Author: Pawjourr

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Brand Highlights Community Stories

An itch to scratch — TtangKong’s journey with Glacier Peak Holistics Pet Wellness Life Stress Scan

More often than not, your pawpal may be exposed to allergens that you are not even aware of, and it makes them very uncomfortable. JJ E-Homez Holistic Pet understands that frustration, which is why they are dedicated to helping Pawrents in understanding their pets inside and out. The folks at JJ E-Homez Holistic Pet partnered with Glacier Peak Holistics to bring pawrents the Pet Wellness Life Stress Scan, an alternative comprehensive food and environmental sensitivity test.

Introducing TtangKong

TtangKong is an energetic long-haired dachshund, wildly sociable and loves to be out with her pawfriends. She spends a lot of time enjoying the great outdoors with her hoomom, Amy. However, the doggo had developed severe allergies in early 2019 and had to be put on an E-collar 24/7. TtangKong’s allergies give her unbearable itches, to which she scratches to the point of bleeding. Because of that, she now has bald spots that have not grown back for 8 months.

TtangKong’s allergic reactions

The search for a remedy

Amy searched high and low for remedies, trying close to every treatment available: supplements, anti-itch sprays, biological medication, and elimination diets. With the exception of steroids — which are topical and advised to be for short-term use only — nothing seemed to be completely effective. Even when Amy brought TtangKong to try a Canine Food Reaction Test, the results were limited and did not give her the insight she was looking for.

Distressed, Amy gave up on veterinary consultations and fell back to a series of trial and error purchases in an attempt to control the severity of TtangKong’s itches. Amy found hope in understanding more about her pawpal’s itches in October when she stumbled upon Glacier Peak Holistics Pet Wellness Life Stress Scan exclusively available from JJ E-Homez Holistic Pet.

Conducting the Pet Wellness Life Stress Scan

As part of the process, JJ E-Homez Holistic Pet visited TtangKong at Amy’s home to assist with the process*. Unlike traditional allergy tests, which require blood samples, this stress scan uses a non-invasive process (only requiring hair and saliva samples). TtangKong cooperated with the staff and the sample collection was smooth sailing. After that it was only a matter of waiting for the results — seven days to be exact. 

TtangKong was comfortable and cooperated with the staff to provide hair and saliva samples

Pawrents who prefer to obtain the samples on their own can also refer to the instructional videos at their site. After collecting the samples, please reach out to JJ E-Homez Holistic Pet and they will make arrangements to pick up the samples and send them over to the testing facility in the U.S.

How the scan works

  • Homeostasis — Bioenergetic balance in one’s body. Being a combination of western and eastern medicinal concepts, maintaining homeostasis is key to a healthy body.
  • Energetic imbalance — Stemming from a variety of sources such as inflammations, bacterial infections, or changes in diet. An energetic imbalance may leave the body susceptible to diseases and allergy-type symptoms.
  • ELISA — Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. It is a test that detects antibodies in the blood. 

The scan’s SCIO Biofeedback Technology, manufactured by Quantum World Vision and approved by FDA, is a device that is used to detect stress. It uses the DNA in samples to measure the animal’s homeostasis to detect signs of stress and energetic resonance. Stressors in the scan are then reflected in relation to over 300 food and environmental factors that may disturb a pet’s energy balance.

While Glacier Peak Holistics Pet Wellness Life Stress Scan detects stressors, it is not a true allergy test, like ELISA and antibody testing, that uses blood samples. The stress scan serves as a roadmap to help you get your pawpal’s wellness back into balance, by removing the stressors and supporting the immune system at the point of time. 

The scan indicates environmental and dietary factors that could be causing your pet to face allergy-type symptoms.  The ultimate goal of the scan is for pawrents to understand which part of their pawpal’s diet and lifestyle might be contributing to the immune reactivity and to adjust them to achieve homeostasis and minimise chances for allergy-type symptoms to manifest.

