Crunchy and Delicious Pumpkin Peanut Butter Dog Treats Recipe

Recipe #4. 

Here is another homemade dog treat recipe in our ongoing series of recipes. Please see the original post for more valuable information and tips on how to make these cookies. 

World's Best Cat Scratcher Product Review

 

World's Best Cat Scratcher

Anyone with cats can tell you that most cats simply cannot resist a cardboard box.  Well, this ingenious cat scratcher takes that idea and turns it into the coolest lounger/scratcher ever.  

When the corrugated cardboard cat scratchers first hit the market, we tried the many different versions.  Our cats loved them all, but there were problems.  Some of them shed so much cardboard all over the place it was a constant chore just to keep it cleaned up. Not to mention trying to keep our little dog from eating the cardboard pieces (why, I will never know).  Others were very expensive, yet only lasted for a very short period of time before they completely disintegrated.  

I was getting pretty discouraged until the day I saw this product in the local pet store.  World's Best Cat Scratcher, that's a pretty big claim, but desperation compelled me to try it because if we don't have something for our cats to scratch on, they will turn to the furniture, carpets, even the sides of our beds to get that scratching compulsion satisfied.  Well, I'm so glad I took a chance on this scratcher.  We still have the two I purchased that day (approximately 6 months ago) and have not yet needed to replace any of the inserts or even turn them over. Yes, you can turn them over to get even more use out of them! 

The directions only talk about replacing the bottom piece, but I think you can replace the side walls too.  They look like the same long skinny boards that are sold for cat tree replacement inserts.  So, if your kitty scratches on the sides, you should be good to go for replacement on those too. 

In conclusion, I highly recommend these cat scratchers. Don't let the initial price scare you, when I do the math, these scratchers are definitely more cost effective due to their longevity.  Our cats love these things so much; they not only scratch on them, but they really do lounge on them too, especially the queen bee of the house, Lilly.  That is her highness in the picture above enjoying her "World's Best Cat Scratcher"   >^..^<  

How to Take Your Cat To The Vet With Less Stress

 

(Rocky)

Taking your cat for a check-up at the vet every year is important but doing so can be very stressful on you both. So how do you make the trip less stressful?  First, we need to consider how our cats feel after being put into a carrier, taking a scary car ride, then arriving at the vet with strange noises, smells and scary strangers. Fortunately, there are a few easy steps we can take to diminish the fear of the trip to the vet's office. 

1) Make the transport carrier a part of daily life. Keep the carrier out and accessible at all times. Keep a favorite blankie and some toys inside to encourage your cat to explore and rest inside. Now the carrier is a safe place familiar to your cat. 

2) Train your cat to be a road warrior! Don't wait until you have to take your cat to the vet. Get your cat used to riding in the car beginning as young as possible. 

3) Travel on an empty stomach. Like people, pets can get motion sickness too. If you avoid feeding your cat before traveling, you can decrease the chance that your cat will get carsick.

4) And finally, talk with your veterinarian. He/she is sure to have some tips on how to help calm your cat while at the vet's office. 

NOTE: My mom had a beautiful ginger boy (pictured above) who was terrified of going into the carrier. We would give him a little bit of catnip ahead of time to relax him, and then gently place him in the carrier. It worked like a charm. I would caution that some cats get hyper from catnip and this method would not work for those cats. Experiment ahead of time to see how catnip effects your particular cat. 

Soft Homemade Dog Treats Recipe ~ Great for dogs with missing teeth!

 Our little dog Sam had been eating our crunchy homemade dog treats since he got his permanent teeth as a puppy. Unfortunately, a few years ago he had to have a significant amount of his teeth pulled and he could no longer chew crunchy food or treats. We wanted him to still enjoy his treat times so we worked on a recipe that would work for him. This recipe is simple and easy to make with ingredients found in your grocery store. Because these treats are not thoroughly dried out like our crunchy treats, they must be refrigerated. We make a batch every 2 months or so, putting the majority in the freezer and just taking a few out to keep in the refrigerator at a time. This works well and we rarely have any go bad. I would say, shoot for an amount you can use up within a week. Variations for this recipe are in the recipe notes below. 

