healthy

Mixin’ Up Meals with #StellaandChewys

September 14, 2015 22 Comments

This post is sponsored by Stella & Chewy’s and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Meal Mixers, but It’s Dog or Nothing only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Stella & Chewy’s is not responsible for the content of this article.

The topic of what to feed your dog is extremely controversial. You can feed your dog canned food, dry food, prepared cooked meals, raw, or any combination of these types.

At It’s Dog or Nothing, we believe that there is a place for all of the above feeding methods depending on your dog’s specific needs. For Mauja and Atka, I always like to start with a base of premium-quality kibble. However, I like to supplement their food to provide different nutrients, keep them interested, or simply to mix it up a bit. That’s where Stella & Chewy’s® comes in to play.I absolutely love the Stella & Chewy’s Meal Mixers for supplementing the fluffies’ existing diet. Meal Mixers are an easy way to add freeze-dried raw pet food to any meal. Futhermore, there is one quality of the Meal Mixers that I find very important: high pressure processing (HPP).

Stella & Chewy’s uses HPP to ensure your dog is receiving high-quality, safe nutrition. All of the products are cold pressed using pressure equal to that found at the bottom of the ocean where bacteria cannot survive. This inactivates any harmful pathogens and bacteria. HPP gives me confidence that the food I’m giving to my favorite pooches is safe.

A third-party independent lab analysis is also conducted on each batch to ensure the safety of Stella & Chewy’s food. This analysis happens before the batch leaves their Wisconsin-based manufacturing facility. You can easily find the results of each test on their website!

Stella & Chewy’s Meal Mixers come in four flavors: Stella’s Super Beef, Chewy’s Chicken, Tantalizing Turkey, and Savory Salmon & Cod (available in 3.5 oz, 9 oz, or 18 oz packages). Meal Mixers are freeze-dried to lock in the tasty nutrition and are ready to serve. You can also add a bit of warm water to rehydrate the food, which is recommended.

What else do we love about Stella & Chewy’s Meal Mixers?

95% beef, organs, and bone
Complemented with organic fruits and vegetables
Added probiotics and antioxidants
Made without grains, gluten, fillers, or anything artificial
Proteins are grass-fed, cage-free, wild-caught, and/or farm-raised

I added some of Stella’s Super Beef Meal Mixers to Mauja and Atka’s kibble and they were thrilled. I didn’t think anything could rival their excitement for my prepared meals, but this was right up there! It turns out Mauja and Atka aren’t alone. An independent study conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that 9 out of 10 dogs preferred their kibble to be enhanced with Meal Mixers.

Stella & Chewy’s Meal Mixers are an easy way to add an extra boost of raw pet food nutrition to an existing diet. Just scoop, mix, and serve!

Interested in having your dog try Meal Mixers? You’re in luck! We have a giveaway for a Stella & Chewy’s product assortment package (valued at $75). There will be 25 (yes, 25!) winners so make sure you get your entries in!

Can’t wait to get your paws on this fantastic food? Find Stella & Chewy’s sold near you!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Baked vs. Extruded Dog Food + A Wellness GIVEAWAY!

June 16, 2015 50 Comments

Do you know how your dog food is made?

Until BlogPaws, it never occurred to me to look into it. I am meticulous when it comes to the contents of Mauja and Atka’s food and research every last ingredient. If I care so much about what is in their food, shouldn’t I care just as much about how it is produced?

Extruded Dog Food

While the extrusion process was initially used to create puffed cereals, it has become a staple in the pet food industry. Extrusion is an easy and efficient way to create large amounts of nutritious, shelf-stable food. Here’s a brief explanation of the extrusion process:

Raw and wet ingredients for the food are mixed together to form a dough.
The dough is pushed through a machine, called the expander, that uses hot water or pressurized steam to cook the dough.
While under these extremely high temperatures, the food is forced (extruded) through special sized and shaped holes and then trimmed by a knife.
Once the pieces exit the expander, they puff up to look like the kibble we are used to seeing.
The kibble is then sprayed with fats, oils, vitamins, and minerals and packaged before the oils can spoil.

