we love dr. tim's genuine freeze dried treats

When you think of a "treat" for yourself, you think of something special outside of your normal diet, right? Perhaps you think of something indulgent. That's okay, because it's just a treat–something in which you partake on occasion. Our pets sometimes end up getting even more treats than we do. Who can resist those adorable faces? 

Pure and simple.

I know that when we give our dog, N.A.S.H.A., a treat, we want it to be full of only good things. We don't do artificial colors or flavors, and we don't want 372 ingredients in the mix, because, who knows what half that stuff is, anyway? We look for something pure and healthy that will benefit her. As far as the indulgent aspect, N.A.S.H.A. lets us know which treats she likes, and there aren't many. She's pretty picky.

When chewy.com gave me the opportunity to try Dr. Tim's Genuine Freeze Dried Treats, I had a pretty good feeling they would be a hit. We received the Natural Beef Chips to sample, but other varieties include Natural Chicken Chips, Natural Turkey Chips, Natural Beef Liver, Clean Tripe, and Natural Oxtail Chips.

One glance at the ingredient list let me know we were headed in the right direction. Don't blink. you might miss it.

Ingredients: beef hearts

N.A.S.H.A. waits patiently for her first taste.

Only one ingredient. The treats are made with 100% all real USDA inspected meat from Wisconsin. Knowing the beef comes from the U.S.A.–not China–is something that is becoming increasingly important to all pet parents. We can feel safe with Dr. Tim's.

These treats provide all the nutrition and flavor of raw meat without the mess, and they are designed to be delightful to both cats and dogs. So many of us purchase separate treats for the different species in our families, but now you don't have to! I wouldn't recommend feeding them to your fish or rabbit, but at least we can get our cats and dogs on the same page. 

So were they a hit in our house? Absolutely! N.A.S.H.A. was eager and happy to sample the Natural Beef Chips. These high-quality simple treats made the cut, and we are excited to add them to our lineup of trusted and desired treat options. We even had some eager friends on hand to verify our assessment. 

Our friends liked the treats, too.

Check out Dr. Tim's line of Genuine Freeze Dried Treats

Purchase Dr. Tim's Natural Beef Chips and other varieties at chewey.com

Connect with Dr. Tim's on Facebook and Twitter.

Connect with chewy.com on Facebook and Twitter.

Chewy.com provided us with a sample of Dr. Tim's Genuine Freeze Dried Treats–Natural Beef Chips in exchange for our honest review. Well Minded only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Neither Chewy.com or Dr. Tim's are responsible for the content of this article.

petbrosia's new grain-free option: review and #giveaway

Have you been wanting to give Petbrosia a try, but hesitated because you want to keep your pet on a grain-free diet? We've loved Petbrosia for a long time, but we just got even more excited because they've introduced a grain-free option! Woo-hoo! Their web site says:

Petbrosia now offers salmon as a protein choice for your dog and cat. Raised and harvested in the U.S.A., Petbrosia's Salmon Diet is the ideal choice when looking for an alternative protein source to feed your pet. We start with a single protein source–real salmon–cut out the fillers commonly found in other dog foods (grain free–no rice, wheat, corn, soy, gluten, or white potato), and create the perfect blend customized to meet your pet's individual needs.

If you've not heard about Petbrosia, yet, let me fill you in! Petbrosia makes a high-quality pet food for both dogs and cats that is customized for your pet based on age, breed, and lifestyle. The custom blend is delivered right to your door, and shipping is free if you enroll in their auto-ship option. With each delivery comes a detailed profile of the food with an ingredient list, nutritional information, and feeding instructions.

Until now, all of their custom blends included high-quality grains, and the only protein option was chicken, a formula that works well for many, but not for those pets with allergies or grain sensitivities. Now everyone can enjoy the benefits of a custom pet food.