Soft Dog Treats

(Yield: approximately 35)

Equipment: Rolling pin, 13" x 18" cookie sheet, mixing bowl, cookie cutter, silicone baking mat or parchment paper, bench scraper. 

Ingredients:

¾ cup milk

2 large eggs

1 Tbs. olive oil

½ can (15 oz.) 100% pure pumpkin puree (approximately 1 cup)

1 cup old fashion rolled oats

3 cups whole wheat flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

1. Line cookie sheet with silicone mat or parchment paper.

2. In mixing bowl, whisk milk and eggs together.

3. Add remaining ingredients to mixing bowl and stir until blended.

4.  Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead briefly (adding a little more flour if needed – a few tablespoons at most) just until the dough comes together but is still sticky.  Resist the urge to incorporate more flour into the dough, it needs to stay somewhat wet and sticky.

5. Add more flour to your surface, flatten out the dough, and add some flour to the top to help with rolling. Roll dough out to approximately ¼ - ½ inch thickness using your rolling pin.

6. Cut out desired shapes with your cookie cutter and arrange on cookie sheet.

7. Repeat #5 & #6 until the dough is all gone.

8. Bake treats for 25 minutes.

9. Remove from oven and leave on cookie sheet until completely cool. Pack treats up into a gallon-sized freezer bag and store in freezer. 

NOTES: 1. Freeze the other half of your pumpkin puree for making another batch of treats when you need them. We use Rubbermaid one cup storage containers to keep the pumpkin fresh in the freezer.

2. Treats will last for up to 3 months in the freezer, and approximately 1 week in the refrigerator. We keep a week's worth of treats in the refrigerator and then restock from the freezer as needed. 

3. One small, grated carrot can be added to the recipe with no other adjustments needed. 

4. One cup of salt-free beef, chicken, or turkey broth can be substituted for the pumpkin puree to create flavor variations for your dog. Our dogs love them all! 

Our crunchy homemade dog treats recipes: 

Crunchy Homemade Peanut Butter and Banana Dog Treats Recipe

Crunchy Homemade Chicken and Vegetable Dog Treats Recipe

Homemade Carob Chip Cookies Dog Treat Recipe

Tips For How To Clean Your Dog's Ears

 

Cleaning your dog's ears can be a messy process. It is best to do it outdoors, or a garage, where flying debris and cleaning solution will not harm your good indoor rugs and furnishings.

Gently lift the ear flap, squirt in a sufficient amount of a good ear cleaner, such as our favorite Zymox Otic Enzymatic Solution, to fill the ear canal. Gently massage the base of the ear (where the ear meets the head). A sloshing/squishing sound indicates correct massaging action. This distributes the cleaning solution evenly and breaks up wax build-up. Allow your dog to shake his head to remove as much debris and excess cleaner as possible. A dog's ear canals are long and curved; therefore, this step is the most important and most effective way to get that deep down crud out of there.

Using cotton balls, gently wipe out any remaining wax and dirt from the ear canal and ear flaps being careful not to push any debris down into the ear.

For extremely dirty ears repeat this process up to 2-3 times daily, or as often as recommended by your veterinarian. For maintenance of healthy ears, 1-2 times weekly, or as recommended.

Always immediately contact your vet in the case of a foul smell, redness, inflammation or irritation of your dog's ears. These signs and symptoms could be an indication of an ear infection and would require the care of a veterinarian.

Five Fun Facts About Cats

(Our beautiful and goofy Marlee!)

1)  When cats half-close their eyes while looking at you, it is a sign of trust. Do it back to them and let the bonding begin!

2)  More cats are left-handed than right-handed. (Should that be pawed ~ left-pawed, right-pawed? LOL!)

3)  A cat laps water using the underside of its tongue; not the top, as you might think. It curls its tongue upside down and spoons the water into its mouth.

4)  There is a gene responsible for a cat's euphoric reaction to catnip, so not all cats are affected by it.

5)  If a cat cleans itself just after you have touched or petted it, don't be too offended.  This is just the cat's way of processing your scent.

Crunchy Homemade Chicken and Vegetable Dog Treats Recipe

Recipe #3. 

Time for another homemade dog treat recipe in our ongoing series of recipes. Please see the original post for more valuable information and tips on how to make these cookies.