How much should I feed my puppy?

Feeding your growing puppy the right amount of food is easy when they are on a species appropriate raw diet. If they aren’t eating a raw diet then you need to check out my article on how to transition your dog to a raw diet here.

When puppies are small they need at least 3 meals a day until they are around at 5 – 6 months old. Then 2 meals a day until around 1 year old or older in large breeds (once they are considered an adult.) Adult dogs (except toy breeds) only need 1 meal a day. The amount to feed them per day (divided into the number of meals you are feeding them across the day) is calculated based on their current weight. Puppies are growing fast and when fed a raw diet can eat almost as much as they want. But as a guideline, they need around 6 – 8% of their body weight of raw food per day. (Or 2.5-3% of their predicted adult weight).

So if your pup is 5kg they need to eat between 300 and 400g of food per day. This is a rough guideline and some puppies may need more.

If they are still thin and seem to be eating more than enough food then adding a little carbohydrates may be needed. My guide to feeding a raw diet is in this article here. I also list lots of great brand options available on the market today that are not highly processed. I do not usually recommend carbohydrates however some puppies are growing so fast they need them. In this case, soaked oats are a great option. Just soak the oats 50:50 in water overnight on the bench, then keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just add a little to each meal.

If you are feeding air-dried or freeze-dried food then the total amount calculated above needs to be divided by 3 to get the dried quantity needed. This is because the water content is about two-thirds of the weight of the raw material.

Changing your pup to a raw diet can sometimes be tricky and if you need more guidance around what to feed or how much to feed please contact me for a phone consult.

Dr Nat’s products are also a great addition for supporting gut health, particularly during diet change. Check them out here.

Meet Dr Nat

Dr Nat is a holistic vet with a passion for herbal medicine, essential oils and a raw diet for dogs and cats.

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