The following is a brief summary of how to start raw feeding your puppy. We’ll go over process of switching to raw food, at what age can a puppy start raw feeding, how much to feed, how frequently should the puppy eat, what a balanced diet looks like, and how to start raw feeding. With each step there may be many things to consider and adjust as needed. Raw feeding may not be for every dog or their owner.
One more thing. I’m also not a vet nor a pet nutritionist. This is not advice, but just a list of things that I have learned through trial and error and hours of research done since before I even got and started my dog on a raw diet.
Let's get started!
When and How to Switch to Raw
Puppies can be transition to raw diet as soon as they wean off milk. So, if you take your puppy home from a breeder, you can transition them to raw feeding right away.
A cold turkey approach is recommended as it’s easier to ensure the puppy receives the daily nutrition it requires. Unlike adult dogs, puppies need to meet their nutritional demands on daily basis in order to ensure optimal grown and development.
How Much and How Frequently to Feed
Puppie’s daily food intake should be spread across 3-4 meals.
As the puppy ages, it’s growth slows down, so total daily food intake should be adjusted based on their age. As a general guide, total amount of food per day for puppies can be calculated as follows:
Puppy's age | How much to feed as % of body weight |
2-4 months | 8%-10% |
4-6 months | 6%-8% |
6-8 months | 4%-6% |
8-12 months | 2%-4% |
Total amount of food should be adjusted on weekly basis. This means you cannot pre-prepare food too much in advance. Puppies grow quickly so you will need to adjust their daily food intake amount on at least weekly basis.
Personally I found that my puppy felt and grew best when fed at the higher percentage range for their age.
Nutritional Balance for Puppies
If you are feeding your puppy whole prey (entire animal), your meal comes pre-balanced and meets full nutritional needs of your dog.
However, if you are putting together the meal yourself, below is a general guide for ensuring your pet gets the nutrients it needs. Even if you’re buying pre-prepared raw food, you may need to supplement it to ensure complete nutrition is provided.
Puppy’s daily meal should consist of:
70% muscle meat
16% raw meaty bone (appropriate for your dog's size)
7% liver
7% other secreting organ
As bone, meat and two organ types do not represent a while animal, additional foods will need to be added to help reach a balanced diet. Some of the other foods to include are: canned oysters, steamed mussels, green tripe, pureed or steamed veggies such as pumpkin, sweet potato, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and other leafy greens, wheat grass powder, kelp powder (in very small amounts), soaked and pureed pumpkin seeds, fish such as Atlantic herring, Atlantic mackerel, and salmon, vitamin E oil, and more.
How to Start
As indicated at the start, you can switch your puppy to fully raw diet right away.
When introducing raw food you should start with a meat, bone and organs only from single protein/animal source for a first few days. This will make it easier for you puppy to adjust to the new diet and also make it easier for you to identify any food sensitivities.
If this transition goes well, you can at that point start adding other foods and supplements to ensure a fully balanced diet.
I recommend starting with lighter meats such as chicken, quail, turkey or rabbit before introducing meats from beef, pork, lamb, venison or other sources. Each time I recommend adding food from a single proteins source at a time as your pet might not react well to some foods.
Food sensitivities can be common. My Boston Terrier, Blue, does not do well with beef, for or kangaroo. Beef and pork give him diarrhea and kangaroo makes him vomit. Lamb is tolerated unless he has it too many days in a row. He does very well with quail, chicken, duck, rabbit and fish.
Things to Remember
Few other things to remember when feeding raw.
Always wash your dog’s bowl after each meal
Remember to wash your hands and any surfaces that may have been touched by the raw meat
Never feed your dog cooked bone!
Don’t kiss your dogs face after feeding them raw food
Want more detail? No worries, more in depth info coming soon!
Happy Raw Doggin!!
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