#*isn’t active for like 5 days* wow I’m going to get a horrible grade in stimblog something that is normal to fear and possible to acquire-

[calciferstims]

hi I promise I will make stimboards at. some point. maybe. if I’m feeling saucy

[sorceress-coffee]

Trollhunters Episode 4.2

Gnome attack, sparring, magic level up, and courting explanations. Mostly freeform writing and self-indulgence. Thank you for reading!

Episode 1 

Episode 4.1 

Episode 5 

I was happily dreaming of moving to Trollmarket when loud banging on my bedroom door woke me up. “It’s too early!” I yelled, throwing my pillow at the door.

Toby burst in, seeing me in bed his jaw dropped. “River! It’s time to leave! Also, Jim has a problem! Pack your laptop,” Toby yelled quickly, slamming my door shut.

I glared at the door before checking my phone for the time. “Shit, it is late!” I jump out of bed getting dressed as fast as I can, grabbing my laptop before running out after Toby. “What’s the problem? Where is Jim?”

Toby and I were running to school at this point. “He’s at my house, Blinky shrunk him so he could catch a gnome and he hasn’t gotten bigger!”

I groaned, “I’m guessing the laptop is so he doesn’t fail his Spanish presentation?” We barely made it onto the campus as the final bell rang.

“Yup! See you in Senor Uhl’s class!” Toby yelled, rushing off to his first period. This was going to be weird.

Once we finally got through the day, I made it to Senor Uhl’s class, speaking to him before the bell. “Senor Uhl, I’m sorry this is a bit different, but Jim’s home sick. Is it alright if he gives his comprehension exam by video chat?”

Senor Uhl tapped his desk thinking. “I don’t see why not. At least he’s responsible enough to keep up with school work while ill.” He nodded, allowing me to set up the laptop.

I logged in and waved to Jim, snickering as I recognized the background as the dollhouse in Toby’s room. “Ready Jim?”

Jim gave me a thumbs up. “Ready to go! Hola! Sorry, I couldn’t be en escuela, Senor Uhl, but I’m sick en casa. Which is fitting, since I’m doing mi comprehension presentacion on Ponce de Leon, who muerto-ed from a great illness.”

“Hey!” Steve yelled glaring at Jim on the screen. “’Muerto-ed’ is not a word!”

I rolled my eyes at Steve, sitting at my desk in the back with the grading sheet.

“Nope.” Senor Uhl began, “I’m curious to see where this is going. Continue Mr. Lake.” He waved Steve’s objection off.

Jim grinned when he was given the go-ahead, and I smirked at Steve, “Ponce de Leon, one of the most famoso Spanish conquistadores is most associated with-ss” A vacuum cut Jim off, I dropped my head to my desk. Why was Nana cleaning now? “the feunte de la juventud, the Fountain of Youth.” Jim continued, scrambling closer to the screen.

“What is that horrible noise?” Senor Uhl asked.

“Uh, constuccion.” Jim quickly explained. “Uh, remodeling. A minor intrusion. Un minute, Senor Uhl.” Jim face planted against the screen.

“Mr. Lake?” Senor Uhl was confused, “Mr. Lake are you still there? We don’t have all day.”

“No, no… No need to fight at home.” Jim spoke up, turning back to the screen. “Ponce de Leon joined Columbus in the New… New- What in the world?!” Jim yelled, looking past the screen again.

The next thing I know, Jim is fighting with a gnome, running on and off screen as he continues his presentation. After a few minutes, he sat on the Toy couch, out of breath. “But in the end, they were taken care of. And that is it for my presentacion. I hope this wasn’t too much trouble, Senor Uhl. Hasta luego.”

Eli jumped up from his seat, applauding “Spectacular!”

Senor Uhl shook his head at Eli’s outburst, turning back to the laptop. “Very, very informative, Mr. Lake. C-plus.” He said. Jim groaned as his body began to misshapen. “Fine. B-minus.” Senor Uhl stated quickly, looking worriedly at the screen and Jim seized up.

