Tips To Have Healthier Pets. Happier Lives.™ With Rebate And Giveaway

This post is sponsored by Hill’s Science Diet and the BlogPaws Pet Influencer Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about the Healthier Pets. Happier Lives.TM Campaign, but Momma Told Me only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.

It's no secret that our pets are our family.

They're not like our family, they ARE family.

I've been bold enough to call them our kids in the past and I still feel that's a pretty accurate description. When I go to the bathroom I can't close the door because Truffles, our cat, is there pawing underneath the sweeper and howling as though she'd been abandoned. I spend more money on toys and treats than I do on my own wardrobe and wants. And, of course, I can't forget that I am constantly handling bio-hazards I would never ever consider coming near or dealing with if it weren't for the sheer blinding love I feel for these tiny hairy creatures that have taken over my home.

Their happiness is my top priority, but their health is of the upmost importance. And, since animals cannot come out and tell us they are feeling ill, or that something might be wrong, it is our sole responsibility as caregivers to ensure they not only live the healthiest life possible through activity and diet, but also regular veterinarian visits.

It can be a lot to take in when one gets caught up in the cuddles and tail wagging- Happy faces tend to distract us from our pet-parenting duties. That's why Hill’s® Science Diet® has launched the #HillsTransformingLives campaign to spread awareness through tips, rebates, and a giveaway; on how to help ensure Healthier Pets. Happier Lives.™

Let's take a look at some simple tips to help keep your pet on the right track for their healthiest, happiest, life, shall we?

Spoil Them With (Smart) Extras

The first tip is the easiest and likely comes naturally as someone who loves their pets like family. In fact, sometimes, we tend to over-spoil our pets to the detriment of their health. It can be easy to allow a chubby little puppy to continue to chew on your favorite shoe because it's cute, and 'just a shoe' but the materials in reality may not be very safe. The same thing goes with 'treating' your pets to table scraps- a french fry here and there won't do any harm, but tossing your dog human foods every night at the table start to add up.

The best way to look at it is; if your dog or cat were a human infant/toddler would you want them eating/playing/doing that?

You can still spoil and treat your pets without letting them have the run of the house, or feeling guilty every time you pop open a bag of chips and don't share. (Though, if you really think about it, you probably shouldn't be eating them either.) Hill’s®' Transforming Lives hub has an entire section of great articles to help spoil your pet with 'Little Extras' actions that enrich your pet's lives without putting them at risk for long term health problems of immediate danger/risk. Tips such as 'How To Celebrate Your Cat's Birthday In Style,' 'Peaceful Playtime With Children,' and 'Tips For Leaving Your New Dog Home Alone,' so you can show you care about your pets in meaningful, safe, ways.

Some of the things we personally like to do to promote healthy activity, and or treat smart, include filling a kiddie pool with plastic balls, freezing yogurt and fresh veggies for warm weather pupcicles, and create cat safe surfaces for our cat to climb and scale as she moves around the house.

Plan For The Unexpected

Just like your human family members, pets can require unexpected medical treatment, a new diet regimen, or extra social adjustment from time to time. Sometimes these things require large amounts of money, and or time, to cope with.

I, personally, cannot speak enough praise towards investing in a health insurance plan for your pet. There are many reliable options, and most start as low as $10 a month (or less) to ensure your family can not only afford treatment in the case of an emergency, but all regular tests and check-ups as suggested by your family vet. Many pet owners take the time to bring their pets into the vet often when they are young, but allow annual check-ups to fall to the way-side as pets mature and seem to fall into a rhthym. Just like you, as a human, require regular inspection of your health from physical to dental and vision, so do your pets.

If pet insurance isn't for you it might be wise to set up a small savings fund where you can put aside money for unforeseen medical expenses for your pet.

Hill’s® Science Diet® knows that veterinary visits, even simple annual ones, can be expensive so they're hosting a 100 day #HillsTransformingLives giveaway where 100 winners will win $100  towards their pet's next vet check-up. That extra $100 could allow a pet parent to invest in a preventative test or screening for their aging pet, or simply have a reference marker for future health progress. Be sure to enter the #HillsTransformingLives giveaway today so you have as many chances to win as possible between now and October 4, 2017!

