Natural Puppy Care – Diet & Remedies

Thanks for this great post! Please let us know if/when you come up with a good dog toothpaste.

Puppies have different nutritional needs from grown-up dogs and when they first start on solid food they need feeding three or four times a day. It’s really important to pick top quality natural puppy food that delivers the exact balance of nutrients for young dogs.

Hi Katie and mamas to furry friends,

I have been feeding my English yellow lab, Otis, (now 2) a raw diet his whole life. Here are the things I have learned that have helped. I’m not sure if it’s ok to share the products I use here. If not, feel free to edit. I do not have any affiliation with any of the companies. I’m just nerdy about this stuff and just as into my pet’s health as I am for my humans 🙂

Food: Oma’s Pride, Bravo, US wellness meats (online), Vital Choice (online). I give my pup everything from bones, organ meat, fish, sweet potatoes, veggies, raw kefir. Every dog safe veggie I make, Otis gets some of. If I peel a carrot, he gets the shavings, if I cut the bottom off of lettuce or the stems off kale, he gets those. We give him raw marrow bones as treats once or twice a week (put down a towel!) If your dog ever has diarrhea or constipation, unsweetened, canned pumpkin helps for both. We don’t give him any grain.

Flea and tick repellant: Diatomaceous Earth (can be ingested also as a parasite preventer), Quantum Natural Flea and Tick Spray (use very little).
Homemade spray: 5 lemons, 3-4 sprigs of fresh rosemary, oil of pennyroyal (10 drops). Place lemons in bowl with rosemary, pour semi boiling water over it, cover and let sit overnight, add 10 drops of pennyroyal. Spray once a week.

Neutering: while pet overpopulation is a real issue and concern, for the welfare of the pup, delaying neutering and spaying will help them to develop fully and healthfully before important hormones are cut off. Early spaying/neutering has been shown to increase hip and joint issues later in life, hypothyroidism in males and other issues. (Dr. Larry Katz, Animal Science from Rutgers University has written research on this, amongst many others)

Giardia: Ugh. If you have a water lover like we do, this is bound to make its way into your furry friend’s belly. We were prescribed Panacur-C and Metronidazole. Metronidazole is an antibiotic and has a low effective rate for healing giardia in comparison with its great risks. Dogs have died taking this medication. And like antibiotics, it kills off so much of the healthy gut bacteria. I researched this before just taking my vet’s prescription and I’m so happy I never gave it to my guy.
You can use Grapefruit seed extract (not to be confused with grapeseed extract which is unsafe for dogs), Fortiflora probiotic, and a daily enzyme (I’m currently trying Source Naturals). If the giardia is bad enough, you may want to consider the Panacur, but I always supplement as it is still an anti-biotic. Giardia tests at the vet are only 70% effective, so ask for an Elisa test. So much about this online.

If you find your dog has allergies, all the more reason to consider a raw diet. Something else I’ve noticed is that on a raw diet, your dog will eliminate smaller amounts. This is because he is using almost everything in the food he’s eating (assuming it’s all healthy raw meats, bones, organs, veggies, etc.) We have also had zero issues with him eating poop (as some dogs do when they are nutrient deficient. If this does happen, try giving your pup banana which has a lot of nutrients). We’ve also had zero issues with him scooting because he’s pretty clear from his diet.

Hope this stuff is helpufl! As I remember other things, I will add to this. Also- as far as behavioral issues with dogs, the best advice I got was a tired dog is a good dog. If my guy gets restless, that’s when he starts getting naughty and anxious. It also helps keep us fit since we’re going out for walks all the time.

Here are also some important tips I learned:
1. Do not blindly trust your vet. I truly believe our vets have good intentions, but not all are holistically minded and not all have read the latest research on drugs and treatments. Do your own research.
2. Never let your pet be treated at the vet without being present. I let him alone once and he was given a treatment I did not approve of (and then I was charged!) another time, I was present and caught the vet before he almost gave a duplicate vaccine (he did not have the updated paperwork from the front desk)
3. Ask your vet for a titer to test for pet immunity before you give boosters and extra vaccinations.

We don’t use flea drops on our dog, because we are extremely uncomfortable with the chemicals in them. I love essential oils, and I make a simple spray out of Young Living Purification oil with filtered water or witch hazel and spray it on our Lab, and he stays essentially flea free! I also comb him every day with a flea comb before he comes inside, and that helps with flea control as well!
Adorable puppy, by the way!