“Jim! Jim, what’s wrong?” Eli asked, taking his seat again.

I rushed out of my seat, closing the laptop quickly. “Sorry that construction must have messed with the wifi!” The bell rang and I ran out to find Toby, grabbing him as soon as I pass by and dragging him all the way home. “Jim’s freaking out! He started changing shape after his presentation!” I yelled as we ran into Toby’s house and up the stairs.

Toby slammed his bedroom door open revealing a full-size Jim sitting in front of the dollhouse. “Jim!” Toby yelled, “You big again!”

Jim chuckled patting over his ribs, “I think my spleen switched sides, but everything’s better now.” He joked.

Toby hugged him, “I’m sorry I failed you, Jim. I should have done it when I had the chance.”

I looked between the two confused. “What are you talking about?”

Jim pulled back and moved away from the dollhouse, revealing the gnome that had been attacking him.

The gnome was eating a nougat nummy, sharing it with a space doll. “I thought he was attacking me, but all he wanted was a home. Look he’s even found a friend.” Jim explained as we all sat in front of the dollhouse. The gnome picked up at makeshift guitar and began to serenade the doll.

“So, you’re keeping a gnome as a pet… a delusional gnome…” I said smiling, “he’s kind of cute though.”

Toby sighed happily, “He has the mind of a vermin, but the soul of an artist.”

Jim sat back a bit, thinking. “Blinky said we needed to ‘take care of him,’” he stated, making a throat-cutting gesture, “but what if we like, take care of him,” he gestured to the dollhouse. “I know it’s not exactly the second rule to Trollhunting but, for this one, maybe we do it in our own way, without the murdering.”

“Well the second rule is ‘finish the fight,’ and I think that’s up for interpretation,” I smirk to Jim. “After all, you’re not exactly a Trollish Trollhunter.”

“We can keep him? Jim, I already have a name. Gnome Chompsky!” Toby exclaimed, excited about keeping Chompsky.

“Chompsky. I like it.” Jim grinned. I nodded in agreement, snickering when Chompsky tried the movie theater, yawning arm move on the doll.

Jim laughed closing the dollhouse. “Pretty good for a first mission. Two crises averted. It’s not like you get to rehearse these things.” Jim’s face fell as he took a sharp breath. “Oh, no! Rehearsal! I gotta go!” Jim took off running out of Toby’s house.

I sighed before getting up, “I have to go too, I’ve got training in Trollmarket. See you late Tobes!” I wave heading out, running to the canal. Excited to continue training with Draal. As I walk into the canal entrance I run straight into a blue Troll, though he wasn’t the blue troll I was expecting. “Blinky? Are you leaving? The sun is still up.” I asked confused.

“Ah, Lady River! Good to see you, I’m waiting on Master Jim, he should be arriving soon, your school let out a while ago.” Blinky explained, frowning as the portal closed behind me with no Jim in sight.

“Sorry Blinky, he ran off to rehearsal, school activities sometimes last longer than a normal day,” I said, making my way to the steps.

Blinky sighed, disappointed that Jim wouldn’t be coming anytime soon. “That’s a shame, he has so much training, especially considering his match with Draal.” Blinky shuddered. “Maybe it’s for the best, that Troll has been in a strange mood since last night,” Blinky noted, walking down with me to Trollmarket.

I frowned, worried for Draal, “Strange mood? Is he sick? Can trolls get sick?” I asked, going over our training to see if Draal could’ve gotten hurt. “Did Bular attack?”

Blinky shook his head quickly, waving his hands, “No, nothing like that. Yes, trolls can get sick. I don’t think he ran into Bular after his night out, but he seems to be distracted, and Draal is never distracted.”

I snort a laugh, “Oh yes, the ‘most fearsome warrior in Trollmarket,’ couldn’t possibly be distracted.”

Blinky pauses, tilting his head at my words, “Have you been spending time with Draal?”

