Natural Dog Snout Soother #Review

Dry skin isn't just a problem for us humans, you know. Along with dry skin and fur, dogs noses can take a lot of damage and dryness too. Natural Dog Company has come up with the perfect solution for dogs noses, and more!

Their Natural Dog Snout Soother is an all natural balm made from shea nut butter, organic hempseed oil, kukui nut oil, sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, rosemary extract, natural vitamin e, and candelilla wax. [click here to find out more about these ingredients] Natural Dog Company lists on their website that their Snout Soother can be used for:

• dry/cracked/chapped/crusty dog nose
• hyperkeratosis
• nose rolls and folds
• pain relief
• windburn prevention
• natural sunscreen (kukui nut oil, shea nut butter, and vitamin e provide about a spf 9)
• extreme weather protection
• dry dog skin
• rashes and skin irritations
• puppy acne
• fading scars
• canine dry eye
• discoid lupus
• brachycephalic breeds
• potassium bromide nose
• shiny show dog noses
• and people too! (feet, elbows, knees, hands, face, lips...)

Now, I'll admit that after I read up on this product, I really felt like I had been neglecting the chis' noses. They never looked cracked to me, but I will also [shamefully] say that I never paid *close* attention to their noses. I had tried different balms in the past for Venus' paws because of her allergies causing redness, dryness, and cracking as well as her itch-relieving chewing wrecking complete havoc on her nails. Of course after paying closer attention, I noticed how dry and chapped Venus' nose was!

 

When we first received our Snout Soother we started applying it every morning and night. I noticed a difference as soon as I applied the balm to Venus' nose. The results would last a few hours at first, but after a few weeks I was able to start applying the balm just once a day as her nose had begun to repair itself with the use of the Snout Soother. I always apply it right before bed so it can work it's hardest while she's sleeping and her body is busy healing itself. Of course both Venus and Ocean try to lick at it as soon as I rub it on their noses, but since the balm is 100% natural there was no reason to worry! Of course, this was a great time for the girls to play with their Nina Ottosson puzzle while I waited for the balm to soak in.

I've been very happy with our Natural Dog Snout Soother! Not only has it kept the girls' noses in check, but I've been using it on Venus' paws as well, and for the first time after trying several different balms over the years, I have finally noticed a dramatic improvement! I've been using it on Gabe's cheeks, on my legs and hands, and we've both been using it as a lip balm.

Natural Dog Snout Soother can be purchased on their website; a 2oz tin for $15.95, a travel size for $4.95, and a tin of each for $17.95. Natural Dog Company also ships internationally.

You can connect with Natural Dog Company on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube.

***Make sure to come back for a giveaway featuring a 2oz gift wrapped tin of Natural Dog Company's Snout Soother!***

Disclaimer: Baby and the Chi's received the item(s) mentioned above for the purpose of providing a 100% honest review. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this review.

Ocean Had A Seizure

I'm still panicky right now, so I apologize if this post seems scattered.

Jer took off work today because he has only been getting part of a day off each weekend instead of the whole weekend, and it's really been hard on Gabe, so he stayed home with Gabe and the girls while I had class this morning. When I got home Jer mentioned that Ocean had been really clingy and whiny today, which I assumed was because I was gone because she's more attached to me than Jer or Gabe.

I was home for a couple hours and Ocean started pacing really fast, I thought she suddenly had to go out so I pulled the hose out of the fish tank (was in the middle of a water change) and before I could turn around Jer was calling to Ocean to please stop and telling her that she was ok. I turned around and she was spinning in circles and her eyes kept darting back and forth. I started screaming and crying and scooped her up into my arms trying to calm her. She was able to come out of it, Venus was frantically trying to lick her, and Jer kept explaining that that's what Missy used to do during her seizures. 

Missy (for anyone who may not remember my mentioning her back in this blogs days before Gabe) was a chihuahua mix Jer had bought for his mom a month before she passed away. After Jer's dad remarried, his new wife and him got into a huge fight and [being more concerned with making a scene and upsetting each other than paying attention] they backed out of the driveway out of rage and ran over her. She bled out in Jer's arms.
 
I've sent an email to Oceans previous owner asking if she has a history with seizures that she failed to mention or if this would be the first time.  I'm also trying to find a vet that will be able to check her over thoroughly and take payments from us so we can see what's going on. She seems fine now, but I'm worried for her, and I know Jer cannot emotionally handle going through this with another dog. Thankfully Gabe was in the bathroom for the majority of everything so we didn't have to try to explain what was happening to him.
 