The comprehensive test results from Glacier Peak

Once the results are out, JJ E-Homez Holistic Pet team will contact the applicant to help interpret and answer any questions about the results, as well as recommend a suitable course of action for the pet parents. Pawrents moving forward could then be able to adjust dietary and lifestyle plans to reduce pawpals from experiencing stressors they are susceptible to.

*Disclaimer: the information provided by this assessment is intended for educational and nutritional purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. It is not intended as conventional veterinary advice or to replace the advice or attention of qualified veterinarians. You may wish to consult your holistic veterinary professional before making changes to your pet’s diet, nutritional supplements, or activity level.

TtangKong’s results and solutions

The scan indicated that TtangKong’s itches were caused by a combination of yeast and other factors, giving rise to a weak immune system. Amy has since switched TtangKong’s food and tried to avoid certain environmental factors. TtangKong’s rashes have calmed down and her redness has also reduced. 

“Hopefully we won’t have to monitor her as intently to stop her scratching and licking,” said Amy. With the new food plan reducing the cultivation of yeast in TtangKong’s body, the new lifestyle could help to promote hair growth on her belly and other bald spots.

Ttangkong’s red spots and scars have all but disappeared now

Amy is grateful to JJ E-Homez Holistic Pet for assisting her and TtangKong through this ordeal and encourages pet owners to try the Life Stress Scan as well. “I’d like to recommend fellow pet owners if they’d like to know more about their furkid for their well-being!” she said. “You may (let your furkid) try the test if your furkid is struggling with environmental or food allergies.”

If you’d like to try the scan, TtangKong has an offer for you!

Use the code ???????????? to enjoy 5% off when you purchase the scan* from JJ E-Homez Holistic Pet

*Limited to only 5 scans. Offer valid till 31st January 2022

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Community Stories

8 Christmas Movies to watch with your Pawpal

Christmas is coming real soon. No matter what kind of weather you’re having where you’re reading this, it’s the perfect weather to turn on the big screen and watch a movie with your pawpals. So get your blanket, pour yourself some hot cocoa, and cuddle your pets to these movies.

1. Robin Robin (2021)

When her egg falls off her nest, Robin is adopted and raised by a new family — of mice! Robin Robin is a heartwarming Christmas tale of being comfortable with being different, and family bonds that go beyond outer appearances.

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2. The Secret Life of Pets (2016)

A jack russell terrier’s life is turned upside down when his hoomom adopts a new pawpal into the family. The film explores what pets really do when you aren’t looking, and how they explore the world hoomans are all too familiar with.

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3. Croods (2013)

Return to Monke. When the last family of the palaeolithic age experiences signs of an impending disaster, they must break all tradition to survive, or face extinction. Croods is made even better with their two mascot characters: the three-toed sloth, Belt; and Chunky the macawnimore.

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4. The Grinch (2018)

The Grinch HATES Christmas. With every fibre of his green being. So when his neighbours at a nearby village decide to show just how much holiday spirit they have, The Grinch decides its time to put a stop to it. His loyal doggo, Max, keeps him company and helps to shed light on the Grinch’s rare moments of humanity.

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5. Santa’s Apprentice (2010)

Can you imagine becoming Santa? That’s impossible, right? That’s what young Nicholas Barnsworth thought too when he was asked to take over the retiring icon. Nicholas is later joined by Rufus, an adorable polar bear toy that comes to life.

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6. A Whisker Away (2020)

What if you could turn yourself into a cat? Miyo Sasaki blurs the line between human and furkid by transforming into a cat to get her classmate’s attention. The film explores the hidden society of cats, the likes of which nobody has ever seen before.

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7. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

The 90s classic brings us the adventure of the great Jack Skellington who discovers Christmas and tries to bring the holly jolly into the little spooky realm of Halloween. Zero, the ghost dog in the film, has a glowing pumpkin and poetically plays Rudolph in guiding Jack when a fog hits.

