holistic-puppy-food

Feeding Your New Puppy A Superior Holistic Puppy Food Diet

As holistic breeders, we start your puppy off right with a superior holistic puppy food diet.  This diet is designed to support your puppy's growth, development, and health, but we don't just tell you what to feed your puppy.  We tell you why!  This is because we believe it is our responsibility to educate you so that you know how and why to feed your puppy this superior holistic diet.  

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!" - Benjamin Franklin

Remember that superior puppy nutrition is foundational to the optimal health and development of your puppy.  It generally costs a lot less in the long-run to feed your puppy a superior holistic puppy food diet and provide a holistic lifestyle than to follow more conventional puppy care.  This is because your investment into a holistic puppy food diet and lifestyle dramatically decreases the likelihood that you will need as much vet care for your puppy in the future. 

On this page, we provide lots of information on how to feed your puppy a well-rounded, wholesome, holistic puppy food diet.  We cover core nutritional principles, an overview (including videos for the visual learner) of the food and supplements we use and recommend, detailed instructions (& money-saving tips) on how to purchase your puppy's food and supplements, and detailed instructions for feeding your puppy on the day you bring your puppy home.  

To provide bonus support and education, we include a week-by-week road map for your puppy's diet for the first 6 months so you aren't left trying to figure it out on your own.  Finally, we lay out several sample diets to help you understand how you can customize your new puppy's holistic puppy food diet for optimal health.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are not getting a puppy from us, but you would still like to learn how to feed your pet a holistic diet like this, feel free to contact us.  We're happy to help.

Freeze-Dried Raw Food Real Beef Recipe​    required  

We start your puppy with pawTree's Freeze-Dried Raw Food Real Beef Recipe as a topper to your puppy's holistic food.  This freeze-dried raw food is a highly nutritious,  delicious recipe of beef, beef liver, beef hearts, garbanzo beans, sweet potatoes, beef bone broth, kale, apples, blueberries, and pumpkin. This food is freeze-dried gently at low temperatures so as to preserve the nutritional content of each ingredient, and therefore includes extra support for digestive health in the form of live enzymes and other live nutrients.  78% of this recipe is beef and beef organs, so this topper increases the meat and organ content of your puppy's holistic puppy food diet as well as providing additional raw foods with nutritional diversity.   

NuVet Plus K-9 Powder    required  

We start your puppy on NuVet Plus K-9 Powder shortly after weaning.  NuVet Plus is a nutrient rich formula that surpasses mere vitamin replenishment by providing full-spectrum nutritional support designed to boost your puppy’s immune system and overall health for life.  Packed with superior highly-digestible natural ingredients, including antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, probiotics, prebiotics, enzymes, herbs and more, NuVet Plus is carefully formulated to foster healthy growth and optimal development. This makes NuVet Plus the ideal choice for foundational supplementation for puppies and for their long-term support as they grow.   

NuJoint Plus K-9 Powder    required 

We also start your puppy on NuJoint Plus K-9 Powder at the same time as the NuVet Plus Powder.  NuJoint Plus is a specialized holistic supplement designed to support optimal joint growth, development, and function, while promoting joint mobility, flexibility, and overall joint health. Formulated with MSM, Glucosamine, Chondroitin, and Vitamin C, this is a top choice for foundational joint support for young puppies and long-term joint support for older dogs.  With joint problems becoming more and more of a problem in the canine world, and research indicating that up to 75% of joint problems are caused by environmental factors (early spay/neuter, nutritional deficiencies, injuries, and medical injuries), providing ongoing joint support is a must for your puppy.   

Gastro Pro Plus    highly recommended  

Gastro Pro Plus is a complete combination of probiotics, prebiotics, digestive enzymes, and herbs formulated specifically to support good gastrointestinal health.  Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms (good bacteria) that are critical for good digestive health.  Prebiotics are long-chain sugars that feed and support good bacteria so as to encourage healthy probiotic growth in the GI tract.  Digestive Enzymes are important as they aid in the breakdown of fats, proteins, starches, and cellulose, while the herbs included in Gastro Pro Plus help soothe and calm the gut. We recommend that you keep this on hand for any time your puppy has an upset digestive system or excess gas, etc.  Some people elect to use ongoing as well.

Purchasing Your Puppy's Holistic Puppy Food & Supplements

Two to three weeks before Go Home Day, you need to order your puppy's food and supplements so you will be ready as soon as your puppy comes home.  Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about ordering your puppy's food & supplements.