Fuel Them With The Right Food

We touched on this a little earlier but I cannot stress enough how important your pet's diet is to their overall health. An animal's dietary needs are not only relative to their age and breed; there are several important key factors. Logically, your family's veterinarian will be the best equipped to suggest the right food for your pet.

There are many brands and formulations of food on the market and it can be confusing to know which is the right one. Your vet can look at the overall picture of your pet's health and listen to your own behavioral concerns to recommend food that not only fuels, but also nourishes your pet's overall health. Talk to your veterinarian about your pet's weight and activity levels, excessive grooming or coat quality, oral care, grain allergies and more so that they can make an educated recommendation for your pet's food.

Hill’s® Science Diet® is the most recommended brand, by veterinarians, and offers a range of specialized food options intended to target your pet's unique health concerns/needs so they can lead happier, healthier lives. Talk to your vet about Hill’s® Science Diet® and grab a limited time $10 rebate online today!

Talk To Your Pets

Okay, not literally- but hey, no judgement if you do. #ThisWomanDoes

The important thing to take away from this one is to spend one-on-one time with your pets every day, even if only for 5-10 minutes. This helps you identify any changes in behavior or mood that may indicate something has changed in your pet's daily life or health.

Especially with cats it can be easy to go a day or more without REALLY paying direct attention to them. Felines are pretty self-sufficient, and the older they get the more they tend to lounge and sleep throughout the day in private or secluded spaces. And, while dogs get a bad wrap, cats can also be garbage cans for pretty much anything they come across in your house; rubber bands, balloon ribbons, teeny tiny plastic tag attachments from new clothing, and even glass beads. Just think- if it looks like a toy and fits in their mouth, they'll eat it.

With both cats and dogs their daily, ahem, business can be a good indicator of their health. In addition to scheduling one-on-one time with your pets daily pay special attention to any variances in what goes in, and out of them. Remember, animals can not tell you when they are feeling 'off' so it's up to you to keep an eye out for these things and, hopefully, catch them before they become an expensive or life-threatening problem.

As you know we recently brought a 3rd fur child into our family, and she's super tiny. I worry every day about her getting trampled, picked up by a hawk, or simply lost. As posh as it is to have a teacup dog I keep secretly wishing she'll keep growing, just a little bit more! Each of our pets are very unique in breed, age, and personality so I'm constantly on my toes working to make sure they receive the proper nutrition and lifestyle to allow them to best thrive. I wish we could get some sort of family bundle for vet visits and get everyone seen at the same time- haha, but ultimately more pets means more expenses. Of course regular vet visits, and proper diet will go a long way to cutting those costs, and increasing pet happiness in the long run.

If your pets are family, like ours, then be sure to talk to your veterinarian about Hill’s® Science Diet® and if they have a formulation that is right for your pet- don't forget about the limited time $10 rebate online! Also, be sure to stop by the Hills' Transforming Lives hub to enter the 100 day, 100 winner, $100 giveaway for a chance to win $100 towards your pet's next veterinarian visit. And, for more information an ideas on how to help your pets live happier, healthier lives follow Hill’s® on Facebook and Instagram (where they love to share photos of your pets with the #gethappyhealthy hashtag!)

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Hill's. The opinions and text are all mine.

How To Run A "Flocked" Fundraiser Event (With Free Printables) #RaiseLove

When I was in high school I stunk at Fundraising.

No, seriously, I couldn't even get to the first tier of prizes- you know, the little pom pom 'Weeble' pretty much anyone who sold a single item would get just for showing up and turning in their sales sheets?

Part of the problem was my lack of social skills, severe introvert anxiety, and a simple lack of care for the items I was selling. I mean, why should I sell something to raise money for a good cause when more, or all, of that money spent could go straight to the source that needed it most? It's something I've struggled with all of my life- raising funds without asking people to shell 9x more than the proceeds out on generally worthless junk.

