the size of your treat balls. Smaller treats work better as training treats. Larger ones work better if you’re using this recipe as a palatable way to offer your dog some pumpkin. I like to make a combo of different sized treats – some small and others larger. Tip: Keeping a bowl of warm water nearby and wetting your hands while shaping the treats can help to make the dough feel less sticky.
Bake until the treats start to turn slightly brown and feel firm on the outside. 30 minutes has always worked perfectly for me when I make this recipe. These treats are on the softer side, especially on the inside, as long as you don’t over bake them.
Let cool, and let your dog enjoy!
Because they do not contain any preservatives, uneaten treats last longer when stored in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!! If you try out our Halloween dog treats recipe, you’ll have to let us know how they turn out. Happy (early) Halloween and (late) fall! Comment below! What is your pet(s) favorite kind of treats? Do you give them any special kinds to celebrate fall, or any of the fall holidays?

Pet Tips

How to Help Homeless Pets Even if You Can’t Adopt

October 7, 2021

I’ve totally been hit with a case of puppy fever! However, I’ll have to live vicariously through those of you who are able to add a new furry family member into your lives. Two high energy, high maintenance, dogs are my limit, at least for now. Despite not technically being puppies anymore, my two manage to keep me plenty busy!

On the bright side, I feel so blessed to have Kit and Fen in my life. I know not everyone is as lucky. Some rentals don’t allow pets. Some people may love animals but be allergic to them, or financially unable to care for one of their own. Whether you’re like me and already have your hands full with the animals you already have, or adopting a pet isn’t in the cards for you for other reasons, there are still some amazing things you can do to help animals in need!

Foster: Many animal shelters utilize a network of foster families to help care for homeless animals. Caring for animals in foster homes means that they are not submitted to the stress of living in a cage at the shelter. It also opens up more space in the shelter so they are able to take in and care for more needy animals. Having animals live in foster homes can help them get used to living in a home environment. If you can’t afford to adopt an animal of your own, fostering might be a great way for you to help out. The shelter or rescue you foster for usually pays for fees associated with the animals care. All you usually have to provide is your time and love.
Donate: Donations are always welcome! Donated money can go a long way towards helping to pay for the care of homeless animals. If you are unable to donate money, consider donating items such as pet food, toys, and supplies. Even things like paper towels, old blankets and bath towels, garbage bags, cleaning supplies, or office supplies are usually highly appreciated.
Donate services or your time: Volunteer! If you’re unable to spend time working with shelter animals directly, considering offering your services to help instead. For example, if you are an electrician or a plumber, see if the shelter can use your services. You could also help advertise, run a donation drive, or use your creativity to make things to sell then donate the proceeds. The possibilities are endless! See if you can find a way to use your talents, hobbies, or skills to help out.
There’s an app for that: With the world becoming more and more connected through the internet, lots of people are finding ways to help animals in need without ever even leaving their computer desk. Whether it’s organizing online donation drives, or sharing information about your local rescue with your friends/followers, every little bit helps! On of my all time favorite phone apps, for example, is WoofTrax. WoofTrax helps you track your stats while you walk your dog- things like how far you traveled, maps of your routes, and how long you walked for. It also allows you to raise money for a rescue of your choice just by walking! What’s better than being able to raise money to help homeless animals by going for a walk!?

There are plenty of ways to make a difference in the lives of homeless animals. I’m currently not able to foster or adopt. I donate what I can, volunteer, and spend a lot of time raising awareness about responsible pet ownership. I’m happy that there are ways I can make at least small differences in the lives of homeless animals. Can you think of any other ways to help besides those I mentioned? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!

The Paw Pack, Adventure Dogs, Fenrir

Fenrir & The Toad

September 16, 2021

I totally have writers block this week! I’ve been trying hard to post a lot of high quality, evergreen type content here lately. But I still feel like I haven’t completely gotten back into the swing of things since we moved a couple of weeks ago. Whatever the reason, my brain is just not firing on all cylinders right now and I figured, rather than trying to force myself to put out content that I don’t really feel like working on, that I’d tell you all about a funny story about when my dog, Fenrir, ‘met’ a toad.

This happened around a week or so before we moved from our old house. You know how most pet owners have a lot of silly little nicknames for their animals? Well my dog, Fenrir, recently earned a new nickname – Toad Bait.

