The Pawlicious Pack
I was close to my retirement, and had no plans with the next chapter of my life. I knew I needed to do something positive. I believe God had a plan for me. He put dogs in my life with issues. With my past occupation as a baker, gardener, and working in a school kitchen, this prepared me for what I mostly enjoy doing now, and that’s cooking and making homemade Pawlicious Pet Food. I like to think I’m the canine chef, their voice and I help pet parents feed their canine families with good, simple, clean and quality dog food. Dogs, like us, when you eat good, healthy food, the body will react. Maybe longer longevity, better skin and coat, less infection, better weight and maybe steer away some cancers.
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I want to help pet parents and ease the burden of cooking large batches of meals and only have room for a few. With Pawlicious, there are so many varieties to choose from so dogs are not bored with the same 'ol stuff. With Pawlicious you can inter-mix to change or add your own ingredients to your dog's liking. Pawlicious has been tested by an independent lab and approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Dogs are a part of our family and living longer now with pet parents becoming more educated with different means of diets. Their health and well-being lies in our hands, it's up to us to make the right choice.
Below you will find the stories of Bernadette's canine family past and present and her journey feeding them Pawlicious!
Below you will find the stories of Bernadette's canine family past and present and her journey feeding them Pawlicious!
Ruby
I believe God guided me to Ruby, who had issues and began my journey with Pawlicious. I had 5 dogs at this time but for some reason while looking at different cocker spaniels breeder sites, I saw Ruby. The breeder had cancer and was looking to re-home all her adult males and females. Ruby was 5 years old and blind with glaucoma. I decided to adopt her with my other canines. She was overweight and had a Magoo face due to the pain from glaucoma. Within a few months we had injections put into both eyes to relieve the pressure. You can see the after picture that her Magoo face was gone, her face had relaxed. Three years later she developed IVDD and was put on medication. We didn't know, the medication was too strong for her already weak liver.
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Her prognosis was grim and she only had a couple weeks to live. I wasn’t ready for this. A friend suggested cooking homemade food. She mentioned Dr. Cathy and her book Dinner PAWsible. I did a liver diet prescribed by Dr. Jean Dodds. Ruby was doing well on home-cooked food. In fact, since I adopted her, she always licked her paws and the floor. I thought, she was blind and that she somehow amused herself. After eating the home cooked food I had prepared for her, she stopped the licking. I emailed Dr. Cathy about this and she said that Ruby was allergic to the dry kibbles. I started cooking the recipes from Dr. Cathy's book for my other dogs and saw great improvements. No bad tear stains. No gas. Less ear infections. Losing weight and more energy. Ruby lived for three more months. With this eye-opener about dry kibbles and canned dog food I vowed I would never feed my canine family processed foods, additives and preservatives that have a shelf life for years. Ruby was 8-years-old.
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Avon
After Ruby passed, I searched again for another cocker spaniel. On the Animal Friends website, I saw this 10 year old red King Charles. She was rescued from a hoarder situation with 25 other dogs. I renamed her Avon. She was overweight and blind. She was at the shelter for 6 months and bounced around to different foster homes. A gentleman at Animal Friends saw me, and Avon being introduced along with my other canines. I had to take all the dogs along with me to see how they would accept Avon. After she was accepted, the gentleman had surprisingly paid for Avons adoptation fee.
He said it was his wifes birthday wish that Avon be adopted. After a visit to my vet, Avon needed all but 6 teeth pulled. Avon was overweight, blind, and hard of hearing and had congestive heart and heart murmur. Avon was on home-cooked dog food at the same time I started Pawlicious for three years. She lost weight, and her heart condition was controlled WITHOUT any medications. Toward the end of her life span, her heart was getting weak and was having congestive heart failure. Avon passed at the age of 13. |
Godiva
My first Black cocker spaniel I adopted when she was one-year-old from a young couple who had no time for her with their busy lifestyles. Godiva started on Pawlicious Pet Food when she was 14 years old. She lost a few pounds and her energy had picked up considerably. I believed with her being at a good weight, it was easier on her body. Later on though, she started to show signs of arthritis. At 18-years-old she was going up the basement steps with no problems. She crossed the Rainbow Bridge at 18 ½.
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Maybelline
After Godiva, I adopted another cocker spaniel and renamed her Maybelline, who was a foster and was from Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley. Maybelline was a senior dog, blind in one eye, deaf, and overweight. Her owner had passed away. She was on Pawlicious for 1 ½ years, and lost weight until she developed other issues and crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Maybelline was 12-years-old.
