Tag: essentials

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Essentials for your first adventure!

hoshi

Do you have a list of outdoor places that you want to bring your furkid too? If your answer is YES, this article is for you! Here is a list of outdoor essentials that we believe would be very useful for your adventure?️. 

Leash

First on our list, would be leashes. It is very important to have a proper and sturdy leash for your furbaby, as most of the pet-friendly places required them to be leashed.

@pawbulous

If you prefer a leash that is softer and more comfortable for your furkid, be sure to check out Pawbulous’s cloth-based leash. Indulge in Pawbulous’s wide collection of fabrics and they even offer customization for that extra touch.✨

Alternatively, you can opt for biothane leashes for a more sturdy and strong grip on your pet. One of the best parts of having a biothane leash would definitely be, the water and stain proof feature. It is super easy to clean, simply take a wet-wipe and wipe it down when it’s dirty. 

Treats 

Of course on the list would be treats! This item is a must for any furbaby! Treats are definitely critical for any adventures, they are useful to gain your furbaby’s attention especially when there’s distraction around. 

@pawfurry

Check out Pawfurry’s treats?, which come in convenient packs, thus making it easy for you to reward your furbaby without making a mess. 

Use the code pjxpf20 when you check out to receive 20% off your purchase!?

Accessories

Here are some important accessories that you need to bring along for your pet’s adventure.

Poop bags 

Poop-bags are a must-have in your bag as it is super important to clean after your furkid to keep the environment clean. One of our favourite poop bags is from Woofy Goofy, with its biodegradable feature, it can decompose by itself over the span of 6-12 months?. There’s even a cute design on the bag itself! 

@woofygoofy


Quote Pawjourr10 when you check out with Woofy Goofy today!

Poop Bag Holder

For easy access to the poop bags, a poop bag holder would be necessary. There are many poop bags out in the market, however, we really love Josiemamasews’s waterproof poop bag holder. It protects the poop bags and it even has matching scrunchies for hoomums! ?

@josiemamasews

Check out Josiemamasew’s mama shop for more! ?

Water bottle 

You definitely cant miss this item out of your bag. A water bottle is definitely essential for a trip outside as it is super important to keep your pet hydrated at all times! ? Even though some pet-friendly places are open to provide your furkid with a free water bowl, however, it is always good to prepare yourself. 

@shopee

If you’re looking for a good portable water bottle, be sure to check this water bottle out at Shopee! 

That’s all on the list of outdoor essentials that we believe you should bring out on your first trip! We hope that it has been useful and do check out all the local businesses that were featured.

? Keep your eyes peeled on Pawjourr’s website, for more coupons. ?

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Community Stories

Essentials for puppy owners

Henlo, its me again! After my last article on puppyhood blues, I’m here with another article on what are some of the stuff you should get prior to the arrival of your pup!

MAIN FOOD FOR YOUR PUPPY

Information nugget

  • You definitely need to get food for your puppy – but with all the choices out there, what exactly should you be feeding?
  • Most pet shops have partnerships with certain pet food brands where they get sponsored free kibbles to feed their puppies. Since most peeps who buy from pet shops are first-time owners, the pet shop will advise the owners to continue feeding the same pet food brand (and continue to buy from them), which is a win-win situation for the supplier and pet shop since they get themselves a long-term customer.

My 2 cents:

  • Do your research. Whilst it can be confusing, do your research and try to find a pet food brand that fits your pup’s lifestyle and budget. For smaller breeds, you might want to choose kibbles which are designed to be smaller in size to help with eating. If your pup is mostly indoors and has a low to moderate exercise regime, you can consider feeling brands that cater to low-energy or indoor pets to prevent obesity.

The general rule for food transition (even between kibbles – kibbles), do so slowly over a period of about 7–10 days, mixing an increasing amount of new food with old food each day:

Start with 75% old food mixed with 25% new food for approximately three days. Then mix 50% old with 50% new for approximately three days. (credit @petco.com)

  • Buy online. With the push to go digital, many brands are selling on marketplaces like Shopee, Lazada and there are tons of online pet shops sprouting up every single day. Take advantage of this.
    • Use discount codes, do price comparison,s and get the food delivered to you for free!
    • We like to buy from Shopee because we get coins and there are lots of discount codes from fellow pet ambassadors on Instagram.