There are a lot of toads around where we live. I’m not sure if that’s common throughout the state or if, perhaps, it has to do with the fact that in both the houses we’ve lived in now we’ve been right across the street from bodies of water. Whatever the reason, we run across multiple toads on an almost nightly bases during the warmer months. Some of them are super small, so small that I often worry I’m going to miss seeing them and accidentally step on one. But some of them are huge!

Post Contents:

1 How FenFen Earned the Nickname “Toad Bait”
2 A Toad Tried To Eat My Dog!
3 And Now Fenrir is Fondly Known As “Toad Bait”.
4 An Important Note About Dogs & Toads:

How FenFen Earned the Nickname “Toad Bait”

I’m no toad expert, but from what I can tell, the larger ones especially, seem to be territorial. In our old house I became quite familiar with a handful of different toads and what areas around the yard they had dominion over. There was one, for example, that lived under our old deck and would come out every night to explore my sunflower garden.

On a fateful night, some number of weeks ago now, I was outside after dark taking Kit and Fen on their ‘last call’ walk around the yard. I remember, at the time, that I had Kit off-leash, so I was paying a bit more attention to Kit verses Fen. Fen was harnessed up and on his leash. While I was watching Kitsune, Fen walked a little ways into the brush around the edge of the yard. No big deal – Fen does this often as that’s actually his preferred bathroom spot.

A Toad Tried To Eat My Dog!

A few seconds later Fen walked back towards me and I noticed right away that he was limping. Oh no! It was pretty dark out, but I had a flashlight with me. I aimed my flashlight down towards Fen’s front paw, the one he was ever so gingerly holding up, and what do I see… a giant toad dangling from Fen’s leg! I’d say dangling from Fen’s paw, but I didn’t actually see much of Fen’s paw, what with it being inside a giant toad and all.

The whole thing lasted just a few seconds. The toad struggled a bit, wriggling around in an attempt to swallow Fenrir whole, but promptly fell off Fen’s paw down into the grass. Fen’s reaction was so hysterical. Despite being my high energy crazy boy, he was so calm. He just limped out of the brush towards me with his paw held up in the air, as if he was saying “hey mom look at this!”. When the toad fell off his paw he gave it a quick sniff then watched it hop back into the brush.

And Now Fenrir is Fondly Known As “Toad Bait”.

Ah, the joys of owning small dogs. I imagine the poor toad was probably quite hungry, and maybe mistook Fenrir’s adorable little paw for some type of small, fuzzy animal? Who would ever think that a toad would attempt to eat a dog!? I know everyone is going to ask if I got a picture, but sadly I didn’t. We were just outside for a quick potty break for the boys, I didn’t bring my phone/camera with me. Plus it was dark and, like I mentioned above, the whole event lasted a couple of seconds tops.

An Important Note About Dogs & Toads:

Even though my intent in posting this was just to tell a silly story, I wanted to add that toads, some species more so than others, actually secret toxins onto their skin. Most species of toads that are native to the US are relatively harmless, but can cause mild symptoms such as drooling, oral irritation, and vomiting if your dog decides to bite them back. However, there are a few species, namely cane toads and Colorado river/Sonoran desert toads that can cause life threatening symptoms if your pet ingests (bites or licks) one. Freak encounters aside, it’s best practice to keep your pet away from wildlife.

I guess, judging by Fen’s toad encounter, that toads don’t always feel the same way about staying away from domestic pets. Thinking about the look on little Fen’s face as he calmly presented me with his toad bitten paw, coupled with how determined the toad was to swallow an entire dog whole, just makes me laugh every time I think about it. Oh, toads don’t have teeth by the way, so little Fenrir was not harmed at all! Maybe I should have written that sooner.

Comment below! We always love to hear from our readers. Did Fen’s….excuse me, Toad Bait’s, story make you laugh? Have any of your pets ever had a silly freak encounter with a wild animal?

Adventure Dogs, Dog Health

The 411 on Dogs and Poison Ivy (Oak & Sumac too)

September 9, 2021

It has been a week over at the Paw Print abode. We moved last week! Just to another rental house, so I guess it’s not that exciting, but it was a lot of work! The way the move worked out, we had to do the entire thing in just a single day. Since then we’ve been working hard to unpack and make the new place feel a bit more like home. Then I woke up last Sunday morning swollen and covered in poison ivy. If I never have to deal with poison ivy all over my eyes and lips again it will be too soon! But what does that have to do with dogs? Can dogs get poison ivy? Can they really spread it to humans too? Read on to find out!

