Yes, puppies can eat raw food. In fact, raw food is often considered superior to other types of food, such as kibble or processed options.
Raw meat provides nutrients responsible for so many functions throughout the body, these powerful nutrients promote and support health from nose to tail. Think of taking care of eye health and brain function, healthy digestion, proper muscle development, and skin and coat health. Amino acids are the key to making sure your pup can live their healthiest, happiest, lives.
In this article, we discuss more benefits of fresh meat for puppies and how to switch your puppy to a raw diet. We also tell you how much fresh meat your puppy needs daily, how often your puppy should eat and when it is time to switch to adult food.
Advantages of raw puppy food
At Wolfork, we believe that raw feeding is the healthiest and most natural option for feeding puppies and dogs of all ages, as it mimics the diet canines would eat in the wild.
The nutrients in raw meat - like proteins, taurine amino acids and vitamins and minerals - support your puppy’s overall health and growth. And fresh fruit and vegetables add the necessary vitamins, antioxidants, and soluble fibres.
Especially for puppies, a fresh meat diet offers a lot of added value. The nutritional value of raw meat is higher, because it retains nutrients and enzymes that are lost during the processing of kibble. Because raw food is easy to digest, they actually get all the nutrients they need.
Scientific research also shows that feeding raw food to puppies may lower the risk of inflammation-related bowel disease (IBD).
Other advantages of a raw diet for puppies are:
- Strengthened immune system. Raw meat naturally contains nutrients and ingredients that strengthen the immune system, such as vitamins A, D and E, Zinc and Selenium.
- Better digestion: Puppies often digest raw food more easily and it supports healthy microbiology.
- Healthier skin and coat: The natural fats and oils in raw food can contribute to a shinier coat and healthier skin.
- Better oral hygiene: Plaque is mainly caused by sugars from carbohydrates. A raw diet is very low in carbohydrates, which helps your dog maintain clean teeth and healthy gums.
- Better stools: Puppies often digest raw food more easily, which allows them to absorb nutrients better. This results in smaller, more compact and less smelly stools.
- Reduced allergies: Complete and balanced raw food, such as Wolfork, is free from fillers and artificial ingredients, reducing the chance of developing allergies.
When can I start feeding my puppy raw food?
Up to 4 weeks old, puppies should only be fed mother's milk. If necessary, this can be supplemented with special puppy milk. Their digestive system is not yet sufficiently developed to digest solid food, and mother's milk provides them with all their nutritional needs to help them develop a strong immune system. It contains all the proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals that a newborn pup needs.
At around 4 weeks old, puppies will start getting their first set of teeth. This is when the weaning process may begin. Although their main nutritional needs are still predominantly met by their mothers’ milk, you can start introducing solid foods.
At four weeks of age, your puppy’s digestive system is still very immature, so try to only introduce one solid meal a day. You’ll notice that the puppies will mainly suckle up the moisture, but gradually start eating more.
As puppies grow, more added food will be required. When they are six weeks old, they should be given 5 meals a day and get most of their nutritional intake from the solid food provided to them. This will decrease their need to suckle from their mother and her production of milk will gradually dry up.
By around seven or eight weeks of age, a puppy should have fully transitioned to solid foods. The meal frequency should be reduced to 4 times a day.
Table 1. Weaning stages of a puppy.
It is very important to feed a complete and balanced meal, formulated for puppies, to provide them with the nutrients they need for their developmental stage.
Transferring from kibble to raw food
If your puppy comes home from a breeder who weaned the puppy on kibble, it is important to slowly transition to raw food.
Moving to a different environment and removal from the mother and the littermates can be stressful. Give your puppy time to settle and get used to the new environment first. We advise you to give your puppy the food it is used to for the first week or so.
Once your puppy is used to and happy in your home, you can gradually introduce raw food. Start by replacing 25% of their current food with raw food. In a few days' time you can slowly increase the amount of raw food, until your puppy eats 100% raw.
When transitioning it is important your puppy still gets a complete and balanced meal every day. There is evidence that raw proteins may be easier for dogs to digest, and it may retain nutrients that would be lost through the heating process. Therefore, raw food is more energy efficient than processed food, which makes it important to calculate your puppy’s daily energy requirement for both foods.
Example:
- According to the packaging of the kibble your puppy needs 200 grams a day.
- According to the packaging of the raw food your puppy needs 100 grams a day.
For the first day, this means that 25% of the kibble is replaced by 25% of the raw food.
- you give your puppy 25% of 200 grams (= 50 grams) less kibble.
- You replace this with 25% of 100 grams (= 25 grams) of raw food.
It is important to gradually transition, because processed food contains more carbohydrates, resulting in a different microbiome. The microbiome needs time to change to be able to process raw food properly. In the beginning, this may cause loose stools, but it will quickly change back to normal, smaller stools.
You may use the schedule below to slowly transition your puppy from kibble to raw food. Keep an eye on your puppy’s stool. If it is a bit thin, feed your pup the same ratio for a few days until the stool improves. Then start increasing the amount of fresh meat again.
Nutritional requirements for puppies
Puppies require a diet that provides all essential nutrients daily to support optimal development of the musculoskeletal system, muscles, and vital organs.
During this period of growth, puppies especially need a lot of proteins, fat, and energy. Below we highlight some of the most important nutrients for puppies:
- Proteins. Proteins support growth as they are building blocks to develop muscles, tissues and organs. Proteins also help produce antibodies, enzymes, and hormones, all of which are vital for a strong immune system.
- Amino acids. These take care of eye health and brain function and support healthy digestion and skin and coat health.
- Calcium. Calcium is needed for the development of bones and teeth. It must be balanced carefully, since too little calcium can lead to weak bones and too much calcium can result in skeletal abnormalities.