There you have it! Is it just me or does anyone else think that sounds pretty gross? The extreme cooking process removes the vitamins and minerals that then have to be added back at the end of the process. I don’t like when my food is created like that, so I certainly don’t like it for my dogs!

But what’s the alternative?

Oven-Baked Dog Food

Oven-baked dog food is exactly what it sounds like – baked in the oven. Oven cooking is a slower process which is done in small batches. I definitely appreciate the extra time and quality control when it comes to feeding my fluffies.

While the extrusion process leaves the kibble with less than 40% of it’s vitamins and minerals, baking retains almost 100% of the initial nutrients. This means your dog is getting his/her vitamins and minerals from real food. Baking also ensures the protein sources included in the initial recipe survive the cooking process leaving you with a more flavorful, nutrient-dense food.

But it must be crazy expensive.

You know, that’s what I thought too until I did a bit more research. Turns out baked kibble weighs about 20% less than the extruded variety. This means that a 25 lb bag of dog food will have approximately 20 more cups if it’s baked than extruded. Since it is also much more nutrient dense, you may end up feeding less overall!

Wellness TruFood

When we were at BlogPaws, we had the opportunity to meet some wonderful people from Wellness that introduced us to the TruFood line. Mauja and Atka went BANANAS for the CocoChia bakes. These delicious, crunchy treats are made with meat, vegetables, coconut oil, and other wonderful ingredients. The fluffies are really enjoying the CocoChia salmon, coconut oil, and spinach variety.

Even more, they LOVED the food. With 70% more protein than other similar brands (thanks to the baking process), it is irresistible. Getting pictures for this post was a challenge as they kept drooling all over the place! I went through several drool rags during this photoshoot… 😉

Wellness TruFood is unique from many other brands as you can actually see the goodness in the kibble. Not only are there air-dried fruit and veggie pieces, but living superfood nuggets as well. These nuggets are naturally colored from beets and turmeric and packed with other superfoods such as kale and blueberries. To top it off, they are coated in live yogurt cultures for a natural source of probiotics to increase digestibility.

Wellness TruFood Baked Blends currently has a few formulas to choose from:

Chicken, Chicken Liver, and Flaxseed (adult)
Salmon, Turkey Liver, and Flaxseed (adult)
Lamb, Turkey Liver, and Chickpeas (adult)
Chicken, Chicken Liver, and Chickpeas (small breed adult)
Chicken, Chicken Liver, and Flaxseed (puppy)

The TruFood line also includes Tasty Pairings which are food our wet food eating friends.

So what do you think? Would your furry friend like to try the Wellness TruFood line? You’re in luck! Wellness was kind enough to provide TWO fantastic prizes! Prize 1 is one (1) 18 lb bag of Wellness TruFood Baked Blends and Prize 2 is one (1) gift basket of Wellness wet food and treats!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
About the giveaway: No purchase necessary. Giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only, except where prohibited by law. Giveaway will run from June 16 through June 24, 2015 at 11:59pm EST. Two (2) winners will be randomly selected and notified via email. Winners will have 48 hours to claim their prizes; failure to do so will result in forfeiture of the prize. Facebook and Twitter do not sponsor, administer, or endorse this promotion. Participants must read and agree to Rafflecopter’s Privacy Policy before entering and participating in this promotion.

Revel Frozen Treats: The Honest Kitchen

June 2, 2015 16 Comments

Atka is the weirdest dog ever. He does not like peanut butter and we recently found out he doesn’t like some of the flavors from The Honest Kitchen. Mauja goes bananas when she smells me preparing the food; Atka looks at me like I have offended him. The Honest Kitchen makes some seriously awesome stuff. Atka is just a weirdo.

We received samples of the new Revel flavor in our swag bag at BlogPaws this past weekend. I wanted to find a way for both dogs to enjoy the food, and I figured a frozen treat just might do the trick. So, I created the Revel Frozen Treats.

