There is no need to delay the introduction of a raw food diet with your puppy. In fact, the earlier you start your dog on raw food, the better.
Read about the benefits of feeding puppies raw food, and our tips on how to maintain a balanced and healthy raw diet for your dog from a young age.
Benefits of a Raw Food Diet for Puppies
A raw food diet has many nutritional benefits for puppies. With the main components being meat, bones and organs (and optional vegetables and supplements) – it provides an essential amount of protein to help with increased energy levels and support healthy growth.
Some key benefits include:
- Improved coat and skin health
- Enhanced dental health
- Better digestion and reduced risk of allergies
- Gives variety and keeps your puppy full and satisfied
- Enhanced immune system support
- Controlled weight
Ultimately all the above contribute to a happy dog, and promote a long, healthy life for your pet.
Our tips to introduce a raw diet for your puppy
To begin introducing a raw food diet to your puppy, we have a few tips to help.
Your pet’s raw feeding journey can begin as soon as they have been weaned as young as 8 weeks old, there is no reason to delay.
As with adult dogs, the 80-10-10 model (80% muscle meat, 10% organs, 10% bones) is the ratio you should strive for, for your puppy.
Firstly, you need to source premium, quality ingredients that cater to your puppies’ needs. Proper preparation and consideration of portioning is key to avoid under or overfeeding.
It is wise to start with one single protein source initially such as lamb, chicken beef etc for at least 1-2 weeks. Providing there are no digestive issues and healthy stools, you can gradually add another protein source and continue to add more variety as time goes on.
After 6 weeks of slow introduction to different protein sources, your puppy should be familiar with a wide range of raw food that you are able to feed on rotation.
A lot of owners are naturally a little apprehensive about feeding raw bones to young dogs. However, most puppies can handle raw bones relative to their size, and they provide essential nutrients such as calcium to aid growth. Whatever raw meaty bones you decide to feed, you must make sure they are not small enough for them to swallow whole, as this can increase the risk of choking.
If your puppy is struggling to confidently eat bones, you can consider grinding them until they are a little bit older. Bones provide an essential part of the raw puppy diet and without them, the meals won’t be properly balanced.
Organ meat is very rich, and some puppies may take a little longer to adjust to it, which can sometimes cause loose stools. If this does happen, feed slightly less at mealtimes whilst they get used to it in their diet.
Storing raw food safely to maintain freshness is another important consideration. The easiest way to do this is by freezing your pet’s raw meals, locking in all the essential nutrients.
All of our complete bundles including our minces are delivered to your door frozen, meaning they stay fresh and are a practical feeding solution for your puppy.
It’s important to supervise your puppy during mealtimes, to make sure they are confidently eating the food without any issues. Ensure they have access to plenty of drinking water during mealtimes.
As your puppy grows, you can adjust and add to the diet to transition to adult feeding.
How much raw food should I feed my puppy?
The amount of raw food to feed your puppy can be calculated according to its weight and age. A rough guideline would be the below per day:
- Between 2-6 months old, feed roughly 8-10% of their current body weight
- Between 6-12 months old, feed roughly 4-6% of their current body weight
Once you have the per-day figure, this can then be divided into a set number of daily meals that work best for both you and your pup. Many owners start with 3 small meals per day.
Our raw food calculator is a good way to help with this.
We supply locally sourced, quality raw food
Raw Dog Food Supplies encourages responsible and informed feeding choices for puppies and will provide advice you can trust to set your puppy up with a raw food diet. Get in touch today or pop into one of our local stores.