I’ll be the first to say it, I am psycho obsessed w/ my dog. She is my best friend, LOML, my world, & the most spoiled bitch around. She’s got me wrapped around her little paw, & I wouldn’t have it any other way.
If you follow Fashionlush on Instagram, you’ve seen your fair share of miss Bitzy. Looking at that cuteness, you’d never guess she is 9 years old!! I know, right? She looks damn good. Pardon the bragging, but people literally stop me on the street to pet “my puppy”. When I tell them how old she is, they stop in their tracks. Total disbelief & always ask me for the breeders name
[ fun fact: she was the only one in the litter… just one furbaby! I knew at that moment she was the chosen one. ]
She is spritely, fit, full of energy, & straight up gorgeous. So, I wanted to dedicate this post to her (clearly) & share how I keep her in tip-top health, cause keeping your pup healthy is no.1!!!
First of all, when I got Bitzy I did tons & tons of research. Yorkies, or all small dogs for that matter, come with a plethora of problems, some of the big ones being: collapsing tracheas, hernias, & luxating patellas. Not only did I not want to end up w/ vet bills that could put me in serious debt down the road (that sh*t get’s pricey!!), but I also didn’t want her to ever suffer ever in her lifetime.
So I continued on with my research & figured out the best foods, supplements, & practices to raising an uber healthy dog.
First, let’s talk food:
Bitzy is on a completely raw food diet. When she was a baby, she was gaining more weight than she should have (she’s a compulsive over eater) so someone reccomend I switch her to raw food. Within one month, she dropped all the weight & was better than ever. Her mood, her poops (sorry!), her skin/coat, her teeth, her appetite levels, her energy levels… it was all soooo much better. Even the vet was shocked!
My recs for brands: Primal (our main squeeze) & Small Batch. The only thing to be VERY careful of is keeping it away from your food. For humans, this can make you sick so be sure to keep it covered & wash your hands after every feeding.
Oh yea, for her treats, we go with Sojo. Also raw, & she literally is obsessed with them. You should see the tricks she does for a Sojo Simply Lamb treat. Lil’ thing turns into a straight show dog.
Supplements for dogs? Absolutely!!:
Okay, so this was actually something I just started doing. The vet noticed her knees were getting a bit weak so after even more research (Google is my BFF). I started with Omega 3 liquid added to her food & treats with Chondroitin.
A week after these additions to her diet, she was charging up the stairs again, which is something she hasn’t done in 2 years. Crazy, right? She had her comprehensive last week & they said there was no more weak knees. Major score, plus it also helps keep the cartilage in her trachea strong.
» Purple ears for the holidays, courtesy of Dirty Dogs & their all natural doggy dyes. «
Bitzy’s Beauty Routine:
The fun stuff! Okay, so first of all, I get her groomed monthly. I like her to have that minxy puppy cut all year round. Plus, they also trim her nails & squeeze her anals (sorry, AGAIN!) which keeps her feeling good.
If you live in the SD area you have GOT to check out Dirty Dogs. They are a family owned biz who love love love dogs, have 4 locations in North County, & have only the best of the best all natural dog care products. We buy our food there, B gets groomed there in the total spa like facility (she loves a good blueberry facial), & they always throw the funnest dog-friendly events such as their Bark After Dark shindigs.
In between grooms, I like to keep her looking & smelling fresh, so we are all about our latest dog beauty product- Real Shine Canine.
She hates baths & I hate making her do anything she doesn’t want to, so this is a great way to keep her from being a total stink before she is back at the spa. It’s natural, preservative/ emulsifier/ alcohol free, smells like heaven, & contains coconut oil to keep her skin moisturized & itch free.
Oh– if you’ve got a shedder, you can finally say bye-bye to the constant lint rolling, this liquid gold will help reduce that big time.
Most Importantly, Do Good for Dogs in Need:
Philanthropy is something that makes both Bitz & I feel good. If you are a dog lover & sob over those horribly sad commercials about mistreated dogs, we suggest you look into Arm the Animals.
They are giving dogs in need a voice, in a really badass way. I’ll break it down….
They sell shirts, & not just an “I donated” shirt you’ll end up only wearing to bed, but really really cool shirts that I would absolutely wear on the reg. My particular faves on the site are the Atomic Dog Yorkie Tank & the King of the Jungle tee (wearing in the above photo).
When you buy one of these sick shirts, you are not only making a fashion statement but your also raising awareness & helping fun small animal rescue centers take care of their animals.
You may not know this but the numbers of animals who are put down because of overcrowding is HUGE (4,000,000+ a year!!). To help stop this, there are many small shelters that are family run & do all they can to care for animals without homes, but they need help & that’s just what Arm the Animals does. They help the small guys buy donating huge portions of sales a month to these shelters. These funds help to feed their animals/ pay for vet bills/ keep the places running/ etc.
Now, because you’re a good person & are feeling super touched right now by my rant, I am sure your asking what you can do to help. It’s easy: rescue a baby in need if you’re looking for a new friend, buy an Arm the Animals shirt (so cute, you’re gonna want to anyways!), & spay/neuter your pets.
It’s not hard, so just do it.
& that’s all she wrote!!! All my top dog-care tips in one seriously long post (plus, some fashion!). Hope you stuck through it, cause if you’re a pet owner, you damn well know their health is no.1!
xx, E & B
» Bitzy is now on Instagram (yea, I went there), so be sure to follow her @Bitzagram_ or via #bitzagram. We love cute pups, so if you’ve got a great pic, tag us as well! «
[ P.S. What I Wore: J Brand bootcut jeans (my go-to’s) // Matisse Nugent booties (my fave!!) // black eyelash knit sweater ]