Puppy Pointers - Guide to Fresh Food
May 29, 2023
It can be daunting getting your first puppy, or maybe you haven’t had one for quite sometime! But we are here to help and there's lots of internet resources that can guide you along the way.
Product Recommendations:
For puppies, we recommend our BARF range. Specifically, proteins with a higher fat content such as Chicken, Turkey, Duck, Beef, Buffalo and Lamb are ideal to support the growth puppies undergo. The more protein variety you can incorporate into their diet, the better, as it provides a wider and more varied nutritional profile.
Including supplements like bone broth for joint support, Greek yogurt, or kefir for probiotic support is a great idea, but remember to provide them in moderation.
Transitioning your puppy to the new diet is highly important. For more information on how to successfully transition your puppy, Click Here.
We hope this guide helps you get started on a raw dog food diet for your puppy. Feel free to reach out if you have any further questions or need assistance along the way!
Feeding Amount Guidelines:
It's important we are insuring the pup is getting enough to eat, it can be surprising how much a puppy actually needs per day. Here's a couple ways to work out roughly what your puppy will be needing to eat...
Our first method is to calculate off their current body weight and their age. The table below outlines what % of their body weight = how much to feed.
For example, you have a 10 week old puppy that weighs 6 KG, (6kg X 8% =) you'll feed 0.48KG/ 480G per day. This includes the whole days intake, including treats and bones.
Table 1: Guideline to feeding a puppy based of % of body weight |
| Age of Puppy (Weeks) | (X)% of body weight to feed |
| 8-10 weeks | 10% of body weight |
| 10-16 weeks | 8% of body weight |
| 16-20 weeks |
7% of body weight |
| 20-24 week |
6% of body weight |
| 24-36 weeks |
5% of body weight |
| 36-56 weeks |
4% of body weight |
| 56-68 weeks |
3% of body weight |
| 68 weeks + |
generally recommend 2.5-3% of the dogs body weight. |
You can use the following link to access a calculator that helps determine how much your dog needs to eat per day and week on a raw diet: Raw Feeding Calculator
Remember to keep track of your puppy's weight by weighing them regularly and recalculating their food requirements on a weekly basis.
Second method is to feed your puppy 2-3% of their expected adult body weight. You can estimate this by considering the body weight of the puppy's parents if they are smaller or larger than the average size of the breed. Generally, we use the first method.
Please note that the provided numbers are guidelines, and your dog may require more or less food depending on various factors such as exercise levels. Adjust the meal size accordingly if your dog appears too thin or too large.
Product Recommendations:
For puppies, we recommend our BARF range. Specifically, proteins with a higher fat content such as Chicken, Turkey, Duck, Beef, Buffalo and Lamb are ideal to support the growth puppies undergo. The more protein variety you can incorporate into their diet, the better, as it provides a wider and more varied nutritional profile.
Including supplements like bone broth for joint support, Greek yogurt, or kefir for probiotic support is a great idea, but remember to provide them in moderation.
Transitioning your puppy to the new diet is highly important. For more information on how to successfully transition your puppy, Click Here.
We hope this guide helps you get started on a raw dog food diet for your puppy. Feel free to reach out if you have any further questions or need assistance along the way!
Puppy Tips:
Exercise Guidelines:
Tracking your puppy's exercise levels is vital as their growth plates are not fully developed, which increases the risk of injury if they are overexercised. For detailed Puppy Exercise Guidelines, you can refer to the following link: Puppy Exercise Guidelines