Welcome to another edition of Stuff We Like! I have a few items I wanted to share because they’ve been making my life fun, easy, or both – so prepare ye for randomness!
First, if you follow me on Instagram, you might know I have a Very Worried Dog, Buzz the Anxious.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfGSdxXjsIM/?taken-by=sarah.wendell
Like many of you who have pets you adore, I will try pretty much anything to help alleviate Buzz’s anxiety. He’s got bucketloads. We have Thundershirts for storms (and when Maryland has severe weather, my GOSH does it mean that) and treats that tend to calm him down when the weather is really bad (and he’ll start scratching at the basement door at this point if he thinks we should all go down there. He’s on a dose of fluoxetine (aka Prozac) that I think might also be prescribed for 280lb adult males (dogs metabolize things quicker, per our vet). We also do confidence training and skills training to focus his considerable mental energy on other things, but the anxiety is always there in the background.
So one thing I’ve noticed that makes a massive difference for Buzz is a pheromone collar. It’s so effective that when it starts to wear off after 30 days, I can tell. He starts pawing at me that something is wrong. I forgot to change it in late February before we went away (OOPS. BAD JOB, HUMAN) and when we got back and I remembered, we saw a difference in his relaxation within 30 minutes. He’s snoring as I type this whereas yesterday he was pacing and scratching and licking his lips.
I thought, if perhaps you also have Dogs of Anxiousness, it might help to pass along the recommendation.
The collar we use is this one: Adaptil pheromone collar for medium to large dogs, $25.
The reviews on Amazon are mixed, and obviously your personal mileage and your dog may vary widely, so take this rec with a grain of salt and your own judgment, of course. But for Buzz the Anxious and his ability to relax and chill around the house like a dog ought to be able to do, the collar makes a definite, immediate, and noticeable difference, and I’m so relieved we tried it.
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Want something free that might lift your morning? YAY! I read about this in the most recent issue of Bitch Magazine (I’m sure you’re all wondering why I would subscribe to this magazine and support it monthly. Clearly it’s a mystifying conundrum).
Shine! is a daily text service that pairs research-backed articles about self-care, motivation, encouragement, goal setting, and self-kindness with an interactive conversation that appears in your text messages at a time you set – on weekdays. The service is free, and so far I’ve really, really enjoyed each of my morning messages.
You can sign up at ShineText.com. I hope you’ll let me know what you think!
NB: the referral link above does not yield commission profit.
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Elyse has a useful tool that’s been making her life better: a theracane to work on her back pain.
LiBa Back and Neck Massager for Trigger Points, $19.99
She uses it on her upper and mid back, and says it works pretty well for her on-and-off chronic pain (yuck). Have you tried one of these before? How’d it work for you?
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I’ve linked to Chapel View Crafts before, but I follow the artist, Cheryl Cunliffe, on Instagram and love every new polymer creation she’s made.
She has cake slice stitch markers, magnetic needle minders (I LOVE mine), and more. Just look at these pictures and try to contain yourself. It’s a challenge.
Magnetic needle minder with cake and cookie, $9. (This is the one I have, and I adore it.)
There are also earrings (miniature polymer FOOD EARRINGS oh gosh) at around $8, fobs and key rings at around $6, including TEA AND BISCUIT key rings.
I have to go lie down now. The cuteness is too much.
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Like coloring books? I saw this coloring book on Gaboruey Sidibe’s Instagram feed (have a look at her pages if you’d like a smile – they’re terrific!) and had to share it with y’all:
Mermaids: Calm Ocean Coloring Collection, $9.40.
The interior illustrations are lovely, and Selina Fenech has several other coloring books with other themes such as Night Magic, Gothic, Fairy Art, Goddess and more.
What items have been making your life fun and/or easier lately? Any recommendations?
There are also pheromone products for cats, to help with anxiety and transitions. We used one that was like a Glade Plug-in but with cat pheromone, when we had an elderly cat with dementia. The cat would yowl during the night. Our vet said she was getting lost in the house, so we used the pheromone plug-in in the hallway and it worked very well. Just like with Sarah’s dog, when the pheromone was used up, the cat started yowling at night. The pheromone was also helpful when we introduced a new cat into the household, and also when we got a dog. As Sarah said, these products don’t work with every animal. But it is worth a try.
@Susan: I’m so pleased the plug-in helped you and your cat, too! I know the pheromone products can be very hit or miss, but wow, when they work, they work.
