NEW "Just for Puppy" Food and Treats From Wellness® Start Puppies On the Road To A Healthy Life
Same great-tasting dry and canned food that growing puppies know and love from Wellness, now available in treats too!

Chelmsford, MA (July 17, 2007) —The Wellness® brand of natural food and treats for pets knows that being a puppy parent takes lots of love, patience and many new decisions; the most important being, “What should I feed my puppy?”

Consider that during the first year of life, a puppy’s weight will more than double. That’s why it’s crucial to build a balanced foundation that will set the stage for a healthy, long life. With that philosophy in mind, Wellness® today announces the relaunch of Wellness® Just for Puppy - a complete line of food and now treats that provide puppy parents with an array of smart nutritional choices to ensure their dog enjoys a lifetime of good health and wellbeing.

Wellness® Just for Puppy dry and canned offerings are the same great formulas that now sport an eye-catching and appealing new look to help consumers find the same wholesome, carefully chosen recipes that they've come to expect from Wellness puppy food.  Each is holistically formulated using nutrient-rich whole foods to fulfill puppy’s special developmental nutritional needs. That means increased levels of fat, calories and protein, from chicken, chicken meal and salmon meal to promote optimal bone and muscle development, as well as a guaranteed level of a special fatty acid called DHA.  Research shows this unique nutrient, present in nursing dogs’ milk, helps support cognitive development vital to puppy learning and training.

A NEW puppy treat, for rewarding puppies while fortifying their growing bodies, is the latest addition to the Wellness® Just for Puppy line. Formulated expressly for good puppies, and those who need encouragement too, perfectly puppy-sized Wellness® Just for Puppy Natural Treats are a fun, healthy and delicious potpourri of all-natural ingredients served in a soft and chewy, wheat free treat. Two blended fresh meat sources, Lamb & Salmon, are combined with real fruits and vegetables for antioxidant support, along with whole grains for healthy fiber.  Packed with DHA, Wellness® Just for Puppy Natural Treats provide a flavorful choice for health conscious consumers who demand a guilt-free way to reward their “good little doggies”.

“Maintaining proper weight control and achieving a balanced diet to support rapid growth are of the utmost consequence when choosing what to feed puppies,” said veterinary nutritionist Edward Moser, VMD. “In the not so distant past, free choice feeding and chubby puppies were the norm. Fat puppies may be adorable but we've come to realize that obesity in puppies is carrying over to obesity in adult dogs. It’s especially important to keep puppies active as they mature and switch to adult food, adjusted to the appropriate amount to maintain a healthy weight, once they’re full-grown.”

As with all Wellness pet products, the Wellness® Just for Puppy line is as notable for what stays out of the recipe as what goes in. With no meat by-products, potential allergens such as corn, wheat (including wheat gluten), soy, and dairy, or artificial preservatives, colors or flavors, the Wellness® Just for Puppy family provides the very best natural nourishment available today.

“For over a decade, Wellness has made it our mission to provide pets and their human companions with a variety of smarter nutritional choices that ensure well-being and longevity from the inside…out,” said Deborah Ellinger, CEO of Wellness. “Formulated for the very special needs of growing dogs, Wellness® Just for Puppy foods and treats are the balanced building blocks of the path to a lifetime of canine wellness.”

Wellness® Just for Puppy Natural Treats come in 3.5 ounce bags
Wellness® Just for Puppy Dry is available in 6, 15 and 30 lb. bags
Wellness® Just for Puppy Canned comes in 6 and 12.5 oz. cans

The Wellness® Just For Puppy line will be available nationwide at independent pet specialty retail shops beginning in July 2007. To find an authorized Wellness retailer, please visit www.wellnesspetfood.com.

About Wellness® – Live Well. Eat Well. Be Well.™

The Wellness brand of Natural Food and Treats for Pets was founded on the belief that, “You are what you eat!” – and that incorporating a holistic approach to a healthy, nutritious diet is the foundation of wellbeing. With this mission, a committed team of vets, nutritionists and animal lovers has spent over a decade creating the very best in all-natural nutrition for both dogs and cats. All Wellness food and treat varieties feature recipes using human-quality, real-food ingredients without the use of meat by-products, fillers, potential allergens, artificial colors, flavors or artificial preservatives. Wellness is proud to be a part of the Old Mother Hubbard pet food family, celebrating 80 years of innovation in 2006. Wellness is sold exclusively through knowledgeable independent pet stores and natural food stores in North America. For more information, please visit www.wellnesspetfood.com.