These are super quick and easy and only require a few steps. Here we go!

What You Will Need:

1/2 cup Revel dog food from The Honest Kitchen
1 small container of plain, non-fat greek yogurt
Chicken
Carrots (or other veggie)
Low-sodium chicken broth, if necessary

What To Do:

1. Cook up your chicken. I cooked the fluffies’ in coconut oil for some added health benefits (olive oil is great, too!).

2. While the chicken cools, mix up your Revel food per package instructions. I used both sample packets, which required 2/3 of a cup of water. Let sit for the food to absorb the water.

3. Mix in your greek yogurt. Make sure to break for a taste test!

4. Finely dice your carrots (or other veggies) and chicken.

5. Mix carrots and chicken into the Revel/greek yogurt mixture.

6. If your mixture is thin enough, add it to your freezer molds. My molds are tiny so I needed to thin the mixture a bit. I added some low-sodium chicken broth until it reached the desired consistency; then I added it to the molds.

7. Freeze and enjoy!

I love this recipe because it is so versatile. You can substitute a favorite food flavor, meat, or vegetable to get a result that suits every pooch! Do you think your dog would enjoy this summer treat?

Want a pinnable image?

We’re joining Kol’s Notes and Sugar the Golden Retriever for Tasty Tuesday!

Pet Paw-Looza Sampling Event #PetPawLooza

May 20, 2015 18 Comments

This week, things are going to the dogs. All of our pooches need a little extra pampering, am I right? Of course I am!

Hold on. What the fluffy is a sampling event?

Awesome. That’s what a sampling event is. Pet Paw-Looza is a one week event where you will be able to learn about some amazing products and brands. If you participate in the sampling event, you even have the opportunity to win some of these amazing products!

Okay, cool! But how do I participate?

There are several ways to participate in the Pet Paw-Looza sampling event. Here’s a run-down of how to get involved.

RSVP To Win

When you RSVP to Pet Paw-Looza, you will be entered to win a gift basket with products from the brands participating in the sampling event. What’s more important is that you will have access to the official Pet Paw-Looza calendar. This calendar is your must have resource for success in the sampling event! The calendar will keep you up to date on sampling events for each brand.

Wish For It Phase

After you have RSVP’d and received the official calendar, you will be able to “Wish For” the product samples you would like to receive from brands hosting a Sampling Event. Share your “wishes” on social media so your friends know what samples you would like!

Sampling Events

The Sampling Events are the real reason behind the Wish For It phase. You see, you can only send products to friends! In order to receive your desired products, you will need to let others know what you would like to win. I highly encourage you to find a friend before the sampling events begin so you can send the products you wished for to each other. Time to bring back the buddy system! (Make sure to use the links provided in this post to get to each sampling event.)

Flash Giveaways

Okay, here’s when things start to get crazy. There will also be flash giveaways on the Facebook pages of participating bloggers. You won’t know what the giveaway is until it is posted, so make sure you utilize your calendar to know when to check for each flash giveaways.

Holy fluffy! What brands are participating?

Riley’s Organic Dog Treats

These delicious, organic treats have no wheat, corn, soy, pesticides, preservatives, added sugar, added salt, or animal by-products. With flavors such as Peanut Butter & Molasses, Sweet Potato, Apple, and Pumpkin & Coconut, there’s sure to be a flavor to suit every pooch. Even better – these treats come in large AND small sizes! While the fluffies may disagree, the small bones are perfect for training!

Isle of Dogs

Rain and white, fluffy dogs don’t mix. Period. Wet weather typically means the dreaded “b word” for the fluffies (I dread it, too!). All I can say about their shampoo is, “yum!” The scent is amazing, but the best part is the use of natural ingredients. Who wants to put chemicals on their dog? They have solutions for every coat/skin condition and treats so you can suck up to your dog after bath time 😉

Unique Natural Products

As you have probably figured out by now, I try to avoid chemicals in my house. Just a few days ago, we had a rescue puppy in our care for a few hours and boy, did this stuff come in handy! We used it to clean up several little piddle spots. Neither fluffy marked the cleaned up spots so I’m confident Unique Natural Products produces effective products!

