We feed and recommend PawTree.
This is the food we feed all of our dogs and puppies and highly recommend. No recalls. No poultry by-products, no corn, no wheat, no soy, no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Developed by Veterinarians and Nutritionists and made in the USA!
PawTree is especially good for pugs since it was developed for dogs who tend to deal with allergies and ear infections.
PawTree is especially good for pugs since it was developed for dogs who tend to deal with allergies and ear infections.
Here are 3 options we recommend -- from the bare minimum, to better option, to the best option:
Our puppies have been weaned to PawTree dog food and you will need to continue with this food to prevent digestive upset.
You won’t find PawTree on store shelves because this company prides itself on delivering fresh food to your door. Generally, the food is no more than six weeks from the day it was made when you receive it. It ships directly from the company to you, ensuring the utmost quality and freshness. To give you an idea of shipping times, the food should come in about 7 days, depending on your location. |
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How to Order and Save Money:
1. Go to http://www.pawTree.com/PickwickPugs
Create an account with a username and password. Please be sure that when placing your order you see "Pickwick Pugs" and a photo of our pug at the upper left-hand corner.
Create an account with a username and password. Please be sure that when placing your order you see "Pickwick Pugs" and a photo of our pug at the upper left-hand corner.
2. In order to get free shipping you need to do TWO things :
- Add items to your cart as EZ Ship
- Add three non-food items (treats, salmon oil, gastro pro plus, a toy, a chew, nose balm, ear cleaner etc.)
After you have an account look below the words “Future Ez Ship Summary” and update Delivery Frequency to “Every 12 weeks” or “Quarterly” If you have an X large bag of food on your order this is how often you will want your order to reoccur. You can adjust this later as needed.
- Add items to your cart as EZ Ship
- Add three non-food items (treats, salmon oil, gastro pro plus, a toy, a chew, nose balm, ear cleaner etc.)
After you have an account look below the words “Future Ez Ship Summary” and update Delivery Frequency to “Every 12 weeks” or “Quarterly” If you have an X large bag of food on your order this is how often you will want your order to reoccur. You can adjust this later as needed.
3. SAVE MONEY! (This is important!): When you complete an order using EZ Ship you become part of the Paw Club and will begin earning “Paw Points” based on every dollar you spend at PawTree. These “Paw Points” can be used to order free treats, toys, or food at a later time. If you ever need to postpone your EZ Ship order DO NOT CANCEL IT because it will erase all “Paw Points” that you have earned. If you do not need dog food or products yet, simply postpone the order with no penalty!
For the most economical purchase, choose the Core 4 for medium dogs as it will give you 60 days of supplements instead of 30 days for small dogs.
Don't forget to use the promo code INTRO4U20 on your second order to get 20% off. (The Core 4 with your kibble qualifies for free shipping.)
For the most economical purchase, choose the Core 4 for medium dogs as it will give you 60 days of supplements instead of 30 days for small dogs.
Don't forget to use the promo code INTRO4U20 on your second order to get 20% off. (The Core 4 with your kibble qualifies for free shipping.)
10% OFF Orders up to $100 with code INTRO4U10 & 20% OFF Orders over $100 with code INTRO4U20 DETAILS
FAQ:
- The 10% discount should be applied at checkout with coupon code INTRO4U10 for first-time customer order less than $100.
- The 20% discount should be applied at checkout with coupon code INTRO4U20 for first-time customer order higher than $100.
- This offer is only valid for new customers. (It will not be possible to use these coupon codes if an order has already been placed.)
- Only one code can be used. (If the code for 10% off an order under $100 is used, then it will not be possible to use the 20% off code for an order over $100 at another date -- and vice versa.)
- The codes can be used when setting up an EZ Ship order. The discount will only apply to the first EZ Ship order.
- IF the wrong coupon code was used when a new customer placed their first order, it is possible to contact the support team within 7 days of the order date and they can apply the correct coupon retroactively.
- There is no maximum discount amount. The coupon will take 20% off the order subtotal, no matter how large an order placed.
Or continue reading to learn more . . .
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Why pawTree?
Anyone who knows us knows that we are always striving to give our pugs (and pug-wannabee-rescue dogs) the best food possible, even going so far as to cook their meals with supplies from our grocery store. We join Coops to find the best meats available and we are constantly researching and applying what we've learned from holistic vets and other experts over the years.
