Taking A Break

Hey guys!

Today's post is about something I've been waffling back and forth on for months. I've debated, hmm'ed and haww'ed and have given myself a massive headache, and now I've reached a conclusion.

I need to take a break from blogging.

I've been hitting publish on several posts every week here for the past six years. Nola herself was just six months old when I started Dachshund Nola, and it's been an incredible experience. The growth and knowledge I've obtained from blogging is something I treasure deeply, and has helped shaped me into the person I am today. I am incredibly thankful for the community, the friendship and the opportunities that have come out of this.

But...I'm at a standstill with blogging. I'm at the point where it's becoming an extremely unpleasant task to sit and schedule the three posts a week I've scaled down to, and I breathe a sigh of relief when it's done. I don't know what to post about, and when I try to get out something of any value, absolutely nothing gets put down on paper.

The community has changed and shifted, with microblogging edging classic blogging out of its place. I'll be the first to admit that I've found a great little niche with Instagram, while plenty of others love Facebook or Twitter, Snapchat or YouTube.

I'm tired of constant sponsored posts, both reading and producing. I'm weary of reviews. I'm sick of the drama and the cliques. I'm frustrated with my numbers being high, but my engagement being low. I'm frazzled with blog upkeep.

I'm not a writer. I never have been, and I never will be. Writing does not come naturally to me, and 99% of the time I give into the frustration of it and just spam you with photos.
The last post I've been really proud of and happy with? It was "Is She a Rescue?" An Open Letter to Breeder Hate. I wrote that last July, and did it in under 30 minutes. It went wild overnight, skyrocketing to my most popular post of all time, and landed me hundreds of shares and a radio interview. While I love it and am thrilled with how it went down, it's almost more frustrating to me that no matter what I try, I can't write anything close to that again. Nothing comes out when I try, and I've tried a lot.


This is turning into a bitch fest, and while I'm definitely frustrated with blogging, I'm strangely satisfied as well. I've hit every goal I've ever wanted to with blogging. I've made friends. I've been paid. I've attended BlogPaws as a sponsored blogger. I've gotten a hell of a lot smarter. I made an impact.
My photography is now something I'm proud of, and petty as it may sound, I can look at some of the photos I admired when I first started out, and I now know I can do it better. #SorryNotSorry
Even Nola's nails have hit my goal, haha.

So...that's where I am now. I need a break. Right now, I'm aiming to take the month of May off from blogging. I may look into rebranding when I get back, and I'll likely pull back to one or two posts a week, because I don't want to lose my original core blog goal, which is tracking Miss Nola's life and adventures.
In the mean time, feel free to follow us on social media, especially on Instagram here.



I thank you all for reading, and for sticking with us.

- Amanda

Bye for now!

Checking In With Pets Deli - Final Thoughts

Hey guys!

Disclaimer: I am being compensated to share this product. I only share products and services I feel good about recommending to my readers, and all opinions are my own. 

Remember a few weeks ago when I talked about Pets Deli dog food? If not, that post is right here, but I'll share a little snippet of our previous post below.

Pets Deli is a European company that just became available in the US. They ship customizable frozen food right to your door, made with all USA sourced ingredients that are 100% human grade. They currently offer three different, single source protein meal options: chicken, turkey and beef. All are available in either with or without carb options, and chicken and beef are grain free carb options.

At this moment, Pets Deli is intended to be used as supplemental feeding only. That could be as a meal every couple days, an afternoon snack, or as a kibble topper. However, Pets Deli will be putting out a supplement powder that will ship with every box of food, and makes the food a complete and balanced diet that can be fed on its own.

The first thing I have to say about Pets Deli is how kind and caring their staff was. As you all know, Nola was sick nearly all of April, and I had to push this post back at least once because she either wasn't eating, or her stomach couldn't handle anything but the most bland of foods; not once did I ever feel irritation or pressure from the wonderful Pets Deli rep. Quite the opposite, actually! They were caring, considerate, and incredibly accommodating. They even sent Miss Nola a card! I really can't say enough good things about their customer service.

Yes, she prefers a glass bowl. Not spoiled, not at all. 

Due to the aforementioned sickness (and how long a certain vet dragged it out for....), Nola's digestive  tract took a serious beating and is still healing up. Because of that, she's been put on a kibble based diet while her system sets itself back in order. 
However, I still want to give her the benefits of raw food, and Pets Deli has been the perfect topper for her. A couple spoonfuls on top of her breakfast each morning gives her variety and flavor, and me the pleasure of knowing I'm giving her something so healthy. 

As for improvements, I'd still like to see more protein options added. I'm starting to wonder if Nola is developing an allergy to chicken, and I know a lot of dogs have allergies or sensitivities to beef or chicken, which are two Pets Deli's main meats.

