We hope this gift guide helped you find some cute spoils for your furry loves. Should you wish to purchase any of these items through our links, we get a small commission at no extra cost to you, it’s just Amazon being nice to us 😉
Hello May. Although it’s autumn going into winter for us, we are still enjoying some lovely hot days here in Africa. The grass is changing colour and the leaves are falling off our trees which makes pretty photos.
May is special month for us because it’s the month our baby girl was born. She’s about to turn one and we are all very excited, although our first birthday plans are not what we dreamed of, we will make our baby Gia’s day a special one!
It might not be the happiest time within the world right now, but April is my birthday month and I happen to share my birthday with Easter this year. We will celebrate the gift of life because it has never been more important than now!
When Zuki asked us to do a review we were over the moon with excitement. We had just won their December giveaway so this was the perfect opportunity to explore their website and product range and put their online store to the test.
Zuki is an online pet store that offers a huge variety of products. They don’t only have your general pet products, they have some pretty quirky and different items too! At first glance they offer all your premium and super premium brands of pet food, treats and toys. But I was looking for something interesting and something a little different, and I certainly found just that. They also offer products for small animals, which meant the Amigos were about to get spoilt too…
Yes we won the Zuki giveaway! We got to spend R2500 in their online store, so naturally I chose some pretty awesome goodies for Zara and the amigos. After some initial technical malfunctions from my behalf, which were handled immediately and professionally, our big box of awesome goodies arrived within 48 hours! Pretty impressive if you ask me. Everything was neatly packed into one box and everything was packed so that nothing was damaged in the delivery process.
The one thing I particularly love about Zuki is, you can schedule order your pet food and treats. Meaning you can set up a date every month for your pet food to be delivered to your door! And if at any point you’re undecided or need any help you can live chat with Zuki online. Pretty awesome customer service if you ask me.
So this is what we got…
The Foobler self reloading puzzle feeder. This gadget is awesome!! You can put kibble or treats inside the compartments, choose your timer speed and switch it on. I went with 15 minutes which means every 15 minutes a bell alarm sirens off and a compartment of treats is released. Zara then has to push and nudge the ball to get her reward. A bit like a treat ball but a super awesome one!! Zara is obsessed with it so much that I actually have to hide it away. This is a fantastic item to leave for her when we go out.
A Mighty Rhino dog toy. We are very familiar with the MIGHTY range of dog toys and our green rhino did not disappoint! I think for most South Africans a rhino holds a special place in our hearts so it was a no brainer as to why Zara needed a rhino toy!
A SLOMO food bowl. Zara is an extremely fast eater! It’s also something I have been quite open and vocal about so when I saw this modern and stylish slow feed bowl I knew we had to put it to the test. It certainly helps Zara to eat slower and not gulp her food down in 0.2 seconds. She has to work harder to get each kibble which is great. She’s had a slow feed bowl before but this one is a lot more complicated making meal times slower for her.
A Captain Fantastick. This is a toy I find incredibly hilarious!! Who thinks of these toy designs.. HAHA!!! I love him and so does Zara. It’s surprisingly tough and fun to play with. Zara and I played fetch for a long while with Mr Captain Fantastick.
A Glow in the Dark ball. Thats right, a glow in the dark ball! It’s perfect for low light ball fun. It’s such a fun ball because it squeaks and bounces too. We also received a soft fun pink ball which Baby Gia seems to have claimed. Gia and Zara roll the pink ball back and forth which is so cute to watch.
Zara got a pack of her favourite Orijen freeze dried treats! Possibly the best treats on the market. Zara will happily finish an entire bag in one go.
To top it all off we chose the Toy Basket to keep all of Zara’s new toys in. It’s a really nice size and great quality too!
The Amigos got spoilt too…
A really awesome Carrot Cottage. This is an edible hidey which has kept them gnawing non stop for over 48 hours. I’m wondering if they even took a break to sleep! This is such a great boredom buster and a great item for them to gnaw on. I am really impressed with this one.