PawTree Login: https://pawtree.com/shalom/account/login
NuVet Labs Login: https://www.nuvetlabs.com/order_new2/login.asp?account=Y 
     (Please Use Order Code: 258615 )
Your Login Informaton: As a complementary service to our customers, we create your pawTree and NuVet Labs accounts for you ahead of time.  With pawTree, we even set up a sample EZ Ship order that includes your required products.  Please check your email for your login details.  When you first log in, please be sure to change your password.

What To Include In Your First PawTree Order

Tips & Tricks To Save Money On Your First PawTree Order

  • Use Coupon Code INTRO4U20 to receive 20% off your first-time order of $100 or more.
  • Order the bulk X-Large 30.9lb bag of Real Whitefish & Brown Rice Recipe (actually three 10.3lbs bags to maintain freshness).  This reduces the total price per pound by $1.29, lowering your overall cost so much that you almost get the third bag for free!  In most cases, these 3 bags will last your puppy between 3 to 6 months, depending how quickly he/she grows.
  • Join the pawTree Paw Club by setting up your order as an EZ Ship (autoship).  Joining the Paw Club is completely free and provides many benefits, including retaining complete control and flexibility over your EZ Ship orders, allowing you to accrue points towards free products, providing discounted and free shipping options, etc.  You can edit and/or postpone your EZ Ship orders whenever you need to.  You are also free to cancel your EZ Ship at anytime, but just be sure to redeem your Paw Points before you cancel so you don't lose them.  Visit Paw Club Pawsibilities to learn more about a Paw Club membership. 
  • If you join the pawTree Paw Club, you automatically get reduced shipping.  But you can get completely free shipping on each EZ Ship order by adding three non-food items to your order (IE: Wild Alaskan Salmon & Pollock Oil, pawTreats, pawPairings, Gastro Pro Plus (digestive support), toys, etc.)
  • Would you like to earn a minimum of two (maximum of 12) free bags of the Freeze-Dried Raw Food?  And get 15% or more back on all your purchases?  If you want more information about this option, please contact me for details.

What To Include In Your First NuVet Labs Order (Order Code: 258615)

Tips & Tricks To Save Money On Your NuVet Labs Order

  • Set up an Autoship order to receive up to 15% off and to make sure you never run out.
  • Order products in bulk to receive additional savings.
  • Once your puppy is about 6 months old, you should be able to switch your puppy to the wafers, which cost less than the powder, but offer the same great foundational support and nutritional safety net.
  • Note: Each bottle of NuVet Plus K-9 Powder will usually last between 3 and 6 months, depending on how quickly your puppy grows.  That comes out to only $10 - $20 per month (or less if you are on autoship)!
  • Note: Each bottle of NuJoint Pluse K-9 Powder will usually last between 6 months and a year, depending on how quickly your puppy grows.  That comes out to only $5 - $10 per month (or less if you are on autoship)!

What To Include In Your First Amazon Dog Food Order

Disclosure: We are Amazon Affiliates, so we may receive commissions on qualifying Amazon orders.

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Week-By-Week Road Map For Puppy's First 6 Months

This roadmap is intended to guide you through how to feed your puppy for the first 6 months of life.  The goal of the roadmap is to help you establish and implement a simple, wholesome, well-rounded, diverse holistic diet for your puppy by the time she is 6 months old.  Please Note: The roadmap begins with Week One, which refers to the first week in your home, not the puppy's first week of life.  In other words, Week One is the puppy's 8th week of life.

Weeks One to Four

  • Feed your puppy 1/3 cup softened Real Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe (pawTree) 3x per day.
  • Feed your puppy 10 pieces softened Freeze-Dried Raw Food Beef Recipe (pawTree) as a topper 3x per day.
  • Week One: Add 1 drop of Wild Alaskan Salmon & Pollock Oil to each meal. 
    Week Two Add 2 drops of Wild Alaskan Salmon & Pollock Oil to each meal.
    Week Thre e : Add 3 drops of Wild Alaskan Salmon & Pollock Oil to each meal.
    Week Four: Add 4 drops of Wild Alaskan Salmon & Pollock Oil to each meal.
  • Add a small pinch of NuVet Plus K-9 Powder (NuVet Labs) to one meal per day.
  • Add a small pinch of NuJoint Plus K-9 Powder (NuVet Labs) to one meal per day.