- Omega-3 fatty acids. Food for puppies must contain the long chained polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids like eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These ensure the normal development and function of cells, tissues, muscles, and nerves.
- Carbohydrates. Carbohydrates, sourced from fruits and vegetables, are fuel for the puppy to provide them with energy to play and explore.
How much raw food to feed a puppy?
The daily amount of food the puppy needs varies between 4% and 10% of their body weight. The younger the puppy is, the higher the percentage of the body weight it needs as food.
Below chart can be used to understand the daily amount of puppy food in grams your pup needs. The amounts shown are based on your puppies’ weight and age. Weigh the puppy weekly for accurate results.
Note: These amounts are guidelines only. For a more accurate estimation enter the pup’s age and weight into our food calculator to understand how much to feed your puppy each day.
Table 2. Calculate the daily amount
of raw food your puppy needs as a percentage
of his or her body weight.
There are a couple of ways to ensure that your puppy is getting the nutrients it needs. Well-fed puppies should be energetic and playful. Good nutrition also shows in a shiny, soft, and healthy coat and solid, brown, well-formed stools.
If the puppies are lethargic or weak, their coat is dull, the skin is red, irritated, or flaky, the stool is loose or they lose weight, you should reconsider your puppy's diet.
How often does my puppy need to eat?
Feeding amounts will change over time, as puppies will need less energy as they grow bigger. In the beginning from 7 to 12 weeks they should be on a regular feeding schedule, which may prevent them from becoming picky eaters, and they should be given 4 meals a day at even intervals.
As they grow older the number of daily meals is reduced to 3 for the age of 3 to 6 months and reduced further to 2 meals a day for the age of 6-12 months.
Table 3. Recommended number of meals per day for puppies of
different ages.
Help! My puppy has sickness or diarrhoea
Diarrhoea is a common condition in puppies. It is therefore not immediately a reason to panic. There are several harmless reasons why they get diarrhoea For example, it can be caused by switching to a different diet, which the microbiome has to get used to. Eating too much, eating something from the street or a new snack can also cause diarrhoea
Most diarrhoea is not serious and disappears on its own within 24 hours. If the diarrhoea is very severe, lasts longer than 24 hours or contains blood, contact your vet.
Food intolerance or hypersensitivity are more annoying things that can cause diarrhoea However, diarrhoea is often accompanied by other symptoms, such as itchy skin or eye infection.
Diarrhoea can also be caused by bacterial infections. These can cause serious diarrhoea Possible bacteria are Salmonella, Campylobacter and E. coli. The risk of this can be reduced by quality control of the food. At Wolfork, all ingredients are systematically analyzed for these bacteria to prevent them from occurring in our food.
If your puppy has diarrhoea, there are a few steps you can take to help calm his digestive system. First, make sure your puppy gets plenty of water to prevent dehydration. Also, keep feeding your puppy, but try to give him small, frequent meals that are gentle on his stomach and keep his intestinal cells healthy. Finally, avoid strenuous exercise or prolonged activities until your puppy has recovered.
Wolfork raw puppy food
Wolfork is honest, real dog food for your puppy. Our dog food is made 100% of natural ingredients without any additives. All recipes are composed by international nutritionists and our puppy recipe is based on scientific knowledge of the specific nutritional needs of puppies.
Wolfork Puppy Complete gives your puppy all the vital proteins, vitamins and minerals he needs for good and healthy development.
We have added various types of meat to the recipe, the nutrients of which support many functions in the body. And to guarantee the hygienic quality of our food, we only use ingredients from trusted partners.
For even more goodness, we add vegetables and fruit, which are frozen directly at the source. This way, all vitamins, antioxidants and soluble fibres are well preserved. It contains leafy vegetables such as seaweed, broccoli and spinach for vitamin C, carrots for vitamin B and calcium and hanging berries for potassium, manganese, vitamin E and antioxidants.
To complete our puppy recipe, fish oil - obtained entirely from wild-caught fish - has been added to provide your puppy with energy, obtained from essential long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.
By choosing our raw puppy food you are giving your puppy the best possible start in life. Our raw food is a natural, nutritious option that supports your puppy through all stages of development and gives him the best chance of a longer healthy and happy life.
When can my dog start eating adult food?
Puppy food is specially formulated with more calories, protein, and fat to support growth and development. Once your dog reaches adulthood, they require less energy.
By switching to adult food at the right time, you’ll help your dog maintain a healthy weight and ensure it gets the proper nutrition to thrive as an adult.
A puppy reaches adulthood once their bones have fully developed, and they've reached their final height and size. However, the time this takes depends on the size and breed of your dog.
Most dogs will be fully grown by the time they are one year old. Larger breeds, however, may take up to two years to reach adulthood. Here are some general guidelines to determine if your dog is ready for adult food:
- Growth slows down: Once a puppy has reached about 80% of its expected adult size, its growth will slow, signalling it's close to adulthood. At this point, the high-calorie puppy food may no longer be necessary.
- Breed and size: As a general rule, use your dog's breed and expected adult size as a guide to determine when to switch to adult food. You can consult your vet or check growth charts for the specific breed.
- Energy levels and behavior: Adult dogs tend to have more stable energy levels than puppies. If your pup starts to settle down and its activity levels become less intense, it may be a sign it's ready for adult food.
- Veterinarian recommendation: Always check with your vet, especially for larger breeds where overfeeding during growth periods can lead to joint and bone issues.
For adult and senior dogs, Wolfork has special recipes that support your dog in these phases of life and keep him healthy and happy for as long as possible.
Dr. Tor Mikael Lassén
Mikael is a nutritional scientist from Finland and has been professionally involved in raw animal nutrition full-time since 1994.
He writes informative articles about dog nutrition to inform owners about the influence of nutrition on the well-being of their pet.