I stiffen at the question, unsure of Blinky’s tone, “Well yeah, I mean, we’ve been hanging out since… wow the first night we came to Trollmarket. Vendel had him take me home since Bular was still running around and kind of became routine if I don’t leave with Jim and Toby. He offered to train me with the lance so there’s that too…” I trail off watching Blinky’s face.

His jaw drops when I mention training. “DRAAL offered to TRAIN YOU?” Blinky asked in disbelief, an annoyed growl from behind catching our attention.

“I did.” Draal was standing behind us, glaring at Blinky as if he was challenging him.

I grin walking up to him, “Ready to go?”

Blinky’s mouth was still open, looking between Draal and me, trying to get more than ‘you’ and ‘him’ out in a sentence.

Draal nods, glare morphing into a smirk, “Maybe we should train in the forge since the Trollhunter is busy, that way his teacher can get a sense of what he’s up against in his next fight.”

I look up at Draal confused, then I turn to Blinky and shrug. “That’s fine with me, uh…” I waved my hand in front of Blinky’s face.

Blinky snapped his mouth close glaring up at Draal. “Let’s go then, I’m sure we will all learn a lot.” He huffed, turning to get Aaarrrgghh, heading to the forge.

I kept my pace slow, Draal matching my step. I was still worried about what Blinky had said. “Hey, Draal? Are you doing okay?” I asked, looking up to him as we walked.

Draal tilted his head towards me, confused, “Of course, why do you ask?”

I shrug a bit, glancing to Blinky and Aaarrrgghh ahead of us, “Blinky said you’ve been distracting since you came back from taking me home, I was wondering if something happened?”

Draal stiffened, “On my way back? No, I… didn’t think I was distracted.”

I nod, watching his reaction, “Did,” I paused, calculating my words carefully, “Did I do something?”

Draal actually winced at my question. I frowned, turning to him. “I did.”

Draal sighed, waiting for Blinky and Aaarrrgghh to walk through the forge entrance before explaining, “Culturally it isn’t… bad.” He began, tilting his head in thought, “You wouldn’t have known about it either. Do not worry about it.”

“What did I do? I doubt you’d be distracted if I had accidentally done something small like insulting your cooking.” I said, trying to go over everything I did or said last night. “Was it the hug? No, you let me hug you before… was it the teasing? Calling you ‘my most fearsome warrior?’”

Draal shook his head, sighing “It was the gesture during your hug,” He pats my head, “a troll nuzzles their head under another’s chin when courting.”

I froze under his hand, face turning dark red, “Courting… that’s more serious than dating.” I groaned hiding my face in my hands, “No wonder you were upset! I’m so sorry Draal, that was probably insulting.”

Draal was confused by my reaction, “You believe I would take insult to court you?” He frowns pulling his hand from my head.

I look up at him, face still red, “well, no but… I’m not exactly a Troll.”

“Then you take insult to a Troll courting you?” He asked, brow knit as his confusion deepened.

“Not at all. Well, depending on the troll.” I said, tilting my head in thought. “Though I don’t personally know a lot of Trolls. I’m closest to you and Vendel, so I don’t see a Troll trying to court me anytime soon.”

Draal nodded, continuing on into the forge, contemplating my answer.

“There you two are! I thought you were supposed to be training?” Blinky huffed, all four arms crossed over his chest, still irritated by Draal’s quip about teaching Jim. Aaarrrgghh pats his head, trying to calm him down.

I dropped my bag, grabbing my lance. “Seriously Blinky?” I shook my head before taking my stance, ready for any surprise Draal might have up his sleeves, if he had sleeves.

Draal smirked, taking his stance. We slowly circled the perimeter of the forge, watching each other for the slightest move to attack. Draal lost his patience first, roaring and taking his boulder stance he took off after me, quicker than when we were training last night. I stayed planted until the last second before springing out of the way just enough not to get hit. Swinging the lance around, I dug my foot into the ground as it made contact with Draal. Growling, my hands began to glow as I channeled magic through the staff, forcing the swing to continue and I was able to knock Draal back, causing him to uncurl and land on his back.