Post Contents:

1 Poison Ivy And Dogs?
2 How Poison Ivy, Oak, & Sumac Cause Rashes:
3 Now Back To How This Relates To Dogs…
4 How To Prevent “Catching” Poison Ivy From Your Pet:
5 Did You Know That Dogs CAN Get Poison Ivy Too?
6 Conclusion:

Poison Ivy And Dogs?

So how did I get poison ivy all over my face? It’s not like I was outside rolling around in the stuff. I wasn’t…but my dog, Fenrir, was. Fenrir, being an honorary cat, likes to rub up against me, including in my face when we’re snuggling on the couch. I strongly suspect that Fen came into contact with poison ivy out in the new yard, then transferred the oils to me during our evening snuggle-fest.

How Poison Ivy, Oak, & Sumac Cause Rashes:

Poison ivy, oak, and sumac, are all known for causing red, swollen, itchie, blistery rashes in humans. Although the three plants are different, they all contain a odorless, colorless, sappy oil called urushiol. An estimated 85% of the human population is allergic to urushiol. If it comes into contact with their skin, the resulting rash is known as urushiol-induced contact dermatitis.

How strongly each individual reacts to urushiol can depend on their unique immune system, whether they’ve been exposed to urushiol before, medications they may be taking, what part of the body is exposed (thin skin of the face and genitals usually reacts more strongly), duration of exposure, and the amount of urushiol that came into contact with their skin. If you know you’ve been exposed to urushiol, there is a short window where it can be removed with either soap and water, or alcohol to either eliminate, or greatly reduce, the occurrence of a rash. Once it’s been absorbed into the skin you’re out of luck, assuming you’re part of the 85% of the population that reacts to urushiol.

Now Back To How This Relates To Dogs…

Coming into direct contact with a urushiol containing plant yourself isn’t the only route of exposure. Urushiol can also rub off plants onto surfaces like clothing, your dogs’ leash, shoes, and, yes, even fur. If it’s not thoroughly washed off, urushiol can remain on surfaces for an amazing 1 to 5 years. Basically, if your furry friend brushes against poison ivy the oil can sit on the surface of his/her fur where it can then be transferred to your skin the next time you touch them – or, you know, the next time they decide to go in for a face snuggle.

How To Prevent “Catching” Poison Ivy From Your Pet:

I’ll spare you any images of my gross swollen face, and instead share the adorable Mr.Fen playing in his new yard!

The most effective way to avoid transferring urushiol from your pet’s fur to your skin, barring just not coming into contact with urushiol in the first place, is to wash your pet. If you suspect, or know, that your furry friend has come into contact with poison ivy, oak, or sumac, step 1 is to avoid touching them as much as possible. Give him/her a bath as soon as you can, using soap because, remember, urushiol is an oil.

Dish soap isn’t something I commonly recommend using on pets, but it can be a good way to remove urushiol from fur due to it’s ability to effectively remove oils. It can be helpful to wipe down your dog after hikes or walks in the woods, even if you didn’t notice any poison ivy, just in case. Pay special attention to their paws, legs, and bellies as those are the areas most likely to come into contact with urushiol containing plants. Unless your dog is like my Fenrir, then wipe down the whole darned dog because he’s probably been rolling around all over everything. Sigh.

Don’t forget to also wash things like your pets’ leashes, collars, harnesses, and any clothing items they (and you) were wearing.

Did You Know That Dogs CAN Get Poison Ivy Too?

Cases of animals developing rashes from plants like poison ivy are not nearly as common as in humans, but they do happen. Urushiol can cause itchie, red rashes on dogs just like it does on people. However, for the most part dogs’ fur prevents the urushiol from reaching their skin. Dogs with no, or thin, fur, and dogs suffering from other skin conditions are more prone to urushiol reactions. Small dogs, especially if they have bare bellies, are more at risk. Poison ivy, oak, or sumac rashes on dogs will look very similar to those on humans. Watch out for patches of skin that appear red, swollen, itchie, with blisters that may ooze a clear or yellowish liquid before scabbing over.

Poison ivy, and related plants, are also toxic to dogs if ingested. It can cause symptoms of GI upset, such as vomiting and diarrhea, but, in rare cases, can cause more serious symptoms such as anaphylactic shock.

