Bullet Has A Heart Murmur!

Recently I took Bullet in for his annual checkup and shots. He got the typical bloodwork done in addition to bloodwork for senior dogs (which of course was about a million dollars) OK maybe not that much, be we all know how expensive vet care can be. They, of course are absolutely worth it, which is why I wanted to share this with all of you!

It's so important to take your pets for their annual checkups, preventative care is key! While listening to his heart, the vet heard a "slight left side murmur" and I, of course, go into full freak out mode!

Turns out that heart murmurs are common in older chihuahua's, but being common didn't make me feel all that much better. I felt better once his bloodwork came back normal (except for a few elevated white blood cells) which the vet said she feels is because he is due for his dental cleaning and tartar and "yucky gums" can cause infection, so she wanted to get his teeth done sooner than later. Here's where the heart murmur comes in...

Turns out that since he has a heart murmur, they have to have him cleared by a cardiologist prior to putting him under for his surgery. Which means Mr. Bullet must have an EKG and evaluation. The vet said there is no rush, but would like it done by the end of the year. 

This is why I want to stress to you all how important their annual checkups are! If it had been let go it could have gone undetected and gotten worse. 

After his eval, he had his nails trimmed and was "oohed and ahhhed" over by the ladies in the office so he was feeling great! I will keep you all posted on Bullet's updates as they come along, I know you all love him just as much as I do!

Love, 

Colleen & Bullet

Travel & Your Ongoing Health: Finding The Balance

If you like to travel a lot, you will be well aware that there are many challenges involved within it. You
need to make sure that you are aware of these as well as you can be if you hope for the travel to be
enjoyable in the long run, and that’s something that can take a long time to get your head around.
Arguably, one of the most important concerns when you are travelling anywhere is ensuring that you are
looking after your health. You probably make a point of taking care of your health most of the time at
home, so you should make sure that you continue that trend onwards when you travel. Let’s look at
some of the things you might want to concern yourself with here in order to make sure that you are
doing just that.

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Remember Any Medication Or Treatment

If you are already on some kind of medication or treatment of any kind, you will need to make sure that
you are remembering to take that with you when you go away. That is so obvious, and yet it is exactly
the kind of thing which so many of us easily forget to do, and it is vital for ensuring that you continue to
look after yourself properly. It is of course more important in some cases than others, but it is always
something you should think about. Let’s say that you have a hearing aid: if you fail to keep up your
hearing aid maintenance while travelling, that could mean that it breaks and that you are going to have a
much worse time overall. Similarly, if you are on the pill or antidepressants or anything of that nature,
you’ll put yourself in harm’s way if you fail to take them.

Get Insured

Part of the trouble is that if you do require medical assistance, you might not always be able to get it if
you are not a citizen of that country. At the very least, in many places you can’t get the necessary
treatment without spending a huge amount of money in the process, sometimes so much that it is
impossible to have done. By getting insured, you can make sure that you are able to receive medical
treatment wherever you happen to be, and that is a feeling of safety and security which you should find
absolutely essential towards enjoying the trip all the more. Get insured, and make sure that it is decent
insurance which you can really be happy with.

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Stay Out Of The Sun

Generally, when you are travelling you are going to have plenty of opportunity to spend time in the sun. While that is certainly enjoyable up to a point, and for some people is the entire point of the trip, you do need to make sure that you don’t stay in the sun too much. Doing that will of course mean that you are opening up the possibility of skin cancer, and that is not something that you want to have to struggle with. Stay out of the sun as best as you can, and you should find your skin is fine.

BBQ Season Is Here, So Grab These FREE Spices!

BBQ Season is once again upon us! I, myself, love BBQ chicken but I also like to try out new spices and experience different flavors. That's why I'm so happy to share with you that Bragg Live Foods is offering FREE packets of there seasoning!



Click here to be taken to their website and then click the free samples icon on the left side of the page and they will delivered directly to your door!

Puppy Training Tips

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Puppies are the most wonderful pets to bring into your family and they can be the best new addition to
your home this year. A puppy is a loyal and loving animal and they will always be more than happy to be
with you and spend time with you when our really down. 

Training a puppy can be a bit of a challenge and this is why a lot of the time we give up and end up with
dogs who are a little less than perfectly behaved. However there are certain things every dog needs to
be taught and here are some handy tips to help you teach these behaviours in the right way.

Choose a good name 

The first thing you need to be sure of when you want to pick a dog for your family is to choose a good
name. Any name can be great however dogs will find it easier to respond to names with the sound ‘ie’
or ‘y’ at the end. The reason for this is that this sound is a high pitched noise which registers in their
ears much easier. So names such as Harry, Millie, Archie and Alfie can be great options for your little
puppy. 