A selection of boredom busters. I’m always on the lookout for boredom busters for the Amigos. Zuki has a great selection, it was hard to choose which ones they would love the best!
And of course some special bunny treats because every bunny deserves a yummy treat or two! These were a total hit, Mr Duke dive bombed the entire bag of Naturals Fenugreek Crunchies and harassed me for over an hour after I had packed the rest away for another day.
Our overall experience with Zuki has been FANTASTIC!! Their website is easy to use with lots of product categories which helps you find products very easily. Images of each items are clear so you can see exactly what the item looks like along with good product descriptions to help make choosing the right product easier.
We highly recommend Zuki as an online pet store where you can schedule your pet food plus add in a few extras to spoil the furry loves in your life. If you haven’t already, head on over to their website www.zuki.co.za
Poop…. Are you one of those people who refuses to pick up your pups poop at the park because you think its good for the grass or someone else can pick it up or because you are too embarrassed?
What if I told you that refusing to pick up after your pooch can lead to serious health issues for other pups at the park, including your own and even you! Yes, by refusing to pick up your pups poop you encourage the spread of serious diseases such as Parvo, Whipworm, Hookworm, Tapeworm, Salmonellosis, Corona plus a few more.
I’m not here to explain each of these diseases, you can google them pretty easily and what you will find should scare you half to death. What I am here to explain is that it is pretty simple to pick up after your pooch especially while out in public.
Earth Rated have a wonderful range of products to help make picking up after your furry love quick and easy. I particularly love the Earth rated poop bag dispenser. It is lightweight and small and it can clip onto any leash, so there really is no excuse for not carrying these poop bags while out on walks.
Earth Rated products are all 100% environmentally friendly and made from recycled materials. Earth Rated also cares about local shelters and donate on a regular basis, giving shelters all their unused manufactured products. Shelter dogs deserve to feel loved and pampered too right…
We received the Earth Rated poop bag dispenser with lavender scented poop bags. Yes, you read right, lavender scented poop bags! Let me tell you they smell gorgeous. Whoever said your poop doesn’t smell like flowers never used an Earth Rated scented poop bag.
I’ll be honest, Zara doesn’t make the smallest poops in the world. Her’s are pretty loud and proud for everyone to see and smell so I couldn’t wait to put these bags to the test. I have always used your standard poop bags to pick up after Zara, so I was excited to see how these fared up in comparison.
First off I cannot get over the wonderful lavender scent of each bag. It really does mask the smell of what you actually have to pick up! The size of them is also pretty decent and much bigger than your average poop bag, it can fit an entire Zara poop in one bag which I was pretty impressed with. The other thing I loved about the dispenser is the fact that it clips securely onto your leash. It doesn’t matter how thick or thin your leash is either. The velcro strap makes them so easy to attach and secure. Plus there is an added extra to this dispenser, a special clip for you to hook the used poop bag onto until you reach a dustbin and can dispose the bag properly… Simply amazing in my eyes!
Pack Leader South Africa is the sole distributer for these amazing poop bags around South Africa, so if you would like to get your paws on some, visit selected pet stores or you can pop into their very own pet store in Parkhurst, Johannesburg- Canine & Co. They are also happy to answer any questions or enquiries online via social media.
Be sure to follow everyone on social media to stay up to date with all their products including new product launches.
Zara underwent TPLO surgery in July this year and since then recovery has been long and tough. It has been weeks upon weeks of rest, and anyone with a rottie will know what a difficult task that is… But we managed and with the help of some added extra supplements and treatments I can safely say her recovery is going well.
One of the added extra supplements I chose to give Zara was bone broth. After doing extensive research I realised just how good and nutritious bone broth actually is for her and I wondered why I had never given it to Oscar or Zara before.
Benefits of bone broth:
It’s a great source of essential minerals, rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and more. Bone broth may also encourage your pups water consumption and boost her appetite too.