We also don't jump blindly into trying a new product without researching the company and learning about the owners, where the food is sourced etc. We followed one company's move from Italy to USA, North Carolina, kept up with another high-end dog food company's volunteer recalls, and shifts of management. We have tried, and used for extended periods of time (a period of years for each brand ... we gave them a good chance) ... most of the high-end brands like Fromm, Farmina N&D Ancestral Grains, Honest Kitchen, Origen. After discovering pawTree we have not turned back to box store brands. We have found so much better results, whether less itchiness with the couple of pugs who have food allergies, reduced stool volume, more energy and focus, much improved coats, and more. Plus, the pugs love all the varieties and it's always so fresh. Developed by Veterinarians and nutritionists, and made in USA, the quality is never sacrificed. And it never will be. The reason CEO Roger first started pawTree was because he had been a CEO in other large companies in the pet food industry and saw first hand the impact of companies putting profits before pets. The food is so fresh. Their 100% money-back guarantee pretty much says it all. Who does this anymore? They can honestly stand behind their products. A few reasons why we only feed pawTree:
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Quality
pawTree has
*No corn, no wheat, no soy
*No added sugars or sweeteners
*No poultry by-products
*No artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives
*No recalls
*No added sugars or sweeteners
*No poultry by-products
*No artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives
*No recalls
On special days we find pleasure in taking time to research and prepare whole raw food meals, or casseroles but we don't normally have time for this on a daily basis. We have found PawTree food to be comparable in terms of quality and results while being more convenient and more economical than raw feeding. PawTree food is made in the United States and is made with real meat or fish as the first ingredient. It has no artificial colors, preservatives, poultry by-products, corn, wheat, or soy. It is such a high-quality food that we end up feeding about 30 percent less than we do with other foods. And, on the 'other end' of things, there is less waste to clean up. A high quality dog food pays off in the long run in terms of fewer health problems later in life plus, compare the equivalent nutrition of other less expensive brands compared to PawTree.
DOG FOOD RECALLS
PawTree has NEVER had a recall. Looking at “premium” commercial dog foods, (big name brands you would recognize), you will see a history of frightening recalls. An owner of a Pickwick pug has inside scoop on dog food manufacturers (his day job was to analyze pet foods) and it is amazing to learn of some of the fraudulent practices by some very well-known dog food brands (names anyone would recognize). Out right lies regarding ingredient quality, sourcing and more. You will see that some food companies appear to have had recalls, but keep in mind that larger companies are constantly subsuming smaller ones. I don't want to mention brand names and bash here, but to understand what happens I'll substitute with made-up names. So, for example, "AlphaStar" dog food (which until recently was an independently owned small business) was recently purchased by "BubbaBubbaPet", which is owned by the multinational coal mining company Berwind Corporation. Another recent development .... "OooLaLa" and "AbraCadabra" (again, I'm making up these names -- but think major high-end brand foods sold at boutique pet stores) pet food brands were bought by Mars Incorporated. What do Mars bars, M&M's, Skittles, and "RoyalPalace" dog food all have in common? If you're puzzled by a possible connection between popular candy brands and dog food -- so are many consumers! If you look at ingredients lists, you'll find many of the same sugars and oils now in both the candy and the dog food.
Our pugs prefer food that is produced by a company whose only focus is their health, not food that is ultimately controlled by the mining or candy industry. It is important to note that "Dog Food Advisor" is helpful when selecting foods but we no longer consider their ratings and information reliable. Why? One example for now: they provided a rating of 4.5 or 5 to a food which is made in China and has had 6 recalls. Additionally, when they rate a food, they don’t actually rate every recipe, they rate a single recipe in a food line, which does not tell you anything about other recipes in the same product line.