I'm not going to lie...the kids and I weren't thrilled the last time we purchased salmon dog food. My daughter would dry heave at the smell of it (or perhaps she was simply trying to get out of feeding the dog). She asked me to promise to never bring salmon food into the house again. But I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try Petbrosia's new protein source. We were pleasantly  surprised that the odor wasn't nearly as "fishy" as others we've tried. Sure, you can tell if you stick your head in the bag and take a deep breath (yes, I did that), but when going through our regular feeding routine, it smells just fine! Bonus!

Petbrosia is offering our readers the chance to win a 3-pound bag of their new grain-free salmon food. And–get this–just for entering, they will send everyone who doesn't win a coupon for $10 off their first box. So you win just for entering! So...go ahead...enter now...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

More information:

Petbrosia web site

Petbrosia grain-free salmon

Well Minded is an affiliate of Petbrosia. I received a box of grain-free salmon food in exchange for my honest review. Well Minded only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Petbrosia is not responsible for the content of this article.

increasing the vitality of your pet naturally with #SomaPet

Each night at dinner time our dog, N.A.S.H.A., gets Apple Cider Vinegar and UltraOil in her food. She's been taking these supplements for some time because they are natural and effective. Plus, she loves them. She now turns her nose up at any food that doesn't smell strongly of vinegar! I thought we were pretty set in our canine supplement routine, but then I learned about SomaPet, a supplement by SomaLife.

What is SomaPet? SomaPet is a proprietary combination of organic, pure free-form crystalline amino acids that help jumpstart your pet's natural processes of cell repair and regeneration.

I knew that we had to try it. It comes in powder form and contains only natural, 100% organic ingredients. It is sugar free, gluten free, and fat free, and contains no preservatives, additives, fillers, or artificial coloring. And it's vegan. Our family tries our best to keep chemicals out of our bodies, so I was thrilled to see that such an amazing supplement had been created for our pets. SomaPet can increase a pet's vitality and longevity by helping immune function, promoting natural healing, helping maintain healthy energy levels, improving the skin and coat and improving nervous function and bone strength. With N.A.S.H.A. on the eve of her ninth birthday, I was ready to kick things up a notch.

I learned that the supplement was created by Dr. Phillip White, who noticed his beloved German Shepherd, Rover, struggling with mobility as he aged. Dr. White wanted to help Rover's quality of life and began giving him SomaLife's Youth Formula. It helped Rover so quickly and dramatically that Dr. White developed SomaPet so all pet parents could experience the benefits.

I could see that there was nothing bad to be found in SomaPet (my first criteria) so I then wondered what it could do for N.A.S.H.A. Would it benefit her? The SomaPet web site described how it could:

The ultimate dietary supplement, SomaPet consists of a synergistic combination of free form L-amino acids designed to assist:

• strengthens collagen and bones

• improves immune system

• renews vitality

• helps reduce body fat

• healthier skin and coat

• promotes cellular energy

• increases healing

Wow. Sign me up. I mean, sign N.A.S.H.A. up.

As you probably already know, N.A.S.H.A. is quite picky, so I was a little bit concerned about whether she would take to another addition to her food. I added our usual ACV and UltraOil, then sprinkled a scoop of SomaPet onto her food and gave it a dazzling chef-like toss. She was impressed. I must have sold it, because she gave it a sniff, looked at me, then dove right in. She either loved the way the SomaPet tasted or didn't notice it there. Either way–winning.

Seriously. My scraggly dog is now silky thanks to SomaPet.

N.A.S.H.A. has now been taking SomaPet for two weeks. Though I can't tell how it's affected her bone density or immune function, I am amazed to see a transformation in her skin and coat. She's not an overly stinky dog, but she doesn't typically smell like roses, either. Since she's been on SomaPet, she has no odor whatsoever. This odor-fighting thing is not an advertised benefit, but I attribute that to the increased health of her skin. I also notice how her coat is really soft. She's a scraggly little thing, and her coat is pretty wiry and obnoxious no matter what we do. Even straight out of the bath, she looks like she hasn't been bathed in years. But, now, her coat is much softer, somehow. Perhaps my imagination, but this new look coincided with our introduction of SomaPet.

