# Young pups, raw fed



## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

This question is aimed at Lauri I'd pm you, but I'm sure others will benefit from your answers.
What do you feed Mauser daily? What did you start him out on as a young pup? Your sites pup link isn't up yet and I want to be sure that the diet I will give my pup will be adequate. What supplements do you give, and dosage.
My pup is already on a raw diet with the breeder and I want to be sure I am not going to over-variety, supplement etc. The breeders has just put their gang on RAW, so I think I'd like your input to be sure he will get everything needed in his first 6 mos.
Onyx was 6 mos when I put her on it, and 65#, so it was easy per the supplements and variety.
Thank you for your expertise!!


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## gsdlove212 (Feb 3, 2006)

I am definately interested in replies to this as well







. Do we feed as per their current weight or for their expected adult weight? I have never RAW fed a pup before.


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## Amaruq (Aug 29, 2001)

I am not Lauri but Jethro was raw fed from 3.5 to 4 weeks (well got raw food to help ease the burden on Diesel). While still in Florida he was eating ground meat (chunks by 8 weeks) and some chicken necks and I think wings before heading North. His diet since coming here has been beef, pork and duck hearts and venison for MM; duck and turkey necks and chicken quarters for RMB. He has also had rabbit once (yes, on Easter- I am heartless) and lamb a couple of times. He is pretty much eating what his expected adult intake would be but I vary it based on his pudgy belly or getting a bit too lean. Roughly 1.75 to 2 pounds over two meals now.


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## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

Well actually started on ground turkey and beef at 4 wks, 6 wks started with wings, 7-8 wks necks, thighs, then eventually legs. Now at 14wks they can take out a decent sized leg qtr. 

I go off of how they look. Jaxson's only been on raw as well. I actually need to bump him up a bit. Jake took a break from raw I think when he was with his previous owner, now back on raw and doing fine. 

typical breakfast meal would be a large handful of muscle meat (I don't weigh/measure, sorry) with veggie mix, oils added. 2nd meal would be necks or leg quarters. 

I go roughly on average of 4-5% of their adult weight. so on an 80lb adult male, that's almost 2lbs of rmb and .8 lb of mm a day per pup. But again I don't measure, I go off of how they look.


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

I'm going to be working on the puppy pages today but I can give you some quick pointers.

Mauser and Kaynya were both switched the day they stepped foot in our house. Kaynya's puppies (if I breed her) will be weaned directly to raw.

The common thought is to feed 10% of the pups weight when they are 8 weeks old or 2-3% of their estimated adult weight. I find neither of these very accurate.

When a pup comes into our house I start with 7% of their weight ON THAT DAY - as long as they are under 12 weeks of age. If they are older I start a little lower.

The trick is that a pup never grows the same each week. One week they may go through a major growth spurt and need ALOT more food and the next week they plateau and don't need as much.

I check the pup each week. I want a lean pup (but not too skinny). I want to be able to feel ribs when I rub their side but not see them.

Smaller breeds tend to eat more (percentage-wise) during their growth than larger breeds.

Raw fed pups grow slower - more evenly - than kibble fed pups.

With pups variety is VERY important. I try to give them as much variety in proteins as I can.

And, because I tend to be a bit paranoid, I use a basic multi-vitamin powder at half the recommended dosage - just to be sure they are getting all they need.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Thanks for the replies Ruq, Lauri and Angela! I give my dogs as much variety as available. Tripe is ok, I assume?
What about the oils, I give a salmon oil-1000mg cap and vitamin E-400iu to my older dogs.
I also give glucosomine1500mg/chrondriotin1200mg combination tab and vitamin C- 500mg(I know C is hard on the gut when starting it so wouldn't give this to the pup)
NOt sure when to begin the supplements and what I may be missing. Thanks again, all for the help.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

I also wean my pups right onto raw. I start with ground chickens and then add in ground turkey parts. I will introduce beef heart or burger, pork meat, free range eggs, yogurt, offal, canned fish and lamb heart. I don't grind these. By 8 weeks they are eating whole chickens, small turkey necks and then little by little they can deal with the denser bones from beef, pork, venison, and lamb. I don't supplement that much, but do use the salmon oil, 1000 mg caps and how much depends on their weight.


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

> Quote:
> Smaller breeds tend to eat more (percentage-wise) during their growth than larger breeds.


It seemed that I couldn't feed Meri (my 13" beagle) enough raw food. She'd eat a whole bison if I let her.









I did end up supplementing with kibble because it seemed like she was just powering down A LOT of food. Thanks Lauri for the info. I wish I had know then.... We learn as we go...


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

When do you reduce feedings to twice a day with a rawfed pup? I am still feeding 3x. I was thinking it is around 16 weeksish?


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## Amaruq (Aug 29, 2001)

I actually switched Jethro to 2 a days about 10 weeks. But my schedule and the rest of my Paq makes 3 a day feedings difficult. Not to mention MOST of the raw food I have access to is hard to split into 2 meals much less 3.







He gets training treats too between meals.


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## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

Ditto, Jet's brothers Jaxson and Jakob are on 2x a day. But biljac etc in between for training, lol


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## KCandMace (Apr 8, 2008)

We switched to 2x day at 6 months.


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## djpohn (Jun 27, 2003)

I switch at 8 weeks as it's hard to get the portion size right for 3 meals. I have wean ed several litters this way and raised other pups too.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

I usually go to 6 months.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I think waiting til 6 mos is doable and will feed 3x's til then...though we are doing scent box training in the am and pm, w/ kibble for the treats so this is a part of his meals. I put him up after the lesson, and then a bit later give him his raw meal. So far the digestion is doing fine on this mix. If it becomes a problem, I'll have to toss some ground mix into the scentbox area instead of kibble. Thanks all, for the great feedback!!


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

I used chicken necks chopped into small kibble sized pieces. Worked great.


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## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

I did that for Hardy for ob, lol Just make sure to take hand wipes with you!!


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## RavenSophi (Feb 23, 2009)

Lauri, I need advice. What supplements would you add to a RAW diet for a 6 month old puppy? Calcium? Anything else that is critical to the right growth rate etc? Anything that should be avoided? I've read so many contradictory views when it comes to calcium...help pleaaaaaase!

Joint supplement necessary?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I'm not Lauri, but when Onyx was 6 mos. I started her on a raw diet. She was in the middle of the first bout of Pano and the incompetent vet misdiagnosed it as HD(bad positioning x-ray). I immediately placed her on a glucosomine/chrondroitin supplement, then added fish oil, vit E, EsterC. She has been on it ever since, though not daily. I give it a few times a week. The others I give daily, unless they get a fish meal.


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## RavenSophi (Feb 23, 2009)

Thank you onyx'girl.


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