Don't get me wrong- bake sales, and such, are awesome to get kids involved in charity- but there HAD to be a better way to have fun, get a charity talked about and seen, and generate 100% of the proceeds directly to the charity of focus.

So, when RMHC (Ronald McDonald House Charities) sent me a set of juggling balls with the challenge to #RaiseLove through a FUNdraiser that was uniquely mine, and clearly fun, I went searching for something different.

Somewhere on Pinterest I spotted a few poor quality snapshot collages of pink plastic flamingos in yards, while searching the term 'unique fundraiser ideas'. I clicked through to a few of the originating posts and found some really old content, and some intriguing content but no real directions on how to fund raise with this process. It couldn't be that hard, right? Buy some yard flamingos and start dropping them in yards, easy-peasy. I was sold.

As it turns out there were many questions I immediately found myself faced with when putting this fundraiser together. Questions such as; "How do I go about getting a yard sign that is weather resistant," "what's the best way to acquire a flock of flamingos without spending a small fortune?" "Since I am an individual, and not an organization with a charitable address, what's the best way to coordinate the donation process versus the flocking arrangements?"

Thankfully organizations, such as RMHC, have their own online fundraiser portals any individual, or organization, can set up to work as a landing page and direct donation portal for funds. It's as easy as visiting the RMHC landing page and registering yourself or organization as a "participant." From your participant portal you can set up a profile with information about you, why you're fundraising for RMHC, and how you plan on collecting funds. You can also set up a direct donation URL to send your donators to, where they can make a secure donation to your specific fundraising goal/efforts from a secure portal. Those donating love this because it provides them with peace-of-mind and an immediate record/receipt of their donation for tax purposes.

If you have those who wish to donate, but do not have access to the internet, or would rather do so by cash in the moment you can easily place a donation on their behalf through your RMHC portal.

If you are collecting your fundraising money directly, in person, through a physical organization or location on behalf of a charity or event, such as RMHC you will want to provide physical receipts for money exchanged.

Having the online portal to send your donations to is a wonderful tool, but you'll also need flyers to help spread the word, and to educate those you 'flock' about what you're doing.

This is where I found the least amount of information, in regards to running this type of fundraiser.

For your convenience I've gone ahead and turned my flyers into easy worksheets you can download for FREE here, as a printable PDF file. You'll find my Flock Fundraiser Advertising Flyer and You've Been Flocked Announcement Flyers already have RMHC logos on them (but can be easily edited if needed, or used for reference.)

On your flocking advertising flyer you'll want to clearly identify the different tiers of donations, and what your donators will receive in exchange for them. I chose to split my flock into 5or 10 flamingos for $25 and $50 donations, respectively. Just keep in mind, if you choose to offer 'smaller' flocking brackets you will need multiple signs to accompany your flocks.

Next, clearly outline how those interested can make a donation. Try to keep your flyer precise and to the point. Provide a direct address web,  address, or clear method of donating the money. Remember that donations made directly to the organization they are befitting, rather than being funneled through a third party, will make potential donators feel more confident in the legitimacy of your fundraiser.

Repeat, exactly, what your donator will receive for their donation- EX: "A donation of $25 will send 5 flamingos to the address of your choice for 3 days."

If donations are being collected remotely (online) give your donators a way to contact you to arrange the delivery of their flock. In my case I provided a secondary phone line we use mainly for data and various event/junk sign ups.

Another big question I had when planning my Flock Fundraiser for RMHC was how to get a hold of a large quantity of yard flamingos without investing a fortune.

You'll indeed find flocking 'kits' on sites such as Amazon, ranging from $175-$300. These kits will include your flamingos and a sign, or two, with generic information. The signs are pretty plain and you're paying a lot for the convenience of buying these things together, and to ship the bulky flamingos to your house.

I spent less than $50 for my sign, various supplies (pink printing paper, envelopes, fake feathers), and 10 yard flamingos.

