Puppy Raw Feeding Guide

Percentages to Feed Based on Age:

• 7-8 weeks: 7-10%
• 9-16 weeks 7-8%
• 17-21 weeks 6-7%
• 22-30 weeks 5-6%
• 31-40 weeks 4-5%
• 41-50 weeks 3-4%
• 50+ 2-3%

You can also feed 3-5% of their estimated adult weight

Prey Model Raw diet for a puppy is 60-80% muscle meat 10-20% bone and 10% organ meats (5% liver and 5% other secreting organs)

Suggested proteins:

Chicken, duck, beef, pork, quail, lamb, goat, rabbit, bison, guinea pig, alpaca, venison, goose, wild game birds, oily fish, tripe, etc.

Ideal edible bones:

Chicken, duck, quail, rabbit, guinea pig, lamb, venison, fish.

Organ meats:

Must feed liver

Other organs: kidney, thymus (sweetbreads), uterus, testicles, brain, eyeballs, pancreas and spleen

Introduce a puppy cold turkey to raw. I suggest starting them on a variety as growing puppies require more nutrients than adult dogs. Puppies will need their organ meats, bone and muscle meats. Every protein offers different nutrients that a growing puppy needs. Please feed three times daily until 6-10 months of age, depending on the dog.

You can also feed pasture organic eggs up to three times a week. Please base this on the size of the animal. Not every dog should have 3 eggs, some should have 1 a week. You can also blend eggs with their shells and give a little with meals.

Recent Meals

Linc: beef chunks, venison rib, fish oil, joint supplement and local bee pollen

Mac: beef chunk, chicken drumstick, fish oil and joint supplement

Mac: pasture raised egg, beef kidney, venison rib, fish oil and joint supplement 
Linc: pasture raised egg, beef kidney, venison rib, beef chink, fish oil, joint supplement and local bee pollen

 Beef Heart

Mac: rabbit leg, rabbit liver, fish oil and joint supplement 

Linc: rabbit leg, beef tripe, turkey hearts, fish oil, joint supplement and local bee pollen

Linc: turkey drumstick portion, beef chunks, fish oil, joint supplement, organic egg and local bee pollen 
Mac: turkey drumstick portion, organic egg, fish oil and joint supplement

Balance

As you guys might have noticed, I feed balance over the period of a week. This system works well for myself and my dogs. Here is a break down of what would need to go into every single meal IF I fed balance every day and every meal:

Linc: 53lbs, intact, 3.5 year old male
Daily intake 2.38lbs (4.5% of weight)
1.12oz liver
1.12oz other secreting organ meat
5oz bone (20%)
1.6lbs muscle meat

Each meal:
0.56oz liver
0.56oz other secreting organ
2.5oz bone
8oz muscle meat

Mac:
38lbs (gaining weight) neutered, 11.5 year old male
Daily Intake 1.14lbs (3% of weight)
0.6oz liver
0.6oz other secreting organ
2.3oz bone (20%)
8oz muscle meat

Each meal
0.3oz liver
0.3oz other secreting meat
1.15oz bone
4oz organ meat

My dogs actually do meet these percentages except the bone, sometimes their bone content is heavier and sometimes lower. Mac is receiving more bones due to his Cushings disease and the effects it has had on his digestive system. He is more prone to diarrhea. Feeding balance can be done over each meal, over a day or even over the period of a week. The point is that the animals are receiving the nutrition they need. If you tried to do balance over a longer period than a week, I would be worried of malnourishment.

I moved!!!

Okay, so a lot has changed recently. I received a promotion with Amazon and have moved to Seattle, Washington. Yes, I now live on the West Coast.

A lot of things have changed besides the move. Mac was diagnosed with Cushings Disease. We are currently working with our new veterinarian on finding the right dosage of vetoryl for him. He has to wear belly bands because he has been having accidents.

I also have a pet sitter who comes once a day to take him out while Linc and I are at work. The pet sitter really helps tbh. Not cheap, but well worth it.

One of the odd things about Mac's Cushings, is that he actually lost 9lbs. Yes, Mac lost 9lbs and went down to 35lbs. He is slowly gaining the weight back after I increased his food intake. He is now eating around 1-1.5lbs per day. 