I'm just asking that if you can, please keep Ocean in your thoughts and pray this was a one time thing. I plan to keep you all updated as we find out more.

@Yoghund YoPup Probiotic Biscuits #Review

While walking through the pet section of any local store it's easy to feel overwhelmed by all the treats available to your furry pal. It can be difficult to find treats that are healthy and safe for your dog, but have you seen many that are really beneficial to their health and bodily functions? Yoghund has developed a unique line of treats that ease digestive upset due to diet change, exposure to unknown people or dogs, a routine change, or stress and anxiety with the use of probiotics. Yoghund adds these amazing little probiotics to three of their products:

• Frozen Yogurt: with 6 added strains of live bacteria cultures. Available in All Natural Banana & Peanut Butter, All Natural Apple & Cheddar, Organic Banana & Peanut Butter, and Organic Blueberry & Vanilla Bean.
• Mutt Love: treats drizzled with probiotic icing. Available in Belly Balance (digestive blend) and Immune Tune (immunity blend).
• YoPup Probiotic Biscuits: biscuits drizzled with probiotic icing. Available in Happy Belly (pink icing supports healthy digestion), Wellness Builder (peach icing builds your dogs immune defenses), Odor Control (yellow icing settles bacteria imbalances), and Less Stress (blue icing helps your dog manage stress by calming). 

Yoghund sent us Happy Belly YoPup Probiotic Biscuits to try out. The bag itself it cutely designed and the biscuits look like something you would buy from a specialty shop, the way the probiotic icing is drizzled so nicely over the top. I gave Venus one a day, and Ocean a half each day broken up due to her missing teeth. I noticed more firmness in their poops, which have been runnier on the days I have to kennel them while I'm at college.

I am truly impressed with these biscuits. I wasn't sure that a biscuit with some delicious looking healthiness dribbled on them would really make a difference, but it did and it was a quite noticable difference at that! I'm very glad we were able to try these out with the girls and give them something to ease their tummies while I am away from home.

You can find out more about Yoghund, including where to purchase their wonderful products, on their website. You can also connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo, YouTube, and Google +.

Disclaimer: Baby and the Chi's blog was the product mentioned above for review purposes only. No monetary compensation was received to provide this 100% honest review.

Annie's Macaroni & Cheese Microwavable Cups

Thank you to Influenster and Annie's Homegrown for sending us this cup for review!

Snack time is rough. Kids get sick of the same old things. Even sprucing up lunch time can be quite a task. I'm so glad we were sent a cup of Annie's Homegrown White Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese. Usually Gabe is a good eater, but he does grow bored with his usual favorites from time to time. I was amazed to see him munch down this organic pasta and real cheese with gusto! 

~ Quick ~ Easy ~ Delicious ~

Dr. Scholls For Her Comfort Insoles to the Rescue!

Thank you Influenster for sending us these amazing inserts from Dr Scholl's!

Having foot and back problems, I've tried several different expensive inserts in the past with claims to ease the pain I was experiencing, but none ever could. I had long since given up on inserts and came to the realization that I would always have to just deal with the pain. This year has been the worse, with the cold weather coming in overnight I've been in too much pain to walk.

Influenster recently sent me a pair of Dr Scholl's for Her inserts in their latest MamaVoxBox and I skeptically decided to try them out. However, I was pleasantly surprised! They are super squishy, and the comfort lasts! I was able to wear my shoes out for the day and walk comfortably, and wasn't raring to kick my shoes off as soon as I walked through the door.

Dr Scholl's has made me a lifetime customer and a believer in comfortable insoles. I couldn't be happier! I recommend buying a pair for each pair of shoes you wear regularly, so you don't have to move them out and around each day.

@FizzionClean Pet Stain and Odor Remover #Review

When you own a dog (or cat, or maybe any other pet that's free to roam your home) accidents are bound to happen. Even the best trained dog can have an "off" day. Heck, maybe you just have kids! Any parent knows what I'm talking about... (it's ok, go ahead and laugh to yourself, you deserve it!). My point is, most everyone who is reading this right now has had to clean up some sort of accident at one time or another. Luckily, Fizzion is there to help you get through it!

Fizzion has created a new range of products that have the lowest carbon footprint in their product category. Instead of flooding your local stores multiple big bottles of cleaning products that are loosing their potency while they sit in storage, Fizzion supplies you with a tablet that you drop into a spray bottle filled with plain tap water. Once the tab "fizzes" away and completely dissolves, you have yourself a whole bottle of non-toxic green cleaning magic. Ok, so it's not really magic, it's actually the power of CO2... but it's about as close as you'll get when it comes to keep your home clean and healthy.

