Puppies
Stick to the below percentages, using common sense to monitor your pup’s growth, activity levels and adjust slightly if need be.
Most pups will begin to wean from their mother at 3/4 weeks and be weaned completely at 7/8 weeks.
Because young dogs are constantly growing, they need a higher percentage of food than adult dogs. Puppies adapt quickly and can be weaned onto raw from about three weeks of age when they start to take an interest in what their mother is eating.
The easiest way to work out how much to feed your puppy is to feed a percentage of its body weight.
You can use the following as a guide:
Age Percentage (per day)
8-12 weeks 10-8%
12-16 weeks 8-6%
16-24 weeks 6-5%
24-32 weeks 5%
32+ weeks 4%
36 + weeks 3-4%
For the first few days start with plain tripe, days 4 to 6 chicken or turkey with 10% bone, days 7 to 10, chicken, turkey or duck with 10% bone, days 11 to 15 feed a complete (chicken, duck or turkey). Day 16 onwards, gradually add in other meats including red meats (completes), some oily fish (sprats), egg 2/3 times a week
Please remember these percentages are a guide and depends on many factors so it is important to regularly weigh your puppy which we would suggest weekly, keep a record of their weight so you can increase/decrease their food as and when necessary.
Switching to raw food
Raw feeding does not need to be gradually introduced, raw feeding can start straight away, simply feed your dog their existing food the night before and begin raw feeding the following morning. We do not recommend mixing kibble and raw.
We suggest feeding plain lamb’s tripe mince for a week. This helps your dog’s digestive system to adjust to the new diet.
Raw is fed at 2-3% of the ideal adult weight however this is just a guide as all dogs are different, some will need more and some will need less, monitoring weight and body shape is essential. For puppies please see our puppy feeding guide.
Week 1, Lamb tripe mince (this will help your dog’s stomach acidity adjust from kibble).
Week 2, Chicken or turkey and tripe (10% bone).
Week 3, Duck and tripe (10% bone).
Week 4, Chicken or turkey complete.
By feeding a variety and 80/10/10 ratio, your dog will be getting all the nutrients they need. You should be aiming to feed at least 5 to 6 different proteins and include oily fish, eggs and bones, ensure you supervise when feeding whole bones. Feeding tripe alone is not a healthy diet
A dog’s diet should comprise of an 80/10/10 ratio; 80% meat, 10% bone, 10% offal. 5% Of the offal should be liver. This is known as a BARF diet (biologically appropriate raw food).
Ensure you include treats/bones etc fed separately as part of the daily allowance.
Fruit & Vegetables
You can choose to add in vegetables or feed a complete with added fruit & vegetables, this is down to preference and not necessarily essential for your dog. Not all dogs can tolerate fruit and vegetables but if you choose to do so feed leafy green vegetables which should be lightly steamed to breakdown and make more digestible.
Alternatively, you can add in supplements if you wish too. Two great everyday feeding supplements we recommend, each with their own merits are Sea & Greens and Hedgerow & Herbs.
Variety is key
There are many schools of thought regarding raw feeding and what suits one dog may not suit another, like us they are all different and variety is key, feed a constant rotational diet to avoid possible intolerances building.
Drinking
Dogs do typically drink less when fed raw food as its higher in moisture.
Stools
You may notice they poo less this is normal however if they are struggling to poo try feeding some offal/heart and look at the bone content of what you are feeding.
Hunger pukes
If you notice your dog is bringing up yellow bile this may be a sign of hunger, gradually increase the daily amount or feed a light snack before bed.
Senior Dogs
For senior dogs, we would recommend feeding approximately 1-3% of their ideal adult weight.
As always if you have concerns about your dogs health please consult with your vet before making any dietary changes.