Linc is doing well, he had a strange allergy when we moved here, but that is currently being maintained by a medication. He also dropped a few pounds, which is odd.

I am also working on losing weight and have signed up for my first ever turkey trot, which is exciting!! 

I am glad to be back and will be posting more in the future.

Let's Talk about Poop

Yes, this can be an odd post for many people, but it is necessary. To the left is a red meat poop. This can also be what an offal stool looks. Dark stools are very normal. Also, this is also what a normal stool for a 54lb Australian Shepherd. He poops about twice a day, that is all. Yes, on one end there is some high bone content stool, but this is for the most part a very normal stool. 

Yes, this can be an odd post for many people, but it is necessary. To the left is a red meat poop. This can also be what an offal stool looks. Dark stools are very normal. Also, this is also what a normal stool for a 54lb Australian Shepherd. He poops about twice a day, that is all. Yes, on one end there is some high bone content stool, but this is for the most part a very normal stool.To the right is a stool from a "complete" mince, which means it had muscle meat, organ meat and bone content. You can obviously see where those three contents show in this stool. 

This is a stool with too much bone. You can easily see how much lighter a crumbly it is. After a stool like this, I would add more muscle meat to the next meal. These kinds of stools are not bad for the dog. Just keep an eye on your dog's stools and adjust the next meals. These stools can also be much lighter in color and a grayish white.

I used to be obsessed with my dog's poops. After five years of feeding raw it has definitely changed. I have never seen stools cause a problem with my dogs. I have never had problems with constipation.

Yes, loose stools happen and yes, bone stools happen, but it is a big part of feeding raw. It is not worth freaking out over. If you are new to raw feeding, take everything in strides. I understand it is scary, but it is not. Everything will be ok.

Balance?

Veterinarians and big box pet food companies have instilled in our brains that our pets require a balanced diet "every meal." This is actually false. Very few animals actually eat what would be considered a "balanced" diet every meal. Humans are one of the species that do not. It does not effect the body as long as it receives the required nutrients within a reasonably allotted time period. This time period is usually a week.

Your animals do not require a balance diet in every meal they eat. Most animals eat balance over a period of time, usually a week or two. This is normal and completely acceptable. It is not normal for an animal to consume every single thing is needs in one meal unless it is consuming whole prey. But even whole prey are not “balanced.”

Feeding offal (organ meats) once or twice a week is very natural for your carnivore. This is similar to how they would eat in the wild. Many animals eat bone a few days a week and many eat bone daily, it depends on the animal. If your animal cannot handle offal in larger meals, break it down to portions in more meals, but this does not mean they require it every time they eat. Feeding bone is the same way, feed bone every other meal or every two meals if your animal can handle it. Always base how you feed on the animal individually. Just because one dog can handle bone every other day, your other one may not be able to.

Balance over time is very important and replicates the natural diet more. It also tends to make the feeding regime easier because you are not trying to get perfect portions of everything in one meal. Feeding over a period of a week also lowers the chances of vitamin overdoses from organ meats. This can be just as detrimental as deficiencies. 

Let's Talk about Fat

Fat is a vital macronutrient in a carnivore's diet. I am going to explain why and what type of fat a carnivore requires.

To begin, there are 3 types of fat:

    -   Saturated 

    -   Monounsaturated

    -   Polyunsaturated

In whole prey animals, these fats come from bone marrow, muscle meat and organ fat. Fat is necessary in carnivores because it produces energy. The correct types of fats also assist the animal in digesting various fat soluble vitamins. Fat also protects the nerves and cell membranes throughout the body. When given the proper amounts of fat, it has been found that the carnivore develop better brains, have better behavior, learn faster, develop more muscle and have better heart and eye health.

Fats need to be fresh for the best benefit. Rancid fats lower the quality and nutritional value of the food. Rancid fats can also cause liver & heart problems, macular degeneration, as well as cell damage, arthritis and in rare cases, death.

It is suggested that you rotate ruminant and poultry meats to balance the saturated and polyunsaturated fats. Most domesticated ruminants have too much saturated fat and not enough polyunsaturated fats. Poultry on the other hand has a lot of polyunsaturated fats and not enough saturated fats. 