ENDING NOTE;

  1. Main food. You might want to buy a smaller packet to make sure your dogs love it before buying more. For us, we are feeding Taste of the wild Puppy Prairie.
  2. Slowly, you can start exploring more food to add to your pup’s bowl. For us, we are feeding Zeal Goat Milk, Kin+Kind Supplements & Truffleruffle customized homecooked food on top of TOTW kibbles.

FOOD BOWL & PET ACCESSORIES

Of course, food bowl and accessories! There will never be enough :”)

ESSENTIALS OPTIONAL
Food bowlPee Pad Trays
Water bowlCrate
(if you do crate training)
Pee PadsDog cologne
Chew ToysDog bed
Training BagDog cooling blanket
Leash + Collar / Harness(Interactive) Toys
Nail GrinderGrooming brush (Ikea)
Shampoo (PLC)Baby gates

I have hyper-link all the products which we have gotten for Oolong over time in the table above, with some additional notes:

  • Pee Pad Trays. I put pee pad trays as optional because I didn’t particularly felt that it helped in any way, given that he would still step on the trays which have his pee. There’s also a constant odor since we only wash it once a week.
  • Crate. Initially, I wanted to do crate training but eventually realized that Oolong is not as destructive even when he is home alone and has free roam. We did buy a cage but it’s too weak to contain him so we are looking to sell it away.
  • Multi-way cruiser leash. I was hesitant at first but eventually invested in a multi-way cruiser leash and omg, I love itttttt. We have been using it so much because it just gives us a lot of freedom when we bring Oolong for walks. It’s also harder for him to “drag us” because we will layer the leash over our body and he can’t overcome our body weight.
  • Interactive toys. I placed this under optional because some dogs doesnt need the mental stimulation, like Milky. He doesn’t play with toys and rather sleep the afternoon away. For Oolong, he has bursts of energy throughout the afternoon and gets restless when is unable to release them. I got a snuffle toy and some interactive ones for him from Shopee and so far, the snuffle mat has been doing its job to keep him VERY busy. If you have meetings and need 30mins of quiet time, it might be worthwhile to invest in these.
  • Dog cologne. I put this as optional since I don’t think everyone needs one, but OMG I loveeee the one from Doggie balm. In fact, everyone in the office loves it so much that we all bought it for our dogs. Bath times can be crazy and chaotic and not something you look forward to because you get wet and your puppy might struggle to escape. So whilst it is not a long-term solution, we use the dog perfume to neutralize the odor of Oolong and it lasts for 1 full day. YES, we highly recommend the one from Doggie Balm!!

ENDING NOTE;

  1. Consider buying preloved items. For the cage & pee pad trays, I bought them from carousel because I didn’t feel the need to buy brand new ones. These are stuff that your puppy will outgrow, so there’s no point to invest (in my opinion). I also checked out this telegram chat to see what’s out there.
  2. Buy as you go along. You will feel the urge to buy everything (crazy pet parent alert). I bought the cooling mat and dog bed for Oolong but he rather sleeps on the floor since it’s much cooling for him. I eventually sell it away hahahahha.

TRAINING TREATS

Photo credit: dogtime.com

You are going to need A LOT of training treats. So it’s super important to buy a dog training bag (which I included above). It’s important to train your dog from puppyhood to avoid bad behaviors that might be harder to rectify in the future. Some people train with kibbles (to avoid calorie-overdose or diarrhea) but I hate the feeling of kibbles because it’s very sticky when their saliva touches the food.

My top recommendation for training treats. My criteria is on the texture, quality as well as the size.

  • Instinct Pet Raw Food Meal
    • It’s high-quality products that I know I can trust, and the shape is just nice for training treats!
    • Dry + Clean, so won’t have the sticky feeling after feeding your dog.
  • Iti Biti Air Dried Meat — PLC Exclusive
    • Love this from PLC. It’s $10+ for the 100g packet, and members get a 30% discount.
    • It’s the same price online and offline so I recommend that you buy from the stores and get the small one to avoid food boredom.
  • Ziwi Peak Good Rewards Dog Treats
    • I recently got to try this from this dog treat box which I bought from Perromart at $48 (which is a bad deal in my honest opinion) but I do like this because the dog treat is long and I think Ziwi Peak is not a bad brand (though comparably expensive and there are other alternatives out there).
    • But HMM, it is 5 calories per treat so ration accordingly since usually you will feed A LOT during training to enforce positive reinforcement.
  • Wagg puppy treats (biscuit) — PLC Exclusive
    • Okay, I bought this because I got sucked into the packaging (SO NICE?!?!) and the price cause it’s very affordable. But we have stopped buying this because Oolong is picky now and doesn’t like this as much.
    • Again, get this from PLC stores since it’s the same price online and offline.