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L'Oréal
L’Oreal, is a tri-color cocker spaniel, I adopted her as a puppy from a backyard breeder. She started on Pawlicious when she was 9 years old. L’Oreal was my right hand dog! Sleeping with me on the couch, walking, and she was always on my right side. She developed glaucoma in each of her eyes a year apart. She had to have both eyes removed, but something happened after her second eye removal; she lost her sense of smell.
With both eyes gone, hard of hearing and no smell, L’Oreals’ quality of life was low. She was like a mouse, she would walk along the walls or senses you near her and come to you. We did the best for her for a year till her body said no more. L’Oreal was 14 when she crossed the rainbow bridge |
Chanel
Chanel is L’Oreals half-sister. She was a chocolate-colored cocker spaniel. I adopted her two weeks after I had L’Oreal. Godvia was a bit older and she didn’t play with L’Oreal. Chanel and L’Oreal were inseparable. And they both were small-sized cocker spaniels. They layed and slept together. They were always licking each others face, eyes and ears. Chanel had a beautiful profile and when she walked she had a prance to her movement.
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Chanel too was on Pawlicious. A few weeks before her dental surgery, Chanel had some blood work done. Her blood work showed that her glucose was low at 29, and a normal reading should be 60 and above. After more blood work, she was diagnosed with Insulinoma. This came rather fast for her. And she to crossed the Rainbow Bridge 3 weeks after being diagnosed. Chanel was 15-years-old.
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Olay
Olay was another puppy I adopted from a backyard breeder two years after L’Oreal and Chanel. She is a white and buff color and is your standard size. Olay has one eye that is crossed. She is also very skittish, and does not take to men and strangers. Olay started on Pawlicious when she was eight-years-old. She had bad tear stains. But after being on Pawlicious for awhile, this problem resolved. Olay is 13 years old.
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Revlon
Revlon is my white cocker spaniel and a little special. She and I share the same birthday. I adopted her as a puppy from a rescue shelter in Ohio. Oh what a day that was. It was a couple hours drive and the final destination was a country road leading to the shelter. While driving down this long gravel driveway there were a couple dozen dogs greeting us and leading us to the house.
I was told they recused Revlon's mom, whom they used for breeding. She came from the south along with others dogs. When here, they found out she was pregnant. She gave birth to a male and female. Revlon has a personality, in many photos you will see she always cock her head. She too started on Pawlicious when she was six years old. She also had bad tear stains. Revlon is 11 years old. |
Benny
Benny is my first male, a terrier mixed, and boy does he have a story. I rescued him from across the street!!! He was six years old. It was in the summer and I noticed my next door neighbor going over the street to this one house two times a day. After a couple weeks I asked what was going on. The wife had passed away a year ago, and now the husband was not doing well and was admitted to a nursing home. Family members couldn’t take Benny and asked if my neighbor could tend to him while they were looking into a shelter. I was heartbroken for the little guy, being there himself 24/7 for six weeks. I wrote them a note asking if I can adopt him. They agreed. When I adopted Benny, his old name was Stuffy. Benny was constantly drinking water and urinating. I thought it was a behavior issue. The family said they had problems with him at his old house. I decided to take Benny to the vet. As they concluded Benny's tests, they found out that Benny is a diabetic. Benny was 9 pounds and overweight for his size. I put him on Pawlicious, the Grain Free Chicken and Beef, with no brown rice, and Mutt Burgers. Like humans with diabetes, you need to stay away from the carbs and processed food to keep the glucose down. Your dry kibbles are loaded with carbs. Benny has been on Pawlicious for 6 years, has lost weight, and takes a low unit of insulin to control his diabetes. Benny gets his exercise, walking with the girls. Benny is 12 years old.
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Norell
When I got Norell, her original name was Mavis. I renamed her to Norell. She is the newest member of the Pawlicious Canine family. She is three years old, white and tan cocker spaniel. This adoption is bitter sweet. Norell's owner lives only a couple streets away. Her owner got Norell as a puppy and worked with her to be a therapy dog. She is very bright and does commands well. She loves to play ball and is eager to go for walks.
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Norell wasn’t a fan of a toddler in her space and there were stressful situations among the parents and Norell. Also, Norell was attacked by a neighbor's dog when she was a puppy, and we strongly believe this added to Norell's uneasy behavior. Norell needed to be in a home with older children. Norells owner knew me from walking my dogs and making Pawlicious. She reached out to me a couple months after L’Oreal crossed the Rainbow Bridge, and asked if I would adopt Norell. I believe this was in Gods plans.
Pawlicious For All Seasons
If you know Bernadette, you know she is a woman of many talents and that includes her green thumb! Because her home is the home base for Pawlicious Pet Food, Bernadette keeps her home and garden in immaculate condition in all seasons. Just as Pawlicious is perfect for every season of your dog's life, the place where your pet's food is made is tended to and cared for each season.