# Puppy 2% of body weight or 10%



## Glamdring (Aug 11, 2011)

I've been doing some research on feeding my 11 week pup the raw diet. I've read a bunch of threads and I am unsure about how much to feed. The raw calculator says 2% of body weight, but under that it states puppies may need upto 10% of their weight. So what to do? 2, 10 or someplace in between. 

I'm trying to gauge how much this will cost, and if the hassle is worth it for the amount of time I have to spend (Working, Full time student, 3 kids and a new puppy doesn't leave much free time to find sources)

Maybe I missed it, but I couldn't find the quantity to feed pups. Mine is 11 weeks old and about 20 pounds. (female)

Thanks


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## Gilly1331 (Apr 16, 2011)

Im trying to figure out the same thing. Vet said Kimber (5 months) is def under weight she weighed in at 33lbs a few days after we got her. I picked her up and weighed her with me and shes only gained 2.5 lbs in almost 3 weeks. She def looks smallish we feed her raw 3x a day but she seems to not be gaining weight and def looks to be to need more but I am not sure. Should we up her food too?


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## sable123 (Jul 11, 2010)

Gilly1331 said:


> Im trying to figure out the same thing. Vet said Kimber (5 months) is def under weight she weighed in at 33lbs a few days after we got her. I picked her up and weighed her with me and shes only gained 2.5 lbs in almost 3 weeks. She def looks smallish we feed her raw 3x a day but she seems to not be gaining weight and def looks to be to need more but I am not sure. Should we up her food too?


You really should use a good kibble as a base and stop playing nutritionist.


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## sable123 (Jul 11, 2010)

Glamdring said:


> I've been doing some research on feeding my 11 week pup the raw diet. I've read a bunch of threads and I am unsure about how much to feed. The raw calculator says 2% of body weight, but under that it states puppies may need upto 10% of their weight. So what to do? 2, 10 or someplace in between.
> 
> I'm trying to gauge how much this will cost, and if the hassle is worth it for the amount of time I have to spend (Working, Full time student, 3 kids and a new puppy doesn't leave much free time to find sources)
> 
> ...


It is not worth it. Buy a good kibble and let the pup eat as much as it wants until just full 3 times a day.


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## Gilly1331 (Apr 16, 2011)

sable123 said:


> You really should use a good kibble as a base and stop playing nutritionist.


Sable we dont feed any kibble. Had nothing but problems with at least 10 different kibbles for all of our dogs. We started raw with our older dogs so it was easy to fig out the proper amount. For a growing pup its not so easy.

Thanks for your suggestion but we wont be buying any kibble.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

when reading threads on the internet, do so with care....
And be certain you are feeding a nutritious diet, regardless of it being raw or kibble.

I fed my pups the same daily amount I would for an adult, just about 2# per day(split between 3 meals) for a GSD that would be about 80# as an adult. At 16 weeks, I put pups on 2 meals a day, but they still got the same amount. Easier to feed 1# meals than the smaller ones!
I also used chicken necks, and the disjointed wings(less skin) for the RMB's until my pup could do the thigh/legs. 
Green tripe was(is) a daily staple along with rotating ground beef, turkey, chicken~ pork was added after a few weeks. My pup was weaned onto raw, so he had already been given different proteins. 
The breeder also fed kibble(1 meal per day) so any owners that wanted to stay on a kibble diet, the pups were acclimated to it. 
Welcome to the Raw Dog Ranch has a good puppy page, check it out for further information.
Gilly, I would also give some natural probiotics/digestive enzymes(green tripe has this). Your pup may be digesting quickly and need a bump up during growth spurts. You'll know if you are overfeeding, runny pudding poops are a sign. Or too much organ meat will cause runny poop.


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## Glamdring (Aug 11, 2011)

onyx'girl said:


> when reading threads on the internet, do so with care....
> And be certain you are feeding a nutritious diet, regardless of it being raw or kibble.
> 
> I fed my pups the same daily amount I would for an adult, just about 2# per day(split between 3 meals) for a GSD that would be about 80# as an adult. At 16 weeks, I put pups on 2 meals a day, but they still got the same amount. Easier to feed 1# meals than the smaller ones!
> ...


Thanks for the response. I've read the Raw Dog Ranch several times, and this is part of where my confusion comes from. The "How much to feed" for puppies is not there, just a generic under construction type message. Under Construction

I've read a number of threads on the site, and the Raw Food calculator someone posted on another thread. On the calculator it states that puppies may need upto 10% of their body weight, but they do not give any information on how to determine that.

The threads here I have read, I may have missed it, but they don't state how much should be fed. 

I am not 100% sure that I am understanding you properly, but I read it as I should base the weight calculation on 80 pounds (full size GSD) even though my pup weighs 20 pounds currently. So I would use the calculator and feed 2% of 80 pounds 3 times a day for a pup. Am I reading you correctly?


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## Glamdring (Aug 11, 2011)

sable123 said:


> It is not worth it. Buy a good kibble and let the pup eat as much as it wants until just full 3 times a day.