ENDING NOTE;

  1. Don’t buy too much of the same food at the same time. Your dog will get bored. So don’t buy too much of the same food; try to interchange and keep things interesting because there’s a direct correlation between how tasty the food is vs. the attentiveness he is going to give you.
  2. Not all treats will be suitable for your pup. We fed Oolong duck wings from Absolute Holistic and he had very bad diarrhea. Same with chicken feet and lobsters. So we cut those off from his treats’ stash. So observe as you go along and there will be trial and error.

So many things to buy, so little time to save money ?

Expect to spend $200 – $500 for the first month of your puppy’s arrival since there are going to be trial and error as well as purchasing big ticket items such as crate, bowls and accessories. We keep a separate bank account for the dogs so that we are able to track our spending expenditure with him, and we also try not to go too crazy.

It’s fun shopping for your dog because there are so many options out there! If not, you can also redeem free samples to try from pawjourr.com before you commit to the full-sized items.

Have fun!!

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Community Stories

Grooming Essentials for Dogs

Grooming is essential for all pets actually, but more so for our doggos. These fluffballs became dirtballs after their daily walks or play. It can be frustrating trying to keep them clean each time.

Every day since I started the Instagram journey of @kikithemp in end June, many people had asked me about grooming items as I’ve been grooming Kiki by myself for a while.

A disclaimer, I am not a grooming expert or a professional groomer, I am self-taught by watching Youtube videos and trial and error.

As a first time dog owner, and adopting a dog with chronic scabies, I was totally clueless of what is needed. I remembered just following the instructions of the vet and trying out various ways and means to groom Kiki in a way she felt comfortable with. We did not bring her for professional grooming during this period as most groomers we asked said that they cannot accept dogs with infestations. Kiki has to be cleared by the vet before they would let in.

For a start, Kiki’s skin was raw and bloody, she will wince and jump in pain whenever her skin touches the water and worse, shampoo. Then the ultimate nail trimming process as she refused to let anyone touch her paws. It was a long and arduous journey trying to get her used to grooming. After much patience, we finally got Kiki to be used to grooming and could stay still and let me work on her for… 2 hours straight.

I still do occasionally bring Kiki to the groomers for Full Grooming once every 3 to 4 months, and the in-between, I do my own self grooming. I believe that as pawrents, we need to do some sort of very basic grooming everyday or at least once a week so as to maintain its hygiene. A hygienic dog is a healthy dog.

Here are some of the top few grooming essentials that I used on a daily to weekly basis, which I think all pawrents should try to do as well.

Daily

  • Brush – Any type of brush that your dog is comfortable with should be fine. I typically use both a grooming comb and a slicker brush. Brush their fur at least once a day to untangle unwanted knots and matting.
  • Sanitiser – Not any kind of sanitiser is pet friendly but one which is chemical free and 100% natural would do. I typically spray it on Kiki’s paws after walks and whole body before bedtime. This helps to keep her clean and odour free too! Do you know that bacteria growth on fur is very smelly? Not only do I use it on Kiki, I also use it on the mat, bed, playpen she uses often. I recommend Pets Activated Water Sanitiser by For Furry Friends SG. (Code KIKI5 at http://www.forfurryfriends.com.sg for 5% off with free gift.)
  • Dental Chew – All kind of chews is good as long as the ingredients used is natural. Some people gives natural chews like antlers, pizzle, tendons. That works well. For me, I usually go for Absolute Holistic ones as it is not as smelly and Kiki goes crazy for it. However with all form of food, give in moderation. Kiki usually have 1 every night. It has been ingrained in her nightly routine. (Get dental chew here: https://shopee.prf.hn/l/6lPGOkY)
  • Tooth brush and toothpaste – I highly recommend brushing their teeth at least once a day to keep plague and tartar at bay. This helps to eliminate bad breathe and also with good dental hygiene they do not have to go through frequent dental scaling which may need them to go under anesthesia which can be quite scary for older dogs. I have been using Virbac toothpaste since Day 1 and Kiki loves it. She can even hold the toothbrush and brush it herself. (Get your 360 Toothbrush: https://shopee.prf.hn/l/KM0P2bp, toothpaste: https://shopee.prf.hn/l/70vGyZY)