Republic of Tea’s Lean Green Super Green Tea brightens my mornings. I am NOT endorsing any of its weight loss claims because I am a baker and as such don’t concern myself with such things, but it IS a tasty cup of tea. It smells like a pecan sticky bun dripping with cinnamon and brown sugar, and with some honey, it tastes pretty darn close, too. Because it comes in ridiculously tiny bags that are recommended for 6 ounces of water, you have to throw two bags in an average-sized mug, but I don’t mind buying in bulk because I love this stuff.
http://www.republicoftea.com/organic-lean-green-supergreen-tea-bags/p/v20366/
I have a trigger point massager (different brand) and I looove it. When I sleep wrong or move wrong or exist wrong, I can hit all the sore spots on my back and it feels amazing. Bonus: it’s also good for scaring cats out from under the bed!
in my house of three cats, i have one Very Anxious Rescue who starts crying at the drop of a hat, prowls around, steals my shoes, etc. for him i use a combination of a calming collar and the pheromone diffuser; the other two take absolutely no notice of such things. another product that works for one cat and not the others is a kind of treat that comes in a tube and smells all fishy. she loves it, and it relaxes her.
Oh, that Chapel View Crafts stuff is so cute! I might have to get some of those.
I’ve been eyeing the bookmarks at MyBookmark on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MyBookmark?ref=l2-shopheader-name. They look really fun and whimsical.
My sweet departed greyhound Helo was also a Very Anxious Boy(tm) who was also terrified of thunderstorms. We live in the Midwest, so we get terrible thunderstorms during the summer. We eventually got him on a combination of daily Prozac and as-needed Xanax that helped him soooooooo much, especially when combined with a Thundershirt and Rescue Remedy. I’m glad Buzz the Anxious has found a routine that works for him (and you). Please give him a scritch from me.
Am I the only one wondering if pheromone collars work for humans? Because I have to say, something non-prescription that could relax me in 30 minutes would be awesome, albeit not exactly an attractive fashion accessory.
“cake slice stitch markers”
precioussss
I bought the pheromone collar after you recommended it on the podcast. My Very Anxious Schnauzer that must bark at anything that comes near his yard sounds a good party of his day curled up in his bed and only very occasionally barking outside. He HATES thunderstorms but we haven’t had one while he’s had it on, so I can’t say if it helps for that yet or not. I bought a Thundershirt and had to return it bc after one trial 10 min wearing, he wouldn’t come near me with it. The Thundershirt gave him anxiety. Go figure.
“sounds a good party of his day curled up in his bed”
Should be “spends a good part of his day curled up in his bed”
Thanks so much for the info on the pheromone collar. My dog is anxious in general, but June & July when the fireworks start are pure hell for him. We’ve tried the thundershirt, sound machines, fans, and blasting music but nothing seems to help. I used a pheromone plug in when first introducing one of my cats to the household, but didn’t realize there was something similar for dogs. I’m totally going to order this to try out.
That is a cute dog!
@Susan, sounds like Feliway. They do have the plug in diffusers, and I think I also saw a car vent version.
I have an unsolicited suggestion for Sarah. Transition your adorable Very Anxious Pup to a calmer, gentler name. Those zzzz sounds are stimulating.
@LML – Thank you! You’re so right about that! His name when he was abandoned at the kill shelter was “Fuzzball,” and the shelter changed it to “Buzz.” We usually call him “Bussy” or something similar, softening the Z, but he also responds to allllll 4000 other names we call him. I mean, everyone has multiple names for their pets, right? 🙂
We use Essential Pet Pet-Eze which works so well I keep two containers of it. I buy it at the petsmart.
It has chamomile flowers , ginger root extract, Thiamine (B1), L-Taurine and L-Tryptophan The main ingredient is Chamomile Flowers. My rescue dog Belle hates the sound of rain. She also does not respond to change AT ALL. If my husband wears a different coat, or you bring in any new item in the house, she will go into melt down. Also, if the weather is overcast she turns into shaking mess. So Pet Eze works well for us. They are soft chews. My dogs know them as “Chill Pills”.
Bridgette (Belle’s litter mate that pass away last month) hated thunder so she was all for her “Chill Pills” when the big bad thunder came to visit.
I have also given them chamomile pills slipped into a pill pocket. Chamomile is great for doggy anxiety and even upset stomach. I have heard one can give them chamomile tea too. I haven’t tried that.
We’ve used the pheromone spray when my dogs were younger and it worked well, but they seemed to outgrow it as adult dogs. So we switched to the “Chill Pill” It works for the occasional doggy stress. I do also use an aromatherapy Stress relief candle from Bath and Body Works that seems to work on my dog… and me.
We have an anxious dog, and we use the GNC Pets Calming Formula, which works very well. She used to have an accident every time we left the house, now she seems very at ease, which is such a relief.