I appreciate the opinion Sable. I may decide that it is not worth it. But I don't want to make that decision until I have all the information I need. It would be easier if it was an adult dog. BTW my GSD is a sable and is super cute if I say so 

I am leery of switching to another kibble. The stuff she is on now is crap, but I don't deal with soupy poopy either. So I am leery of just changing the kibble, as I don't want to deal with messy poops as she is not fully house broken yet. 

When I had my rottie, ( it was 15 years ago, I wasn't on the net and it wasn't easy to find good info) I switched to Iam's and Eucknuba (I know i butchered the spelling). Anyway I took 2-3 weeks to gradually switch them out and it was nothing but soupy poopy until I switched out for the cheap stuff. (I also know now that those brands are pretty much crap too).

I just don't want to go through the hassle of trying multiple kibbles. Petsmart and Petco are both pretty expensive and the nearest tractor supply is a hike, so I don't want to swap out looking for the magic kibble that I can afford and that doesn't make my life miserable. 

Most of the draw of the raw diet to me is the stool. I hate cleaning the yard and I hate the smell. I know that may be a selfish reason but that is my main reason for considering the raw diet.


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## Glamdring (Aug 11, 2011)

Gilly1331 said:


> Im trying to figure out the same thing. Vet said Kimber (5 months) is def under weight she weighed in at 33lbs a few days after we got her. I picked her up and weighed her with me and shes only gained 2.5 lbs in almost 3 weeks. She def looks smallish we feed her raw 3x a day but she seems to not be gaining weight and def looks to be to need more but I am not sure. Should we up her food too?


Its a little off topic but I saw your user name. My favorite aunt was my aunt Gilly. She was great and from Scotland so had a fun accent. I'd come home sounding like her after spending an afternoon with her. I can still do a respectable Scottish and Irish accent because of her. I was sort of named for her. My first name is Scott because my folks loved her and she was a 'Scot' 

Also my rottie (rip ) was named Lexi. Sometimes I mistake my new pups name and call her Lexi.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

> I am not 100% sure that I am understanding you properly, but I read it as I should base the weight calculation on 80 pounds (full size GSD) even though my pup weighs 20 pounds currently. So I would use the calculator and feed 2% of 80 pounds 3 times a day for a pup. Am I reading you correctly?


I would feed 2# per day total, adjust accordingly to your pups metabolism/growth spurts. It was too difficult for me to make daily adjustments for a pups weight, when my pup was gaining 3# per week. So 2#(estimated, not exactly) per day worked for us. He was always larger than the littermates and turned out to be 90# and 27", long in body. Not due to what/how I was feeding but just his genetics. At his age now(2.5) he still gets about 2# per day and is very lean. My female Onyx is the same size as him, but I don't feed her as much, she is spayed and not as active as Karlo. Kacie, my other female gets about 1.5# per day(two meals) as she is prone to weight gain at 6 yrs old.


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## Draugr (Jul 8, 2011)

I've heard you should feed 2% of expected adult body weight (if you expect her to be 100lbs full grown, give her 2lbs a day), spread out over at least three meals per day. Buuut...

I would feed however much your pup will eat, keeping the ratios in line as best you can. You can overfeed at that age but it's difficult to do especially on raw. Mine was kibblefed then and I just free fed. Gave him what he wanted. He self-regulated fairly well. It actually wasn't until he was on raw that he got a bit overweight - but even then it was only about 5 lbs. I don't want to think how much he would have weighed if I had still been free-feeding him kibble.

I have no experience feeding a puppy raw, however, so take that with a grain of salt. This is just what I would do if I were to get another puppy today.


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

you can't free feed a raw fed puppy they need fairly specific ratios.

From what I've always been told what I've always known and done it's 10% of the puppies weight UNTIL that amount is more then 2% of the estimated adult weight. With pups its a bit hard because you have to estimate their adult weight which of course you have to take sex, structure, genetics etc.. into play. Now of course raw isn't an EXACT science so if the pup seems a bit thin give it a bit more or a bit less respectively. Main causes of runny poo on raw especially as a pup new to the diet it starting a new protein too soon, too much organ meat or starting organ to fast, and then of course over feeding which is a very common problem. If your pup is a female and 20 lbs already 10% would be 2 lbs of meat a day but if you estimate her to be 70 which is a good size for a female 2% would be 22.4 ounces which is what I've given Jinx since she was a pup. When she first came home she was only on 10% for like a week before going over to 2%

She is in great body weight when she was getting 28-30 oz a day she started getting a TINY bit pudgey (had to press a bit to feel the ribs) I cut back to about 22 oz and she got down to where she should be. Days that she is extra active I'll give her a bit more muscle meat she is 9 months now but I haven't changed her diet much since she was 11 weeks so same as your pup.