PawTree has NEVER had a recall. Looking at “premium” commercial dog foods, (big name brands you would recognize), you will see a history of frightening recalls. An owner of a Pickwick pug has inside scoop on dog food manufacturers (his day job was to analyze pet foods) and it is amazing to learn of some of the fraudulent practices by some very well-known dog food brands (names anyone would recognize). Out right lies regarding ingredient quality, sourcing and more. You will see that some food companies appear to have had recalls, but keep in mind that larger companies are constantly subsuming smaller ones. I don't want to mention brand names and bash here, but to understand what happens I'll substitute with made-up names. So, for example, "AlphaStar" dog food (which until recently was an independently owned small business) was recently purchased by "BubbaBubbaPet", which is owned by the multinational coal mining company Berwind Corporation. Another recent development .... "OooLaLa" and "AbraCadabra" (again, I'm making up these names -- but think major high-end brand foods sold at boutique pet stores) pet food brands were bought by Mars Incorporated. What do Mars bars, M&M's, Skittles, and "RoyalPalace" dog food all have in common? If you're puzzled by a possible connection between popular candy brands and dog food -- so are many consumers! If you look at ingredients lists, you'll find many of the same sugars and oils now in both the candy and the dog food.
Our pugs prefer food that is produced by a company whose only focus is their health, not food that is ultimately controlled by the mining or candy industry. It is important to note that "Dog Food Advisor" is helpful when selecting foods but we no longer consider their ratings and information reliable. Why? One example for now: they provided a rating of 4.5 or 5 to a food which is made in China and has had 6 recalls. Additionally, when they rate a food, they don’t actually rate every recipe, they rate a single recipe in a food line, which does not tell you anything about other recipes in the same product line.
Variety!!
With some of the other top high-quality brands of dog food which we have used in the past, there was only one flavor or variety available. Our pugs get bored! The variety PawTree affords is important we believe, not just for appetite, but for health. Like with humans, a varied diet is healthy for dogs. It enhances the diversity of their microbiome, reduces the risk of allergies and food intolerances, and helps avoid possible issues such as the nutritionally associated dilated cardiomyopathy. We rotate food on an almost daily basis and our dogs have a robust digestion and don't get tummy upsets from food changes. If you are switching to PawTree from another brand which you have fed consistently for some time, start by changing over the course of a week. If your dog experiences gas or loose stools, then you are probably switching brands too quickly.
All of our dogs and pug puppies eat a combination of kibble+freeze-dried raw or raw + kibble. We ALWAYS top this with some bone broth, or water, or a splash of raw Goat's Milk (we NEVER feed plain dry kibble without adding some liquid - we have heard of pugs who have choked to death, so we add liquid and mix thoroughly). We then sprinkle on their their daily vitamin at breakfast and additional supplements as needed:
- for pregnant moms: folic acid (from drugstore), Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil, and Gastro Pro Plus
- for puppies: Esther C, (from the drugstore - small amount to avoid loose stools), and Gastro Pro Plus (a probiotic/prebiotic/digestive supplement. This is the best product we have found on the market. The CFU (amount of probiotics in each portion) is very high and the formulation is very well thought out. The probiotics are soil-based, which current research is showing to be the best for building a healthy microbiome. All of our puppies are raised on Gastro Pro Plus, and we also use it for all of our own adult dogs. The Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil is outstanding for immunity and coat and skin health. It is full of anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids and is great for heart health, vision support, skin health, bone health, and mental health, immunity, coat and skin health.)
- for seniors: Aches Away and especially Joint Support and sometimes Brain Drops. We learned the hard way many years ago with our Great Dane rescue that senior dogs can suffer from dementia and senility just like humans.
- for hot spots, seasonal allergies, itchiness, this product is amazing plus probiotics, and Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil.
- for some show dogs and anxiety: these CBD chews are amazing. They also help with joints, digestive issues, hot spots, itchiness as well. It's a pretty amazing supplement to have on hand.
As if all of these options were not enough, PawTree also offers a superfood seasoning topper, (PawTree Seasonings). Lilibeth, our picky eater, will only eat if we have sprinkled her vitamin and some toppers on. Sigh. (Yes, believe it or not, there are some pugs who are finicky eaters.) The toppers also add nutrition, boost your pet's immune system, and are made in the USA.
Why We Avoid Big Box Stores
When it comes to choosing pet food we generally try to avoid using big box stores. Over the years, when we see a high quality food suddenly being sold at a big-name pet supply store, or Amazon, or Chewy, we tend to sigh because we know it is usually the beginning of a gradual decline in quality. Yes, it's easier to be able to grab a bag of dog food at midnight at the Super Walmart across the street, but there will be a long term price to pay.
Dog food manufacturers often start off with great recipes and quality ingredients. However, once they start to do well and become available through the larger retailers, those retailers start pressuring them to significantly reduce their wholesale prices and the dog food companies more often than not end up using inferior ingredients or sources or changing their recipes (there’s no requirement for them to report any of this, including up to a 15% change in formulation).