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8. Bolt (2008)

A heroic Superpup realises he is… just an actor? When Bolt the dog escapes his trailer in Hollywood and knocks himself unconscious, he finds himself on an unexpected delivery to New York City. Follow Bolt and his friends, Mittens and Rhino as they travel across the country to find his hooman Penny

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Photo by Sam Lion from Pexels

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Creator's Academy

Getting started on TikTok

It needs no explanation that Tiktok is a staple for content creation in the digital age: it is the 4th most downloaded app in Singapore and has 689 million active users worldwide. Most people prefer short clips over static photos, and TikTok is the perfect platform for such content. Videos on TikTok can be made much more easily compared to fully 16-minute Youtube videos and can be completely edited on the go. 

So here’s what you’ll need:

  1. Camera phone
  2. The TikTok App

Content creation in TikTok takes advantage of the new, mobile-first generation. Like Twitter and Instagram, the app is driven by discovery and self-expression. Done right, your content can reach a wide audience. Done better, it can leave a positive impact on your viewers and inspire them to make a difference. 

Making TikTok work for your pawpals

Keep it simple!

As short as TikTok already is, try to keep your content between 15-30 seconds long to hold your viewers’ attention without it feeling too long. Your video will be one of tens or hundreds that your audience will be seeing in one sitting. Keep your message simple and they’re more likely to remember it.

Shoot vertically

Take advantage of the full-screen experience! TikTok is one place where you don’t want to be rotating your phone for every next video (also because their app layout is fixed vertically). The recommended aspect ratio is 9:16. Shooting 16:9 just makes the video very small since you can’t zoom-in a video the way you would an Instagram post.

Use effects and texts

One thing that you might underestimate is the variety of effects and modes TikTok offers (we’ll cover this in another article). It helps if your video feels like something that can only be made with TikTok and not Instagram Stories or YouTube Shorts, so try to utilise all the tools at your disposal.

Use a good cover photo

A tried and tested formula from Youtube’s development: Choose your cover photo. A cover video serves as a glimpse of the video and the viewers should expect. If you don’t choose it, TikTok’s A.I. picks it for you.

TikTok is wildly experimental, so don’t be afraid of making new content. You can also follow us on tiktok @pawjourr to see how we make our content. Next week, we’ll be covering various TikTok functions, so stay tuned!

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

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Community Stories

Teach your dog to file their own nails

This article was written by Zoe Lim

Why did I teach my dog to do her own nails? 

I’m sure many pet owners understand the importance of keeping their pet’s nails at an appropriate length, but struggle when it comes to trimming their pet’s nails (myself included). We’ve tried trimming my dog, Tovsha’s nails using clippers but she struggles so much that it makes it difficult. We were able to grind her nails using a grinder with a lot of bribing with peanut butter, but it’s still a stressful time for both her and us. Going to the groomer or the vet was also not an option because Tovsha gets anxious in both places. So, I finally decided to teach her to file her own nails.

How does she file her nails? 

Now, you might be thinking, “How can she file her own nails?” Enter the scratchboard! I read that sandpaper can be used to file a dog’s nails, so I decided to make Tovsha a scratchboard. But how does the scratchboard work? Basically, the scratchboard acts as a large nail file. When Tovsha scratches on the board, her nails get filed down by the sandpaper.

How to make a scratchboard? 

The scratchboard was really easy to make. I used:

  • 1 piece of sandpaper (80 grit)
  • An old chopping board 
  • Masking tape 

Just tape down the two sides of the sandpaper onto the chopping board and the scratchboard is all ready.

Figure 1: Tovsha and her scratchboard

How did I teach my dog to use the scratchboard? 

Now that the scratchboard is ready, the next step would be teaching your dog how to use it. I’ll be sharing a few methods I used to teach my dog to use her scratchboard.