I'd also like to see a smaller delivery size option. We were sent a 6 pack, which is 12lbs, and it's a lot of food for a dog as small as Nola is. My freezer is minuscule, and if there wasn't an additional one in the shed, I'd have no where to put the food, especially not at the rate she eats. That's definitely #SmallDogProblems, though!

The website is still clean and user-friendly, as is the "my account" section. I poked around in there a bit, and was able to quickly and seamlessly make adjustments and changes to my account and orders. 

Its current use as a topper. This is the turkey variety. 

Nola hasn't had any negative side effects from Pets Deli, and is always eager to eat each morning - so much so that she dances around my legs and makes navigating the kitchen each morning (without stepping on her!) quite the feat. 
Probably the best way I know of telling if a food is working for Miss Nola is whether or not her eyes start to get a little gunky. Eye funk = this isn't working. I'm happy to say her eyes are as clear and bright as ever on Pets Deli.

Overall, I'm very impressed with Pets Deli, and would definitely recommend them, especially if you have a smaller dog. You can use the code NOLA50 for 50% off your first order.

Thank you for working with us, Pets Deli!

Wordless Wednesday

She's Baaaaaack!

Hey guys!

Today I'm here with what I hope to be the last update on Nola's upset stomach. After her vet visit on Tuesday and five doses of whipworm dewormer, she's basically back to her normal self, and better than ever, thankfully!

Her energy is through the roof (she had the best fit of roomies and fetching last night), she's back to being a little porker around food, no nausea, no horrible stomach rumbles, and her poop is almost normal. A tiny bit softer and one additional time than her normal, but she's been sick for three weeks and had a shit ton of medications and antibiotics; it's going to take a little while for digestive tract to heal after all that.

I have to say that I'm really not happy with the experience we had with the first vet she went to. Despite them seeing evidence of whipworms in the fecal they ran, and prescribing her dewormer, they called almost immediately and told me not to give it to her, instead keeping her full of antibiotics (despite there being no signs of infection) and other medication to treat symptoms rather than the source. Never mind the whole smacking an obscure diagnosis on her and giving even more medication that they said could take an additional three weeks to clear up her supposed condition.... Oh, and don't forget $600 for something that just kept her sick.

I'm so, so glad I listened to my gut and got a second opinion, and so glad my baby's okay! Thank you all for keeping her in your thoughts!

Black and White Sunday

Nikon D3300
35mm lens
1/200
f/1.8
ISO 100

Join me and my co-host Angel Sugar for the Black and White Sunday Blog Hop! Grab the badge and link up!

Nola's Health Update

Hey guys!

I have an update on Miss Nola's health issues. Check out this post for more info if you missed the last update!

Once again, there will be a lot of poop talk. #dogmomproblems

Okay, so Nola's poop went from pretty much every hour, to every few hours, to five times a day, and now it's 2-3x a day, just one more than her normal amount. It's gone from...well, but water and jelly to mushy and sticky. Unfortunately, there's still blood in it more often than not. 

Her appetite is almost back to where it should be (normally she's a 10 on the chow hound scale, and she's about an 8 now), and her energy is back to normal. She's drinking and eating her normal amounts, she's gained back the weight she's lost and is maintaining it. Her nausea seems to be gone, too.

The poop issue still concerned me, so yesterday we went to a different vet for a second opinion (and I have a whole rant boiling inside me about the vet "care" in this area. I'm so sick of living in an area where everything is 15+ years behind everywhere else). While I am very, very far from satisfied with the practice, they did at least give a plan of action and don't seem to think that she has what the first vet said she did. 

Since the first vet already did basic bloodwork that came up normal and a lot of antibiotics, they ran two more fecal samples and found one whipworm egg. Whipworms can cause bloody poop and a general lackluster air, and since her heartworm prevention doesn't cover them, they've decided to treat her for 5 days the get rid of anything in her system. They also gave her some DiaGel to firm up her poop. Perhaps she did have some mild infection that's going along with this whipworm.

If this doesn't clear up the issue, we're going to have to look into more serious issues. I'm hoping like crazy this is what's wrong!

My irritation with the first vet was that they found a whipworm...something (casing, maybe?) in the first fecal sample they ran, and even prescribed her the wormer to get rid of them. Then they called the next day and told me not to give her that, and instead crammed her full of antibiotics. If it winds up being whipworms, that whole situation kept her sick for nearly three weeks and pumped full of an insane amount of antibiotics, never mind costing me over $500. So frustrated right now.

So that's the update! I'd appreciate some POTP for my little beast!

Nola in 30A, Florida