How to feed your puppies raw diets as their dog food

Raw Diets for Puppies: A Complete Beginner’s Guide

Bringing a new puppy home is equal parts joy and anxiety—especially when you’re committed to raw diets instead of kibble. A puppy’s stomach is delicate, her gums are tender, and her nutritional needs are sky-high. This guide answers the most common questions about introducing raw food safely and effectively.

Raw Diets 101: Start Cold Turkey

Skip the half-and-half bowl. Mixing kibble with raw can upset digestion. Begin with a 100 % raw meal plan on Day 1. If your pup arrives already on kibble, give her one fasted night and offer her first raw breakfast the next morning.

Raw Diets & Hydration: Fresh Water and Play

Always provide clean water and plenty of safe playtime. Short, off-leash sessions—7 – 10 minutes up to eight months of age—help digestion and build muscle without stressing growing joints.

Raw Diets Protein Plan: Rotate Early, Rotate Often

• Week 1: Chicken

• Week 2: Turkey

• Week 3: Lamb or goat

• Week 4+: Introduce red meats (beef, buffalo) and oily fish

Rotation balances amino acids and reduces the chance of single-protein sensitivity.

Raw Diets for Bone Development: Soft Bones First

At 6 – 7 weeks, offer chicken or turkey necks, wings, and feet. Their soft, hollow structure supplies bio-available calcium and teaches pups to chew. Scale bone size with your puppy’s growth to avoid choking.

Raw Diets Organ Strategy: Introduce at Firm Poop Stage

Wait until stools are consistently firm (around Week 7) before adding liver, kidney, or spleen. Start small—5 % of daily food—and split organs across meals to prevent diarrhea.

Raw Diets Feeding Schedule: Prevent Sugar Crashes

Feed 3 – 4 small meals daily until at least six months:

Adjust portions if your pup gains too quickly or stays too skinny.

Raw Diets Stool Check: Poop Is Your Dashboard

Loose stools? Reduce organ meat. Chalky, hard stools? Add more muscle meat or a splash of sardine oil. Aim for firm, brown logs.

Raw Diets Smart Supplements: Fill the Soil Gap

• Probiotics/Green tripe for gut health

• Whole oily fish (sardines, anchovies, mackerel) for Omega-3

• Pumpkin-seed powder or food-grade diatomaceous earth for natural deworming

Raw Diets Safe Food List for Puppies

• Whisked eggs

• Chicken necks, backs, wings, feet

• Lamb ribs, goat chunks

• Small portions of liver, kidney, spleen

• Oily fish (whole)

• Puréed vegetables (optional)

Observe for allergies when you introduce each new protein or ingredient.

Raw Diets Safety Tips: Supervise the Chew

Match bone size to your puppy’s jaw, always supervise feeding, and serve bones on an easy-clean surface. Never offer cooked bones—they splinter and can perforate intestines.

Raw Diets Recap: Grow Strong, Stay Lean

1. Start raw on Day 1—no kibble mix.

2. Rotate proteins weekly to balance nutrients.

3. Include soft, edible bones for calcium.

4. Introduce organs after stools firm up.

5. Feed little and often; monitor weight and poop.

Follow these steps and your puppy will develop strong bones, balanced muscles, and a robust immune system—the perfect foundation for a long, healthy life on raw diets.