Method 1 – Teach the command ‘scratch’

Tovsha has a mat that she loves to scratch at, so I encouraged her to scratch on it by placing treats under it. When she started to scratch, I praised her and said ‘scratch’. Once she got the idea, I presented the scratchboard and got her to ‘scratch’. She offered one or two scratches but was not that motivated to continue. While this method didn’t really work for Tovsha, this method might work for you if your dog is innately motivated to scratch.

Method 2 – Using a spoon

Tovsha is not a scratch-motivated dog but she is a super food-motivated dog. So, I decided to incorporate food to increase her motivation to scratch. I placed a treat on the scratchboard and covered it using a small spoon. In trying to get to the treat, she would naturally begin to scratch at the scratchboard. This method was good at helping her get used to the feeling of the scratchboard. However, I noticed that sometimes she would scratch only at the spoon, and not directly on the scratchboard. Furthermore, as I had to hold onto the spoon, she would inevitably scratch my fingers and they were starting to hurt from her intense scratching!

Figure 2: Hiding treat under the spoon

Method 3 – Hiding food

The third method I used was hiding the food completely under the scratchboard. Because I only taped two sides of the sandpaper down, I could lift the other two sides to hide food between the chopping board and the sandpaper.

Figure 3: Hiding food under sandpaper

I would lift two sides (indicated with the orange arrow) and hide the food under the sandpaper. This method worked very well for us. Instead of just offering one or two scratches, Tovsha would scratch vigorously at the board, making it more effective in filing down her nails. After a few seconds, I would lift one side of the sandpaper to reveal the hidden treat.

Does a scratchboard really work? 

Well, you might be wondering if this method really works and the answer is… Yes! Below are some photographs of Tovsha’s nails before and after using the scratchboard. Of course, they are not super short but you can see some differences after just two sessions of scratchboarding.

(Left) Left paw; (Middle) Right Paw; (Right) Right Paw while standing

However, as you can also see from the photos, the scratchboard mainly files down the two nails in the middle and the nails are the sides do not get as much contact with the scratchboard. In order to overcome this, you can try tilting the board towards the left or right so the nails at the side will be in contact with the board.

Some points to note

  • If your dog is an avid scratcher, be sure to limit the time you allow him to scratch. It is still possible for your dog to ‘quick’ himself if he scratches too much. 
  • Check your dog’s paws and paw pads during each session to ensure that he is not hurting himself as the paw pads may contact the sandpaper during scratching. 

Like humans, dogs also have handedness. Tovsha tends to use her right paw to scratch more, which means her right nails get filed down more than her left. To get her to scratch with her left paw as well, I started to only reward her when she uses her left paw to scratch.

Conclusion

To end off, I would like to add that while this method is an alternative to nail trimming with clippers/grinders, do continue to condition your pets to traditional nail trimming. Scratchboarding can be used together with conditioning to ensure that your dog’s nails remain an appropriate length while waiting for her to get comfortable with clippers/grinders (this is what I have been doing).

Author’s note: I hope that this article has helped in giving you some ideas for nail maintenance if you are struggling with nail trims. If you have any questions, you can dm me @tovsha.thedog or put them down in the comments. Do know that you’re not in this alone!

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Photo by Gustavo Fring from Pexels

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Creator's Academy

Understanding Instagram’s Algorithm

If you’ve been on Instagram long enough, you’ll have heard that the best way to get ahead of the curve is to post at ‘peak hours’. Timings where traffic is highest so users will see your posts immediately a.k.a The Chronological Feed. Sadly, that no longer works. In a new update, Instagram rolled out the new Instagram Algorithm 2021, which is designed to decide what content you get to see when you open the app.

The algorithm at its core

Instagram’s new algorithm basically ensures that the posts and stories you see right away are the ones you want to see. Your followers all have their own habits and browsing routines, so the algorithm is summed up in four factors:

  1. Information about the post — Is that post a photo, a carousel, or a video? Where was it published from? How long is the video?
  2. Information about the poster —How interesting are you to them? How often do people engage with your content? 
  3. Browsing activity — Do they tend to watch a lot of videos? What type of content do they typically engage with? 
  4. Interaction history — Do they typically like or comment on your posts?

