Yes, puppies can eat raw food. In fact, raw nutrition is often considered a better option compared to kibble or other highly processed foods.
A raw meat diet for puppies provides nutrients that promote and support health from nose to tail. Think of everything from eye health and brain function to healthy digestion, proper muscle development, and a healthy skin and coat. The amino acids from raw meat ensure that your pup can live its healthiest and happiest life.
In this article, we discuss even more benefits of raw meat for puppies and how to transition your puppy to a raw diet. We also tell you how much raw meat your puppy needs daily, how often your pup should eat, and when it's time to switch to adult food.
Benefits of raw meat for puppies
At Wolfork, we believe that raw nutrition is the healthiest and most natural option for feeding puppies – and indeed for dogs of all ages. After all, raw feeding is how nature intended it.
The nutrients in raw meat – such as proteins, taurine, amino acids, and vitamins and minerals – support the overall health and growth of your puppy. And with fresh fruits and vegetables, you add necessary vitamins, antioxidants, and soluble fibers.
Especially for puppies, a raw meat diet offers significant 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 absorb all the nutrients they need.
Scientific research also shows that feeding raw food to puppies can lower the risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) later in life.
Other benefits of raw meat for puppies include:
- 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 a 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 contains few carbohydrates, helping your dog maintain clean teeth and healthy gums.
- Better stool: Puppies often digest raw food more easily, allowing them to absorb nutrients better. This results in smaller, firmer, and less odorous stools.
- Reduction in allergies: Complete and balanced raw nutrition, like Wolfork, is free from fillers and artificial ingredients, reducing the chance of developing allergies.
When can I start giving raw meat to my puppy?
Until 4 weeks old, puppies should only consume mother's milk. If necessary, this can be supplemented with special puppy milk. Their digestive systems are not yet sufficiently developed to digest solid food, and mother's milk provides all the nutritional needs to help them develop a strong immune system. It contains all the proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals a newborn pup needs.
At around four weeks, puppies start getting their first teeth. This is the moment you can start weaning. The most important nutrients will still come from mother's milk, but you can start introducing solid food from this point onwards.
At four weeks of age, a pup's digestive system is still immature, so try introducing only one solid meal per day. You will notice that puppies mostly suck up the moisture, but gradually start eating more.
As the puppies grow, more solid food will be needed. By six weeks of age, they need 5 meals a day to get the bulk of their nutrients from solid food. The need to nurse from their mother will decrease, causing milk production to gradually dry up.
By the age of seven or eight weeks, a puppy should be completely transitioned to solid food. The meal frequency can now be reduced to 4 times a day.
Table 1. Weaning stages of a puppy
It is very important to provide complete and balanced nutrition specifically formulated for puppies. This ensures they get all the nutrients they need for their developmental stage.
Switching from kibble to raw nutrition
If your puppy comes home from a breeder who has weaned the puppy on kibble, it is important to transition slowly to raw nutrition.
Moving to a different environment, without a mother or littermates, can be stressful. Give your puppy time to adjust to the new environment first. We recommend feeding your puppy the food they are used to for the first week.
Once your puppy feels comfortable at home, you can gradually introduce raw meat nutrition. Start by replacing 25% of the current food with raw food. Over a period of several days, you can slowly increase the amount of raw meat until your puppy is eating 100% raw.
During the transition, it is important that your puppy still receives a complete and balanced meal every day. However, the energy efficiency of raw nutrition is different from that of processed food. For example, there are indications that raw proteins are easier for dogs to digest. Also, raw meat contains nutrients not found in kibble, as they are lost during the heating process. It is therefore important to calculate your puppy's daily energy requirement for both types of food.
Example:
- According to the kibble packaging, your puppy needs 200 grams per day.
- According to the raw food packaging, your puppy needs 100 grams per 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 the kibble with 25% of 100 grams (= 25 grams) raw food.
It is important to transition gradually because processed food contains more carbohydrates, resulting in a different microbiome. The microbiome needs time to change to process raw nutrition properly. In the beginning, this may cause loose stools, but this will change quickly.
You can use the schedule below to slowly transition your puppy from kibble to raw food. Monitor your puppy's stool. If it's a bit thin, keep your pup on the same ratio for a few days until the stool improves. From then on, you can increase the ratio of raw meat again.
Important nutrients for puppies
Puppies need nutrition that provides all essential nutrients daily. This way, their musculoskeletal system, muscles, and vital organs can develop properly.
During the growth phase, puppies especially need a lot of proteins, fats, and energy. Below we highlight some of the most important nutrients for puppies:
- Proteins: Proteins support growth as they are building blocks for the development of muscles, tissues, and organs. Proteins also help in the production of antibodies, enzymes, and hormones, all of which are essential for a strong immune system.
- Amino acids: Amino acids ensure healthy eyes and brain function. They also support healthy digestion and a healthy skin and coat.
- Calcium: Calcium is necessary for the development of bones and teeth. It must be carefully balanced, as too little calcium can lead to weak bones and too much calcium can result in skeletal deformities.