Bone broth has great joint healing properties. It contains glucosamine, chondroitin and hyaluronic acid, all of which protects and give joints their elasticity, strength and flexibility. Bone broth is also the best food source which contains collagen to help form connective tissue.
The amino acids and glycosaminoglycans restore and protect the gut lining which supports digestion and a healthy gut for your pooch.
Bone broth is extremely beneficial to your pups immune system too. It helps reduce inflammation in the respiratory system and improve the immune systems ability to fight conditions like allergies, asthma and arthritis.
Most importantly when bone broth is home made, it is completely natural and free from grain, gluten, dairy etc.
Some of you might think that bone broth sounds absolutely awful. I was totally one of those people and never in my wildest dreams thought I would stomach making it! I reached out to an Instagram friend @goldengirlcalibear and asked for her advice. She is a vegetarian herself, but feeds Cali a totally raw diet- yes that includes raw meat of all kinds. I figured if she can do this then I can too, plus it was for my baby loves!! So I pulled myself together, bought the ingredients and went home to make some all important bone broth…. Here is my recipe:
Ingredients
1-2kg of bones (you can use chicken or beef or both)
2-3 tbs apple cider vinegar
Enough water to completely cover your bones in the pot
Optional-vegetables or vegetable cuttings
Directions
Place your bones in a huge pot and add the apple cider vinegar, stirring it over the bones- it helps break down all the fat and cartilage which is the good stuff in bone broth. Leave it for about 30 mins. Then fill your pot with cold water making sure you completely cover the bones. Gently bring the pot to a boil and then turn it down and let it lightly simmer for at least 10 hours with the lid on. Once done strain your broth, making sure absolutely NO bones or bone fragments end up in your final bone broth stock. Please throw away these soft bones immediately-NEVER give them to your pooch no matter how much they beg for one!! Let the strained broth cool completely. You will notice all the fat will rise to the top and solidify as it cools. You gently remove the fat layer and underneath is your beautiful and nutritious bone broth. I simply pour the broth into cute ice cube trays or even small tupperware pots and pop them into the freezer. Take them out as you wish to use them. You can give them to your pooch frozen or let it thaw a little. Your pup will LOVE you for making the effort!
Tips and findings from my experience making bone broth:
The more bones you use essentially the more broth you will end up with. Don’t let the pot boil for long, the idea is for it to gently simmer for hours on end. I also find the longer it simmers the better the outcome of the broth. Don’t be alarmed if your broth reduces significantly, on my first attempt I started with 5 litres of water and ended up with 400ml of broth. I was horrified-haha! I then learnt that I filled the pot too much and so water kept spitting out through the lid which caused more evaporation than usual. You will soon learn when your broth looks right and you can turn it off or if it needs a few more hours. I also found that adding veggies to mine did dilute it a bit. When I used bones only it made a beautiful bone broth. Again the choice is yours. Adding veggies increases the nutritional value too, but please be mindful of safe veggies for your pup. You might think you cannot stomach the smell of boiling bones, honestly that was what I was worried most about and it actually pleasantly surprised me. It smells like a simmering soup and it is not offensive at all-I promise!
I feel that if my vegetarian friend can make bone broth for Cali and I can make it for Zara (yes I am probably the worlds fussiest eater who drives my husband crazy) then anyone can! The nutritional value and benefits from bone broth are endless and in the long term you will see a difference in the overall health of your pooch. I do hope you give it a try and feel free to share the results with us either on Facebook- @stylishpaws or Instagram- @stylish_paws
When DONQUE asked us to collaborate with them, we of course jumped ten feet high at the chance! Not only are their clothing items stylish, but you get to customise your items with your furry loves face and name. Seriously what’s not to LOVE about this?
DONQUE is an Amsterdam based company that focusses on creating apparel for dog and cat lovers around the world. Their range of clothing items include t-shirts, sweaters and hoodies.