The algorithm in Instagram Stories is similar and more obvious — Stories of accounts you interact with most often get pushed to the front, regardless of whom posted most recently. However, since Stories are shorter and can be binge-watched, your followers are more likely to swipe to your content.

Interactions that affect the algorithm

When prioritising content for each of followers, the Instagram algorithm puts into consideration five forms of interaction that supplement the factors we just mentioned. These are:

  1. Time spent — Will they bother to spend time on the post?
  2. Likes — Will they like the post?
  3. Comments  — How likely are they to comment on the post?
  4. Saves — How likely are they to save the post?
  5. Taps on Profile — How likely are they to tap on the profile after seeing the post?

Do you want people to spend more time on your content?

The advent of the new algorithm provides us with the opportunity to explore video formats as well. If your followers are shown to like more dynamic content like videos and gifs, but you do not want to crowd your feed with too many types of posts, you can use Instagram Stories (which only lasts 24 hours but can be saved as highlights), or Instagram Reels (which has a longer duration limit and appears permanently on a separate tab).

Is this post likely to be liked or commented on?

If the content you are posting is supposed to drive engagement, it would be good to draw Insights from your followers as to what kind of posts do better on your profile. If polished, well taken photos of your pawpal get more likes and comments than your casual pictures of them, then you can consider steering your profile to a more polished feed.

Is this a post someone would save and come back to?

This is especially true for educational posts, like tips & tricks. Think about whether your post will leave your followers coming back to it for repeated views.  Loopable videos like Jade Taylor Ryan’s TikTok of her cat Ed dancing to Mr. Sandman are comfortable to watch over. And over. And over again.

Does this post include a CTA (for example, “Click the link in my bio”) that will prompt someone to tap on your profile?

If you have campaigns, promotions, or events happening on your profile, your posts should include a CTA so that your followers know there’s more in store when they go to your profile.

Now that you know…

It’s always important to remember that Instagram is always upgrading its algorithm. What works now may not work next year. So while this guide is still relevant, please take this opportunity to experiment with the content you are making and most importantly, to have fun with your pawpal while doing so

Photo by Oleg Magni from Pexels

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Community Stories

Toilet Training Tips for New Puppy Owners

This article was written by Edlyn Cotaco of Instasize

Having a new puppy can be a really exciting time in your life. Whether you’ve wanted one for a while, or this is something you’ve done on a whim, you’re going to love your new puppy. She or he will keep you very busy and very active during the first year or so, as they learn and adapt to their new environment, so will you.

Having a puppy is said to be a lot like having a kid – you’re having to be the one to teach the pup all the things. This becomes more and more true, the younger the puppy. One of the biggest things that your new pup will learn is to use the toilet, initially (probably) indoors, before venturing out into the big wide world, with lots of things to smell and lots of things to pee on.

For now, though, you’ll want to acquaint your new puppy with where they are to pee in the house. Here are a few tips on how best to acquaint your pup with their ‘pee place’ and how to keep them going back there until such time as they venture outside and the outside world becomes their bathroom.

Be patient 

One of the best things you can be to your new puppy is patient. Like a toddler, they don’t know anything until you teach them. Accidents will happen, and you should be prepared for them and ensure that you don’t take those accidents out on your pup. Getting angry about the ruined carpet will not help your dog adapt. You must exercise extreme patience with your pup and let them know that it’s okay that the accident happened and you’re not mad. They can’t learn that way.

Know your dog’s bladder

Something to bear in mind is that smaller dogs have smaller bladders and higher metabolisms. If you make sure that you feed your puppy regularly, but don’t overfeed them – say, once in the morning, once in the afternoon and then perhaps again in the evening – this will train them over time to expect these meals, but not rely on them. It is also important that you take away their food between meals to not overeat and risk an accident. Generally, the smaller the dog, the less time you’ll have between them going to the toilet.