Conclusion:

Of course, as they say, when it comes to things like poison ivy, prevention is always the best ‘cure’. A bit too late at this point, but I’ve started keeping Kit and Fen away from the borders of our yard where the poison ivy is. Thankfully my face is getting a little less swollen everyday. Since I really don’t want to repeat this experience again anytime soon, I’ll be being much more careful when it comes to avoiding poison ivy (and making sure my dogs avoid it too) in the future.

Comment below! Are you allergic to poison ivy too? Did you know that other animals can (rarely) develop rashes from it like people can, or that they can pass on the oils from their fur?

Pet Tips

How to Register Your Pet’s Microchip for Free

September 2, 2021

Did you know there are ways you can register your pet’s microchip for free? Read on to learn how!

We’re moving….again. Ah the joys of renting. Although I didn’t write about it here, the whole process has been really stressful! By the time you read this post, though, we’ll be in our new place! We were very lucky to, after quite a long search, find an adorable little single family house with an amazing yard to rent. I SO wish we had been able to buy instead. The current housing market coupled with the fact that we weren’t really expecting to have to move right now left us unprepared.

Moving is a lot of work! Besides all the packing and physically moving, we have to worry about stuff like setting up utilities, and updating all our accounts with our new address. Kit and Fen will need new ID tags, new licenses, and I’ll have to update their microchip information.

Post Contents:

1 The 411 on Microchips
2 Registering Microchips
3 Free Microchip Registries
4 What I recommend When It Comes to Registering Microchips
5 Microchips Should Not Replace Traditional ID Tags

The 411 on Microchips

An x-ray image of a microchip. Photo via Joelmills, Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

As most pet owners know, a microchip is an excellent means of permanent ID for our pets. They are about the size of a grain of rice, and in cats and dogs are normally inserted under the skin between the shoulder blades. Microchips themselves do not store any information besides a unique 9, 10, or 15 digit number. These numbers can be read by microchip readers most commonly by veterinarians or animal shelter staff.

When your pet is scanned and determined to have a microchip, the screen on the chip reader will display your pet’s unique microchip number, as well as who the manufacturer of the chip was. The chip number can also be searched on the AHAA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup website. The AHAA website displays registries that a chip number has been registered on, in order of the most recent registration first. Those registries can then be contacted and, as long as they have updated information on file, a missing pet’s owner can be contacted!

Registering Microchips

Microchips are useless if they are not registered! An unregistered microchip will mean that there is no owner information connected to that chip. Most microchip companies have their own registry. Most of them include the initial registration of your chip into the price of getting your pet microchipped. They then charge a fee later if you ever need to update your information. Others charge an annual subscription fee.

For example, my older dog, Kitsune, has a microchip from the company 24PetWatch. Way back when he was a puppy I got him microchipped during a clinic held by a local animal shelter. The price I paid to get him microchipped included registration. However, 12 years later, if I want to update my address through 24PetWatch I will have to pay to purchase a 24PetWatch membership. It’s $29.95 for the first year, then $19.95 a year after that. Or I could pay $94.95 for a lifetime membership.

Sadly, there is no universal microchip database. I wish there was, that would make things so much easier!

Free Microchip Registries

There are, however, a couple of free microchip registries.

Found Animals Registry: From the research I did, the Michelson Found Animals Registry might be one of the closest things to a universal national registry, and registering your pet’s microchip through them is free.
Free Pet Chip Registry: I have never used this registry myself, but they are also a free pet microchip registry.

What I recommend When It Comes to Registering Microchips

Free registries are awesome, but having your contact information updated through a free registry only will be useless if the vet/shelter scanning your found pet doesn’t do enough digging to discover what registries you used. Microchip scanners display not only your pet’s unique ID number, but the chip manufacturer as well. Some shelter workers, busy as they are, don’t always go beyond calling the chip’s manufacturer. That sadly means that you could have your updated information saved on as many registries as you want, but if it’s not updated through the chip’s original manufacturer, and that’s the only company the shelter calls after scanning your pet, then you’d be out of luck.

I know no one wants to spend money if they don’t have too. If you can, I recommend registering your pet’s microchip through their chip’s manufacturer. The free registries can be great as back up or secondary registries, or as a way to update your information quickly until you can afford to pay to also update them with the chip’s manufacturer.

