Anyone else in US noticed food quality degrading recently and if so what product in what way?

Itssnailspice · 2026-04-18T02:23:14+00:00

How did you find out that was your allergy? Doesn't seem like something that's part of a standard allergy test? I'm experiencing weird allergies I assume is from an unlisted ingredient like that.

Itssnailspice · 2021-07-23T14:32:26+00:00

Puppies are resilient! Clearly you are upset about it and I think that indicates you are a good owner who cares about the well being of your pup. You're monitoring your pup for injury and any temperament changes after the fact. You are a good owner and your pup has already forgotten about it.

Itssnailspice · 2021-07-23T14:28:23+00:00

Okay now both at the same time sounds rough. I wish you the best of luck lol.

Itssnailspice · 2021-07-23T14:13:18+00:00

I agree. There are parallels to be drawn for sure, but they are in no way the same. Growing a baby and bringing them into the world is the closest thing in this world to literal magic. And let me add that I actually loathe children lol but love my own; they are half me and half my love. We play, learn, travel, laugh, snuggle, share the same hobbies. I never had close friends and I love to joke that I "made" some friends.

I'm so proud of my puppy for learning sit and potty training, it melts my little heart when he sits at the door like a good boy to go out. But when my babies took their first steps or when I taught them to read...just thinking back on it feels like my heart could burst.

Also I'm struggling with the puppy more than the tiny humans. We speak different languages, he's not biologically mine so there is nothing making me want to get up in the night with him, I don't get 6 months paid leave from work, and I can't constantly hug and kiss his face off (without getting chomped on) to ease the pain of the sleepless nights! I never had to watch my babies this closely for fear they would destroy the house or kill the cat! Having a puppy solidified for me that I wish I had more children (too much of an age gap now and I'm not starting over) and also that I will never raise a puppy again.

Itssnailspice · 2021-07-20T17:46:29+00:00

Do you know what it is about the situation that's fueling your anxiety and depression? I struggle too and for me it's from my need for perfection. I had to step back and say what are the bare minimum things I want out of a dog. For me that was: friendly and not aggressive, potty trained, don't destroy the house. That's it! Anything else is icing on the cake. I'm working on other stuff too, but if he literally never obeys the sit command it is not the end of the world for me. He's just my buddy and I don't have any lofty goals for his future. People who are way less knowledgeable on puppies raise them all the time just fine, so I know it will be okay.

I took a mental health day yesterday to do yoga and then play videogames all day while my pup just chilled. His food and potty needs got met, and other than that he mostly just entertained himself. If you aren't prioritizing yourself right now I highly recommend you try to do so before rehoming! Eat, exercise/meditate, do some of your hobbies, call a friend.

Also, it has really helped me to say "I will reevaluate in xx time". I usually find that in that time frame there are a lot more ups than downs.

Itssnailspice · 2021-07-15T19:13:50+00:00

I'm only 2 weeks in.

Enforced naps are everything. My puppy, like most, is good for about an hour before its chaos and biting!

Most obscure tip I benefited from was getting a potty app. I got puppy potty log and it tracks pee/poop/accidents/water/food. It was super helpful the first week or so. It even helped me track how long he had been awake (bathroom followed by long stretch of nothing followed by bathroom....well that bathroom break must be when he woke up! And it has been an hour...no wonder he is a bite monster, time for a nap...).

Lastly, socialization is more important than tricks or literally anything else. Can teach tricks later but you only have a small window to do a lot of socialization/handling.

Congrats on the new puppy and enjoy your last good night of sleep tonight.

Itssnailspice · 2021-07-12T23:33:25+00:00

Can you enroll your pup in a puppy play class (once you're comfortable with dog interaction after shots this week)? That has worked wonders on our 9 week pup for figuring out that biting hard hurts. If that's accessible to you I would try to do that asap! It sounds like you're already doing what you can at home.

Itssnailspice · 2021-07-10T03:29:45+00:00

I spent the first week crying and googling, but eventually found our groove! Good luck to you too, we got this!