Don’t start too early

Ideally, you want to start toilet training your puppy between 12 and 16 weeks. Before this period, they won’t be able to process what’s happening and learn appropriately. Essentially, they won’t be able to learn.

Exercise is Important

One of the important aspects of puppy ablutions is the presence of regular exercise. Try and take your puppy out first thing in the morning and then once every half an hour. This will get their body and bowels moving to ensure that they have plenty of opportunities to use the bathroom. It will also create a memory pathway in the dog’s brain that outside = bathroom, which they will remember as they age. Eventually, they will learn where they go to (say, the front door), when they want to let you know that they need to go outside.

Repetition, repetition, repetition

The establishment of a routine is one of the most important parts of training any animal. This routine also extends to puppies and potty training. Make sure that your dog goes out for a walk and does its business at roughly the same time(s) in the day. If they’re going in the backyard, then ensure that they go in roughly the same spot. This will make poop-scooping easier and also establish a definite ‘bathroom area’, as the puppies’ sense of smell will guide them.

Make sure they’re properly groomed

Another all-too-important aspect of a well-potty-trained pup is also a well-groomed pup. Maybe you just got your new pup, and they have some matted fur around their nether regions. Be sure you take them to a professional dog groomer in order to get those mats taken care of. This is critical to the health of your pup and their ability to properly have bowel movements. 

Potty training puppies is a lot like potty training humans. It requires patience, persistence, repetition and time. Let your new pup explore the outside world as much as possible so that they’ll know that outdoors means bathroom time and don’t be too worried about accidents happening – clean-up is usually pretty quick and painless.

Image Credit: Pixabay

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Creator's Academy

Exploring Instagram’s Functions

Instagram has been constantly evolving since its debut in 2010. What used to be just a platform to share images has now become a network for conversations, content creation, and e-commerce. Let’s walk through some of the latest game-changers to the app this year.

Map Search

To make the app a hub for businesses, Instagram rolled out ‘Map Search’, a function found on the top right corner of the discovery tab. The map search function makes it convenient for users to find details and tagged posts of people in a particular area.Map Search also outlines popular stores, hotels, and restaurants. This feature will show the businesses’ working hours, price details, profile links, and related posts within that area. If used properly, it could be a treasure trove of hidden gems for you and your furkids to eat, play, or just hang out at!

Reels

Instagram Reels was introduced as a new way to create and discover short, entertaining videos on the platform. Users can make minute-long videos with an array of effects such including:

  • Audio – Use a song from the Instagram music library, or use your own original audio
  • AR Effects – Created by both Instagram and creators around the world, these effects can be stacked on a single reel
  • Timer and Countdown – The timer allows you to record your clips hands-free.
  • Align – Line up objects from previous clips to create seamless transitions.
  • Speed – Speed up or slow down part of the video or audio in your reel.

Remix Reels

Similar to TikTok’s Duet Feature, Remix Reels was added to Instagram to film split-screen reaction videos. This format is good for reaction videos, collab performances, and creative challenges

Image from Instagram

IG Stories

While not new, Instagram has continued to make its stories more relevant, innovative, and versatile. The function brings to the table the ability to send fleeting, casual content that only lasts 24 hours. Because Instagram Stories are more engagement-driven, they come with many tools like polls, questions, and quizzes.

Stories Captions

With the captions sticker, Instagram Stories are more accessible to everyone. The feature transcribes the things you say so that you can understand the clip even without audio.

Image from Instagram

“Add Yours” Sticker

“Add Yours” allows you to create a public thread in the form of a Stories sticker. Following a prompt or a topic, users on the Instagram Story will be prompted to respond with their own rendition of the topic. The stories of every user who reacted to the prompt are then stored as a collection, turning the sticker into a content chain really quickly. The “Add Yours” sticker is great for creating engagement well past your usual circle of followers due to how easy to spread it is, allowing you to find other like-minded furfriends.

