 Barked: Mon Feb 11, '13 4:56pm PST |
 | |  | | Prey model raw is 2-3% of expected adult weight, or up until around four months you can feed 10% of current weight, but I'm not sure it always translates the same for pre-mades. Don't those usually have feeding guidelines on the bag/box? The frozen and freeze dried raw products I've bought for the pet sitter to feed have had feeding recommendations on them, including for puppies.
Most people do three meals a day until six months, then switch to two until the dog is grown (or feed two for life if you prefer). I actually started with two a day, then switched to once a day at six months, but I believe smaller breeds are often fed more than once a day.
Balance over time is the goal, so I'd say it depends on how long it takes to go through each protein. I like to feed something different every meal, but some people will feed one protein several meals in a row, especially if they got a big score of something. Like Cookie said, red meat is more nutrient rich than chicken, so I probably wouldn't feed a puppy exclusivity chicken for too long.
I would go cold turkey straight to raw. As long as you're feeding a balanced raw diet, there's no reason to feed kibble unless you want to.
Raw meaty bones are wonderful with a puppy. Onyx would happily settle down for 45-60 minutes to work on a RMB and would tire himself out without any effort on my part. Any chicken bones, but also pig feet and ribs, are great. Even if they're a little big and not really edible for a puppy that small, as long as they hold the pup's interest, they're great for giving the human a break.
And to second Cookie again, do make sure you know how much bone is in the pre-made, especially if you're adding RMBs to it. Too much bone is not a good thing for a growing puppy, and some pre-mades are much higher in bone than they need to be.
ETA: Is Spring Meadows Natural Pet Food the pre-made you're using? I'm guessing that's where the 3-5% came from? That's not a range I've ever heard used in prey model raw (except for dogs that need more for than is the norm), which is why it's always a good idea to check the feeding guidelines provided by the company that makes the food. From what I'm seeing on their site, it's 3-5% of the puppy's current weight. They have a Feeding Calculator on their site.Edited by author Mon Feb 11, '13 5:11pm PST
|  |  | |  |
|
| my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals | [notify] |
1
It's a Mini Poodle if that helps size wise about things. I feed pre-made patties.
