When to Give Raw Food to Puppies

Puppy nutrition can seem a little intimidating at first given how much choice there is but you don’t have to take raw out of the consideration. If you want to give your pooch the benefits of raw feeding, there’s no reason why you can’t start them off as a puppy! Raw food is for dogs of all ages and many brands have formulas especially designed for puppies that are high in protein and nutrients to suit their growing needs.

As soon as you bring your puppy home and they settle in at around eight weeks of age, you can start to slowly transition them from the food they came home with to your preferred brand. Raw food is one of the most palatable diets you can offer a dog and sometimes puppies are less interested in food after weaning from their mother’s milk. Raw food is so meaty and digestible that very few puppies will turn their nose up at it and it will help them develop a good appetite even in a new and strange environment like a brand new home.

There are plenty of benefits to feeding raw to puppies and very few risks. While the same risks remain of feeding any animal raw meat which includes a minor risk of pathogens, sourcing their food from a reputable brand minimises this. Even with years of selective breeding and evolution, a dog’s digestive system is still perfectly developed to digest raw meat. When feeding a puppy raw you can select which proteins to include. Many dry and wet food diets have multiple sources of protein while raw food will usually just have one or two. This helps in finding the right diet and flagging any intolerances early.

Raw food is packed with protein and it’s uncooked which means none of the vital vitamins and minerals are removed during a cooking process with high temperatures. Being frozen means all those nutrients get locked in until you defrost it to feed it to your pup. This makes it highly digestible which doesn’t just make it delicious but means less waste. Your feeding portions will be smaller with such a dense nutritional content and you will even find yourself picking up less poo.

All the benefits of raw feeding an adult dog are the same for puppies along with the best support for them while they grow. Raw feeding will usually give them a nice glossy coat, boost their immune system and give them all the energy they need for playtime as they develop.

While many brands of dog food are advertised to be suitable for dogs of all ages, there is plenty of choice for puppy specific formulas. Getting your puppy a diet that is designed especially for them will give them the best support as they grow with extra protein and calcium to make sure they develop well. Puppies need more calories as they grow and some of their nutrient requirements will be higher than an adult dog, but you can make sure you’re giving them what they need with their own puppy specific food.

Natures Menu Puppy Frozen Nuggets Chicken, Salmon and Rice contains everything you need to make sure your puppy grows up nice and strong. It’s formulated with entirely natural ingredients that contain raw chicken and salmon. Both protein sources are not likely to cause an intolerance and so are suitable for even the most sensitive of stomachs. Every nugget is nutritionally balanced to meet your puppy’s needs. While you can make your own raw diet for your puppy, the Natures Menu frozen nuggets takes all the guesswork out of it and gives you great easy access to raw feeding.

Naturally grain free and easy to eat and digest, the soft texture of the food will have even the fussiest of eaters cleaning their bowl.

Nutriment Puppy Chubb is blended to a great texture that puppies generally love to eat. Enjoying their food from a young age is important to make sure they’re getting all the nutrients they need every day to develop. While growing, a puppy’s dietary requirements are a little different to an adult’s. While it’s easier to make a raw diet at home yourself for an adult dog as you can balance nutrients throughout the week, a puppy needs a balanced diet with all the vitamins and minerals they require every day. The Nutriment Puppy Chubb makes sure they get everything they need in every single bite so you don’t have to worry about making sure their diet is balanced for good growth.

It contains only human-grade raw meat and fruits and vegetables that will benefit your developing new addition. It contains vegetables your puppy will love like butternut squash, kale and fresh broccoli. The protein included is beef, chicken and salmon to make sure they have a good range and plenty of calories to keep them going throughout the day.

Naturaw Puppy Raw Dog Food is a great choice of diet to wean puppies onto when they come home at eight weeks of age. Your energetic new addition will need plenty of support as they develop, which Naturaw puppy food has by the bucket load. It boasts being a vet-approved diet that’s entirely natural with all ingredients ethically sourced from the UK. There are no artificial ingredients so everything is entirely natural and the packaging is even 100% compostable. Along with looking after the planet, the diet will also look after your growing bundle of fluff as it is made into more fine mince than their adult diets to make it palatable for even the smallest of mouths!  Made with British beef and chicken, your puppy won’t be missing out on getting the best cuts of meat to support their development.

Whatever raw diet you choose for your puppy will almost always go down a treat, especially if you have a fussy puppy that’s more interested in playing and napping than cleaning their bowl. A raw diet will kickstart their love of solid food after coming away from their 24-hour-a-day milkbar that some puppies find transitioning away from difficult. To find the best diet for your puppy and browse all of our raw food, visit us in store and online.