Crafting the Perfect Raw Dog Food Diet for Puppies

Getting a puppy is an exciting experience; it’s hard work getting them trained, but in the long run, you’ll have a loyal best friend that you’ll treasure for life. Before you bring your puppy home, you need to plan for their arrival, especially deciding what diet they will have. Raw dog food is the perfect choice for puppies, providing them with their ancestral diet from the very first day you bring them home. You need to ensure your puppy gets the right amount of food and nutrients daily, which can be achieved by creating a diet plan.

Our comprehensive guide below will explain how you can start your puppy on a raw dog food diet, whether you can make your puppy’s meal, and explore the very best raw food diets for your puppy. We will also discuss how to change from wet or dry dog food to raw, and how our wellbeing consultations could benefit you.

How Do I Start My Puppy on a Raw Diet?

With any puppy, it is important to not rush them into a raw food diet. If you have bought your puppy from a breeder or you have adopted them, you should ask what food they have been eating to ensure a smooth transition. If they have been eating dry or wet puppy food, most puppies can be put on a raw diet straight away. Puppies can be fed raw food when they are 3-4 weeks old when they are naturally weaning off their mother’s milk.

When looking for raw food for your pup, consider starting with just one protein source (preferably between 40% to 50% muscle meat) and gradually move to two protein sources and so on if your puppy shows no signs of digestive upset. Puppies should be fed three times a day (around 5% - 10% of their body weight daily), and you should ensure they are getting all of their essential nutrients and probiotics.

Puppies will thrive when started on the Naked Pup collection, as it is tailored to ensure your puppy gets the best start in life.

Can I Make My Own Raw Food for Puppies?

Although there are raw puppy food options that are readily available in pre-prepared packs, you can still make your puppy’s raw food diet from scratch if you wish. However, it is vitally important that you buy your raw meat from a reputable raw dog food source rather than the supermarket or butchers, as those meats are made for human consumption.

You can buy puppy-approved raw food from brands such as DARF raw puppy food and add your own vegetables and supplements to give your puppy a well-rounded diet. Vegetables or fruit should make up 20% of your puppy’s raw diet. Puppies ideally need an 80-10-10 raw meat diet, which consists of 80% meat, 10% offal and 10% bone (edible to avoid choking, of course).

We provide plenty of raw food and supplement options to help you craft your own diet plan for your puppy, such as our DIY bone broth, but you should always seek professional advice first. Consult our canine nutrition specialists here to work out the very best diet for your puppy.

What is the Best Raw Diet for Puppies?

No matter which protein source you choose for your puppy, it is recommended that their diet follows the BARF (Bones and Raw Food or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) model, and includes muscle meat, edible bone, organ meat, and vegetables or fruit. At Fetch, we recommend:

• Barkin Bistro: as a novel protein, duck is perfect for puppies with allergies or sensitivities. As well as containing 100% duck, this option is also rich in iron.
• Raw Necessity – Turkey: made from 100% Irish turkey, this is one of our top picks here at Fetch, perfect for raw food beginners or pups with allergies. Turkey is low in fat and easily digested, and is also rich in nutrients such as selenium and iron.
• Naked Pup – Rabbit: another novel protein source, Naked Pup’s rabbit option is grain and gluten free, perfect for pups with sensitivities. Packed with high-quality ingredients and free of filler, Naked Pup is the perfect option to support a growing puppy.
• DARF raw puppy food mix: once you’ve upgraded your puppy from one protein source to various options, DARF is a great choice, packed full of nutritious meats such as chicken, beef, lamb, goat and fish.

How Do I Wean a Puppy onto Raw Food from Wet and Dry?

Weaning from Dry Dog Food

If your puppy started on a kibble diet, you could do a straight swap to raw food with little digestive upset. Most puppies will settle just fine this way, unless they have health issues or sensitive stomachs; a gradual approach may be best in this instance. However, it is not always recommended to mix kibble with raw food, as it could cause digestive issues.

Weaning from Wet Dog Food

A gradual transition is more acceptable with wet dog food, and can be achieved over four to seven days. You can mix a small amount of raw puppy food with wet food and slowly increase the amount until your puppy is completely on a raw diet. The straight swap approach also works here too, but make sure you keep an eye on your puppy’s health. To ensure a smoother transition, consider a wellbeing consultation with our canine nutrition specialists to discuss your puppy’s special dietary needs, as well as any aspects of your lifestyle that could make providing a raw puppy food diet difficult.

A gradual transition is more acceptable with wet dog food, and can be achieved over four to seven days. You can mix a small amount of raw puppy food with wet food and slowly increase the amount until your puppy is completely on a raw diet. The straight swap approach also works here too, but make sure you keep an eye on your puppy’s health. To ensure a smoother transition, consider a wellbeing consultation with our canine nutrition specialists to discuss your puppy’s special dietary needs, as well as any aspects of your lifestyle that could make providing a raw puppy food diet difficult.

Raw Puppy Food and Diet Plans from Fetch

At Fetch, we stock a variety of puppy-friendly raw food ideal for your growing pooch, full of vitamins, minerals and the right cuts of meat that will support their development. We also provide bespoke wellbeing consultations to help you create the perfect diet plan for your puppy, taking the hassle out of meal planning.

You can browse our full collection of puppy-friendly raw food here.

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