Have treats handy 

The best thing you can do when Puppy Training is have a bag of small treats handy at all times.
Treats can be a great way to grab your puppy’s attention and help positively reinforce them when they
do something right. A treat will also ensure that they learn a behaviour quicker because they will learn
that if they perform a certain action, they will be rewarded with a treat. Treats could be something like
gravy bones or biscuits, or if you want to be a little healthier you can use cubes of carrots or squash
which have been boiled. 

Be patient

It is important that when training your dog that you don’t become irritated and lash out when they do
things wrong. Your puppy won’t understand that they are doing something wrong and this kind of raised
voice or behaviour can be incredibly confusing for them. Make sure that you stay patient at all times and
be aware that it will take some time for your dog to learn new actions. 

Use a training pad 

If you want to toilet train your puppy, one of the best things you can do is buy a training pad for them to
use in the house before gradually training them to pee outside. The best way to do this is find one spot
in the house and leave the pad here. When your dog is used to using the pad, move it to near the back
door of the house, then outside, then remove it all together. Eventually your dog will be used to peeing
outside with no help. 

Praise him 

Always finish a training session with positive attitudes and praise your puppy for doing good! They need
to know that they are loved and that they have done well because this will encourage them in the future.

How To Keep Your Family Safe From Mold

As a homeowner there are many obstacles one can go through. Making sure that your home is
the right fit for you and your loved ones, locks stay locked, windows are secured shut but there
may be something that is difficult to keep track of; mold. Many Americans are aware that mold
is toxic to our health and to the health of our home, but many are unclear on how to locate or
detect it. You’ll hear stories of older home that may be more susceptible to mold infestation,
children continuously coughing or the overwhelming stunt that others think a little bit of mold is
not that bad. 

If you think your family may have mold, there are a few ways to keep them safe by knowing
what to look for and how to actually test for mold include surface testing, air testing and bulk
testing as well as hiring a professional to not only test for all of these but also other inspections
in and out of your home. 

Image: Nash Everett

Finding a quality inspection company is key. They can test your home if you smell, detect or
see any mold issues anywhere within your home or if your children have any allergies to make
sure that your mold is kept to a minimum. It’s best to have them performed by a mold
professional who is experienced at collecting, analyzing these samples and giving you the most
accurate results needed. 

Image: Nash Everett

In the New Jersey area, one company to be aware of is called Nash Everett. Gary Szymanski
and his team will help take care of those pesky (and sometimes dangerous) problems such as
mold, dust, air quality, and most importantly an indoor health assessment and evaluation. Gary
started this company with the sole purpose of consistently improving homes and lives. The
name, Nash Everett, actually stands for the two most important people in Gary’s life, his two
children. When he himself was faced with mold issues within his home he became frustrated
looking for solutions that did not involve toxic contaminants or those that only masked the
condition, instead of truly fixing it. With his prior knowledge of being a lead project manager with
GreenWorks Environmental, he decided to take the leap and open his own business. He was
determined to create a company that worked hand in hand with his own values of trust and
honesty to make people feel better. Gary is extremely passionate about helping others improve
their health within their home, give them an affordable outlet, and most importantly educate
them on small improvements for yearly maintenance. 

So how can this company help you? Well if you feel as if you have mold there is a distinct smell
that will be around the area. What does it smell like? It is a musty, damp smell and trying to
overpower it with scents will not take care of the business either. You’ll also see mold but the
scary thing is that you can’t always see it which can be scary. The friendly staff at Nash Everett
are able to give you a free mold estimate. At Nash Everett, you can be sure that they always do
their best to provide you with superior service at a reasonable cost. 

For an indoor health estimate if you or a loved one is having a difficult time breathing, Nash
Everett is your one place to educate yourself on a health home assessment. Each assessment
includes an in depth, forensic style investigation of both the interior and exterior of the property.
They make their mission to help those in need like you and your loved one. 

If you just moved into your home, the company also is able to have a healthy home evaluation
as well to get the answers you want. Their evaluation includes an interior and exterior room by
room investigation as well as a written report which identifies potential environmental concerns
for their customers. While it may come at a hefty price to some, this helps you eliminate your
concerns about air quality, suspecting mold, experiencing any musty moldy odors within your
home, water intrusion or elevated humidity or owning a home and looking for a more detailed
picture of your new environment.  No matter the cost, you want to remember this evaluation as
a safe thing you are doing to keep you and your family happy, secure and mold free.