Microchips Should Not Replace Traditional ID Tags

If my pet is already microchipped, and the chip is registered, why would they also need a traditional ID tag? Microchips are not the end all be all to recovering lost pets. Updated ID tags are still the best way to get your lost pet returned to you as quickly as possible. Reading your phone number and/or address off an ID tag is so much easier than having to take a pet to a shelter or vet to get him/her scanned for a chip.

Now to find some cute new tags for Kit and Fen! That’s one of the fun parts of moving, after all. Comment below and let me know if you recommend any specific brand of ID tags for small dogs. I’d also love to hear your experience using one of the free microchip registries, if you’ve used either of them before.

Chip scanner image via Steffen Heinz, Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Pet Products

CENGCEN Pet Treat Camera Review

August 26, 2021

I’m sure many pet owners can relate – I hate leaving my two dogs home alone. My partner and I both work from home. It doesn’t happen all that often, but I still worry about Kit and Fen when I’m not home to keep an eye on them. A few years ago I tried purchasing a pet camera. But it didn’t work very well, and I ended up returning it. I’ve thought about trying out other brands to see if I could find one that I like. I just never got around to trying any more – until now!

This review is sponsored by CENGCEN. I received our pet-treat camera for free in return for our honest review. As always, I strive to share only products I feel would benefit my readers and their pets. All opinions expressed are my own. This post contains affiliate Amazon links. If you purchase products using one of my links I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

I was recently approached by a company called CENGCEN, who allowed me to try out their treat dispensing WiFi pet camera. I know pet cameras have come a long way since I last tried one out, and I was excited to try this one! CENGCEN’s camera app is compatible with both iOS and Android (what I use) phones. Their app connects to their pet camera through your WiFi and not only allows you to see your pet, but also to dispense treats, listen in on them, and talk to them too!

Post Contents:

1 CENGCEN Pet Camera Features
2
3 Our Experience Using the CENGCEN Pet Camera
4 So Do I Recommend the CENGCEN Pet Camera?

CENGCEN Pet Camera Features

The pet camera itself, arguably the most important feature, has an amazing 130* field of vision. The app allows you to scroll back and forth to take control of the full field of vision, so you can still see your pet even if he/she is relaxing near the edge of a room. You can activate the camera through the app anytime, and can also set your camera to auto record when it detects motion. If you see your pet doing something especially adorable, you can even use the app to remotely take pictures and record video footage!

The app has a button you can press to tell the camera to dispense treats. The camera makes a bell sound to alert your pet, then shoots treats out into the middle of the room. I used pieces of kibble rather than treats, and the camera dispensed a small handful of kibble out into the middle of the room, where my dogs could sniff around and forage for it.

The camera also features 2 way audio. You can use this feature to listen in on your pets, and also to talk to them through the camera! I especially love this feature. Kit and Fen can sometimes get a bit antsy when they think they’re home alone. Using the camera’s audio I can talk to, and comfort them, if they appear to be getting nervous without me there.

The camera comes with a wall mounting kit that doesn’t require you to drill into your wall – perfect for people, like me, who rent their home! It also works well just placed on a desk or table, out of your pet’s reach in case he/she decides to try to figure out how to get the treats out themselves. Another feature I love is that you can share your pet treat camera account with up to two additional users. This way I could allow my partner to monitor the camera from his phone too.

Our Experience Using the CENGCEN Pet Camera

Downloading the app and setting up the camera was pretty easy. When you first set it up you’ll need to make an account and connect your camera to your WiFi network, so you will need to know your WiFi password. The instructions that come with the camera, along with the app, do a pretty good job at walking you through the setup process. The hardest part, for me, was figuring out where to get the app. I couldn’t find instructions for where to find it so I just ended up searching for “CENGCEN” in the app store and found it that way.

All the features the camera is supposed to have – 2 way audio, treat dispensing, 130* of vision – worked well for me! As you can imagine, Kitsune especially LOVES the treat dispensing feature. I was able to take both photos and videos remotely with this camera.

I found the app to be a little bit finicky at times. I’m unsure whether it was an issue with the app itself or my phone. A handful of times I’ve gotten error messages when I try to view the camera feed on my phone. However, the few times it happened I was able to fix it by restarting my phone. It makes me wonder if the issue could have something to do with my phone. Or, perhaps with my WiFi connection, which can be spotty at times.

I’m including our video review here too, for anyone who wants to take a look at what the app and the footage from the camera looks like!

