Hmmm... Best Dog Food?

Back when Chooey had her mandible broken because of Rin, we had to change her diet from hard kibble to soft baby food with canned dog food.

Royal Canin Recovery Food plus Cerelac equals Soft Diet to feed the dog with a broken mandible.

It was hard for me to decide what dog food brand to buy because of the fact that I'm not an expert on dog food analysis.

Ingredients, Ingredients... So Many Ingredients

With so many ingredients being used in dog food- from filler-filled to the grain-free type- it figures that owners who aren't aware of these will either choose what their dogs love best, the cheapest among the bunch, or the most advertised in TV.

Dog food selection in Pet Express Cubao.

I asked the sales person what people usually go for and he said that most pet owners choose Pedigree or Alpo. I asked him out of curiosity as I was already eying Petcurean Go! Natural Grain Free Chicken, Turkey+ Trout Stew  and Solid Gold.

Included among the wide variety of dog food displays were Holistic, Orijen, Royal Canin, Optima,  Purina Pro Plan Robust, and a lot more. Honestly, what's a pet owner got to do? Of course, CHECK THE INGREDIENTS.

We've just finished a can of Go! Natural dog food... It had trout in it and Chooey's breath smells like it!

So finally, I decided to juggle between cans of Solid Gold and Go! Natural since the rest were usually kibble packs. 

P.S. I know I must be boring you with these silly dog rambles of mine. I promise to post something interesting on my next one.

Update on Chooey

Chooey's doing fine. We dropped by the vet's office for a check-up. The vet even said that she's one tough cookie. That's after Dr. M reviewed her file thoroughly. Indeed she's super Chooey! After the wart removal and the Rin war, I'm thankful that her mandible's healing is going pretty well.

Update on Buchi

Buchi was due for his second visit to the vet today. We had him groomed there due to the non-functioning clipper. Then, he was treated for the mange which involved a shot of Ivermectin. So far, we're on the path of recovery. And he's such a handsome bald boy now (hihi).

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Pet Express at SM Mall of Asia

I'll make this short and sweet... lots of pictures and not much text. In my last post, I had talked about the new clippers we got from Pet Express at SM MOA. Well, here's a short tour feauturing one of the biggest pet stores in the Philippines.

The SM Mall of Asia is currently known as the largest mall in the Philippines and the world's third largest  mall.

This is the Pet Express' front entrance at SM Mall of Asia.

Guess what our first stop was. Dog Toys!!! And Kongs!!! We even came across a tiny Shih Tzu pup who was quivering and barking at the latex dog toy we were squeaking.

I took a picture of their Vitamins section. I like that they have the word "Ask Our Vet" which can be very helpful for new cat and dog owners.

When I train Chooey to do tricks, this is where I often buy dog treats. Fortunately, our personal favorite, veggie-flavored doggy biscuit treats are always on sale.

Dog food and cat food, anyone?

And that's the rest of our tour... we hope you enjoyed it.

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My First Attempt in Grooming a Shih Tzu at Home

Finally, a new Shih Tzu hairdo! Of course, please be gentle in criticizing my novice grooming skills. Apparently, Buchi loves his dirt... and rain... and wallowing like a tiny carabao in the mud.

Super Duper Dirty Shih Tzu!

It seems that living the outdoor life with Rin and the others has freed this Shih Tzu's inner dog nature. This Christmas, we finally decided to buy...

A Wahl U-Clip Dog Clipper Kit from Pet Express SM MOA orignally costing 4,249.75 php. We got it discounted at 20%.

This is what I used to clip the newly bathed (YEAH! Smells good...) Shih Tzu's (e.g. sounded a lot better than Buchi) chrysanthemum and the occipital area (dog's back).  Jargon-y!

Viola! Better looking but still subject for improvement!

So Buchi isn't the most cooperative grooming model YET... Neither am I the a good groomer at the moment... but I do hope I'll eventually get it right in due time. By the way, Buchi doesn't like treats or toys (he just wants to hump so I'm still trying to figure out what could motivate him for good grooming behavior).

I'd like to thank the Furries of Whisppy's Mom for inspiring me to get my own dog clippers and groom the two most adorable Shih Tzus of my life.

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Almost Wordy Wednesday: SM Pet Express in Cubao

Here are some of the shots I've taken while visiting SM Pet Express in Cubao again.

Meet SM Pet Express' Mascot! Last time, he was wearing a very nice tuxedo.

Not only does Pet Express cater to our pet pal's material needs but they also provide grooming services.

They had shelves and shelves of different dog foods.

I love that I can choose from a wide selection of dog food bowls.

...and dog collars and harnesses. Unfortunately, no Gentle Leader.

A Portrait of Kong-ness

This is much cheaper than Advocate- the medication given to Buchi back when he had mange.

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Cartimar Pet Center: A Pet Lover's Heaven!!!

You may be wondering what a Cartimar is. Well, Cartimar is like a bazaar in Metro Manila, Philippines, where most items sold here are far cheaper than the ones being sold in malls. During my vacation, I'd browsed online for a cheap dog crate I could buy for Peanuts and came across Cartimar. We had to take a jeep (public transportation) and a train to reach it at Pasay City.

Imagine having more than 50 pet stores in one center. They sell everything and anything from pets to pet accessories, beds, food, toys, cages, crates and more. My mouth almost drooled as it was pretty overwhelming.

The first store on the left greeted us with such pretty fishes. Imagine seeing an albino fish as wide as an eating plate. I'm pretty sure the aquarium is also for sale (probably for $500 or more).

The Cartimar Pet Center  goes all the way to where my camera reaches. More than 20 stores are in this area alone.

As you could see, dog crates and cages are all over the place. The prices are reasonably cheap as well. The lowest price for a dog crate was roughly $10. As you know, these kinds of stores allow haggling.

And I thought two hallways were enough. They even had more pet stores at the back.

This picture was taken at the back. Their stores are bigger.  More grooming parlors are located in here.

Now you must be wondering what I got when there were so many to choose from. Well, here it is.

Oh, the hedgehog was my niece's joke of "Let's pretend that's Peanuts" because I was overly concerned that the dog crate may be too small for her.

I was lucky enough to have located a store where the person-in-charge immediately gave me his "last price" for the dog crate. The crate was being sold for 650 Php ($15), he gave it to me for 450 Php. The screaming chickens cost 120 Php (approximately $3), I got the two for 150 Php ($3.50) justifying that I should get it at a bigger discount because I was buying the crate.

Happy weekend!

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Pet Express + Dog Toys = Shopping Spree

I couldn't resist it. I had to buy them. I'm sorry, Mrs. Wallet. You had to lose some weight. Fate should not have led me to pet heaven.

Last Sunday, we went to find something for my niece. During our journey, we came across... Pet Express, a haven for four legged family members. And my eyes wandered and I went into a frenzied trance where I had to see and touch anything and everything.

Pet Express has multiple branches in Metro Manila, Philippines.

I mentioned previously that Kongs weren't sold in our city... Well, looky here! My mouth almost watered with all the Kongs they had on display. I was also able to touch one that's similar to Hawky's Mr. Wubba Octopus.

My prayers are answered. Kongs, Kongs, and more Kongs!!!

You're probably wondering what I bought in their store. Here they are. I really couldn't help it. I was under the influence of an addiction... pet addiction... I had to buy something to commemorate my visitation.

The green squeaky toy is currently with Buchi. It's one of the first he is truly enjoying as his old one was too big for his mouth to squeeze. The brown one came from another shop.

Have you ever felt so weak and helpless to have given in to the temptation?

If you're interested in checking out the Pet Express at SM Mall of Asia, just click on the link.

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