Puppy Essentials

This specific formula is my preferred choice for this litter. These puppies have more bone and substance than the average small/medium breed puppy, so despite Australian Shepherds technically being a medium breed, they are navigating a steeper growth curve. I'm recommending the Large Breed formula because it provides a balanced nutritional profile, with controlled calories and minerals to help prevent their frame from growing faster than their ligaments can support.

I recommend staying on this recipe until 12 months of age to keep their skeletal growth steady while providing the vital DHA for brain and eye development and the immune support they need.

For a litter with this much growth velocity, I feel this is a much safer option than 'All Life Stages' or Performance formulas, which are often too energy-dense. This specific recipe also contains significantly more Chondroitin to cushion their developing joints compared to adult or performance foods. 

Because every puppy grows differently, I will monitor each individual’s progress with you to verify this remains the right plan for them.

This is my current top recommendation for both joint and urinary support. It provides a powerful triple-source of Vitamin C that acts as the 'structural glue' for ligaments during growth spurts. I also love the added whole cranberry, which supports a healthy immune system and urinary tract during growth and the stress of travel or moving homes.

For this litter, the recommended starting dose is 1 tsp per day.

This is used to support deep, rich color in the puppy's coat and nose leather. It provides natural minerals and iodine that help maintain the dark pigment and "glow" typical of a healthy, high-quality Australian Shepherd. 

Once they get older, I often replace this with Phytoflex, which is a joint supplement that contains Kelp within it. But that is not appropriate for this litter until they are a bit older.