Typist: Bethany
Too often, I find myself comparing my current dogs and cat to pets from my past "Oh, Brychwyn leaps onto the bed the same way Tynan did" or "Amelia comes to the door when we get home just like Gryphon used to" are phrases muttered frequently by me to Jason, friends, family, and neighbors. While it does warm my heart to notice similarities in pets from my past and present, I work hard to remember that each pet is an individual and those unique personalities deserve recognition and space to flourish. Yet this is also something I have said about all of my pets, present and past.

When it comes to what I feed Wilhelm, Brychwyn, Huxley, and Amelia, I end up comparing to the past again. The right diet significantly extended the life of Emily and Tynan. So that right diet, raw food, is what I rely on for my pets health today. Similar to how each dog and cat are not the same, each kind of raw food is not the same. It is very important to me that the raw dog and cat food I feed my pets is complete, safe, and convenient. I was thrilled when I learned about Balanced Blends, a new company founded with the simple idea of creating a well-balanced raw diet to cover all nutritional needs of beloved dogs and cats. Balanced Blends has everything I want in a raw cat/dog food and all of my dogs and cat have been enjoying this food for the past couple of weeks. There is no comparison to how happy all four pets and I have been with our Balanced Blends experience.

Complete and Balanced Raw Diets for Cats/Dogs
Complete diets for dogs requires more than just fresh raw meat, bones, organs, fruits and vegetables. Dogs also need just the right blend of vitamins and minerals. Obligate carnivore cats may not need the fruits and vegetables, but they also need proper vitamins and minerals along with their raw organ, bone, and meat mix. Balanced Blends dog food contains a 10% produce, vitamin and mineral mix and the cat food contains a 0.5% vitamin and mineral mix. And the rest is grain, gluten, filler, artificial coloring, artificial preservative free meat, bone, and organ (the cat food also has egg yolks.) Balanced Blends uses chicken that is USDA Grade A, cage free, antibiotics free, with no added hormones, beef that is USDA Approved, naturally raised, antibiotic free, with no added hormones and in the dog food the fruits and vegetables are organic. It's time for another comparison: this natural, simple, and complete diet is comparable to what I strive to feed myself.

Safe and Healthy Raw Diets for Cats/Dogs

Safety is always on the top of my pet care list. Someone who keeps a cat safely on a leash when outdoors and puts goggles on dogs when riding a convertible car, obviously would only feed the dogs and cat the safest of foods. In using all best practices in making raw food, from Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP’s), and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP’s) to applying high pressure processing (HPP) in the final packaging to eliminate re-contamination, safety obviously matters to Balanced Blends as well. As one last precaution, Balanced Blends foods is only released for sale after third party laboratory pathogen test results come back negative. On top of all that, absolutely none of the ingredients, including vitamins and minerals, in Balanced Blends are from China. All of Balanced Blends recipe formulas meet AAFCO nutrient profile for “all life stages." In other words, all pets, those constantly compared to others or those who are undeniably unique, can safely enjoy this healthy food as much as Wilhelm, Brychwyn, Huxley, and Amelia do!

Convenient Raw Diets for Cats/Dogs
Convenient raw dog and cat food is more that just having the food delivered right to the front door. Wait. That is really awesome. I have been feeding raw for over a decade and before Balanced Blends arrived on my porch, I had always trudged to the store, rushed the food home before it defrosted, filled the freezer, then did it all again what seemed like five days later. Balanced Blends offers amazingly convenient online raw cat/dog food delivery subscriptions, easily managed on their website. Two boxes arrived on my porch, I emptied the coolers inside into the freezer, defrosted and served! There is no comparison to how easy Balanced Blends makes feeding raw food. Granted this is coming from someone who defines easy as driving across the country with three dogs as easier than finding a new pet sitter, but still, Balanced Blends is seriously porch, freezer, fridge, dish, happy dogs and cat easy. Having food that makes my pets so happy show up at the door means I have more time to spend with my happy pets!

And happy pets they are. Wilhelm, Brychwyn, Huxley, and Amelia all scarfed down their Balanced Blends beef and chicken meals. The way food disappeared at these meal times could be compared to water rapidly funneling down a drain or a drink being sucked dry by a straw in one quick slurp. But when it comes to raw food, my dogs and cat are not exactly picky. They trust me. I am  the one that has to be choosy and do the comparisons. I have to find perfectly complete, safe, and convenient raw food for them so that I can keep on comparing them to past pets, pets of friends, and each other for many, many years.

What kind of pet comparisons do you make?
Are you ready to compare raw cat/dog food with regular?
Do you want to compare raw food brands?

Early Bird Specials on Balanced Blends Pre-Order Kickstarter Campaign
Balanced Blends is a fully funded company but they are running a Kickstarter campaign to raise awareness for their wonderful new brand and encourage people to try their complete, safe, and convenient foods. Some of the pre-order deals on Balanced Blends Kickstarter campaign include

• “Early Cat/Dog special” price to save $20 to $30 on 10 LB of raw food
• All backers will get 5 LB extra for every 20 LB order of the same item from our website for 3 or 6 months, after the Kickstarter campaign ends, depending on which tiers you backed
• Free shipping for all pre-orders*

The Kickstarter begins today, April 26, 2016 and ends May 27, 2016. Get your Balanced Blends raw cat/dog food deal NOW!