I bought something called a 'Headline Yard Sign (18" x 24")' on Amazon in a 3 pack for just over $11, some 'poster alphabet stickers' for $5 at the local craft store, and drew/wrote the rest of my information in sharpie to create my Flocked Yard Sign. On the front of my sign I put my direct fundraising link, my fundraising phone number, and the organization I was fundraising for (RMHC). On the back I taped a plastic zipper file folder to hold extra copies of my flyers for the flocked family to pass out, or for neighbors to grab and take.

The flamingos were a bit more tricky to find- I found them everywhere for about $8-10 a piece. Be careful, there are some cheap sets but they are flat and made of corrugated cardboard. As it turns out a major home improvement store was selling the same flamingos they sell for $9 a piece in a 10 count for $32, so long as I was willing to wait about a week to have my order delivered to the store for free pick-up. You CANNOT beat that price.

In addition to your advertising flyers, yard sign, and flamingos you will want to have some sort of 'You've Been Flocked' letter to leave for or present the flocked household with. Something briefly explaining what it means to be 'flocked', how to continue the tradition with a donation, and what exactly you are raising funds for. Again, you can reference or use our FREE Printable. We included one of these letters, plus an advertising flyer, in an envelope with a few hot pink faux feathers, just for fun. Ideally you'll catch the 'flocked' home when you stop by to flock them, and present them with the envelope and an explanation, but you can also 'flock and run' and leave the envelope and your flyers tucked in the door.

Once you get rolling the signs in yards not only advertise your cause, and your program, but the people you flock tend to 'flock it on' and make a donation to send the flock onward. It's a fun social experiment and fundraiser, all-in-one.


My personal Flock Fundraiser is benefiting RMHC, Ronald McDonald House Charities, an organization that hopes to #RaiseLove through it's efforts to provide transportation and lodging to families with children who are undergoing an illness or medical treatment. This organization is near and dear to my heart because I was a child with a mother who was chronically hospitalized and know directly the strain intense medical treatments can put on a family. While RMHC helps support families with sick children, as a healthy child with a sick mother (Hodgkins Lymphoma) I remember the pain of my family's separation, and the financial strain of having to travel to her specialty hospital just to visit and support her during her times of treatment.

When a family member is ill, especially a child, it is every so stressful financially and emotionally and RMHC aims to help ease that strain by keeping families close together during these times.

When people set out to raise funds it's usually for a disaster or urgent cause that isn't very cheery. In the case of Ronald McDonald House Charities the organization wishes to inspire others to #RaiseLove by doing that which they love, whether it's a bake sale, juggling pledge contest, or pretty much anything else light-heated and passion driven. I've chosen to help raise funds for RMHC by spreading smiles all across my county, from one friend or family member to the next with a Flocking Fundraiser. I do hope this post has inspired you to look at fundraising in a new way, and hope you will reach out with any questions on Flocking Fundraisers (Also known as 'You've Been Flamingoed'). If you wish to learn more about RMHC please visit their direct hub, donations can also be made to my direct fundraiser on our #FlockVC RMHC Fundraising portal.

Life's Short- Let Your Pets Play With Their Food

This post is sponsored by Petmate® and the BlogPaws® Pet Influencer Network™. I am being compensated to help share information about Petmate’s JW Hol-ee Gourmet™ line of interactive dog toys, but Momma Told Me only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Petmate™ is not responsible for the content of this article.

I learned a long time ago that life deserves all the flavor you can get your paws on. If something ignites one or more of your senses, hoard it. Bottle it up and sprinkle it on everything. After all, that's how you know you're alive.

I've raised our fur children with just as much enthusiasm.

Don't get me wrong- nutrition and diet are some of the most important things I'm tasked with as their caregiver, but part of being owned by a human is having the chance to experience a smorgasbord of sites, tastes, and experiences an ordinary yard dog might not. That's part of the reason I decided that Nora's favorite color was Teal- because life's too short to be dull and such a sassy dog needed a sassy color to strut around downtown in.

Since Nora was our first canine-child she also got spoiled with a plethora of adorable toys. Most of which never made it out of the toy bin, and were simply there for photo opportunities or decoration. However a, much wiser and seasoned, pet parent had suggested a specific brand to us, JW® Pets by Petmate. She'd seen one of Nora's infamous harness patterns (the one with the sugar skulls) and instantly knew we'd love JW® Pets for their range of tongue in cheek, yet practical and innovative, pet toys.