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

I just again want to say please do not free feed raw PLEASE. As a pup Jinx would've eaten until she exploded literally and she still would if I let her. There have been days I have given her a HUGE meal if she has had a few small meals because of traveling and she has gobbled down a few pounds easily and still acts starving. There are people who are feeding a 6-7 lb pork roast (they gorge/fast their dogs) so no it's not difficult to overfeed a free fed raw pup/dog they will gladly gobble down multiple pounds and happily beg for more. Not to mention if you just let them eat what they want they will not get proper ratios if you put equal amounts of MM RMB and OM in the bowl and just let her eat what she wants there is no way to make sure she is getting the ratios she needs just a really really bad idea.


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## Draugr (Jul 8, 2011)

Well it depends on how you feed it. When I was "free feeding" Samson raw I didn't just plop in everything he was supposed to get and let him have at it. I'd give him as much as he wanted but I'd still keep the ratios close. And feed him the organs, bones, etc, first. If he got too much of anything it would be the boneless muscle meat but I'd compensate for that as needed.

I was giving him too much tho (3-3.5lbs, he's at 2 lbs now) and it wasn't uncommon for him to skip a meal (he was getting 1 meal a day by that point). But some dogs won't self-regulate like that.

I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a bad idea =/. But now hearing you I'd say it's a lot more difficult than measuring things out specifically like that.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

The percentages (whether 2% of adult weight or 10% of puppy weight) are starting points. Donovan and his brother Drigon are pretty much the same weight, but Drigon has always eaten 1/3 more than Donovan. Deja is the same size as her grandmother, bigger than her mother, but if she ate what Nike ate at that age she would be a fat pig. She is like her mother, Vala, and gets fat on air. If I fed Elena 10% of her current weight (she is a bit over 11 weeks) she would be a fat pig. 

I don't weigh food. Never have. They are feeling a hair thin, they get a bit more food. Feeling a bit chunky, they get less. Some people are not comfortable doing this and find weighing easier. 

I have fed raw for 12 plus years, raised many puppies to adult and weaned 5 litters onto raw with a large percentage of those going into raw fed homes. Raw feeding is NOT hard, but does require a bit more thought than scooping kibble out of a bag.


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## Glamdring (Aug 11, 2011)

Awesome guys thank you for the explanations! I'm a horrible writer, I'm a math guy and have always had to struggle to be clear in my writing. I've taken some tough writing classes and have learned to be more clear. I think some of the issues I was having with determining how much to start is that many people take for granted where others are in a starting point. They don't take into account their audience and assume some knowledge that isn't there.

When I had my rottie, I never heard of raw feeding and just learned about it this past week. I'm much more comfortable. I think many assume you are starting with grown dogs, and looking at the forum many do. Many of the pups I read about are ones with owners with raw feeding experience. 

We are sensitive to over feeding, that was a major contributor to my wifes dachshunds death, though that is not nearly as much of a concern in comparison to a GSD. But it is still something my wife is emotional about. 

I want to transition to something soon, my pup is on Beneful right now and that is pure crap and I want to get her off of that. I also don't want to go through a ton of trial and error with diff kibble. Thanks again everyone for helping me clear this up in my head!


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## Verivus (Nov 7, 2010)

Wow, too much thinking going on in here, lol. I brought my 8 wk old puppy home and started him on raw immediately. I started at a total of 2 lbs a day and if I think he's getting chubby I feed less and vice versa. Going by X% is too much of a hassle and they grow too fast. I have yet to change his 2 lbs/day; keeps him at the perfect weight. I don't really weigh his food much anymore; only the organs I weigh in batches and freeze in ice cube trays for convenience. I dealt with pudding poo for a week and then things were good. I do give probiotics occasionally.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

I start all my pups on roughly 5-7% of their CURRENT weight.

As Chrissy says - I watch them each week and adjust accordingly.

Some weeks the pups go through massive growth spurts and you might find yourself increasing their intake mid-week. Other times they will maintain the same weight for a couple months.

The %'s are just a way to figure a starting point. The rest is up to us to watch their bodies and adjust their intake as necessary.

Keep them trim and they will be fine!! 

I have raised 4 puppies on raw and had no problems. Two of those pups were weaned directly to raw and have NEVER had kibble.


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## Ramage (Oct 10, 2009)

I agree with watching the pup and changing the amount according to growth. By this, I mean when the pup start to get lean - increase the food intake. When the pup starts to get tubby - decrease the food intake.

When feeding pups raw, I've always fed 2% of what I assume their adult weight should be. Most of my females range in the 75lb range and my males have always been in the 85lb range.

This means, a male pup would be getting 1.7 lbs of food daily. 

Now, on top of this you have your individual needs. Ex: I have two females that are the same weight (75 lbs). One girl gets 2 lbs daily. The other gets 1.25 lbs daily. Dogs are individuals as much as people are when it comes to metabolisms and such. If you start feeding your pup 1.7 lbs and notice he's getting tubby, cut back his food. 

I have an 11 week old pup now and we change week by week, based on how he's growing. He was at a perfect weight last week and this week he's looking a tad lean. I'll be increasing his food as of today. Hope this might help you


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