So Do I Recommend the CENGCEN Pet Camera?

I’m really impressed with this camera! I will for sure continue to use it for my own pets. The CENGCEN pet treat camera currently retails new for $109.99 on Amazon. A bit expensive perhaps, but can you really put a price on piece of mind? If you’re interested in getting one for yourself, you can use the code CENGCEN1 to get 10% off your order until the end of next month, 9/30/2021.

Comment below! Have you ever tried using a pet camera to keep an eye on your pet while you’re away?

All About Dogs

Recipe: Peanut Butter & Banana Ice Cream for Dogs!

August 19, 2021

New England summers can be so weird. Last week we were suffering through a heat wave, then this week we’ve had some nights that got so chilly I broke out wool socks and a hoodie. We don’t have air conditioning, which most of the time is no big deal but, as you can imagine, can make getting through heat waves a bit tough. I’m always on the lookout for fun ways to help keep my dogs cool during the heat of the summer. I’ve purchased them doggy ice cream from our local grocery store in the past, and both Kitsune and Fenrir really liked it. During last week’s heat wave I decided to break out my ice cream machine and try my hand at making them homemade ice cream – because why not!?

Post Contents:

1 Making Homemade Treats For My Dogs
2 Peanut Butter & Banana Ice Cream for Dogs:
3 You will need…
4 Steps:

Making Homemade Treats For My Dogs

For the most part, I home make my dogs’ treats. Yes, it’s more work, but I enjoy cooking. I like knowing exactly what ingredients are in my dogs’ treats and hey, if your dog is anything like mine you’ll never find anyone more appreciative of your home cooking than your dog!

Today I’m going to share the recipe I came up with last week. I’d say it was a success, as both Kit and picky Mr.Fen enjoyed it. I like to keep my dog treat recipes as simple as possible, easy to make with a limited number of ingredients is the name of the game. This not only makes the treats easier to make, but cheaper, and easier to adjust if your dog has allergies or you don’t have a certain ingredient on hand.

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Peanut Butter & Banana Ice Cream for Dogs:

You will need…

A base for your ice cream (2 cups). I used goat’s milk made with The Honest Kitchen’s powdered goat’s milk (powder mix that you add to water). I originally wanted to use regular goat’s milk, but my local store was sold out. Goats milk is full of healthy probiotics and enzymes that are good for your dogs’ digestion. If you can’t get goat’s milk, regular milk or dog safe (no xylitol) yogurt should work too.
Bananas (2). Bananas are low in calories, cholesterol, and sodium, but high in potassium, biotin, fiber, and vitamins. Many dogs enjoy the taste of bananas.
Dog safe peanut butter (1/2 cup). Always check the ingredient lists of foods to make sure they don’t contain any ingredients that could be dangerous to your pets. I try to use peanut butter brands that are as natural as possible, without a lot of added ingredients like sugar. Peanut butter is high in calories and should only be fed in moderation, but is a good source of protein, niacin, healthy fats, and vitamins B and E.
A blender. I’m kind of obsessed with my immersion blender, but any blender should get the job done.
A mixing bowl. To mix and chill your ingredients in.
An ice cream maker, ice cube tray, or some other container to freeze your ice cream in. When I was experimenting with this recipe I tried freezing the ice cream with both an ice cream maker and just in regular ice cube trays. The ice cream frozen in the ice cube tray came out much harder. I preferred the results I got in my ice cream maker, but both worked. My dogs readily ate the ice cream both ways.
A measuring cup and spoon. For measuring and mixing.

Steps:

Prepare your ice cream base. Since I used powdered goat’s milk, I followed the instructions on the milk container to make 2 cups of goat’s milk. This basically involved mixing two teaspoons of the powder with 2 cups of warm water.
Blend your base together with 2 bananas and 1/2 a cup of peanut butter. I used my immersion blender to blend all my ingredients until they were mixed thoroughly. A regular blender, or even hand mixing, would work too.
Chill your mixture. If you’re using an ice cream maker, prep your machine. Next I stuck my ice cream mixture in the fridge to chill, and my ice cream machine bowl in the freezer. Skip this step if you’re using ice cube trays, or some other type of container, to freeze your ice cream.
If you’re using an ice cube tray, fill your tray with your ice cream mixture and freeze! Making the ice cream this way is actually a bit easier, but leads to harder/denser frozen treats.
Once your ice cream machine bowl is frozen, follow machine instructions to make ice cream. Using my ice cream machine is super simple. Once the bowl was frozen I just put it on the base, popped in the ice cream mixture, and turned it on. It took around 20 minutes or so for my ice cream to be complete. You’re looking to achieve a texture similar to soft serve.
All done! Enjoy. Ice cream can be stored in the freezer. If it hardens too much in the freezer, you may want to let it sit out for a bit before giving your dog a scoop or two. Remember that treats should be offered in moderation.