*Shipping only to lower 48 states

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Typist: Bethany
One of the reasons we have not shared tales of our recent pet friendly travel adventures is that all of the Cascadian Nomads are just so very busy. The other reason is that I have not taken very many photos on our last few road trips. The camping trip when the car battery died because I irresponsibly charged my devices in the 12 volt port followed by the rustic trip where my phone/camera battery ran out just before one of the most spectacular sunrises I have ever witnessed have made me battery life shy. Serendipitously, just before the battery on my phone ran out one evening in the tent a month ago, I was contacted by local (Cascadian) company The Pachyderm Brand about reviewing their Pachyderm POWER 10,000mAh Portable Device Charger/Power Bank. I believe my reply was something like "Typing from a dying phone in a tent in the middle of nowhere so yes! I would be very interested in trying your portable charger. Yes, please!" Now, equipped with Pachyderm POWER, everything about the way I road trip has changed. In fact, everyday life has been made less stressful with the lack of "what if the battery dies" anxiety.

Last minute travel changes with three dogs are not easy so we were very lucky to find a pet friendly place to stay that was safe from the flooding. Once again, Pachyderm POWER 10,000mAh Portable Device Charger/Power Bank came in handy because while our new accommodations were less rustic, there were no extra power outlets to be found. Both of our Pachyderm Brand Portable Charging Devices were fully charged right out of the box. The devices come with a storage bag and are light enough to carry in a pocket. I still cannot believe with how often we relayed on these battery packs, that the blue LED charge indicators only lowered to 50%. Best of all, I took a ton of pictures. And I mean a ton. I captured much stunning Pacific Northwest traveling dog beauty and it is all thanks to the Pachyderm POWER 10,000mAh Portable Device Charger/Power Bank.

Enter to win TWO Pachyderm POWER 10,000mAh Portable Device Charger/Power Banks!

The giveaway widget does not show bonus entries for Facebook "Like" but fans of both Cascadian Nomads and The Pachyderm Brand automatically receive bonus giveaway entries.

No purchase necessary. Giveaway is open to 18 and over US residents only. Void where prohibited. Giveaway will run from Wednesday, November 18, 2015 through Friday, November 27, 2015 at 11:59pm PT. One (1) winner will be randomly selected by PromoSimple and notified via email. The winner will have 72 hours to claim their prize; failure to do so will result in forfeiture of the prize. Participants must read and agree to PromoSimple’s and Cascadian Nomads Privacy Policy before entering and participating in this promotion. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ do not sponsor, administer or endorse this promotion. Prize package is donated and shipped by The Pachyderm Brand. Cascadian Nomads are not responsible for prize fulfillment.

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Typist: Bethany
My memory is foggy on whether it was the first time I walked into a dog show or a dog training seminar that I saw everyone with a small dog sitting on a folding dog crate chair. The people were intensely studying the event schedule on their comfortable chairs while their dogs rested peacefully below them. While setting up my dog crate then my quad folding chair and getting all of my personal items settled into the various pockets scattered on each, I fantasized about the ease with which my task would take if only I had one of those dog crate chairs. I was determined to get one. Until I found out how much a dog crate chair cost. I am an avid camping traveler with a collection of camp chairs, one in almost every color, multiple person camp chairs, a reclining camp chair and even a folding picnic table and I realized that it was not at all budget or storage practical to add yet another chair to my mass. For years the fantasy of how much more fun pet friendly travel and adventures would be with a crate chair lay dormant until I discovered Wrapsit™. While a more recent memory, I am foggy on the exact words I used when reaching out to the creators of this folding quad chair slipcover pet crate but I believe I used the word "genius."

The initial genius I saw in Wrapsit was simply an affordable crate chair option that would also help me avoiding ridicule for adding yet another folding camp chair to my already hilarious collection. Wrapsit features like the pockets, carrying straps and closure ease that meant I didn't have to stuff the quad chair back into it's bag didn't matter much to me. I avoid using the pockets of folding quad chairs, I don't try to carry any chairs very far and I have never had much trouble getting any of my chairs back into the bag. Then came the genius of Wrapsit. It is so much more than a crate chair cover. The pockets on Wrapsit are actually useful while the chair is open and closed. Among other things, I carry water for me and for the pets in the Wrapsit pockets. Both the hand and the shoulder straps are truly comfortable and my Wrapsit covered chair has now trekked farther on my back, in my hand or slung to the pet stroller than I ever imagined taking a folding chair. With the ease of setting up and closing my Wrapsit covered chair by simply pulling apart or putting together three strips of velcro, I want to throw away every chair bag I have and cover all my quad chairs with a Wrapsit. I promise that won't mean I will get more traveling pets for the crates. But if anyone with a small pet wants to come camping with us, I will have a spot saved!

Wrapsit makes carrying, setting up and taking down a quad chair easy.