Weekly / As when necessary

  • Ear Cleaner – This one is something I highly highly recommend to do once a week. We do not need to wait for the groomer to do it for us okay! Maintaining a good ear hygiene makes the dog a happier one. Try to go for non oily ones. I’ve gone through quite a few different brands and found that Kiki tolerate well with the Ear Cleaner from For Furry Friends SG. Also, after ear cleaning, you can also try to use a tweezer to pluck out ear fur at the outer ear canal. This helps to reduce ear irritants. This helps to reduce and prevent unwanted bacteria growth causing yeast infection and smell. (Code KIKI5 at http://www.forfurryfriends.com.sg for 5% off with free gift.)
  • Tear Stain Remover – I do this as and when I find tear stains on Kiki’s eyes using a cotton pad to soak up the stain. Kiki tend to have eye gunk every now and then and they will stick to fur near her eyes. This helps to unclump the fur and also keep their eye area clean, which makes them cuter too!
  • Pet Dryer – I cannot stress enough about this. If you do home grooming enough times, you’ll realise how ineffective our own human hairdryer is. They take ages to dry their fur and then because of the long drying process, it makes their skin so dry too?! Always go for a pet dryer if you can! I use a 2-in-1 pet dryer that has a brush attachment on it. It saved up so much of my time! A typical 20 minutes drying process is cut to 5mins! (Get it here: https://shopee.prf.hn/l/KNqJX2P)
  • Electric Pet Nail Grinder – This is another must-have item in your grooming kit. Yes, you may bring your dog to the groomer monthly, but nail maintenance is something I personally feel is a must-know. The conventional way of nail maintenance is using a pet nail clipper which many owners I know are fearful of. Like how do you know if you’re hitting the quick? What if I have shaky hands? That’s where the nail grinder comes into play. Due to Kiki’s past experience, she hates the clipper and will attempt to bite us whenever she sees it. So that’s when I researched and found out about the Grinder. It is a tool that files away the nail bit by bit. Yes, it takes longer than a traditional clipper but it is less scary and you do not need to worry about hitting the quick! No need to second guess yourself and don’t need to worry about shaky hands. Just grind away and monitor accordingly! This is one of the best grooming devices in my opinion. (Get it here: https://shopee.prf.hn/l/rpJPLxq)
  • Pet Shaver – Since we’re at the topic of nail grinder, I highly recommend pairing it with a pet shaver. Even if you are not going to shave much, get one with attachment for paw pads. Do you know that the paw pads are areas best for bacteria growth especially when the fur is covering the pads? In addition, if there’s too much fur covering, our dogs will have walking issues too! I typically will shave Kiki’s fur to a poodle feet style as I really prefer the cleanliness and effortless maintenance. (Get it here: https://shopee.prf.hn/l/7BnODJ0)
  • Pet Shampoo and Conditioner – In the humidity of Singapore, I prefer showering Kiki weekly. However it is up to personal preference, some does it bi-weekly or monthly. If your dog sleeps with you on the same bed, maybe you might want to shower it more frequently. As Kiki has sensitive skin, I normally goes for 100% natural unscented shampoo / conditioner so as to reduce any skin irritation. I uses the Gentle range from The Blep Club and it has been my favourite shampoo thus far. Best of all, it is a conditioner shampoo. So I don’t have to rinse twice!

Optional Items

  • Grooming Scissors Kit – I personally use it when I trim Kiki’s fur to give her a cute face and pretty paws but I do not recommend it if you have shaking hands. When I first started this grooming journey, I feared for both Kiki’s and my life when the scissors is very near her eyes. I was so scared of poking her eyes unintentionally you know! But with much practice and also curved scissors (inside the kit), it helps a lot! (Get it here: https://shopee.prf.hn/l/6149wWZ)

Items like the pet grinder, pet shaver, brush, dental chews, toothpaste and so on, can be easily bought from Shopee SG. You can use KIKI12 for 12% off (capped at $6) on all pet-related food and items! (If you’ve already used it, feel free to DM me on Instagram at @kikithemp for more codes. I have a long list of it!)

I know after reading this, some of you may be thinking…

“Wow, that’s a lot of things to do for grooming. I will just let the groomer do it.”

My question to you will be…

Yes, sure you can wait and let the groomer do it. But remember Circuit Breaker? Everything is closed. What if a second wave or third happens? What if it was extended for several months? No one knows what will happen. But one thing we know for sure is that our fluffballs might become dirtballs, ungroomed and prone to all sorts of problems.

So what you’re waiting for? Go get your basic grooming supply now! What’s more, all the year end sales is upcoming! Go Go Go!