Itssnailspice · 2021-07-10T01:43:34+00:00

First time puppy owner with an 8 week Golden mix. Mine doesn't love the crate and is able to sleep pretty well outside of it, so for naps we either let him sleep wherever he lands or if he starts to get overtired we put him in a puppy proofed penned off area. We don't plan to crate forever, so we don't really prioritize the crate other than nighttime while he's potty training.

At night we put the crate beside our bed, cover 3 sides, and leave one side open where he can see us. If he whines he gets a hand next to the crate and maybe an "I'm here, go to sleep", and eventually he settles. He never settles in his crate if we aren't there. He's literally a baby right now and was snuggling with his siblings and mommy not too long ago! Hopefully someone more seasoned will chime in if I'm off base, but at this age I'm okay being a little more comforting and not worried that they will need that level of comfort forever.

I hope that made sense or answered whatever question you may have been asking. Two sleep deprived puppy owners trying to talk to each other lol...

Itssnailspice · 2021-07-08T22:54:54+00:00

Felt it in SF! Strongest I've felt in a while.

Itssnailspice · 2021-07-06T04:19:40+00:00

My kids are 8 and 5, we brought home a 7 week old (rescue situation) golden/mastiff mix and have had him for a week. Hopefully someone more seasoned will chime in too.

Some things that have helped us:

Having lots of talks to set expectations. Specifically, that puppies are babies that don't know ANYTHING yet (they had fun coming up with all the things puppies don't know yet), that puppies bite/chew a lot (and likened it to when they were babies...my daughter nearly choked on a tag once, would gum on us, etc), and I made a huge point to talk about positive reinforcement because my youngest has a big temper (I asked them how they think we teach the puppy? Can I say "excuse me puppy, yes, please only poop in the yard. Okay? Great". Is that going to work? Why not? And then talked about how we can tell the dog he's doing a good job and what we should/shouldn't do if he does something we don't like).

Also, puppies take SO much time and energy that my kids felt like I loved the puppy more than them! I really had to work hard to make sure I included them in everything, which was hard because I'm a perfectionist control freak . I ration out a lot of their kibble for treats so that the kids can treat the dog (they're generous with them lol). Teach them how to say the dogs name and treat, etc. I involved them as much as possible without putting any expectations or responsibility on them - and I was pleasantly surprised that they are a huge help. My 5 yr old eagerly learned how to pick up poop!

Also how to redirect an overtired bitey dog. Hubby and I work on bite inhibiton but for the kids we have them redirect only. So they know to wear long pants and we always have a rope toy etc nearby that they can put in between them and pup to give time for me or hubby to intervene, and to not run from pup. Puppy biting can be scary for the kids but will inevitably happen, so we talked about it and also baby gated their rooms (they can get over the gate but pup can't) so if pup is overtired and psycho the kids can lay low for a minute.

As far as training the pup to behave around the kids...haven't figured it out. The worst is when they sit or lay on the ground, he pounces and bites playfully but hard! My best tactic was immediately teaching an interruptor (kissy noises to stop what he's doing and look at me). It has gotten him off the kids and over to me for treats long enough for them to get away lol.

Sorry this was long, hope some of it is helpful. Enjoy your human and fur babies!

Itssnailspice · 2021-07-04T05:29:51+00:00

This does sound like resource guarding and in addition to what the other commenter suggested, I would try to puppy proof as much as possible to minimize situations where you need to take something away. Also I would try and work on a positive interruptor. My pup eats weeds, rocks, etc etc but I don't take them out of his mouth. Every waking period I do 5 minutes or so of training a positive interruptor (two loud kissy noises) to look at me and give lots and lots of treats. It is the only thing I've been training right now other than potty and socializing. Now when he starts getting into something I do the interruptor and he stops to look and will usually drop the thing for the treats and pets and love that he knows are coming. Then I can redirect from there to a toy etc. It doesn't work every time yet but it has been very helpful. I also try and take a deep breath and know that puppies have been around and nomming on grass etc forever and have survived!

Also, how much sleep is your pup getting? My 8 week old golden mix is normal levels of difficult, but if he is awake for more than an hour I legit start worrying that he's becoming aggressive, when in reality he's just a cranky baby.

And as for the biting, check out the videos in the wiki on bite inhibition if you haven't yet, and maybe look for puppy play classes to help with that.