For now, the one Wrapsit I have is on my oldest quad folding camp chair. If I decide to put it on another chair, Wrapsit is so easy to install, it would take only a couple of minutes to switch. The Wrapsit cover is also easy to remove to clean though after many outings with many pets, I have not needed to clean the Wrapsit yet. The waterproof coated polyester base has easily shaken off for me. So besides genius, affordability, ease and convenience, what more can I say about Wrapsit? Well, the two women who created and developed Wrapsit are amazing. They have both spent a lifetime with pets, support pet adoption and are just all around wonderful people that I feel extremely lucky to have connected with. As a person who is picky about the businesses I support and where my money goes, I am almost as happy to have a Wrapsit of my very own as I am to be able to share this genius product review. Almost. Please don't ask me to give up my Wrapsit. Wait. I mean, don't ask the pets to give up their Wrapsit. Wilhelm and Amelia just love their new favorite camp chair.

LeisureEase LLC provided Cascadian Nomads with a sample Wrapsit for review in this post. Cascadian Nomads only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers and all opinions are always our own. LeisureEase LLC is not responsible for the content of this article.

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Typist: Bethany
The multitudes of health benefits of fish oil for dogs is why I have been supplementing my dogs diet with fish oil for decades. Until recently, however, I didn't think it mattered what kind of fish oil I gave them. If they ate it, their skin wasn't too flaky and dry and their fur was shiny, it was good enough. Then I experienced the unbelievably soft fur, completely vanished itching, significantly more alert and active dogs that a high quality fish oil supplement can create. I will never go back to the cheap stuff. Especially since it turns out the cheap stuff isn't that much less expensive than the high quality fish oil, Bonnie and Clyde Premium Pet Goods Wild Omega-3 Fish Oil Supplement for Dogs with Natural Vitamin E. The wild salmon oil tablets I have been giving the pets for as long as I can remember cost me approximately 47 cents per day. The Bonnie and Clyde Pet Goods wild fish oil will cost me only 15 cents more per day. With the 90% improved health of my dogs since starting Bonnie and Clyde fish oil, the extra cost is 100% worth it.

Like any educated pet owner, I questioned why Bonnie and Clyde fish oil is so much better than salmon and cod liver oil. I admit to being biased because while I was asking that I was lost deeply petting one of my softer than rabbit fur dogs. Ahh! But back to the fish oil that has made such soft fur possible. A few of the significant differences between the fish oil I had been feeding and Bonnie and Clyde fish oil is that it is formulated specifically with an appropriate amount of omega-3 for dogs. The Bonnie and Clyde omega-6 to omega-3 ratio "may be more effective in managing the skin inflammation" according to the Bonnie and Clyde website as well as the no-more-itching results I have seen in my own dogs. Another benefit to supplementing with Bonnie and Clyde fish oil is the added natural vitamin E. I have supplemented my own diet with natural vitamin E since I was a teenager and I have long known that natural vitamin E, d-alpha tocopherol, is better adsorbed by human bodies. It turns out that the same it true for dogs. Natural vitamin E also has similar effects on dog health as is does on human health, among those benefits are skin and immune system health. The improved dog skin health I have seen with Bonnie and Clyde fish oil is amazing and I look forward to enjoying improved immunity in my dogs as well. A healthy immune system is essential for traveling adventure dogs.

Bonnie and Clyde Premium Pet Goods Wild Omega-3 Fish Oil comes with a pour cap and with a pump. The pump is extremely convenient for dosing the oil for my dogs needs as it delivers approximately 2ml, the recommended dosage for my smallest dog, Wilhelm. After supplementing Wilhelm, Brychwyn and Huxley's meals with Bonnie and Clyde fish oil for over a month, seven pumps per day for all three dogs (and one pump for the cat*) the bottle will likely last another two weeks. Out of curiosity, I recently served the oil à la carte. All three dogs licked the bowl clean so there is no need for the fish oil to be served over food. It has now become a daily treat! I feel so lucky to not only do have discovered a fish oil supplement that the dogs enjoy eating but my sleep is no longer disturbed each night by one or more dogs scratching and I have the softest dogs in the whole entire world to pet. Speaking of that. Enough typing. Back to petting.

*Bonnie and Clyde Premium Pet Goods Wild Omega-3 Fish Oil Supplement is formulated for dogs not cats but I did a little research and it is safe for cats. Since I also gave Amelia the same salmon oil as the dogs, I thought I'd see how the Bonnie and Clyde fish oil worked for her. The words of a child who asked to pet Amelia while on a walk yesterday best express how well Bonnie and Clyde fish oil has also worked for my cat. The child stroked Amelia then ran back to her mother and exclaimed "that is the softest cat in the whole world! You have to pet it!"

Do you give your dogs a fish oil supplement? Have you noticed a difference if trying a new supplement? Do you think your dogs health would improve on with Bonnie and Clyde Wild Omega-3 Fish Oil?

We are being compensated to spread the word about Bonnie and Clyde Premium Pet Goods Wild Omega-3 Fish Oil Supplement for Dogs. Cascadian Nomads only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers and all opinions are always our own. Bonnie and Clyde Premium Pet Goods is not responsible for the content of this article.

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