- Omega-3 fatty acids: Puppy nutrition should contain long-chain polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These ensure normal development and function of cells, tissues, muscles, and nerves.
- Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates, coming from fruit and vegetables, are fuel for puppies to give them energy to play and explore.
How much raw food should I give my puppy?
The daily amount of food a puppy needs varies between 4% and 10% of their body weight. The younger your puppy, the higher the percentage.
The table below can be used to determine the daily amount of puppy food in grams. The amounts shown are based on the weight and age of your puppy. Weigh your puppy weekly for accurate results.
Note: These amounts are guidelines only. For an accurate amount, enter your puppy's age and weight into our feeding calculator.
Table 2. Calculate the daily required amount
of raw food for your puppy as a percentage of his or
her body weight.
There are several signs to check if your puppy is getting the nutrients they need. Well-nourished puppies are energetic and playful. Good nutrition also manifests in a shiny, soft, and healthy coat and firm, brown, well-formed stools.
Consider the amount or the diet if your puppy is lethargic or weak, the coat is dull, the skin is red, irritated, or flaky, the stool is loose, or if they are losing weight.
How often should my puppy eat?
The amount of food will change over time because puppies need less energy as they get bigger. In the beginning, from 7 to 12 weeks, it is important to spread meals evenly throughout the day. This can prevent them from becoming picky eaters.
As they get older, the number of daily meals is reduced. For ages 3 to 6 months, it is recommended to give them 3 meals per day, and from 6 to 12 months, 2 meals per day.
Table 3. Recommended number of meals per day for puppies of
different ages.
Help! My puppy is sick or has diarrhea
Diarrhea is a common condition in puppies. It is not necessarily a cause for immediate panic. There are several innocent reasons they might develop diarrhea. For example, it can be caused by switching to different food, which the microbiome needs to adjust to. Overeating, eating something off the street, or a new snack can also cause diarrhea.
Most diarrhea is not serious and disappears on its own within 24 hours. If the diarrhea is very severe, lasts longer than 24 hours, or contains blood, contact your veterinarian.
Food intolerance or sensitivity are more troublesome issues that can cause diarrhea. However, the diarrhea is then often accompanied by other symptoms, such as itchy skin or eye infections.
Diarrhea can also be caused by bacterial infections. These can cause severe diarrhea. Possible bacteria include 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 diarrhea, there are a number of steps you can take to calm the digestive system. First and foremost, ensure the puppy gets enough water to prevent dehydration. Continue feeding the puppy, but try small and regular meals that are gentle on the puppy's stomach and keep the gut cells healthy. Finally, avoid heavy exercise or prolonged activities until your puppy has recovered.
Complete puppy nutrition from Wolfork
Wolfork is honest, real dog food. Our nutrition is 100% made from natural ingredients, without additives. All recipes are formulated by international nutritionists, and our puppy recipe is based on scientific knowledge of the specific nutritional needs of puppies.
Wolfork Puppy Complete thus gives your pup all the vital proteins, vitamins, and minerals they need for good and healthy development.
In the recipe, we have added different types of meat, whose nutrients support many functions in the body. To ensure the hygienic quality of our food, we only use ingredients from reliable partners.
For even more goodness, we add fruits and vegetables that are frozen right at the source. This keeps all vitamins, antioxidants, and soluble fibers well-preserved. It contains leafy greens like seaweed, broccoli, and spinach for vitamin C, carrots for vitamin B and calcium, and hand-picked berries for potassium, manganese, vitamin E, and antioxidants.
To complete our puppy recipe, fish oil – entirely derived 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 give your pup the best possible start in life. Our raw nutrition is a natural, nutrient-rich option that supports your puppy through all stages of development and gives them the best chance at a longer, healthy, and happy life.
When can my dog start eating adult food?
Puppy nutrition is specifically formulated with more calories, proteins, and fats to support growth and development. However, an adult dog needs less energy.
By switching to adult food at the right time, you help your dog maintain a healthy weight and ensure they get the nutrients intended for an adult dog.
A dog is considered adult when its bones are fully developed and it has reached its final size. How long this takes exactly depends on the size and breed of your dog.
Most dogs are fully grown by the time they are one year old. Larger breeds, however, can take up to two years before they are mature. Below 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 down. This indicates that they are nearly mature. From that point on, high-calorie puppy food may no longer be necessary, and you can make the transition to adult food.
- Breed and size: Use the breed and expected size of your dog as a general guideline to determine when to switch to adult food. You can check growth charts for the specific breed or consult your veterinarian.
- Energy level and behavior: Adult dogs often have a more stable energy level than puppies. If your pup starts becoming calmer and less active, it may be a sign they are ready for adult food.
- Veterinarian recommendation: Always consult your veterinarian, especially with larger breeds where overfeeding during the growth period can lead to joint and bone problems.
For adult and senior dogs, Wolfork has special recipes that support your dog during these life stages and keep them healthy and happy for as long as possible.