Here’s an example:
Because of its growing market power, Amazon has immense leverage over its suppliers.
One supplier, who declined to be identified due to privacy concerns, said Amazon reviews its contract every year and plays hardball tactics to put pricing pressure on its deal. Some of the concessions include forcing the supplier to take on more of the freight cost between warehouses, or to buy more ads on Amazon, in return for remaining a major wholesale partner.
“It’s just a never-ending ask on every line item,” this person said. “Every year they try to get more, so we fight with them every year not to give it up.”
Because of the lack of transparency and the corresponding loss of quality (often without notice), we are much more comfortable working with direct sellers for our consumable pet products and recommend products from direct sellers whenever possible. We may sometimes receive a small commission or referral fee from these sales, and we use those fees to help cover the time we spend researching and recommending products to families like yours. Your puppy and our reputation are our primary priorities and we base selections of products recommend entirely on product quality.
Affiliate Statement Disclaimer: We recommend certain select products that we have used ourselves on this site and think are good enough to share. Some of those products have affiliate links, where we get a very small commission for referral. Those commissions help support the time we spend in testing, reviewing, and sharing our experiences with those products. Most of the products we recommend are manufactured in the USA by small family companies. These small American companies can’t compete with the big dollar marketing campaigns of the large multinational conglomerates that control most of the pet supply business. We hope you will choose to support small family companies like ours and many of the manufacturers we recommend, instead of large multinational conglomerates that are known for food and product recalls as well as off-shore sourcing and manufacturing. WE ARE NOT PAID FOR FAVORABLE PRODUCT REVIEWS and our opinions are our own.
Guarantee
PawTree offers a 100% money back guarantee on products for 90 days from the date of sale. The company wants you and your pets to be completely happy and satisfied and they are confident their customers will be.
Experience - Packaging, Customer Care, everything!
While it may seem silly, we just adore the box and packaging AND, having it personalized with "Pickwick Pugs" with a photo of one of our beautiful pugs, makes us smile. Just opening the box and unwrapping everything is an experience in itself. I need to get some video of Lilibeth loving EVERY flavor of food.
Here are some 10 week old pug puppies practicing manding -- they LOVE the training treats (as does Charlie, Robert, and KK!) . . . .
She is our extremely picky pug and will literally starve herself when she doesn't like a particular food until we find something she likes.🙄 (Yes, believe it or not, she's a pug lolz). She has pulled NO food strikes with any of the pawTree varieties we've tried with her so far. That's a winner.
Quality Control ... even through a pandemic.
A little bit more addressing the avoidance of Big Box Stores.
PawTree is made in the USA and is distributed only through trusted relationships.
This gives pawTree an advantage over the pet brands which are sold in big box stores like Pet Stores, Costco, Grocery Stores, Chewy.
Why?
When major stores insist that a pet food company cut corners in an effort to keep prices low, you would be amazed at the craftiness used to cut corners. Pressured by the big stores to keep costs down, manufacturers found ways (completely legal, yet highly unethical) to actually change the recipe (add more of the cheaper ingredients) without changing the ingredients list.
Do you remember how pet food was rationed during the pandemic?
PawTree is made in the USA and is distributed only through trusted relationships.
This gives pawTree an advantage over the pet brands which are sold in big box stores like Pet Stores, Costco, Grocery Stores, Chewy.
Why?
When major stores insist that a pet food company cut corners in an effort to keep prices low, you would be amazed at the craftiness used to cut corners. Pressured by the big stores to keep costs down, manufacturers found ways (completely legal, yet highly unethical) to actually change the recipe (add more of the cheaper ingredients) without changing the ingredients list.
Do you remember how pet food was rationed during the pandemic?
The cost was astronomical so, encouraged by the big stores, pet food manufacturers found a way to actually add more corn and fillers by dividing up all the "parts" of corn (ingredient splitting) and how they manage to keep corn low in the ingredients list despite adding more to the food.)
And, hello, the FDA provided flexibility for manufacturers to make 'minor formulation chnages' in certain circumstances WITHOUT making conforming label changes! They were allowed to CHANGE PRODUCT INGREDIENTS, without updating the ingredient list on the packaged food! This was May 22, 2020 but, guess what? The products remain the same now with many big name and popular pet foods .... which I won't mention here.