Kit and Fen have really been enjoying their own personal doggy ice cream! Even Fenrir, who doesn’t normally like bananas and is a super picky eater, has been enjoying this special treat. It’s so funny, the boys have been getting super excited every time they see me open the freezer now. Their doggy ice cream is an excellent way to help them cool down a bit on a hot day. Because I know exactly what’s in it I can feel extra good about treating them.

What do you think? Have you ever made ice cream for your pet? Do you think he/she would like it? What other flavor ideas can you come up with?

Dog Health

Pros and Cons of Using House Call Veterinarians

August 12, 2021

Have you ever considered using house call veterinarians for your pet? They seem to be growing in popularity, and are available now to treat pets in more locations than ever before. When we still lived in the city, for many years I kept the contact info of a house call vet. I never actually called them, though. Our regular vet was awesome and only a few blocks away from our apartment. When we moved in 2019, way out to the middle of nowhere, I was surprised to find out that there’s a house call veterinarian that serves our new location too.

A house call veterinarian is a veterinarian who, often accompanied by an assistant or technician, travels to your home to provide your pet with medical care. Many owners will have heard of at home euthanasia. That is just one of many services that a house call veterinarian can provide. House call veterinarians are sometimes also referred to as mobile vets.

Post Contents:

1
2 Is a House Call Veterinarian Right for You and Your Pet?
3 Pros of Using a House Call Veterinarian:
4 Cons of Using a House Call Veterinarian:
5 What do you think? Have you ever used a house call veterinarian? If not, would you ever consider using one?

Is a House Call Veterinarian Right for You and Your Pet?

I put together a list of some of the pros and cons associated with mobile vets to help you decide…

Pros of Using a House Call Veterinarian:

Convenience – Mobile vets can be amazing for people who, for any reason, have difficulty traveling to take their pet to see a vet. Whether you don’t drive, have mobility issues, or don’t have a regular vet that’s close to you, a mobile can be a convenient option. They can also make life easier if you have a pet that’s difficult to transport, like one that is elderly, sick, has mobility issues, gets stressed during car rides, or is too large to transport easily.
Less Stress – For some pets, spending time in an animal hospital is stressful. A stressed out pet oftentimes leads to a stressed out owner. Mobile vets can provide veterinary care in the comfort of your own home!
More Accurate Observation – How many times has this happened to you? You notice your pet has a health issue, such as a limp. You make an appointment with your vet, and as soon as you walk into the office your pet is suddenly perfectly fine. How frustrating! Your vet can, of course, take a guess at what might be wrong. But without being able to witness the issue it can be hard to offer an accurate diagnosis. Having your vet visit your home can not only allow your vet to more accurately observe your pet’s behavior, but seeing his/her home environment can sometimes offer important clues to what might be wrong with a sick pet.
Easier to Treat Multiple Pets – This is one that would be a big pro for me. I have two dogs. I hate taking them both to the vet at the same time. My older dog, Kitsune, loves going to the vet and wants to run around and say hello to everyone. My younger dog, Fenrir, is shy and fearful around people he doesn’t know well. Managing two dogs with such different personalities in a busy vet waiting room is not a fun task. For that reason, I take my dogs to the vet separately. Utilizing the services of a mobile veterinarian can be a great way to have multiple pets seen at once, without having to worry as much about how you’re going to keep them all comfortable.
Fostering a Stronger Relationship with your Vet – Mobile vet practices are usually a far cry from large, impersonal, city vet practices. While large, highly advanced, vet hospitals have their place, there’s really something to be said for being able to form a relationship with your vet.

