Feeding your Puppy

You should begin feeding the following diet once you get your pup home:

- 16 oz raw or cooked diet (ideal) or 2 cups super-premium ADULT freeze-dried dog food, divided over three meals per day (3 meals/day until 6 months of age).
 

Supplements:
15mg DHA per body pound/ per day

Hyperbiotics pet probiotics dose by weight

You may wish to warm the raw food to at least room temperature and preferably 100°F for the first week or so.  That will make it more palatable and will bring out the odors of the food to encourage your pup to eat.  

The first week your pup is home with you, he/she may not eat very well.  Do not worry if she skips a few meals.  If that happens:

 1) Reduce the amount you are feeding,
 2) warm the food or even give it a quick sauté,
 3) feed your pup in her crate so she will not be distracted by activities around her.
 4) give the pup only 10 minutes to eat.  If she does not finish it, put the food in   the refrigerator and try again next meal time.  
 5) Do not leave food down.  Do not beg your puppy to eat.  Do not hand feed. Do not add goodies to it after you have put it down.  Do not try giving the food in an hour or so.  All of these behaviors will encourage your pup to become picky about her food.  He is at a good weight now so missing a few meals will not hurt her. 

The concept of the ancestral diet for dogs stems from the  fact that dogs have evolved successfully through hunting and  scavenging – consuming foods that were high in protein and low in  carbohydrates and not at all like the kibble so many are fed today. Recent  nutritional science increasingly supports an ancestral diet—high  protein, balanced fats, and at least some fresh foods—as the healthiest  approach to feeding most dogs. There is no way of knowing for sure  exactly what constituted the diet of the ancestors of the modern,  domesticated, dog, but we can estimate that it consisted of  about 85 to 90% meat (primarily from whole prey) along with small  amounts of fish, eggs, scavenged grasses, berries, nuts and other  vegetation.This low carb high protein diet has almost 50% of the  calories coming from protein, 44% from fat, and only 6% from  carbohydrate. This protein level exceeds all but a few dry on the  market. 

Heavily-processed foods share these shortcomings:

• Cooking and high pressure processing destroys most of the vital enzymes and vitamins in the ingredients.
• Only  a small percentage of the lost nutrients are replaced by synthetic  additives but even these are not easily absorbed by your pet.
• Cheap ingredients including grains and fillers add calories but are actually difficult for pets to digest.
• Protein levels can look good on the label but can also come from difficult to digest sources.
• Heavily-processed  pet foods contain preservatives for long-term storage in warehouses and  retail stores. Preservatives not only depletes micro-nutrients but have  been connected with many common allergies – such as yeast on the skin,  paws and in the ears.

According to the National Research Council and compared to the other two major nutrients — protein and fat — no carbs are considered essential for a healthy canine diet.1 Dogs don’t need corn. And they don’t need wheat, barley rice or potatoes, either. 

Fish Oil-

Proven benefits from EPA and DHA include: -Improving the coat and skin. -Reducing inflammation due to conditions such as arthritis, allergies, and inflammatory bowel disease. -Regulating the immune system, boosting those that are suppressed and  calming overactive immune systems for dogs with allergies or autoimmune  diseases. -Aiding in mental development of fetuses and puppies, and improving cognitive function in older dogs. -Lowering blood pressure and triglycerides. -Providing support for dogs with kidney disease, heart disease, and cancer. -Promoting weight loss in overweight dogs. 

Probiotics-

• Helps control yeast and yeast related skin problems
• Aids in healthy digestion
• Supports a strong immune system
• Helps prevent diarrhea, loose stool, and constipation
• Helps eliminate smelly stool and gas
• Helps reduce bad breath odors
• Helps in counteracting the destructive side effects caused by taking antibiotics
• Prevents scratching and shedding
• Improves your dog's smell overall
• Reduces excess gas

  Remember that “the best diet” is an individual matter. Your friend’s  strategy for feeding her Golden Retriever won’t necessarily be the best  for your Golden. Read labels, understand what you’re feeding, research  the manufacturer if feeding a commercial product, and feed the highest  quality food that your budget can handle. Like everything we do with our  dogs, pay attention to what your dog’s telling you, and after you pick  up the food bowl each day, let your dog and his health determine what’s best for him.

  Dr Schultz’s protocol balances a pup’s need for immunity from potentially fatal diseases with detrimental effects on their immune systems caused by unnecessary vaccinations. It also seeks to time vaccines so we create a good, robust reaction that imprints the dog’s immune system with an appropriate response, setting it up for lifetime protection

 

     We ran a distemper-parvo titer nomograph on your puppy’s mother in order to determine when we should vaccinate against these diseases.  We have given your pup’s first distemper-parvovirus vaccine based on the nomograph results and have developed a schedule for the remaining boosters in your puppy’s Medical Schedule.  

     The antibodies in mom’s milk have protected your puppy thus far. This passive immunity declines steadily during the pups’ first 16 weeks of life. At some point, they fall low enough for the puppies to respond to a vaccine. Once the puppies’ maternal antibodies fall below 20, they cannot protect them from distemper or parvovirus. However, as long as they are above 10 they are too high for a vaccine from triggering the pup’s own immune system.     

