Merrick Holiday Recipes + #MerrickBestDayEver

Disclosure: Merrick sent three cases of their Fall & Winter Seasonal Recipes to Lapdog Creations, free of charge for review purposes. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions expressed are my own. 

Have you heard?  The Merrick Seasonal Recipes are here and they are a must for every #BestDogEver - as is the Best Game of Fetch Ever, but more about that later.

The Merrick Seasonal Recipes actually arrived on our doorstep well over a month ago, so we must apologize for our delay.  But, that means we've had plenty of time to really put the recipes to the taste test and they have all passed with flying leaves colors!

The Lapdogs love when the nice man in the brown truck shows up with boxes from our friends over at Merrick.  After all, they know they're about to be spoiled.  Tut and Sophie tried to keep the secret from little sister Penny, but she's way too smart to be fooled by their hound-brains.

 

 

Merrick Seasonals are always a big hit at our house.  Heck, we've even been known to hoard stock up on certain favorite flavors. Don't judge, you never know for sure which ones Merrick will - or gasp, won't - bring back! This year's fall/winter offerings include two popular comebacks, as well as two brand new recipes.

• Gameday Tailgate - a fan favorite coming back!
• The Lapdogs enjoyed this one on Patriots game day last season, and are wagging their tails for it again this year.  So much yumminess crammed into one can, it truly sounds like a gameday casserole that any human would love as well -  Chicken Thighs, Beef, Carrots, Peas, Bacon and Potatoes in a delicious gravy.
• Hero’s Banquet - brand new recipe!

• This one has quickly become a favorite of the Lapdogs and their humans.  The kids love it for the tasty combination of Turkey, Chicken, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots and Pears, and the humans love that it is a recipe that truly gives back!  That's right... For every can of Hero’s Banquet sold Merrick will make a donation to K9s For Warriors to support their mission of pairing specially trained rescue dogs with veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disability (PTSD).  How awesome is that?!?!
• Holly Jolly Pot Roast - brand new recipe!
• The second new addition to the fall/winter seasonal lineup was named by a Merrick Facebook fan as part of a 2015 social media contest. And as the name would imply, this one features Beef, Potatoes and Carrots in Beef Gravy.  Comfort food in a can!
• Forever Home Holiday Recipe - back for a second season!
• Another one that makes the humans smile a little bigger, Forever Home Holiday benefits homeless dogs, a cause near and dear to our hearts. For every can of Forever Home purchased during this holiday season, a meal will be donated to a local shelter. And, it's made with Beef, Chicken, Yukon Gold Potatoes, Red Delicious Apples and Peas - sure to please your pup!

Best of all, all four recipes are Grain Free, Made in the USA, and outstanding quality! 

The fall/winter seasonal recipes can be found at local pet food retailers who carry Merrick products, as well as at several online retailers, including Chewy.com.  Pick some up for your pooch today. 

Teutul wants everyone to know that Merrick Seasonals make great gifts for all of the good pups on Santa's list this year!  

I'm absolutely certain that he is correct.  Just look at that face. 

Now, let's talk about the Best Game of Fetch Ever contest! 

Merrick thinks every dog deserves the Best Day Ever, whether it's unending belly rubs or the ultimate game of fetch, and that's why they want to reward the #BestDogEver with the #BestDayEver

THE DETAILS...
Merrick is inviting pet parents across the country to share why their dog is the Best Dog Ever for a chance to win the Best Game of Fetch Ever with Drew Brees. 

HOW TO ENTER...
Submit a photo and brief narrative through Merrick's Facebook page before December 3

While the Lapdogs think the Best Game of Fetch Ever should be with the one-and-only Mr. Tom Brady, we won't hold it against them.  After all, Mr. Brees seems like a pretty cool dude too. 

It's a Wrap on Tut's FortiFlora Challenge with #Chewy

Disclosure: Chewy sent a 30 day supply of FortiFlora to Lapdog Creations, free of charge, for review purposes. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Teutul has just completed his 30-day FortiFlora challenge and his Mama is happy to report that it was a huge success!

To refresh your memory, our friends at Chewy asked us to participate in a 30-day challenge, using FortiFlora daily.  We got started at the beginning of October, and checked in with you a couple of weeks ago.

As we had mentioned, the challenge actually came about at the same time as Tut's pancreatitis diagnosis.  Ironic, but timely...

I have been putting one packet of FortiFlora in Tut's dinner each night for just over 30 days now and am happy to report that it is indeed helping to keep his tummy in check.  He seems to love it, and Mama loves how easy it is to use.

Not only does FortiFlora help to promote intestinal health and balance, it helps to reduce flatulence and is a fantastic supplement for dietary management of dogs with diarrhea.  Can you say winning?!

Tut actually had a visit with Dr. C last week and we discussed continuing with daily doses of FortiFlora.  I was considering dropping down to every-other-day, but she recommended that we continue with the daily dose. The active live cultures found in probiotics have proven to be beneficial to dogs for so long that with Tut's issues, it quite frankly seems to be common sense to stick with it.  And we will...