We received two hoodies, one for me which was custom made with Oscar’s exact face on it-since he is so unique 🙂 And the other one with Zara’s Rottie face. Both designs were made just for us because no one had requested these breeds before. The communication from the DONQUE team was absolutely incredible! Non-stop emails making sure we loved both Oscar and Zara’s designs perfectly. Nothing was too much trouble. If we wanted an eyebrow in the opposite direction, or an extra wrinkle line, it was done and sent back within minutes.
Once I knew our hoodies were on their way, I just couldn’t keep still with excitment. This concept is just so unique, I couldn’t wait to get my paws on these hoodies.
Delivery day…. My excitement was unreal, mainly because we were getting a present this time. Poor Oscar and Zara were very confused when I opened up our package and this one wasn’t for them. Sorry guys. We got two stunning, and I mean stunning, black hoodies, the Oscar one is mine and the Zara one is for my two legged companion. Despite it being about 300 degrees outside and the sun blazing, we eagerly put on our hoodies and ran to the mirror to check ourselves out… We thought we looked fantastic-haha!!
These hoodies are warm and very comfortable. For once I cannot wait for the weather to change so we can both be seen out in our new custom DONQUE hoodies. They’re made of quality material and made really well. Of course you need to be careful not to iron on the print, but that goes for any item with iron-on detail.
For you, my wonderful readers and followers, will get a 10% discount when you use this discount code at check out: ILOVESTYLISHPAWS or simply click on this link: https://wearedonque.com/discount/ILOVESTYLISHPAWS
Oscar and Zara were super proud to walk the streets with us, knowing their humans wore a hoodie with their faces and names on for everyone to see!
You definitely won’t regret placing your order. Who doesn’t want a t-shirt, sweater or hoodie with their pet on?
For us Christmas is about spending quality time with loved ones and of course that includes our four legged children! This year will be Charlotte, Duke and Peaches’ first Christmas so it needs to be a special one.
The big fat man dressed in red will be making a delivery for them too… Since it is difficult to find nice bunny goodies where we live, I like to make homemade gifts for them using bits and pieces I found around the house. The goodies I did find in the shops include a children’s ten-pin bowling set, because bunnies actually love playing interactive games with you. A doggy interactive toy, a new cat tunnel, an outside enclosure play pen and I made some homemade bunny treats (recipe below).
Homemade Bunny Crackers:
These are by far the easiest bunny toy to make. You simply take a toilet roll holder, fold in the one side, fill it with whatever your bunnies go crazy for like pellets, dried flowers and dried herbs or fill it with fresh goodies like carrot sticks, celery bits and herbs. Then fold in the other edge. Your bunnies will love throwing this around while trying to get the yummy stuffing out. I like to use different size ones (some toilet roll holders and some kitchen roll holders) to make things more challenging for them.
Bunny Treats:
I enjoy making homemade treats for the babies because that way I know exactly what is in them. No hidden dyes or preservatives, only ingredients I know are safe and healthy for them.
Ingredients
1/4 cup bunny pellets, blitzed up
1/4 cup blitzed oats
1 mashed banana
1 large carrot cooked and mashed into a puree
Directions
Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees. Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl until everything is nicely combined. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Spread the treat mixture evenly so it is about 1cm thick. Bake in the oven for +-30 mins or until the treats are cooked and hard. Take them out the oven, cut into small bite sized squares and allow to cool. Store them in an airtight container for on hand treats. Your bunnies will LOVE these… You can play around with the ingredients, choose your bunnies favourite veggies, fruit and herbs but please be mindful of what is safe for your furry loves to eat!!
We are at a comfortable stage where the bunnies can be around Oscar and Zara, so this Christmas is going to be lots of fun. Both Oscar and Zara love opening their Christmas gifts so they are going to have to show the bunnies how it’s done, perhaps even help open theirs!
Whatever your Christmas plans are this year, we hope you have a wonderful and safe celebration!
by 
