Taste Test Tuesday (#ChewyInfluencer)

This here human finally got her act together and helped the furabies test out some new foods as part of the Chewy.com Blogger Outreach Program. Since the squeaky wheel gets the oil, pup Astrid got to try hers out first. After all, she found the Chewy box and pummeled it until her new food was freed from its confines. Clearly, I've got this whole parenting thing well under control.

So, what did Astrid find in that Chewy box when she thrashed and ripped it to shreds? She found Holistic SelectⓇ Adult Health Lamb Meal Recipe dry dog food.

If I'm to be completely honest, I almost didn't select this food for Astrid, as I wasn't too sure about it being lamb meal recipe. But, since Astrid typically enjoys lamb recipes, I figured I'd give it a go. After all, pup Astrid is just as finicky—if not more finicky—than the most finicky cats with whom I've shared my life. She is 70 lbs, and we have to buy her food bags in sizes better suited for toy breeds, as that is how quickly she gets bored of a food. She currently has something like five bags of different types of food going, most of which she currently won't even eat because, well, she's bored of them. But, I digress.

Besides it being a lamb recipe, one of the pros of this food for Astrid in particular is the size of the kibble.

Astrid is not a fan of this thing called chewing. Her teeth have been checked and checked again, and they've even been cleaned and polished. Still, though, she does not want to use those chompers to chew food. We would put her on a largely moist food diet, if it wasn't for the fact that that leads to some pretty gruesome side effects out in the yard that is her bathroom. So, we try to work around her distaste for chewing by searching for foods that come in small kibble size. Luckily, this Holistic SelectⓇ food meets that requirement.

Some other perks of this food include that it contains no meat or poultry by-products, no wheat or wheat gluten, and no artificial colors, preservatives, or flavors. It is also formulated with digestive health in mind, and contains prebiotics and probiotics, natural fiber, live yogurt cultures, and digestive enzymes. Given that Astrid's digestive tract is not always the happiest environment, these factors were all certainly a plus.

I was pleased when Astrid showed interest in this new food as I photographed it. Any food that catches her attention is a good sign. After all, if the smell or sight of a food does not appeal to her, Astrid will give it the cold shoulder and throw it to the wolves, so to speak.

But the important question is, did Astrid eat the Holistic SelectⓇ Adult Health Lamb Meal Recipe dry food? The answer is yes, and no. She ate the first bowl, and even a bit of the second bowl. After that, she would no longer touch it. She has continued to refuse to eat it ever since those first two meals of it. To be honest, this isn't all that rare for Astrid. Some foods she takes to much better, and in those cases will sometimes actually make it through an entire 4-lb bag before tiring of the food. Sadly, though, Holistic SelectⓇ is not one of those foods.


(Disclaimer: As members of the Chewy.com Blogger Outreach Program, we received Holistic SelectⓇ Adult Health Lamb Meal Recipe dry dog food in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are our own. We only review products that we believe will be of interest to our readers, and we never recommend a product that we do not believe in.)


Finicky Astrid hopes you all have a tasty Tuesday!

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Our Doodle of the Day:

Since we're struggling a bit to enjoy the heat of these 90°F days we're having, we thought we'd start a series of tips to make summer look fun.

Who's up for a game of beach volleyball?

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Our Tip of the Day:

Not too long ago, we gave some tips all about summer safety for our furbabies. Given that we're currently in a heat wave, we feel compelled to give even more summer tips. These tips, however, will be more focused on how to help stray, feral, or other outdoor furbabies remain safe and healthy in the heat of summer.

Let's begin with a simple yet crucial way to help strays and ferals stay cool in the summer. And that is, please try to ensure they always have access to shade. Staying out of the sun is crucial for preventing overheating, heat stroke, sunburn, and all other such dangers. For this reason, try to make sure that strays and ferals in your area have somewhere shaded to stay in the heat of the day. This can be as simple as natural shade in a safe area, such as beneath trees or bushes that are away from the street and other dangers. Access to the area beneath a deck can also allow for shade, as well as areas beneath outdoor tables and other similar objects. You can even place a giant umbrella outside, under which strays and ferals can keep cool on hot and sunny days.

If you're feeling crafty or handy, you can even build a summer shelter. Then again, you can also purchase one, as there are many options available on the market. The important thing about any summer shelter for strays and ferals is that it should remain shaded but also cool, such as by being open and airy. Do not use an enclosed shelter that will insulate heat, like those better suited for winter weather, as a stray or feral would of course not be able to use such a shelter in order to stay cool on a hot summer day. So, to help those furbabies outdoors stay cool this summer, please ensure they have somewhere shaded to chill out!