Image from Instagram

Sharing links

Replacing the swipe-up feature in Instagram Stories is the Instagram Link Sticker. As the name suggests, you can add this sticker to your Stories to link people to an external website! This works especially well if you’re running a campaign on Instagram and want to direct your followers to a website!

Instagram Guides

Bringing blog posts to Instagram, Guides can be created using pre-published posts, places, or product listings from your or public accounts. This feature creates a dedicated post in your post that serves as a way to more easily share recommendations and tips with your followers.

Image from Instagram

Instagram Live 

Instagram Live brought streaming to its platform five years ago. We were able to share content in real-time and have a dialogue with their followers — one guest at a time. Creators could use Instagram Live to engage with their audience easily and with significantly less preparation required. This year, Instagram updated Instagram Live with Live Rooms.

Live room

A fairly simple update, Instagram Live Rooms allows hosts to include up to three guests. This small increase can open a world of possibilities for creators — collaborative classes, webinars, Ask Me Anything’s (AMAs), and live performances!

Image from Instagram

Featured photo by cottonbro from Pexels

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Community Stories

Who are the oldest pawpals?

Our pawpals age much faster than hoomans — we know that much. We cherish the time we spend with our pets especially because of how fleeting it is. So let’s take a moment to remember the doggos and felines who lived longer than most.

Bluey

Our first gub doggo is Bluey, an Australian Cattle Dog. Born on 7 June 1910, she lived on a cattle ranch with her pawrents, Les and Esma in the Rochester region of Victoria, Australia. Guinness World Records crowned her The Oldest Dog In The World when she passed on 14 November 1939, making her 29 years and 5 months old (that’s 133 years in Human years).

Australian Cattle Dogs on average live slightly longer than most other doggos (roughly 1 full year longer). On top of that, Bluey had a different diet from the dogs of today — living in the early 1900s on a ranch in Australia, she didn’t eat any of the commercial pet foods available today but her nutritional needs were well met.

Bluey (right)

Funny Fujimura

Holding the current title of “Oldest Dog Alive” is Funny Fujimura, a Miniature Dachshund from Japan. Funny is currently 22 years old (remarkable for her breed) and was verified by Guinness World Records in 2020. Born in Sakai, Japan on 27 May 1999, Funny has been under the loving care of pawrent Yoshiko Fujimaru.

Miniature Dachshunds are hounds that were bred to sniff out and locate small animals like rodents. Unfortunately, they face several potential health concerns due to their long back. One of these is spinal problems which can be made worse by obesity or intense exercise.

Funny Fujimura

Creme Puff

Living to a ripe old age of 38 years and 3 days (168 years in Human years) is Creme Puff, a domestic cat from Austin, Texas. Creme Puff lived her free feline life with pawrent, Jake Perry since 3 August 1967 and was officially the oldest cat ever recorded in the Guinness World Records 2010.

Creme Puff’s had a very normal diet: dry cat food with broccoli, eggs, turkey bacon, and coffee with cream. Every two days, she would get “an eyedropper full of red wine”, supposedly the secret to her long life. Jake Perry also ensured Creme Puff had a very active lifestyle, installing steps into his walls for her to climb on and making a backyard enclosure so Creme Puff and her siblings can play outside as well.

Creme Puff

Great Grandmother Wad

The current candidate for “Oldest Cat Alive” goes to a Siamese cat in the land of smiles. Known by many as “Great Grandmother Wad”, the feline was born in 1986 after her pawrent found her mother in Chantaburi the year before. Great Grandmother Wad is now 35 years old (152 years in Human years), and not only did she have children and grandchildren (four children, and six grandchildren and great-grandchild), but she also outlived them too.

Going by the other name Srisawad, the feline also has her own Facebook page and YouTube channel where her 57 year old pawrent Wanna Kodkarika and family offer advice to fellow cat lovers. Wanna says Wad has not been seriously ill for four years but is now on a canned food diet to be mindful of her weak teeth.