Picking The Perfect Flooring For Your Family

When it comes to your home, flooring doesn’t seem to be a huge attraction to many new home
buyers. You may hear people say how much they love the furniture within the home, the square
footage of even the choices of paint colors but over time, all of that seems to fade into the
background. One that really doesn’t get enough credit within your home is one that you walk on
every day; the flooring! The type of flooring that you choose should be something that stands on
its own, enhances your design idea and gives you a comfortable welcoming feel not just for
you, but for everyone that walks within your space. Feeling overwhelmed now? Well, I would
say you don’t need too thanks to a lot of research, quality care and a great starting place to
begin! 

Image: Selecta Flooring

If you are local to the Union County area in New Jersey, the friendly staff at
Selecta Flooring, are there to help any of your needs and desires. Like many people, the
company is aware that you want an affordable price with a professional service so they treat
you as if you are family. The company services all of New Jersey and operate out of Union
Country and as one of the premier installation, refinishing and sanding companies, they also
provide individual service of a local shop with the expertise and knowledge of what you would
expect of a chain distributor. They also offer a variety of high quality wood floors that they know
you’ll fall in love with including the following. They are up to date with the latest building codes
and they know the correct wood and finishes to make your home pop, especially within your
unique climate.

Another wonderful thing about this company are the two partners that began this business.
Throughout his life Mike Shults has consistently been around woodworking, descending from a
superior line of craftsmen. This lifelong history provided him the platform needed to achieve
great success in the hardwood flooring and wood craft business. While earning his International
Business Degree from Brigham Young University in Hawaii, Mike held a variety of unique jobs
from tree propagator to horse wrangler.  During his time as a tree propagator, Mike was
responsible for producing more than 100,000 rare and exotic trees for the state of Hawaii. Once
Mike returned from Hawaii, he started working as president for a local wood flooring company,
skyrocketing sales and producing high quality work. During his tenure as president, Mike was
eager for creative freedom, prompting him to enter into a partnership with Scott, and together
they created Selecta Flooring LLC. 

Image: Scott McDarby

His partner, Scott McDarby has an interesting story as well. After working at a local home
improvement store for many years, Scott gained interest in making homes look beautiful. When
the store unexpectedly closed, Scott took his knowledge from the home improvement store and
began working in the hardwood flooring business as a Job Site Manager. It wasn’t long before
the world took notice of his skills; appearing on television shows like the DIY Network’s Man
Caves which included the renovation of Michael Strahan’s dressing room for Live! with Kelly
and Michael.

Gaining hands-on experience in the flooring business and taking progressive steps in the home
improvement industry, Scott decided it was time to use his knowledge to help others. He
entered into a partnership with Mike, and together they created Selecta Flooring LLC.

Image: Selecta Flooring

When it comes to finding the perfect flooring for your home, there are several choices to choose
from including laminate or hardwood depending on where you live, how you’ll be using your
floors and cost. From wood floor installation to floor refinishing, in any color or finish you can
imagine, let Selecta Flooring transform your home with breathtaking hardwood floors.
Hardwood flooring is easier to care for than carpet which needs constant vacuuming. Hardwood
floors can be swept and mopped quickly and easily. Investing in hardwood flooring allows you
to say goodbye to your clunky vacuum cleaner that spews dust and dirt back into your clean
air.  

Functionality is truly the key thing when it comes to picking out your floors because your floors
are always touching the ground ( think furniture or feet ). Also, different rooms in your home
have different needs. Your kitchen will probably require a harder surface that’s easy to clean
where you may want softer materials for your bedrooms. 

Also, think about durability. If you’re a growing family you may want to put the breaks on getting
extremely expensive floors with new one that are learning to walk or worse, dropping everything
onto the floor. It may be worth the wait for a few years to get hardwood floors and try something
else such as various composite models that are cheaper but give a similar look. 

You’re in great hands with the specialists at Selecta Flooring and from custom floors, bathroom floors or even adding a new basketball court in your basement, they can make your dreams a reality. No matter the room, the job will be done neat, on time and within your budget. I can’t wait to see how they help you make your home the best it can be and withstand seasons, dirty feet, animals and more.

Get Your Free Pet Safety Kit!

As a pet owner, it's so important to keep our fur babies safe. That doesn't stop with just vet care, preventative care and what they eat! If there is an emergency in your home you want to be sure that any person responding to help knows that there are also pets inside. 

Currently, the ASPCA is offering free pet safety packs! All you need to do is fill out the form and you will receive:

-The window decal stickers (to put on your home windor or door) that you can list how many animals are in the home so that way you can be sure those trying to help will not leave any furry friend behind!

-A magnet with the pet poison control hotline

I signed up for mine, and you can grab yours here. Let's keep our furbabies safe!