Are you looking to start a raw diet for puppies? We can help! Raw puppy food is becoming a popular choice, and all for good reason. A raw diet for puppies offers several potential benefits, helping kickstart their life in one of the healthiest ways possible. To learn more about raw puppy food and getting them started on a new diet, read on.
What is a Raw Diet for Puppies?
If you’ve recently bought a new puppy, you may be familiar with raw diets for dogs. A raw diet for puppies is 100% natural, containing uncooked protein that’s packed with nutrients, essential vitamins, and minerals.
Raw puppy food typically contains meat, organs, and bones. Providing your puppy with a raw diet can be highly beneficial, offering a species-appropriate diet to help them thrive during the earliest stages of their lives.
Can Puppies Eat Raw Dog Food?
A raw diet for puppies is perfectly safe. Starting your puppy's journey on solid food with a raw diet means they’ll be introduced to healthy protein, fats, and nutrients from a young age. Puppies have specific nutritional needs in their early stages of life to ensure healthy growth and development - something feeding raw can support.
To ensure your puppy is gaining everything they need, you should choose a healthy, balanced diet, such as raw. Commercially prepared raw puppy food is best for your pup as opposed to making meals at home. This way, you'll have peace of mind knowing your new four-legged friend is being provided with all the nutrients they need.
Is a Raw Diet Good for Puppies?
A raw diet can be very good for puppies. Feeding raw puppy food presents many potential benefits, allowing for the most natural and easily digestible diet. Unlike most overly processed dog foods, such as kibble, raw food is packed with everything your pup needs for the best start in life. Raw diets are the most natural for our pets, imitating what their ancestors would have survived on centuries ago!
The Potential Benefits of Raw Puppy Food
There are many potential benefits of feeding a raw diet to puppies:
- Easy digestion
- Healthy skin
- Little chance of allergies
- Improved dental hygiene
- Firmer stools
- Silky coat
- Bone development
- Boosted immune system
- Muscle growth
- Species-appropriate
We all want the best for our dogs, especially during their first few months of life. In our opinion, it's important to feed a puppy what's most natural to them (raw protein), especially during their first few years.
A Guide for Feeding Your Puppy a Raw Diet
While feeding raw is a great option for your puppy, it’s important to do it right. This goes for any diet - feeding the appropriate amount and ensuring your pup is developing exactly how they should be is key. Follow our handy guide below for your pup to have the safest transition to solid food.
1 - Calculate
For efficient growth and development, the right amount of raw puppy food is essential. Compared to adult dogs, puppies require more than their current body weight in food during their first stages of growth. Underfeeding and overfeeding must be avoided - the perfect amount of raw food will provide them with all the energy they need while supporting muscle and bone growth.
Use our raw feeding calculator here to find out how much to feed your puppy.
2 - Choose
Now it's time to choose your dog's proteins for the next few weeks. We recommend feeding your pup one different protein source per week, allowing you to look out for any potential allergies or intolerances and provide them with a varied range to enjoy.
3 - Introduce
You can introduce solid food to your puppy at around 8 weeks old. Your pup may benefit from a gradual introduction, where you offer small amounts and build up the amount over time. Raw food should be finely minced compared to regular raw mince for adult dogs, which tends to be thicker. Finer mince is gentler and easier to eat.
4 - Monitor
Monitoring your pup after first introducing raw puppy food is important, as they've only recently transitioned from their mother's milk. By keeping a close eye on your puppy as they start their journey eating raw protein, you can quickly identify any reactions or intolerances. Monitoring also ensures your puppy is growing and developing as they should be at the right weight.
5 - Increase
The amount of raw puppy food you feed will need to increase as they grow. This allows your puppy to grow accordingly and at the right weight.
Key Takeaways
- Raw puppy food is packed with protein, essential vitamins, and minerals
- A raw diet for puppies is safe and beneficial
- Feeding the appropriate amount of raw food to your puppy is key
Start a Healthy Raw Diet for Puppies at Mersey Raw
Are you ready to start your pup on a raw diet? At Mersey Raw, we offer high-quality raw puppy food across the UK. We’ve seen the potential health benefits of feeding raw, and we want you to as well!
A raw diet for puppies is the most species-appropriate diet option. Our raw puppy food is available in a wide range of protein options, packed with everything your pooch requires to start a healthy life.
If you’d like some general advice or guidance on feeding your puppy a raw diet, please don’t hesitate to contact our friendly team today.