He sat up, looking at me bewildered for a moment before smirking and jumping to his feet. I took a defensive stance. He held his hands up, walking up to me calmly, “Hands,” he stated, holding one of his out, palm up.

I was confused until I realized what I had done, this was the first time I was able to channel magic into my hands without blasting something to pieces. I look at my still wrapped hands, the magic hadn’t burned the bandages this time. I place one of my hands in Draal’s palm. He unwrapped my hand, looking over it for injury before nodding and unwrapping my other hand.

“If you use your magic properly, you won’t injure yourself. Keep practicing channeling into the lance as we spar. Don’t overdo it though. Vendel will have my head if you get injured.”

I laughed and nodded, stretching my palms. I smirked, hooking his horn with the blade, and surging magic through it, enough to enable me to flip Draal over onto his back again. I grin leaning down over his shocked face. “That’s for your surprise attack last night.”

He barked a laugh before raising a hand quickly and jabbing my side with his finger, “Careful River, I still know your weakness.” He grinned up at me as I yelped before glaring at him.

“That’s just rude!” I growled out hugging my sides and quickly stepping out of reach.

Draal and I continued to taunt and tease each other as our sparring continued. Movements quickened and each blow increased in strength as we were both tossed around the forge, not hard enough to do any more damage than bruising.

Blinky and Aaarrrgghh watched on in bewilderment. “Draal strange,” Aaarrrgghh noted to Blinky, clapping whenever I was able to channel my magic into an attack.

“Indeed, it almost seems as… no, that can’t be right. Draal can’t stand ‘fleshbags’ he’d never…” Blinky remarked, his thought trailing off.

“Not human,” Aaarrrgghh replied. “River more like us.”

“I know, it’s just hard to keep in mind considering she’s related by blood to Master Jim and he doesn’t have an ounce of magic without the Amulet of Daylight.” Blinky shakes his head, laughing when I launch Draal into a wall. “Well, if this how females are taught to ‘flirt’ in the human world, I pray for Master Jim’s life when a human female tries to court him.” He states, wincing as Draal catches that blade of my lance and throws me.

I groan, landing next to Blinky, having the wind knocked out of me. I close my eyes trying to catch my breath. I could hear running as I didn’t make a move to get up right away.

“River!” Draal was next to me when I opened my eyes again, seeing his worried expression I give him a tired thumbs up. Draal gave a sigh of relief, letting me take my time.

Blinky and Aaarrrgghh glanced to each other with knowing faces before huddling with Draal over me. “River tired.” Aaarrrgghh smiled, seeing that I was fine.

“Perhaps it is time for a break?” Blinky suggested.

I began to wave him off then paused, “Jim will be here soon,” I groaned, slowly sitting up with Draal’s help.

Draal huffed seeing the bruises forming over my arms, blisters covering my palms. “Looks like I’ll be taking you to Vendel anyway.”

I smile up at him and pat his cheek. “I’m sure you’ll keep your head. These are standard fleshy training injuries.”

Blinky cleared his throat, nodding to Draal and I. “Yes well, you go get healed up, Lady River. Aaarrrgghh and I will be setting up for Master Jim’s training now. I’ve learned quite a lot from your performance and it will do good incorporated into the Trollhunter’s training.”

Draal slid an arm under me and lifted me so I was sitting on his forearm, similar to how he carried me last night. I smiled and waved to Blinky and Aaarrrgghh as he headed out of the forge and straight to Vendel’s study. “Vendel.” He greets when we see the old goat.

Vendel looks up from his scroll, dropping it when he sees us. “What happened?” He rushed over to me, seeing my arms were almost completely bruised over.

“Training, I can keep up just fine in strength, but I still get injured pretty easily.” I told him, surprised that his worry is showing.

“Set her on the table and step out Draal, I need to examine the extent of the injuries.” Vendel directed, turning to file through different scrolls he had stored.