By Nature

Dogs and cats alike can experience the tasty options from By Nature. With different formulas for grain free feeding and ensuring balanced diets, your dog (or cat!) will always receive the necessary nutrition. A variety of protein sources such as turkey, ocean whitefish, and pork make this food ideal for pups with allergies. Did I mention By Nature is made in the USA? Always a fluffy selling point!

Bravo Pet Foods

We have yet to find a Bravo product that we don’t like. The treats, chews, and food always pass the fluffy approval test. Their absolute favorite is the freeze-dried raw food (and we don’t even feed raw!). The freeze-dried food is a great way to vary up their diet and keep things interesting. I always notice a lack of patience from Mauja and Atka while their food rehydrates – that’s how I know it’s good!

Northern Pet Products

Dental chews, treats, what more could your dog want?! For us humans, we expect a bit more. Northern Pet Products are made with fresh, local fruits and veggies and made in small batches to ensure the best quality. On top of that, they don’t use any artificial ingredients. Even more, they are environmentally conscious and use recyclable, compostable, and renewable paper. Happy pups, happy people!

We absolutely love the brands participating in the Pet Paw-Looza Sampling Event. I mean seriously… look at those happy faces!

Remember, you need to RSVP to take part in the Pet Paw-Looza extravaganza! After you RSVP, don’t forget to “wish for” the products you want to sample and find your Sampling Event buddy!

What products are you most interested in trying?

Fluffy Soccer

March 20, 2015 9 Comments

Keeping your dog (and yourself) fit is vital to a long, healthy life. We had beautiful weather last weekend and wanted to get outside and enjoy it. One of our favorite things to do with the fluffies is go out into the backyard and play a game of soccer. Mauja always prefers to chase the soccer ball, while Atka likes the orange water ball.

Mauja’s got some great moves. She will actually “dribble” the ball a few steps before picking it up.

They are really particular about which balls they play with. They each stick to their favorite ball and wait their turn.

I love when their huge jowls flop over their toys 😉

After about an hour of running around the yard, we were all pretty tired. Mauja’s expression says it all. Such a happy face 🙂

Atka’s big, droopy tongue says we’ve worn him out. Nothing better than a tired puppy!

How do you get active with your dogs?

Look Who’s Happy, Atka!

October 16, 2014 8 Comments

I’m horrible at making dog treats.

It’s not that I can’t make them; I just never take the time to do it. Every weekend I come up with a treat idea that I’m DEFINITELY going to make. That rarely ever happens.

I’m also very picky with what I allow the fluffies to eat. I won’t just grab any treat off the shelf for them to try. [Read more…] about Look Who’s Happy, Atka!

Bravo Homestyle Complete

October 7, 2014 21 Comments

Raw is confusing.

I’ll admit, I’ve been curious about raw, but I have no desire to feed it full time to the fluffies. They are both doing wonderful on their kibble and being a vegetarian, I much prefer dealing with that than raw meat. [Read more…] about Bravo Homestyle Complete

Caru Means “to Love”

September 16, 2014 20 Comments

Caru means “to love”.

Such a fitting name for dog nutrition. [Read more…] about Caru Means “to Love”

Mauja Gets it Her Way with pawTree

September 4, 2014 29 Comments

Dog food.

Natural, organic, grain free, raw, freeze dried…

Is there anything more confusing?

I prefer to make sure Mauja and Atka aren’t limited to one type of food. Mauja tends to get bored pretty easily and I don’t blame her. Why would she want to eat the same food day in and day out? It’s my goal to ensure that the pups get plenty of healthy variety, but I definitely have my favorites for them. [Read more…] about Mauja Gets it Her Way with pawTree