Puppy Love: Quickstart Guide To Raw Feeding
Congratulations on your puppy! It can be a bit daunting bringing home your new furball, and most people have LOTS of questions. This article will take you through all the main info you need to know so your puppy can have the best start to life.
If you have more questions please contact us, we’re happy to help!
Our puppy recipes!
We have two amazing recipes formulated especially for growing puppies. Each recipe uses paired proteins so that we can dial in the optimal fat balance. We use organic chicken (including bone) for calcium & phosphorous and sustainably sourced fish for EPA & DHA.
Organic blueberries are a powerful antioxidant and featured in both recipes. We also make a special fermented food we call Baby Belly to help establish a healthy microbiome and immune system. Yes, our food is awesome!
Why nutrition is important
Puppies need special food to ensure that their bodies grow properly. The nutrition that puppies require is similar to adult dogs, but there are important differences that mean most dog food is not suitable for puppies.
Compared with adult dogs, puppies require higher amounts of protein, fat, calcium and phosphorous. They also need more iron, sodium, zinc, copper and manganese. If you think about your puppy growing their bones, muscles and brain then this completely makes sense!
We have formulated our Whoa Nelly! puppy food to meet AAFCO “complete and balanced” and NRC “optimal” nutrient guidelines for growth and development. Our focus is on providing the very best nutrition for your puppy using whole organic foods. We’ve spent a huge amount of time (& testing) to create what we believe to be the best puppy food in the world.
Healthy pups have healthy guts
With more than 70% of your puppy’s immunity linked to their gut, ensuring your puppy has a healthy digestive system is our number one goal. This means feeding a diet that is alive with beneficial probiotics and enzymes to nurture your puppy’s belly.
Probiotics have been show to reduce inflammation, improve growth rates and vaccine response, as well as being linked to improved breath, a reduction in allergies and a healthier skin and coat. Pretty amazing stuff!
We have developed a special fermented food especially for growing pups called Baby Belly. To make it: we ferment organic oats with goat milk kefir, organic camomile, and organic turmeric & black pepper. This creates a wonderfully nourishing whole food full of probiotics and enzymes to help give your puppy the best start to life.
The reason we use oats in our ferment is because they contain a functional fibre called beta glucans. β-glucans help to protect against metabolic disease, support optimal gut function and stimulate the immune system. They also improve adaptive immunity, making them the perfect dietary addition for puppies while they are being vaccinated.
Raw Feeding Guide
There are many factors which determine how much you need to feed your puppy, including age, weight, breed and activity level. It can seem a little complicated so we created a simple calculator to make it easy.
Transitioning to raw
We recommend starting to feed Whoa Nelly! from around 8-12 weeks. The weaning process should be slow, offering small amounts of simple foods like mince or ground chicken necks with their mothers milk before moving to complete foods. Typically by the time you get your puppy they are fully weaned and eating a solid diet, so this isn’t something you have to worry about.
For dogs weaned on kibble, take 2 weeks to transition to raw food. Start by offering small amounts, and increasing slowly over the period until you are feeding a completely raw diet. You may notice some digestive upset initially, which is normal while transitioning. Go slowly and your puppies belly will adjust to the natural diet.
And as always, contact us if you’d like our help.
When to start feeding bones
Offering bones is important for the development and longterm health of your puppies teeth. Bones are by far the best way for your dog to clean their teeth, as well as offering your shoes a reprieve from the constant chewing 😅
You can offer bones from 12 weeks, but it’s also ok to wait a few months until their teeth are more developed. Be very careful to only offer soft bones as they are less likely to cause issues. Never offer cooked bones as they can become brittle and pose a choking or digestive hazard.
Always supervise your puppy with their bone and remove whatever is left. Puppies have never had bones before so it can take some time for them to learn how to chew it safely.
We generally recommend lamb ribs as they are the perfect size and soft enough to be completely edible. The fat profile of lamb is also the closest to the Ω3:Ω6 balance that your puppy needs. You can move up to lamb necks or kangaroo tails once your dog has grown and needs a bigger bone. The key is to go slow and steady, and minimise any risks through supervision.
Water
Just like humans, dogs need access to clean drinking water. The local water that comes out of our taps can contain fluoride and minerals which is not ideal. We strongly recommend giving your dog filtered water - the same filtered water that you drink is perfect.
What types of treats to offer
Most people want to have treats for their puppy in addition to their food and bones. Not only are treats super enjoyable, but you can use them to help train your puppy. In our opinion this is the best way to use treats - only give them when you puppy is behaving well and you can save yourself some behavioural headaches down the road.
When selecting a treat, always look at the ingredients. Ideally you only want to offer treat which have a single ingredients, like dehydrated kangaroo or beef liver. If there are any ingredients that you don’t recognise or can’t buy at a supermarket or butcher, don’t feed it.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Can I add other foods to the diet? (eggs, fish etc)
A: You sure can! Just be sure not to include too much food over Whoa Nelly! as it can negatively change the balance of the diet. Typically less than 10% of the total diet can be extras like eggs, fish, or whatever else you would like to offer.
Q: Can I feed kibble with raw?
A: We support people to make the best decision for their dog. Larger breeds can require a lot of food so some people choose to add kibble to make it more economical. Feed the foods at different times and change the feeding amount in proportion to the feeding guidelines of the food.
For example:
1 /2 pack Whoa Nelly or 1 cup dry food (total daily amount)
= 1/4 pack Whoa Nelly + 1/2 cup dry food
Have a question? Contact us here