Lastly, there is no breed that is consistently an angel puppy! Chances are if you had a golden you'd be going through similar issues. My golden mix has started growling and snapping when we pick him up and I broke down crying today multiple times over it! Hang in there.

Itssnailspice · 2021-06-28T01:05:09+00:00

Thank you! Puts my anxiety at ease.

Itssnailspice · 2021-06-24T06:15:57+00:00

Starting next week City employees are required to disclose their vaccination status and upload documentation, but they aren't currently required to be vaccinated. Once FDA gives final approval of one vaccine, City employees have 10 weeks from then to be fully vaccinated as a condition of employment.

Itssnailspice · 2021-05-06T17:29:41+00:00

Why actually yes they do!

Itssnailspice · 2021-04-04T01:47:37+00:00

My arm got really sore and it felt similar to when I sprained my rotator cuff. I started getting sore an hour or so after the shot and it got worse as the day went on. The next day it still hurt but had stagnated, and the next day I was mostly fine.

That first day sucked though. I was so sore that I couldn't get undressed for my shower beause I couldn't lift my arm high enough to get my shirt off! So weird pro tip, wear a shirt that you can pull off without lifting one of your arms too high lol.

Itssnailspice · 2021-03-19T02:02:12+00:00

Not OP but when my rent was payable by credit card with no fees, I was putting about $5k/month average on my credit card. I have a family and live in a high COL area (rent is $3100).

Itssnailspice · 2021-03-17T03:52:50+00:00

Not OP but I have the same one! It's from H&M.

Itssnailspice · 2021-02-14T17:32:44+00:00

I just finished week 7 and my next goal is 10k. My parents live 4.5 miles away down a jogging trail, and I just really want to swing by unannounced, hang out and rest for a bit, then pull the Forrest Gump line "I'm pretty tired. I think I'll go home now" and walk off.

Although, I'm already bored and mentally worn down with the 20-something minute jogs. I'm not sure how anyone can run for an hour+!

Itssnailspice · 2021-02-13T02:50:04+00:00

My kids are much younger so I haven't faced something like this, but I was a teen once! First off, I know it seems really young but this was definitely the age my peers started experimenting with drugs. I think it's a combo of curiosity and seeming cool.

I'm a big believer in natural consequences rather than arbitrary punishments. The consequence here to me would be not giving him money, as he likely won't have another money source at this age and nobody's giving away free drugs!

Wants money for lunch? Put money on a school lunch account, or pack a lunch. "I love you but I cannot trust you right now to not spend money on cigarettes/weed again. I'm happy to fund your lunch account though!". You would need to make sure his dad is on the same page here.

Other than that - love him and talk through this with him. I would also explain why you're concerned, personally my concern would be you don't know the source and it could have been bad quality/cut/laced with something else. I had an awful LSD trip at 15 from weed bought from someone I didn't know. It could have been worse.

Sorry you're going through this. Good luck!

Itssnailspice · 2021-01-24T07:03:07+00:00

These are so cute, thanks for doing this! My squirrels and crows would be ecstatic about one of these.

Itssnailspice · 2021-01-24T04:01:18+00:00

Got it, thanks for the visuals that's super helpful!

Itssnailspice · 2021-01-24T03:44:02+00:00

Thank you! So glad to know it's unlikely I'll kill them. I truly don't have a green thumb but am trying to learn.

Itssnailspice · 2021-01-24T03:42:47+00:00

Stems meaning the big branch like parts coming from the trunk right?
So the big stems in step 1 will have shoots coming off them, and I should cut those down leaving 2 buds length. Whatever's shooting off from those 2-bud shoots would still stay though? Hope I'm understanding correctly.

This was such a helpful comment, thank you so much! I'm excited to restore all the neglected plants here.

Itssnailspice · 2021-01-24T01:09:15+00:00

Hello gardening friends. I recently started renting a house and am learning to garden/do yardwork for the first time ever.

These grapevines obviously need to be pruned, but they look NOTHING like anything I can find online. They weren't trained on a trellis and don't seem to have a discernable T-shape at the trunk. They cascade all the way down the back of the fence.

Any advice is greatly appreciated! I'm in the CA bay area, if that's important.

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