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 recommend that you use pawTree's Freeze-Dried Raw Food Real Beef Recipe as a topper for your puppy's holistic puppy food.  This 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.   The link to this product is provided below in the Purchasing Your Puppy's Food & Supplements section of this page.

NuVet Plus K-9 Powder    required  

We start our puppies on NuVet Plus K-9 Powder shortly after we start them on the Real Whitefish & Brown Rice Recipe.  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, 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 long-term support for older dogs.   The link to this company is provided below in the Purchasing Your Puppy's Food & Supplements section of this page.

NuJoint Plus K-9 Powder    required 

We also start our puppies 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.   The link to this company is provided below in the Purchasing Your Puppy's Food & Supplements section of this page.

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. 

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 free bag of the Freeze-Dried Raw Food Real Beef Recipe each month for up to a year?  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.

<< Return To Table Of Contents >>

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

Week Five

  • As long as your puppy is continuing to adjust well and not experiencing any digestive issues, 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.  

Weeks Six & Seven

  • At this point, you can begin to provide small amounts of whole foods from your table, including soup, pasta, quinoa, stew, roast vegetables, fat trimmings, raw fruit and veggies, etc.  Avoid cooked bones, fish bones, chop bones, and processed pre-packaged foods.
  • You can also elect to mix several different kibble or raw food recipes (pawTree) so as to include more variety of meats, fruits, veggies, and whole grains.  If you elect to do this, please remember to add the new food or foods slowly over a couple week's time to allow your puppy to adjust gently to the new foods.

Optimal: Raw Holistic Puppy Food Diet Samples

Raw Diet Sample #1

  • 50% raw chicken wings or drumsticks with bones
  • 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 Freeze-Dried Raw Food Real Beef Recipe OR Freeze-Dried Raw Food Real Chicken Recipe
    (You can also rotate these three foods to get 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, Gastro Pro Plus

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