Draal sat me down on the table, he nudged my shoulder, frowning at how beat up I had gotten. “I got carried away with your training, I forget you're not made of stone.”

I smiled up at him then shake my head. “So, the training got intense, at least we know I can keep up with a troll during a fight!”

He smiled at my logic and nodded, “Try to behave,” he remarked before stepping out.

Vendel unfurled a scroll next to me, “Alright, I want you to read this out loud and focus on the bruising of your arms.”

I look over the parchment carefully, reciting the trollish words slowly, repeating them as I look at my arms, trying to focus. I felt a strange warmth extend from chest along my arms, the down my torso and legs. I continued to repeat the incantation, realizing this was a spell, my eyes glazed over, glowing a faint blue as my palms did the same, the bruises began to shrink until they had faded completely.

Vendel watched, grinning as the glow faded from my eyes. “Hm, looks like the healing incantation worked.” He examined my arms again, nodding to himself. “Though, maybe we should work on some armor that will allow you to train to your limits without having to heal yourself after every session.”

I grinned up at him, “I’m getting an upgrade?”

He chuckled, “You’ll be forging an ‘upgrade,’ take your time thinking it over though, it needs to be functional. Now why don’t you go see Draal, I can hear him pacing.” Vendel shooed me out of his study with a small smile.

I grin seeing that Draal what in fact, pacing outside of Vendel’s study. I leaned against the wall, watching him for a minute before snickering. “Worried?”

Draal’s stumbled at my question, head snapping towards the sound of my voice. Letting out a snort he looked over my arms, tilting his head noticing that the bruises were gone. “Vendel healed you?”

“Nope!” I stated, walking to him, “He taught me a healing incantation.” I explained at his confused glance.

Smirking, he ruffled the top of my head. “Something tells me at this rate, you’ll be using that spell often.”

I whacked his hand from my head, returning his smirk, “Careful Draal or I might have to use it on you.” I teased, walking past him. He laughed falling in step with me, heading out of Trollmarket and into the canal. “How about we get something to eat, my treat?” I asked him.

He glanced at me as we walked further into town, staying hidden. “Where could we get food?”

I grinned up at him, heading to the park, “The taco truck of course!” happy that he wasn’t rejecting the offer. I paused in an alley, spotting the truck. “I’ll be right back.” I quickly run to the truck, ordering a box of tacos. I could feel Draal’s stare on my back during the exchange. Once I had the box in hand, I took off back to the alley, grinning. “Let’s find somewhere to eat.”

Draal smirked picking me up. “I know somewhere fleshbags typically ignore.” He stated, climbing to the roof and heading over several building until we reached a warehouse with a large billboard on the roof. Draal settled us behind the billboard, facing the woods. “How’s this?”

I smile, jumping out of his hold and sitting on the ledge, patting next to me for him to sit. Once Draal was settled I took two tacos from the box then handed the box with six remaining tacos over to him. “Ever tried tacos?” I asked, taking a bite of one.

Draal sniffed the box, observing how I ate one before picking a taco from the box and tossing it in his mouth. “No,” he answered, humming in approval, “these are good!”

I smiled, glad he liked them. “That’s good if you ever want them, let me know and I can bring them, or we can eat out!” I grin finishing off my first taco.

Draal nods, happily eating the rest of the tacos along with the box.

Finishing off my food, I leaned back against the billboard, looking over the woods. “Today was a lot of fun, bruises and all.”

Draal let out a deep chuckle, “You fight like a Troll, Blinkous and Aaarrrgghh looked terrified when you were able to throw me.”

I laugh at the memory, “You were shocked too!” I defended, “Aren’t you supposed to know what I’m capable of as my trainer?”

Draal snorted, “I haven’t trained a sorceress for combat before, so it seems we’ll continue running into surprises.” He tilted his head, thinking.

I smile content with the quiet, enjoying Draal’s company.