N.A.S.H.A.'s mobility seems to have improved. She's always been pretty spry, but I've noticed that in the past year, it's been more difficult for her to get up on our high bed (Of course she sleeps in the bed with us). She'd have to back up and take a running start, and she wouldn't always make it on the first try. It made me sad to see this change in her, but since she's been taking SomaPet, she springs right up with no do-overs!

Silky SomaPet supermodel.

I've also noticed that N.A.S.H.A.'s activity level has increased. She's a pretty playful dog, anyway, but lately she's been asking us to play more times each day and she plays for longer periods. This makes me so happy because she loves to play fetch and catch (yes, she throws back to us), and when I'd tried to engage her over the past few months, she wasn't as interested as she'd been in the past. I even started calling her my "little old lady." Since she's been on SomaPet, I've definitely seen an increase in her activity level. 

I'm thrilled to have discovered SomaPet and will definitely make it a permanent part of N.A.S.H.A.'s supplement mix. Though I can't see how it's benefiting her on the inside, I am confident that it is due to the big improvements I've seen on the outside. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a holistic supplement for their adult or aging pet. 

Join me for a SomaPet Twitter Chat on July 22nd from 8:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. EST. Use #BlogPawsChat to join the fun and have a chance to win a bottle of SomaPet!

Purchase SomaPet here.

Check out the SomaPet web site here.

Learn more about the science behind SomaPet here.

SomaPet FAQ

Connect with SomaPet and SomaLife on Facebook and Twitter.

This post is sponsored by SomaPet and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about SomaPet, but well minded only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. SomaPet is not responsible for the content of this article.

the simplicity of nutrisource pure vita sweet potato freeze-dried treats

We all read labels, now. And not just for our own foods, but for pet foods, as well. It's important to know what is in what we put into our bodies so that we can make educated choices. My nutritionist friend always tells me that a good rule of thumb is to try not to eat any food that has more than five ingredients. So when chewy.com gave me the opportunity to try NutriSource PureVita Sweet Potato Freeze-dried Delights for Dogs, the first thing I did was check out the ingredient list. Guess how many ingredients are on the list. 

Go ahead, guess.

Want the answer?

One. One ingredient is on the list: "freeze dried sweet potato." No wondering or guessing with this dog treat. 

The treats are natural and made in the U.S.A., are grain-free, vegan, and are healthy for dogs in all life stages. So what more do you need to know? Oh...I suppose you'd like to hear from the dogs.

As usual, my N.A.S.H.A. turned her nose up at them and gave me a few blinks, as if to say, "when are you going to bring out the real treats?" Typical. We know we can't trust her treat judgement. Once again, I had to outsource my trials with some willing clients. Let's see what they thought:

The reviews are in.

Three out of four dogs agree, these sweet potato treats rock. And we can feel great about giving such a simple one-ingredient reward to our pups. It's all good. 

More information or to purchase:

PureVita Sweet Potato Freeze-dried Dog Treats on chewy.com

You might also want to check out:

fromm's chicken with carrots and peas recipe treats for dogs are the real deal

Chewy.com provided me with a package of PureVita Sweet Potato Freeze-dried Dog Treats in exchange for my honest opinion. Well Minded only reviews products that we think would benefit our readers. All opinions are my own.

pet weight loss without deprivation: theo's success with #HillsPet

When a pet develops a weight problem, the first thing vets usually recommend is a diet–reduced food intake. It makes sense, right? A pet needs to consume less calories than he burns during the day in order to lose weight. A restrictive diet can be challenging, though, and we hate to feel like we're depriving our animals. My sister puts it well. She's always wanting to lose a few pounds and says "I sure wish I was a dog so someone would put me on a diet." Exactly. It's hard to do it on our own! Our dogs and cats are lucky in the sense that they can lose weight if we put them on a diet, but they are completely at our mercy. And diets for dogs and cats can be so restrictive. We want them to be happy and feel satisfied.