We'd started simple at first, with some tough Megalast Bear chew toys and an appropriate iSqueak Bouncin' Bowling Pin that helped ease Nora's teething pains and destructive puppy habits. I have many blurry cellphone pics of her gnawing away or cuddling with those JW® toys!

As I said, we fell in love with the JW Pets brand first-most for their tongue-in-cheek modern toy designs. Adorable, brightly colored, characters and shapes I actually wanted strewn across the floor in our home. Even better they were TOUGH- they withstood years, yes, years of chewing without becoming mangled, filthy, or unrecognizable. So much so that, when we added a new canine to our family the first toy we pulled out of Nora's old toy bin was that trusty JW bowling pin.

Oh- yes, our NEW family member.

Well, I suppose now is as good a time as any to introduce Miss Gidget, the- well, we're not sure what she is, aside from super tiny. She's almost 6 months old, fits in my shoe, and has yet to break the 2lb mark on the scale. She has a heck of a foster story to tell, but that's for another post.

In any case, with Gidget being at that age where she has the urge to, literally, rip baby teeth out- and Nora being at the age where she just wants all the delicious things she can get her snout on, we were delighted to discover the newest JW® Pets by Petmate® innovation, Hol-ee Gourmet™ collection. If you've ever been at the pet store and seen the rubber ball-like toys with holes in them (maybe even 'feet') then you've probably seen a JW® Hol-ee toy before. We had half a dozen at one point in Nora's puppy-hood, they were the best for stuffing treats in and occupying her for hours.

Petmate®'s JW® Hol-ee Gourmet™ toys take that concept to a whole, or should I say hole, new level. Sold in 2 different sizes and available through Petmate.com, or in store at PetSmart, these adorable food themed toys encourage your furry companions to play with their food. I'd even say they help your dog work their brain through intelligent treating that makes treats last longer; keeping pesky pups occupied and out of trouble.

You'll find Hol-ee Gourmet in a turkey leg, peanut, and steak design; each with their own unique shapes and engaging treat presentations. The durable, chew ready, outer 'cage' of the toys are great for teething and cleaning teeth while also holding larger treats (such as jerky and nuggets) inside. Both of our dogs go nuts trying to figure out how to get their treats out, and spend hours gnawing and pawing away at them.

The inner 'bone' part of the toy is built for softer treating, such as peanut butter, or other spreads. Tuck something tasty in the narrow holes and grooves of the bones and watch your pup's tongue go to town, flavor town. Alllllll right.

If I'm acting extra cheesy (side note: tell JW Pets to make a Cheese shaped Hol-ee) it's because these toys are simply fun for the entire family. I get a kick out of watching the two misfits fight over them and work on getting the other's treats out first. Our Petmate JW Hol-ee Gourmets also came with a Himalayan Pets Yaky Puff treat sample which already is long lasting outside oft he toy, and has lasted us up to a week per puff inside!

You could say Gidget was skeptical at first- it's typical puppy logic that nothing exciting is ever presented to you. Protocol dictates you must destroy and explore everything that which is kept just out of reach (shoes, important documents, half full cups sitting on the coffee table next to the couch....) But the smell of those Yaky Puffs really won her over, and she actually has been the only of the 2 girls to figure out how to use her paws to help retrieve the treats nestled inside.

I really can't say enough about the adorable trendy designs of these JW Pets Hol-ee Gourmet treat toys- the turkey leg is absolutely genius for small and tiny dogs like Gidget. The drumstick leg 'bone' pulls out for the dog to gnaw on. I keep trying to get a shot of Gidget dragging this giant toy drumstick around by it's bone, but she's already quite camera aware! I have, however, been able to get plenty of exhausted shots, like the one above, of her passed out cuddling with it after hours of slurping and chewing.