Dr. C and I discussed the fact that probiotics are truly beneficial for all of us - canine and human - which led me to ask if we should consider switching Tut to a human version (to possibly save some money), but she said no. Dr. C informed me that while our pets do well with some human meds (Pepcid and Benadryl are staples in our house for the 4-legged kids), when it comes to probiotics, canine formulas are the best option for our furbabies, and FortiFlora is one of her favorites. She uses it for her own dogs.

Fortunately, we can get our monthly boxes of FortiFlora for a very reasonable price at Chewy - and so can you!  I've found that's it's almost half the price of what our vet's office charges (she even suggested we look online for a better price - she's good like that).  Grab a box for your dog or cat today.  Remember, 1-2 day shipping is always free on orders of $49+, so you might as well grab some toys and treats while you're at it!  

Wordless Wednesday: One of These Things Is Not Like the Others

Wednesday already?  Well, let's get wordless...

 

 

 

Happy Veteran's Day!  Thank you to all those who have served, past and present, to protect our freedom.

Pumpkin Patch Up Is a Match-Up!

Disclosure: Chewy sent a box of Weruva Pumpkin Patch Up! to Lapdog Creations, free of charge, for review purposes. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Oops, it looks like we're a little late on telling you about the second goody from our friends at Chewy for October.  Tut was wondering if you've all been on the edge of your seat waiting to find out just what it was...

For those of you who were, it's the Weruva Pumpkin Patch Up! supplement for dogs and cats and the Lapdogs give it a big paws up, as does their Mama!

I've used canned pumpkin as a supplement in my dog's food in the past, so when I saw Weruva offered Pumpkin Patch Up!, I knew we had to try it.  After all, it's dubbed "The Happy Belly Maker" and happy doggy bellies make a happy doggy Mama!

Not to mention, the Lapdogs take after me in their love of all things pumpkin.  Which is a good thing, considering the many great health benefits pumpkin offers.  Whether used to aid in digestion, promote urinary health, or assist in weight loss, pumpkin is an all-star! 

One of the things I love most about Pumpkin Patch Up! is how convenient the single-serve pouches are.  In the past, I've always had to open up a can (whether it was labeled for humans or dogs) and would need to use it all before it went bad in the fridge.  While it isn't a huge issue in a multi-dog household, I can see it being a bigger issue for single-pet homes.

 

Plus, the Weruva pouches are perfect for traveling, hiking, camping, etc. You can quite literally toss a pouch or two anywhere and have easy access to a healthy treat or food supplement. 

Key Benefits of Pumpkin Patch Up!

• Supports Stool Quality
• Soluble & insoluble fibers
• Supports healthy gut motility
• Pureed for easy mixing
• Only 2 ingredients - pumpkin and water for processing
• BPA & Gluten-free

Pumpkin Patch Up! can be fed in conjunction with your dog or cat's food, replacing up to 10% of their diet.  It can also be given as a treat, which makes the Lapdogs quite happy.

Tut thinks every dog (and yes, cat too) should have some Pumpkin Patch Up! on hand for when their tummy gurgles (as his does often) or when they have some, um, issues going on in the back end.  Order some now from our friends at Chewy, where 1-2 day shipping is always free on orders for $49 or more! 

Six Months of Penny Pinching

No, no... today's post is not about saving your pennies.  You can try a financial blog for that. Over here we're celebrating life with our little Penny-Pinscher.

While I've noted a couple of rather difficult six month anniversaries over the past few months, today is a very happy six month anniversary.

Can you believe it's been six months since we picked up a pint-sized Penny?

While some days it seems like she's been here forever, others seems like she just arrived yesterday.  Look how tiny my girl was.

She's still a rather petite little Doberman mix. We figured she'd grow to be the same size as Lola (85 - 90 pounds), but Penny is no where near that at eight months.  Looks like we got a Middie-Pinscher (because clearly, she's not a Mini Pinscher). 

After such a rough start to 2015, Penny has brought much needed joy back into our home. 

Not only is she keeping her senior brother and sister on their toes, but she's keeping her humans on theirs as well!

 

 

 

Since the day she arrived, Penny has been the center of attention everywhere we go.  Whether she's greeting all of her fans at the race track...

Being extra cute at the v-e-t...

Working hard for Mama's blog...

Making friends with others...

 

Capturing everyone's attention on Instagram...

Entertaining the nieces and nephews...

My little girl sure has a huge personality that is as captivating as she is gorgeous.

I'm convinced Lola and Zeus worked very hard to get Penny to us six months ago... and I can't thank them enough.  I miss my babies every single day, but it's comforting to know they sent us such a wonderful little bundle of joy.

It's been an amazing six months of watching a curious, smart, ambitious girl explore the big, wide open world.

 

We love you Penny... Pennster... Penny Penguin... Mama's still working on the nicknames.

 

Sophie prefers lick-a-saurous...