“River?” He spoke up after a few minutes. I hummed in acknowledgment for him to continue. “Why do you think a troll wouldn’t try courting you ‘anytime soon?’” He asked, referring to our earlier conversation.

“Well,” I began, sitting up a bit, “I feel if one tried, they’d be very intimidated by you and Vendel. After all, I’m training under both of you, and after today I can tell you’re both pretty protective.”

He hummed at my answer, thinking for a moment. “It sounds as if you don’t think my asking you is an option.”

I looked up at him confused, thinking he was teasing me. Holding my breath slightly, waiting for a smirk or chuckle, but neither came. “Well, you’re not ‘not’ an option.”

“That doesn’t make sense.” He frowned, confused by my wording.

I shook my head, trying to collect my thoughts. “It’s just, I assumed your reaction to my ‘mistake’ last night was negative, and the way you explained it felt like it was unwelcomed.” I shrugged slightly.

Draal arched a brow at my response, “I knew you didn’t know what you were doing. You didn’t know the significance… but it was not unwelcome.”

My face began to overheat, and I knew I was turning red. “Then you’re open to courting me?” I asked, trying to calm the redness in my face.

Draal leaned down to be level with my face, studying the color change before leaning forward and nuzzling his nose under my jaw, pulling back, smirking slightly as my face turns a deep scarlet. “Does that answer your question?” I could only nod, eyes wide. “I will wait for an answer, after all, the fight may change things.” He stated, frowning while mentioning the fight and the tension that may arise due to it.

“Okay… um, could you explain why you court that way?” I asked, trying to distract him.

“It’s how we scent. Your scent will mix with mine and it will let other trolls know you’re being courted, same would happen to my scent. That was why I was distracted today; your scent wouldn’t leave.” He explained.

“So, if I walked into Trollmarket now I might be met with Trolls flinging themselves out of my path in fear of enraging you?” I asked teasing.

Draal growled, all teasing gone from his voice, “If you accept, they had better. Though exceptions are made for family and family-like relations.”

I blink, stunned at the tone. “So scenting is basically marking, and you don’t like sharing.”

“Culturally, if a troll is trying to get close to you while you’re courting another, they are competing to court you.” He explained, irritated at the thought.

I laughed and patted his forearm, “Trust me Draal, you would have nothing to worry about.”

Draal smirked down at me, “Let’s get you home, you have to attend the fleshbag study dungeon tomorrow.” He got up, lifting me to sit on his forearm as he climbed down from the billboard.

Leaning back again his chest, I kept asking questions about courting as he headed to my house. “So, if my answer is yes, do I have to do something specific?”

“Usually the courting gesture is returned.” He explained, nuzzling his nose under my jaw again. “Just like that.”

“Okay, and just so I don’t do something stupid or insulting, is there a way to deny the courting?” I asked worriedly. If I found a way to court Draal on accident, I could very well find a way to tell him to fuck off on accident too.

He winced slightly, “You can say it outright, or deny the gesture by pushing me away.”

I nod, then frown, “What if it tickles and I whack you as a reaction?”

He laughed, “I will keep that in mind if you do hit me. If it happens though, I assume you’ll be screeching too much to let me know right away.”

I puffed my cheeks out, crossing my arms over my chest, “says the one who kept tickling me till I couldn’t breathe!”

He grinned, setting me down as we got to the back door of my house, “You can’t blame me, I didn’t know it could get that severe,” he teased. He glanced over the house before scenting me again. “Goodnight River.”

I smiled up at him, face becoming less red the more he scents. “Good night Draal.” I lay my hand over his cheek, wanting to return the gesture, but waiting as he had asked. “Get home safe!” I called after him as he left.

Running inside, cover my face, trying to calm the raging blush. I took a deep breath before heading up to bed, smiling like an idiot as I feel asleep.