In the spirit of tongue in cheek containers I decided to give Gidget's toys their own dedicated home. I'd been holding onto an old footstool I'd found for a couple bucks at the local Goodwill. I knew I wanted to re-purpose it but I wasn't sure how until inspiration hit in the form of Hol-ee Gourmet and an adorable fleece print at the craft store.

I still remember the days where I would have tried to turn this footstool into a bed for Nora, back when she was 'tiny'. Okay, she'll still pretty small but she looks like a bull moose next to Gidget!
The stool, itself, was in pretty good condition minus the ugly original fabric and some yellowing to the white paint job, rendering it 'cream' in color. What I loved most, though, was the unsuspecting 'secret' compartment that was revealed when one tilted the stool top back. The perfect hiding place for all of the toys and treats a 2lb dog could ever want or dream of.

I don't claim to be an expert in upholstery. In fact, I know nothing about upholstery.

If the stool had been in worse condition I would have taken the time to sand down the old paint job, and tear off the old fabric, possibly replacing the batting inside. Since everything seemed well and in tact, and free of mold/stains, I opted to carefully unscrew the hardware and give the wood base a fresh coat of hot pink spray paint.

While my second coat was drying I cut my fleece fabric to size and (using a heavy duty staple gun) attached it to the inside seam of the footstool top. It wasn't the cleanest of jobs but, let's be honest, it's the inside of the container and will hardly ever be seen. If you do attempt to do this quick and dirty, like me, be sure to mark where you screws/hardware goes in with markers or holes so you can easily re-attach them later. I was so excited about Nora's helping efforts and the fun fleece I forgot to and had to do some fancy measuring later.

(Note: Do not spray aerosol paints around pets- please always wear proper eye and face protection when choosing to paint with aerosols. Our pups were only allowed outside later in the drying process.)

I had a hard time waiting for the base to dry before assembly. I'm the sort of person who likes my gratification NOW- haha, maybe I should take a lesson from the dogs. Nora and Gidget certainly found something delicious to do in the mean time.

Sometimes I think people envision our home as one giant barfing neon rainbow. 

Sure- I love bright, bold, colors but I can't help what 'the girls' love. Kidding.

The key to living life fun, and tongue-in-cheek is by choosing smart accent pieces that make a statement while still being practical. Kinda like JW Pets' Hol-ee Gourmet toys, stylish dog treat toys that occupy my four-pawed friends while adding a little splash of design too our home. We probably won't keep the footstool front and center always- we'll rotate it in and out of rooms, but it'll always be practical for hiding those less than attractive chewed up toys and treats- haha!

I'll admit, whenever I design, or buy, something for Gidget I'm always worried it'll be way too large to be practical for her to use. In the end, her sister Nora will usually inherit anything in error- but Hol-ee Gourmet was something I'd immediately been nervous about. These were heavy duty toys- but the unique 'netting' design of the outer toy is really easy for even small jaws to latch onto, and Gidget truly loves throwing her body into snack time!

In case you missed it- we tried to tie the new favorite toys into the footstool with a 'taco dog' print that jokes at Gidget's ambiguous heritage and both of our 'turkies' love for junk food.  Now, I wonder if we can fool them into playing with the Hol-ee Gourmet turkey leg this Thanksgiving instead of begging at the foot of the family table??? Hmmm....

So, while there certainly have been times where I've come into a room to find it scattered with food and looking like a mess hall, the moral of the story is to find practical ways to infuse flavor into both your life, and your pet's life. Just because I'm a crazy Cat-Dog Lady doesn't mean my home has to lack flavor and style. And, just because your dog doesn't have opposable thumbs doesn't mean they can't enjoy having their senses ignited by touch, problem solving, and taste while being treated to a delicious snack. If you find these new JW Pets Hol-ee Gourmet™ treat toys as fun as us be sure to visit Petmate.com and use exclusive discount code BLOGPAWS for 15% off your Hol-ee Gourmet toy of choice. Stay up to date with the brand, and their latest pet innovations on Facebook and enter an exclusive Hol-ee Gourmet giveaway!

Stay tasty, my friends.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of PetMate. The opinions and text are all mine.