Weeks Five to Eight

  • Continue to feed your puppy softened Real Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe (pawTree) 3x per day.  You may need to increase the amount ever so slightly and slowly if your puppy seems excessively hungry.
  • Continue to feed your softened Freeze-Dried Raw Food Beef Recipe (pawTree) as a topper 3x per day.  You may need to increase the amount ever so slightly and slowly if your puppy seems excessively hungry.
  • Week Five: Add 5 drop of Wild Alaskan Salmon & Pollock Oil to each meal. 
    Week Six Add 6 drops of Wild Alaskan Salmon & Pollock Oil to each meal.
    Week Seven: Add 7 drops of Wild Alaskan Salmon & Pollock Oil to each meal.
    Week Eight: Add 8 drops of Wild Alaskan Salmon & Pollock Oil to each meal.
  • Continue to add NuVet Plus K-9 Powder (NuVet Labs) to one meal per day.  At this point, begin to slowly increase the amount until you are at the recommended dose by weight on the label. 
  • Add a small pinch of NuJoint Plus K-9 Powder (NuVet Labs) to one meal per day.  At this point, begin to slowly increase the amount until you are at the recommended dose by weight on the label. 

Week Nine

  • Time To Add More Organ Meats: There is some freeze-dried beef organ meat in the freeze-dried meat you have been feeding your puppy so far.  At this point, you can add a few bites of freeze-dried lamb liver & lamb hearts daily.  These can be broken into tiny pieces and used for treats or added to your puppy's meals. See links on our New Puppy Checklist page for the brands we use.

Week Ten

  • Time To Add Treats: Begin using freeze-dried and/or dry roasted pawTreats (pawTree) for your puppy's treats at this time.  They add lots of nutrition without adding the unhealthy fillers and grains that most dog food treats add.  Just always remember to use treats in moderation.  You do not want to overfeed your puppy, as this can lead to obesity and health problems.

Week Eleven

  • Additional Toppers: Consider adding  pawPairing (pawTree) toppers to your puppy's food at this time.  There are many options to choose from and each one is loaded with extra antioxidants and other health-sustaining nutrition.  They also give your puppy lots of flavor variations so your puppy can enjoy the variety of flavors nature has provided to us all.  You only add a very small amount to each meal, so these toppers do not require any transition time and can be added and varied as much as you (& your puppy) like.  

Week Twelve

  • Time To Add Raw Meaty Bones: This is a good time to add raw chicken wings with raw bones. Never feed your puppy cooked bones. The raw bones provide many essential minerals and help keep your puppy's teeth healthy, so they are very important, but they must be raw and they must be crushed thoroughly for small puppies. You can crush them with an electric meat grinder, but if you do not have one, you can use a meat mallet. Either way, no piece of bone should be any larger than the toenail on your little toe for small puppies. Eventually, your puppy should be able to eat whole chicken wings without you needing to crush them, but we recommend you work up to that gradually. See link on our New Puppy Checklist page for the raw chicken wings we use.

OPTIMAL - Raw Holistic Puppy Food Diet Samples

Raw Diet Sample #1 - VERY BEST OPTION

  • 50% raw meaty bones (chicken wings or drumsticks)
  • 20% Freeze-Dried Raw Food Real Turkey Recipe
  • 20% Freeze-Dried Raw Food Real Beef Recipe
  • 10% Freeze-Dried Raw Lamb Hearts and Liver
  • Treats: Freeze-Dried Duck & Mangoes
  • Daily Supplements: NuVet K-9 Plus, NuJoint K-9 Plus, Wild Alaskan Salmon & Pollock Oil

Raw Diet Sample #2

  • 30% Freeze-Dried Raw Food Real Chicken Recipe
  • 30% Freeze-Dried Raw Food Real Turkey Recipe
  • 30% Freeze-Dried Raw Food Real Beef Recipe
  • 10% Freeze-Dried Raw Lamb Hearts and Liver
  • Treats: Freeze-Dried Duck & Mangoes
  • Daily Supplements: NuVet K-9 Plus, NuJoint K-9 Plus, Wild Alaskan Salmon & Pollock Oil

Raw Diet Sample #3

  • 90% Freeze-Dried Raw Food Real Turkey Recipe
         OR
    90% Freeze-Dried Raw Food Real Beef Recipe
         OR
    90% Freeze-Dried Raw Food Real Chicken Recipe
          OR
    Rotate these three foods for more nutritional variety.
  • 10% Freeze-Dried Raw Lamb Hearts and Liver
  • Treats: Freeze-Dried Duck & Mangoes
  • Daily Supplements: NuVet K-9 Plus, NuJoint K-9 Plus, Wild Alaskan Salmon & Pollock Oil

PawTree: Other Pages

Why We Use pawTree
Why We Use NuVet Labs
potty-trained-puppies
Why Use A Holistic Vet
Holistic Puppies
eCOI of Puppies
What's Included
Rearing Methods
Breeding Approach