[forlovedogs11]

Over 90 days ago, I embarked upon a journey with my dogs. I started looking into fresh dog food options that would not only improve the health of my dogs, but also their quality of life. If you’ve seen my original 30-Day Challenge or the follow-up 60-day update, you know that the transformation has been amazing. Here we are over 3 months later, and I can’t imagine feeding my dogs any other food. The changes have been that significant.

Meet My Pack

A little over 5 years ago, my family and I rescued Scout and Sandy. They’d been rescued by a local shelter from what was described as “horrible, puppy mill-like conditions.” The rescue said they were mostly Golden Retriever, but you know how that goes. Who knows what’s in the mix? It didn’t really matter. We were ready to add a fur baby to our pack. What we ended up with was 2 furballs. What can I say? I’m a sucker for dogs. And don’t get me started on those cute, squishy little faces.

Fortunately, they seemed to be in relatively good health, and as they’ve grown, we’ve only had small issues arise. Scout has suffered from chronic, what I call, hot spots between his rear legs, and they’ve both had issues with ear infections. We thought it was because of the fact that they were always in our pool. We treated it with cleaner and antibiotics drops, but it always seems to flare back up at some point. As Sandy got older, she started gaining more weight (I can relate), but she was still pretty active.

We just always treated the symptoms and never gave much thought to the cause. It wasn’t until about 6 months ago that a friend mentioned the issues we were seeing could be due to the food that they were eating. That’s when my journey down the Rabbit Hole started. I Googled everything – top dog food, best food for dogs, healthy dog diet, what’s the best food for my dog and the list goes on.

Research is kind of my thing. I read blog posts about people making fresh food for their dogs – rice and chicken seemed to be pretty popular. There were all sorts of suggestions. And then I started reading about fresh dog food that could be delivered to my home.

Now, I know a lot of people have the opinion that “if you don’t have time for a dog then you shouldn’t have one.” I agree with that – to a point. Between work, my kids’ school & their sports and just trying to keep my own sanity, I don’t have time to cook fresh food for my dogs. If you do – kudos to you. Don’t get me wrong…daily walks, ball throwing sessions and snuggle time is a big part of my schedule. But cooking food for my pups just isn’t a possibility.

What’s in a Title?

Of all the companies I researched, NomNomNow was the only one with a veterinary nutritionist that specifically formulated the recipes for dogs and cats. Dr. Justin Shmalberg, the man behind the recipes, is a leader in veterinary nutrition, so you can be rest assured that he knows what he’s talking about.

So why is this so important? I had to dig a little to see just what a veterinary nutritionist is and does, but I quickly learned that it’s kind of like the world of doctors. There are general practitioners, which are great. However, if you have a heart problem, you want a specialist. You want a cardiologist, someone who specializes in the heart.

“Do you want some generic veterinarian stamp of approval or a high quality, human grade ingredient dog food developed by a veterinary nutritionist?”

Veterinary nutritionists are specialists. They’ve gone through all of the required schooling to be a veterinarian, but they also continue their education and focus on nutritional health. That sealed the deal for me. If I was going to making the investment in my dogs’ well being, it was going to be with a company that would provide my pups with the best possible nutrition and highest quality food ingredients.

NomNomNow Fresh Food Delivers

I’m not just talking about fresh dog food delivered right to your door. What I’m talking about, in my opinion, is the best food for your pup. Could you do it better yourself? I don’t think so. Every NomNomNow recipe features only the best ingredients – so good that even you could eat it. How do I know? Well, that’s a funny story. See Day 72 below for more on that.

To maintain a healthy, nutritional balance, NomNomNow offers 4 main food recipes in pre-portioned packages:

Heartland Beef Mash

Porkalicious Potluck

Tasty Turkey Fare

Chicken Chow-Wow

Day 65 – Ongoing Support from NomNomNow

After my last vet visit, I knew Sandy needed to lose a few more pounds to be in the perfect healthy range, so working with the experts at NomNomNow, a plan was developed to achieve this goal. This was truly comforting to me because I always knew she was carrying a few extra pounds, but I never really considered the health ramifications. Of course, we all know it’s not good to be overweight. It increases the potential for bone & joint issues and a myriad of other health issues. And let’s talk about decreased activity levels because of lack of energy. It’s a vicious cycle really. So addressing her weight now, while she’s still younger, will help to make a huge difference now and throughout her life.