The fat requirements in dogs vary depending on age and activity level. For a puppy, the percentage required is around 17% and should not be lower than 8%. For a pet weight adult dog the requirement is 9-15% and should not go below 5%. For an active performing dog, the suggested requirement is 20% and no lower than 8%. 

Fish oils and fresh fish are recommended to be added to your carnivore's diet because they have docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which is an Omega-3 fat. DHA is essential for the brain and eyes and eicosapetaenoic acid (EPA), which is another essential Omega-3 fat. EPA has been found to lower depression and is an anti-inflammatory in mammals. 

What bones are safe?

Edible Bones

Edible bones are the bones of smaller animals such as poultry, rodents (think rabbits) and smaller ruminants such as deer, lambs and goats. They are soft, pliable and can be easily crushed in a meat grinder. These bones are vital for providing calcium, phosphorus and trace minerals which can be an essential part a raw food diet. It is advised that you watch your animal anytime they are consuming or working on bones. Your carnivore actually consumes these bones as part of their diet, they are not usually given for recreational chewing.

Edible Bone Examples:

•             Chicken bones (all dogs/cats)
•             Duck Bones (all dogs/cats)
•             Turkey Bones (usually better for medium to large dogs)
•             Venison/Deer bones (easier to consume by medium to large dogs)
•             Rabbit (all dogs/cats)
•             Cavy/Guinea Pig (all dogs/cats)
•             Lamb (usually better for medium to large dogs)
•            Goat (usually better for medium to large dogs)
•             Pork (usually better for medium to large dogs)

What about recreational bones?

Recreational bones are used for chewing on and cleaning the teeth. They are commonly used to distract the dog for a while. Recreational bones are usually denser bones that cannot easily be crushes by the carnivore’s jaw. These bones can also potentially break teeth. It is advised that you watch your animal anytime they are consuming or working on bones.

Recreational Bone Examples:

•             Beef knuckles
•             Beef marrow bones
•             Beef ribs
•             Lamb head
•             Goat head
•             Pork hock
•             Pork Head
•             Deer leg
•             Lamb neck
•             Beef neck
•             Pork neck

Recent Raw Meals

Sorry I have been gone for a while. Here is a basic post with the boys' recent raw meals.

Chicken wings, beef heart and bone broth

Chicken gizzards

Mac: duck liver & chicken thigh

Linc: goat leg, duck gizzards & beef chunks

Rabbit and beef chunks

Rabbit, beef kidney & beef tripe

Mac: chicken drumstick & chunked beef

Linc: chicken drumstick, rabbit leg, beef kidney and beef chunks

Pearly Whites

Let's talk about raw edible bones that are great for dental care.  I feed edible bones daily at dinner time and only at dinner time. My boys do get bully sticks, cow hooves, antlers and dehydrated tracheas as chews, but not edible bones.

Rabbit

The various edible bones I use are usually quite easy to get a hold of and some are harder to find for raw feeders. The more rare bones I give include:

-   Rabbit (entire animal)

-   Lamb (ribs, necks & legs)

-   Goat (ribs, necks & legs)

-   Venison (ribs, necks & legs)

-   Duck (heads, necks, carcasses & quarters)

The more common edible bones I give include:

-   Chicken (wings, necks, quarters, backs & drumsticks)

-   Turkey (legs, necks, wings, backs)

-   Various fish 

Here are some lovely goat ribs my boys had as their bone content. Soft enough bone to chew and eat, but heavy enough to require some work. Definitely great for cleaning teeth.

You wouldn't necessarily think duck heads would take a while to chew, but the skull is a little thicker than other bones in a duck's body and requires more work when chewing. My boys go crazy over duck heads. They can be difficult to find, but definitely worth it as they fall under two raw categories: bone and organ meat.

Obviously turkey legs are easier to find, but they do tend to be massive. I feed both the large 1.5lb ones and the smaller 11-1lb legs. Turkey legs are awesome for teeth cleaning because they require the dog use both their incisors and their premolars when breaking them down. The same can be said about chicken quarters, which are also easier to get a hold of. I buy mine at local groceries. The quarters I buy can weigh between 8oz and 1lb, depending on the company.