Cons of Using a House Call Veterinarian:

Cost – House call veterinarians can be, understandably so, more expensive than traditional vets. You’ll not only be paying for whatever medical services your pet requires, but additional fees to help cover the vet’s transportation costs. Because they have to spend time driving from house to house, mobile vets are not usually able to see very many patients a day. This may lead to them having to charge more per patient.
Scheduling Issues – House call veterinarians will probably not be your best option during an emergency. They have to strictly schedule out their routes each day. House call vets don’t have very flexible schedules. If your pet is sick or injured, you’ll probably have to take them to an emergency clinic.
Limited Services and Treatment Options – Mobile vets can provide many services in the comfort of your home. But they can’t do everything. If your pet needs more advanced diagnostics, such as x-rays, house call vets will often refer you to a local brick and mortar location. They may be able to do things such as take blood for blood work or skin scrapings. However, since they can’t run tests in your home you’re not going to get immediate results. If your pet requires a complex treatment such as surgery, a house call vet will usually either have you travel to their physical clinic (if they have one) or refer you to another veterinarian.
More Stress for Some Pets – Being seen in their own home could be more stressful for some pets. It really depends on the pet. Some dogs, for example, get upset or overly excited when new people enter their home.

What do you think? Have you ever used a house call veterinarian? If not, would you ever consider using one?

I’ve yet to use a mobile vet for my own dogs. In all the places I’ve lived in since getting dogs, I’ve been lucky to have amazing vets pretty close by. I like the idea of taking my dogs to a more full service vet. But I can see why using a house call veterinarian would be an excellent option for some owners. I won’t write off the possibility that I’d be open to using one myself at some point in the future.

Pets in the News

The Power of Cute!

August 5, 2021

I should probably be one of the most productive people on Earth, if a study by Japanese researcher Hiroshi Nittono has any truth behind it. Nittono and his team studied how viewing kawaii (cute in Japanese) images impacts behavior, and specifically how they impact performance on tasks requiring focused attention. For anyone interested, you can read more about the study here.

Can Viewing Kawaii Animals Really Increase Focus!?

During the study, university students were asked to preform tasks requiring high levels of concentration. Students were subject to viewing sets of images before completing tasks. While some students were shown images of baby animals (kittens and puppies), others were shown adult animals (dogs and cats), images of food, or neutral objects.

Nittono concluded that viewing cute images (specifically pictures of baby animals) improved task performance. Viewing images deemed to be cute increased performances in fine motor dexterity, non-motor visual search tasks, and focus. So cute images can not only help to improve our mood, but may also positively impact our behavior! So maybe the next time you catch one of your coworkers sneaking a peak at pictures of puppies instead of working, you’ll cut him/her some slack.

“Kawaii things not only make us happier, but also affect our behavior. This study shows that viewing cute things improves subsequent performance in tasks that require behavioral carefulness, possibly by narrowing the breadth of attentional focus. This effect is not specific to tasks related to caregiving or social interaction.” (Nittono et al., 2012)

Speaking of Kawaii…

This past Sunday, August 1st, we celebrated Fenrir’s 6th birthday! I really have no idea how my little one is 6 already. How cute is he though? He still looks (or at least I think so), and acts, like a puppy! On Saturday we took the boys hiking. We got thunderstorms and rain on Sunday, but since we had spent most of the day before outdoors, it was nice to have a relaxing day inside. The storm ended up knocking our internet out for most of the day, which I know sounds like a bad thing, but it was actually kind of nice to have a day indoors without the distraction of the internet. The boys got a few special treats, and presents! I say the boys instead of just Fen, because we spoiled sweet Mr.Kitsune too. Birthdays in our house are a family affair – we wouldn’t want anyone to feel left out.

I just wish I had thought to wrap a present or two for Kitsune! Even though he did get new toys and treats, I didn’t wrap his. He reminded me of when I was a kid, when someone would get presents on their birthday and my little sister would get jealous! Kit kept finding pieces of wrapping paper on the floor and trying to ‘unwrap’ them like they were gifts. Next year, on Fen’s birthday, I’ll try to remember to wrap a few things for Kit to open too.

I’m so proud of Fenrir. He’s such a loving, playful, fun little friend. He’s my shadow, my almost constant companion, and his silly, playful antics bring me so much joy. Happy 6th birthday to my little wolf cub – here’s to many, many more!

References:

Hiroshi Nittono, Michiko Fukushima, Akihiro Yano, Akihiro Yano, & Hiroki Moriya. 2012. The Power of Kawaii: Viewing Cute Images Promotes a Careful Behavior and Narrows Attentional Focus

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