Day 70

It’s only been a little over a week since I last noted the progress my dogs are making, but everyday I am reminded (usually by my dogs and their crazy, puppy-like behavior) how much different they are. They continue to run around and play like they’re 1-year old puppies. They even seem more playful together. Time they would have normally spent just laying around on the floor, they opt for playing and rolling around with each other.

Day 72

So, I may have eaten dog food today. Okay, I did. And it was good. I couldn’t help myself. I had just pulled my dogs’ food from the refrigerator and was prepping it for them by adding a little hot water. This warms up the food a little and makes a nice gravy. So long story short…it looked and smelled delicious. I was hungry and a little curious. So I pulled an extra bag. I opted for the Chicken Chow-Wow. I’m not going to lie. I’ve been eyeing it every time I opened a bag for Scout. I’m not ashamed. This wasn’t like some crazy college dare. I figured in the name of science, I’d give it a go. I opened up the bag, added a little water and heated it up for a few minutes. Two words. DEE-LISH. I’m not saying I’m going to make this a habit, but maybe next time I’ll add a little hot sauce. Don’t judge!

Day 80

About 6 months ago, I purchased one of those robot vacuums to help combat all of the dog hair. No matter what I did, it seemed like there were always hairballs floating around like tumbleweeds on the set of some spaghetti western. Today, my daughter made a really interesting comment. She noted how there seemed to be less dog hair lately. It got me thinking about it. She was right. There really had been less hair lately. I know healthier coats are a benefit of a healthy doggy diet, but I never considered this as being one of the bonuses. While I’m not a scientist and can’t definitively say it’s the food, I can say that after over 5 years of living with the hairy beasts (that I love dearly), there is less shedding. Healthy coat = less shedding? Makes sense to me.

Day 82

These dogs are relentless. Every time I go in the kitchen and make a sound that even sounds like I am opening their NomNomNow food, they are all over me. Who knew healthy food could lead to an addiction? At least it’s a good one. All kidding aside, these two still absolutely love their food. I switch up the recipes every now and then, but it doesn’t matter. They sit patiently until I place the bowls down and then it’s like one of those hot dog eating contests. They literally devour it. Bowls licked clean. Based on my Day 72 experience, I get it.

Day 85

If I had known what a difference a change in diet would have made for my pups, I would have started them on NomNomNow when they were puppies. Fortunately, they’re still young (well, maybe middle-aged?), but it’s never too late. The impact I’ve seen on this one simple change has made a world of difference. I have a bag of their old kibble in the garage I keep for emergencies, but I couldn’t imagine ever feeding them that again. One word comes to mind – revolt. They would look at me as if I were some strange creature from another planet. And I couldn’t blame them.

Day 90

Yesterday, Scout, Sandy and I made a trip to their favorite place, the vet’s office. It was time to have a professional give me objective results. I know what I see, but I really wanted to hear from my vet what he thought about how the dogs were doing. Great news! If this were a test, they would have scored an A+! Their weights are in the perfect healthy range. There skin is tip-top. Ears looked great. My vet even commented on how the dogs just seemed younger. That’s subjective, I know, but I couldn’t agree more. This journey has been such a blessing for all of us. I am truly thankful that I decided to take the time and really dig into fresh food for my pups.

Make the Fresh Choice!

If I had known the benefits of NomNomNow fresh dog food, I would have made this change a long time ago. It wasn’t easy researching all the options and possibilities, but I know I made the best decision for my dogs. If you’re even considering making a change to your dog’s diet, now is a great time. NomNomNow has an amazing offer for 50% off your first order. It’s a great deal and a great opportunity for you to give it a try for your dog. I know for my dogs it was one of the best decisions I ever made.