Feeding Puppies
Whilst converting a dog to a natural, raw, BARF diet at any stage of their life is hugely beneficial to supporting their physical and mental wellbeing, giving your puppy a biologically appropriate, raw diet from the very beginning of its weaning journey is the best way to ensure you are giving your puppy the very best start in life.
Nutriment's extensive portfolio of natural, raw dog food is created from high-quality ingredients which means each portion is packed essential nutrition and great tasting flavour. Unlike commercially available dog food, our raw puppy food features biologically appropriate ingredients, specifically formulated for growing dogs by our in-house canine nutritionists. This means it's comfortable and safe for puppies to digest and also includes all of the macronutrients, amino acids and vitamins needed for healthy development.
Weaning and choosing puppy dog food
After the initial feeding from mum, which generally lasts around three to four weeks, we recommend introducing our specially formulated raw weaning food. Offering a small amount of our 100% British chicken weaning paste after a milk feed is a great way to encourage the transition from milk to solid puppy raw dog food. Generally, this process takes place between weeks 3 and 6 of a puppy’s life, but this can vary depending on the dog.
From 6 weeks, puppies can move on to our puppy dog food formula which features high-quality, 100% British chicken and beef, with nutrient dense vegetables and superfoods. Puppies need to eat between 4-6% of their body weight at the time. Most owners spread meals over three feedings up to 6 months, and then reduce to two meals after they reach 6 months old. When your puppy is almost fully grown, you can gradually reduce the amount to eventually feed around 2-3% of their body weight. Typically, a smaller breed dog is fully grown at around 12 months, and larger breeds reach full growth at around 18 months.
When can my puppy enjoy adult food?
With most feeding styles it is recommended to feed a puppy food until your pup is fully grown – this tends to be around 12-18 months depending on the size of your pup. When feeding a raw food you can transition to adult food much sooner providing you still follow our puppy feeding guide – feeding 4-6% of the current ideal bodyweight until fully grown.
Transitioning to our adult foods from as early as 12 weeks has its benefits for all breeds. Our adult foods are available in a wide variety of proteins, making mealtimes even more exciting for your young pup. As puppies grow they go through hormone changes , which can affect their appetite, so offering different proteins from a young age will give you a good indicator of which products your pup relishes the most. Plus variety is the spice of life afterall!
Our adult starter pack and mixer box are great ways to purchase a variety of adult foods at a special price.