We've all tried a crash diet, right? We achieved some temporary results, but we felt a bit like the devil was inside us? We were hungry!

Theo was no stranger to table scraps or to cuteness. Photo credit: Alice G. Patterson Photography via Daily Dog Tag

Meet Theo. (Awwwww! Isn't he fabulous?) Theo's family put him on a diet, and he wasn't so happy about it. He had achieved some weight loss success with help from his owner, Beth, but he was feeling very deprived.

Beth and her family adopted Theo, an adorable puggle, last July from The Humane Association of Central New York. He was about four years old. Beth recalls "Theo was overweight when we met him at the rescue. But to be honest, I thought he was adorable just the way he was. Theo was 38 pounds when we brought him home!"

The vet thought Theo's ideal weight would be about 30 pounds.

As soon as they brought Theo home, it became obvious that his previous owners had fed him table scraps. Knowing Theo could stand to lose a few pounds, Beth and her family did not follow suit. They reduced his food intake and increased his activity level. "Theo started losing weight, and I thought we were well on our way to a healthier dog," Beth reflected. By Christmas, Theo had lost a fair amount of weight, but by January, his family started to notice that he seemed hungry all the time and they saw a change in his behavior. 

Theo looks ready to hit the hors d'oeuvres. Photo credit: Alice G. Patterson Photography via Daily Dog Tag

Theo figured out how to work the foot pedal on the garbage can and started helping himself to anything he could reach. If someone dropped food, Theo was aggressive about claiming it. He tried to steal treats and food from the other dogs. In short, he was miserable and so was I. So I gave up his diet to help get back the pleasant dog I adopted. –Beth

Soon after making this decision, Beth discovered Hill's® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution, a food that activates a pet's metabolism to regulate appetite and burn fat. It does not require depriving or restricting your pet. Beth hoped that this would be the answer to Theo's hunger issue, yet allow him to continue to lose weight because, she said "being so hungry brought out a side of Theo that I wasn't really comfortable with." When Theo began the Hill's® program, he weighed 32.4 pounds. Though he seemed to get around okay and accomplish all he loved to do–best of all playing with the kids–the veterinarian recommended that to be at his best, Theo would need to lose a few more pounds.

After feeding Theo the Hill's® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution for nearly four months, Beth reports that it seems to be working well. Theo has lost a bit more than a pound, and considering that he's so close to ideal weight, now, that's pretty awesome. Beth says that "the most important part of this system to me is Theo seems to be satisfied during the day. He isn't constantly looking for food or whining for food." And it's really easy. Theo gets a cup of food in the morning and 3/4 of a cup at night, plus a few extra pieces of food along with the Hill's® treats to dole out to him here and there (he's so deserving...just look at those adorable eyes–er–hold that thought...that's how we got into trouble in the first place).

Theo now weighs in at 31 pounds. He's only got an itty-bitty way to go. You can do it, Theo! We know Hill's® will help him achieve his ideal weight. Check out how awesome he looks...he's so happy!

What a handsome fellow! Photo credit: Daily Dog Tag

A special thanks to Beth Patterson and her family (and especially to darling Theo) for helping me share their story. Well Minded wishes Theo a lifetime of health and happiness. To learn more about Theo's weight loss journey and cheer him along, please visit him on the Daily Dog Tag blog:

Will Theo Be in the 88% Success Category?

Theo's Weight Loss Journey With #HillsPet

More information about Hill's® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution: 

if bear can do it, any pet can: gaining back your friend with #HillsPet

is your pet overweight? let's get real

#HillsPet redefines love by helping our pets achieve healthy weight loss

Hills® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution Web Site

Hill's® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution Product for Dogs

Hill's® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution Product for Cats

If your pet has tried Hill's® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution, Hill's® would love to hear about it and celebrate with you. On their Ratings and Reviews Facebook Page, you can share your stories and celebrate others' success. Join me!

Hill's® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution Ratings and Reviews

This post is sponsored by Hill's® and the Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill's® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Food, but Well Minded only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.