Srisawad, a.k.a “Great Grandma Wad”

Photo by Jean Alves from Pexels

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Creator's Academy

Boosting your posts on Instagram

Now that you have an Instagram Creator Account, you will have noticed a new button below your posts: “Boost Post”. What does it do? Can you really boost a post? We’ll give you a quick tour of this new function for your pet influencing journey.

What does it mean to boost posts?

When you boost a post on Instagram, you’re making it more visible to a targeted group of people on Instagram. By paying social media platforms, you can amplify your reach to your followers, a recommended audience, or a targeted audience. Your boosted post will then show up as a sponsored post on your audience’s feed.

How to boost your posts

1. Click the “Promote” button at the bottom of your post.

2. Pick a goal.

To boost your post, you need to first know what the boost does for it — that is your goal. Do you want more people to visit your profile? Do you want them to click a link to another website? Or do you want them to message you more? Whatever your goal is for the specific post you want to boost, make sure you choose the option that best aligns with it.

3. Choose an audience.

After choosing your goal, you can pick from three different targeting options: Special requirements, Automatic, and Create your own. 

Special Requirements lets you target based on very niche categories.

Automatic tells Instagram to target people who have similar demographics and browsing trends as your followers.

Create Your Own lets you target specific people, based on their age, location and interests.

4. Set your budget and duration.

Based on the budget and duration you set, Instagram will estimate the expected reach and clicks that your post will attract after you set your post’s budget and ad duration.

Expected reach refers to the estimated number of users who might see your post.

Budget refers to how much money you’re willing to spend to reach your target audience.

Duration refers to how long your boost will last. It can be as short as one day, and as long as one month.

5. Review

Check that your settings are all in order before confirming your boost!

Now that you know how to boost your posts, you can reach out to more audiences!

To find out more about pet influencing, click here.

Ready to kickstart your pet-fluencing journey? Join our community of pet influencers and explore opportunities here.

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Brand Highlights

The Grateful Pet’s New Superfoods-Boosted Raw Cat Food Line

Cat owners, rejoice! The Grateful Pet is releasing their first-ever cat food line for your feline pawpals on 1st December 2021.

The brand’s new line of nutritious raw cat food will be their first offering for cats, adding to their existing line of gently cooked and raw dog food. Cat owners can look forward to the brand’s signature superfoods boosted flash-frozen meals that are rich in animal protein and boosted with feline-friendly fresh ingredients.

Flavour Options

The three new recipes are: 

  1. Chicken
  2. Beef & Chicken
  3. Kangaroo & Chicken
  • Chicken
  • Beef & Chicken
  • Kangaroo & Chicken

All meals are 100% preservative-free and made without grains, gluten, corn, wheat, soy and synthetic vitamins. The raw cat food is sold in a box containing 12 x 85g tubs (1.02kg). Prices start from $32/box.

A new formula

Made with a minimum of 95% lean muscle and organ meat, The Grateful Pet’s human-grade raw cat food caters to the dietary needs of cats who thrive on predominantly meat diets. Meals are also enriched with taurine, an essential amino acid that contributes to healthy digestive function, good vision and heart health.

The superfoods used for the formula — including fermented prebiotic seaweed and New Zealand green-lipped mussel — are taken from a species-appropriate selection that ensures your felines feel amazing from the inside and out. Natural ingredients like cod liver oil and nutritional yeast are also added to support your cat’s immunity and maintain healthy joints with every bite.

How to prepare it for your feline

Each box contains 12 tubs — Just thaw the number of tubs you want!

Feeding The Grateful Pet raw cat food is easy—simply thaw the desired number of tubs and serve. This range of time-saving meals is also perfect for busy cat owners as all nutritional guesswork is taken out with these AAFCO-complete and balanced raw meals. 

As a way of giving back to the animal shelter community in Singapore, a portion of proceeds from each sale will be donated to Causes for Animals Singapore through The Grateful Give Back, the company’s community outreach arm.

To learn more about The Grateful Pet and to place an order, visit their site now!