Belated May BarkBox Review

Sorry this is late, but here is our May BarkBox! In this BarkBox we received Slobbery Sunflowers ($12.00), Dingo the Scarecrow ($12.00), Donuts Fried Dough Bites for Dogs ($8.00), Nana's Natural Chicken Jerky for Dogs ($8.00) and a beef trachea ($3.00-7.00). 

These treats are actually grain free, unlike the jerky ones below. They are a softer treat and can be broken up to make smaller treats. I haven't had a chance to try them yet, but they smell good hahaha!

Meet Dingo the Scarecrow. Linc loves getting new plush toys! This toy is similar to Ninja Kitty because the limbs can change lengths and are attached to each other. You just pull and adjust the length of the two limbs that are attached.

These were a little weird because they are not attached and are separate toys. Each sunflower has a squeaker in the flower. Linc has had fun carrying these around, but they could be a choking hazard in the larger dog. Photo below of Linc holding one of the flowers. Also, the bow shouldn't stay on the toys, very dangerous!

These jerky treats are completely grain free. Like the others, I still haven't had a chance to try these with the boys. These treats claim to be grain free, but they have rice flour in them. . . rice is a grain. I haven't tried them with the boys, but we'll give them a shot even though there is false advertisement.
I figure they'll enjoy them. Only 5-6 treats in the bag. So if you give them whole you'll run out pretty fast. Probably a good treat to break up and use for training.

Last but not least, the trachea chew that will most likely go to Indie. He has a hard time chewing bully sticks, but does fine with tracheas. So this special treat will go to him. =)

Here is Linc happily holding Dingo waiting for me to throw him. He LOVES toys and always goes for them first.

And Linc holding one of the Slobbery Sunflowers. Obviously it's a good size for him, but a larger dog and actually Linc's size, could easily swallow one. Not ideal shape for a toy in my opinion. He loves them regardless and does not chew plush toys.

Recent Raw Meals

Linc: chicken thigh, ground lamb kidney, chicken gizzards and locally raised egg

Mac: chicken drumstick, ground lamb kidney, locally raised egg and chicken gizzards

Mac: goat ribs, chicken gizzards, salmon oil and joint supplement 

Linc: turkey leg, chicken gizzards, salmon oil and joint supplement

Dinner tonight was beef heart, chicken quarters and salmon oil

Linc: chicken gizzards, chicken thigh, pollock oil and beef kidney (Linc didn't eat the kidney)

Mac: chicken drumstick, pollock oil, joint supplement and beef kidney

Dinner tonight was beef liver, quail eggs, chicken necks and salmon oil.

 Time for bed <3 <3 

Raw Delivery & Recent Raw Meals

My most recent delivery from Simply Rawesome arrived on Tuesday. This time I received 40lbs of beef chunks, 20lbs of Eureka rough blend and 40lbs of organic chicken thigh meat. With shipping, everything was $169. I love the quality of the products I receive. I do know that the beef chunks are from Big Dan's, but it doesn't make a difference as I have never had a problem with their products. 

 Beef Chunks bagged up

 Chicken, beef and Eureka in the chest freezer.

 Freezer above the fridge is all filled up and so is it's door below.

Here are now some recent meals for the boys:

L-R

Mac: Chicken quarter, beef liver and pollock oil

Linc: chicken quarter, beef liver, beef chunk and pollock oil

Boys had ground bone in turkey, chicken gizzards, bone broth and salmon oil

Boys had ground bone in turkey, organic chicken thigh meat and salmon oil

Boys had a duck carcass split between them, quail eggs, pollock oil and chunked beef

Recent Raw Meals

Here are some recent meals:

Ground beef tongue, salmon oil and rabbit

 Chicken quarters and anchovies

Left to Right 

Mac: chicken back, turkey gizzard, salmon oil and ground beef tongue

Linc: duck carcass, turkey gizzards and salmon oil

Left to Right 

Mac: chicken back and beef liver

Linc: turkey leg and beef liver

 Left to Right

Mac: chicken drumstick and ground beef

Linc: Duck carcass and lamb steaks

 Chicken backs and beef heart

 Here are a couple of recent purchase of fresh frozen wild caught anchovies and 40lbs chicken gizzards. I bought 7 bags (14oz each) of anchovies.

 40lbs of chicken gizzards

 Chicken Gizzards