As you may have guessed, our family was sent Fizzions' pet stain and odor remover tablets along with an empty spray bottle. Products which call themselves green leave me a little skeptical to begin with, but when I actually saw that little tablets that are supposed to power pack my water with enough force to clean up after my son and dogs, I had to laugh to myself a little.

After I scolded myself, I filled up the bottle and watched the tablet dissolve...

Lucky enough for me, Gabe came down with the flu two days after I received my package in the mail, so I got to try it out on the couch when he couldn't make it to the potty (poor little guy, thankfully he only felt super cruddy for about a day). I soaked up as much as I could with some prefolds and then sprayed the area down.

before

after

Fizzion did a fairly good job removing the staining left behind, but I did have to spray it down a second time to remove the urine odor. However, for complete lack of harsh cleaning chemicals in the this product, I consider this a win. We also had a couple incidents recently where Ocean peed on the carpet because it was cold and rainy outside. I have to point out that once I blotted those spots and sprayed them with Fizzion, there was no smell left behind once the area had dried. Overall, I'm extremely impressed with this product and plan to keep it on hand for both home and work.

You can find lots of useful information on Fizzion's website including stain removal and cleaning tips, as well as information for purchase and to sign up for their newsletter. You can also connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

*Fizzion and I would love to offer all my amazing readers (yeah, that's you!) a coupon code good for 50% off any purchase made at www.fizzionclean.com . Just enter code BABY&CHI at the check-out! Thank you for being a loyal fan of our blog, and we hope you'll take advantage of this incredible discount offer!*

Disclaimer: Baby and the Chi's received the product(s) mentioned above for review purposes only. No monetary compensation was received for this post.

Nina Ottosson Dog Puzzle #Review

  I've enjoyed solely being a stay-at-home mommy these past few years (yeah.. I can't believe Gabe will be three in just a couple months!), but I've enjoyed going to school as well. This wasn't an easy transition for everyone though. Gabe, who is used to always being home with mom, is now with a sitter every other day. Granted, it's always family, but it's something he's been having a little trouble getting used to. The chi's haven't been taking this very well either. I've noticed it's really put Venus in a slump, and Ocean (as I've mentioned in my post about the ThunderShirt) has developed a mild case of separation anxiety. In the hopes to ease their loneliness and anxiety, I went on the search for finding a way to keep my girls busy, and came across the products available by Nina Ottosson.

Nina Ottosson has been developing toys for the mental stimulation of dogs since 1990. All of their products are manufactured in accordance with the strict rules and laws of both California and Sweden. Her toys are designed to challenge your pet both physically and mentally, then reward them once they reveal the hidden treat(s). This kind if stimulation is important to prevent anxiety, boredom, stress, and over or under-activity in pets. Games such as Nina's are also offer the perfect type of motivation an old or injured dog needs when they can no longer go out for walks or other routine exercise. Nina recommends starting to use these games and activities with puppies as early as 10 weeks to aid in their training. Nina's games and puzzles come in varying levels of difficulty (1-beginners, 2-medium for most dogs, 3-advanced for smart dogs), are made of either wood or plastic, and are offered for not only dogs now but cats too!

photo courtesy of Nina Ottosson

We were sent Nina Ottosson's new MixMax Puzzle for dogs in both medium and advanced, made from plastic. This puzzle is unique in the fact that you can use each "puzzle piece" as a maze or game for your dog, or you can connect the pieces to make a large and more advanced game too.

Venus struggled at first, but once she got the hang of it, she got really excited as was determined to get the rest of the treats out. I found this puzzle to be perfect for food motivated dogs (like mine) because of the holes in the top of the pieces allowing you to easily fill them with treats also allow the dog to smell and taste what they are working for. 

You should do your best to supervise your dog when playing with these puzzles as the pieces are plastic and can easily be chewed. Also if you have children, if you aren't watching closely enough, your two year old son can help your dog cheap and "solve" the puzzle for them and give them all the treats... (oh wait, maybe that's just my house! HA!).

All kidding aside, this is an excellent toy. I'm really happy with the quality, the thought that went into designing it, and how well both Venus and Ocean enjoy it.

You can purchase these Nina Ottosson puzzles (and all their other amazing products) in their webshop for $24 each (or $64 for a pack of all three) plus the cost of shipping. You can also connect with them via their website, as well as Facebook and YouTube.

*Make sure to come back for a giveaway featuring the Nina Ottosson MixMax Puzzle in level 3!*

Baby and the Chi's was sent the product(s) listed above for the purpose of providing an honest review. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this review.