     Your pup’s mom’s titers allow us to determine your pup’s Danger Period, when he is most likely to have maternal levels between 10 and 20 and thus is most at risk of getting parvo and distemper. This Danger Period is listed on the Medical Schedule.  Once the Danger Period begins, your pup’s maternal antibodies are too low to protect him but are too high to allow him to respond to a vaccine. During this period ensure your pup goes only to places where there are and have been no unvaccinated dogs. Do not take your puppy to dog parks, pet stores, or other places that dogs run loose. Be cautious taking your pup to the veterinarian’s office (without calling to ensure they have seen no cases of parvovirus or distemper) and dog shows, etc. 

     You can take your puppy to puppy class, IF your trainer requires all pups be vaccinated against these diseases. Instead, take your puppy to garden centers, Lowe’s and Home Depot, your bank, nursing homes or even schools, if allowed. These places offer great socialization and developmental experiences for dogs without the risk that other dogs may present.  
      

     Three weeks after the first vaccination was given by us, you will want to have your puppy receive its 2nd DAPP vaccination.  There should be no other vaccines in this combination product so do not give vaccines that include leptospirosis, coronavirus or any other component. Please be very clear with your vet and any technicians that are preparing your puppy’s vaccination. Check the vial before the vaccine is given to ensure you puppy is getting the correct vaccine.  *Depending on the nomograph, some litters may require a third vaccination before titering.

     It takes 3 to 7 days for your puppy’s body to respond to the vaccine and develop a protective immune response, so continue to be cautious until a week after his second vaccination.  

     Two weeks after the DAPP vaccine, have your vet titer your puppy for parvo and distemper.  Ask your vet to draw a blood sample for this titer and send it to the University of Wisconsin Vet. Diagnostic Lab. You may print the serum submission form from the link below.  We believe the University of Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory’s titering programs is the best available.  The cost is $40.00

 

https://www.vetmed.wisc.edu/lab/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/01/2017-canine-Serum-Submission-Form-4.pdf

 If your puppy has distemper and Parvo titers greater than 300, then it has had an appropriate immune response to the distemper-parvo vaccine and you do not need to do any further puppy distemper-parvo vaccines. You can also titer for adenovirus, too, although we do not with our dogs. Most pups have a quick reaction to the adeno vaccine so you can be confident that the vaccine you gave was affective and not titer for it.  

     From this point on, you are responsible for making the final decision about your dog’s vaccinations after you have read this and consulted with your veterinarian. Vaccines are some of the most powerful drugs ever created. As such, they can both save your dog’s life and cause very serious, sometimes fatal complications. They should not be used casually or passively. Please make sure you discuss this with your veterinarian during your first visit and ensure you are in control each and every time your pup receives a vaccination during its lifetime.  

     You should always titer before vaccinating your dog for distemper and parvovirus for the rest of its life. If the titer is POSTIVE, regardless of how low the number, your dog is protected and does not need further vaccines. Once immunity has been conferred and the dog’s body has adapted to it, the level of immunity is a characteristic of the individual dog NOT the number of vaccines it has received. Giving a booster shot will increase the antibody titer in the short term but the titer will eventually return to the previous level. Even dogs with very low, but positive, titers have memory cells that will enable their immune system to fight off a parvo or distemper infection. Additionally, parvovirus is a disease of puppyhood; after a year, very few dogs will develop parvo even if they come in contact with the virus. The same cannot be said for distemper, which requires lifetime protection but that can be conferred through puppy vaccines.  

 

• If the titer indicates the dog has a positive titer (greater than 0), there is no need to give additional boosters regardless of how low the titer is. Positive titers in adult dogs indicate essential immunity. Boosting a low titer will only increase it for a short period and then the dog’s titer will drop again to the previous level.  
• If the titer indicates the dog has a negative titer, boost  with a DAPP vaccine.

 Your pup had a negative stool sample when evaluated by our veterinarian. However, a negative fecal is not always accurate so you should take another stool sample in to your vet on your first or second visit. From then on your pup will require worming when you see evidence of worms in his feces or symptoms such as dry coat, weight loss, or actual worms in his stool. 

     Visible worms can look like real worms or small grains of rice. The latter are tapeworm segments which rarely show up on a stool test so tell your vet if you see them so you can get your pup treated. Tape worms often arise from flea infestations so if you dog has fleas, he is more likely to need to be wormed for tape worms.  

 

 Heartworms are a worm-like parasite transmitted by mosquito bites. They can grow in dogs’ hearts and cause serious, even fatal, heart disease. However, mosquitoes need days when the temperature reaches 57°F for multiple days to reproduce and mature. The more days there are above that cut off, the higher the risk of heartworm infection, the fewer there are, the lower the risk. So except in southern Florida, there is little reason to treat dogs for heartworm year round most years and doing so is subjecting them to unnecessary pesticides.  

 

 Coccidiosis is a parasite infestation that erupts when young animals are under stress. For puppies, this is usually weaning and during the transition to their new home. You will know your pup has coccidia if it has diarrhea, and more rarely, vomiting. The diarrhea can come and go or it can be constant. If your pup has diarrhea for a day, make an appointment with your vet. The treatment for coccidia is usually ten days of Albon (sulfadimethoxine), which usually clears up the problem with one or two series. Albon is a sulfa antibiotic but it has been tolerated well by our dogs in the past. Give the Albon with food because it has a very bad taste. Healthy adult dogs are usually resistant to the coccidia protozoa so your pup will be fine once he is mature.  

 

 Flea control methods that are effective are regular bathing with a normal dog shampoo, the use of an herbal children's insect repellent applied to your hands and then wiped on your dog, and regular vacuuming. We no longer recommend flea shampoos and powders or insecticide sprays for your home because of their possible threat to your dog’s immune system.