And, hello, the FDA provided flexibility for manufacturers to make 'minor formulation chnages' in certain circumstances WITHOUT making conforming label changes! They were allowed to CHANGE PRODUCT INGREDIENTS, without updating the ingredient list on the packaged food! This was May 22, 2020 but, guess what? The products remain the same now with many big name and popular pet foods .... which I won't mention here.
Pressured by stores to keep the cost down, pet food manufacturers (so big, very popular names you would all recognize) found a way to keep the cost down but make the consumer think the ingredients had not been changed.
Ingredient splitting.
For example, by dividing corn up into many different categories (corn meal, corn hull, corn flour etc.) these unethical pet food manufacturers (most of them) were able to ADD MORE actual corn to the recipe, yet keep the meat listed higher in the ingredients list. Less meat, more corn, yet the ingredients list remains unchanged! They lied, (and continue to lie), about what is actually in the food.
And, get this .... it's completely legal.
Pet food manufacturers are required by law to arrange each item on every ingredients list IN ORDER of its PRECOOKING WEIGHT.
In this example, compare the ingredients:
Ingredient splitting.
For example, by dividing corn up into many different categories (corn meal, corn hull, corn flour etc.) these unethical pet food manufacturers (most of them) were able to ADD MORE actual corn to the recipe, yet keep the meat listed higher in the ingredients list. Less meat, more corn, yet the ingredients list remains unchanged! They lied, (and continue to lie), about what is actually in the food.
And, get this .... it's completely legal.
Pet food manufacturers are required by law to arrange each item on every ingredients list IN ORDER of its PRECOOKING WEIGHT.
In this example, compare the ingredients:
Notice that corn and rice rank #1 and #2 before ingredient splitting. But, when they "split" the first 2 items on the list into SMALLER portions of similar ingredients (corn meal/corn flour, white rice/brown rice etc.), then magically, even though the AMOUNT of chicken meal remains UNCHANGED, it is not raised to the top of the ingredients list, making the consumer think it is the main ingredient.
Here's a real life example. Have you ever noticed a dog food package boasting "meat is the first ingredient?" Like this one . . .
Here's a real life example. Have you ever noticed a dog food package boasting "meat is the first ingredient?" Like this one . . .
But what does "#1 ingredient" really mean? For example, do the words "Chicken is the #1 ingredient" mean chicken is the MOST PLENTIFUL ingredient in the recipe? Or, do the words mean that the food's designer was able to successfully use ingredient splitting to manipulate the order of the list? Or, do the words mean that chicken is the first ingredient because the recipe actually contains a generous amount of chicken meal?
So it's completely legal for these unethical pet food manufacturers to manipulate the order in the ingredients list. This is why you should be very skeptical when you find MULTIPLE VERSIONS of similar ingredients clustered together near the top of the list. (Like "white rice, brown rice, and rice flour" being included in the first 5 items of a recipe. If you see this, you can be fairly certain the main ingredient in the food is not meat.
The CEO of pawTree, Roger Morgan, founded the company in 2012 because he had "experienced first-hand the negative impact of companies compromising quality, putting profits before pets. Unwilling to cut corners, he founded pawTree to craft products with uncompromising standards to be distributed through trusted relationships versus big box stores. He chose to only bring products to market that put our pet's health before profits."
Because of his choice to distribute only through trusted relationships and not the big box stores, pawTree was able to maintain standards throughout the pandemic.
Quality control ... even through a pandemic.
So it's completely legal for these unethical pet food manufacturers to manipulate the order in the ingredients list. This is why you should be very skeptical when you find MULTIPLE VERSIONS of similar ingredients clustered together near the top of the list. (Like "white rice, brown rice, and rice flour" being included in the first 5 items of a recipe. If you see this, you can be fairly certain the main ingredient in the food is not meat.
The CEO of pawTree, Roger Morgan, founded the company in 2012 because he had "experienced first-hand the negative impact of companies compromising quality, putting profits before pets. Unwilling to cut corners, he founded pawTree to craft products with uncompromising standards to be distributed through trusted relationships versus big box stores. He chose to only bring products to market that put our pet's health before profits."
Because of his choice to distribute only through trusted relationships and not the big box stores, pawTree was able to maintain standards throughout the pandemic.
Quality control ... even through a pandemic.
