Solutions for Puppies
A raw food diet for puppies is easy with Big Dog Pet Foods’ range of complete and balanced meals for puppies and dogs.
Big Dog raw food for growing puppies
Raw food is a great option for growing puppies! Aussie pet parents are turning to raw feeding as a natural and nutritious alternative to kibble to help their puppies grow into strong, healthy dogs that thrive. The Big Dog raw food range offers plenty of recipes suitable for puppies.
Ingredients that may support your puppy's growth
Big Dog recipes are made with high-quality, Aussie produce sourced from the human-supply chain to provide pets with fresh, raw meals that replicate their natural diet.
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Our team, along with trusted veterinarians and canine nutritionists, has created a wealth of educational resources to help pet parents make informed choices about their puppy’s diet to set them up to live their happiest, healthiest life.
A guide to raw feeding your puppy
This guide walks you through every step of introducing and feeding yourpuppy our raw meals, so you can nourish them with confidence from day one.
Health benefits of raw feeding
Want to see how your puppy will thrive on a raw food diet? Feeding your pet a food that resembles their natural, wild diet provides them with numerous health benefits so that they can live a happy, healthy life with you.
Raw Feeding your Puppy
Frequently Asked Questions
Whether you’re just starting your raw feeding journey or looking to make the switch to a more natural diet, we’ve got all your questions covered.
Can I feed my puppy Big Dog?
Yes.
If your puppy was weaned onto a raw food diet, you can generally transition straight to a 100% Big Dog diet. You can start them on any flavour from our core range (Beef, Chicken, Combo, Tasmanian Salmon, and Lamb.). Most people choose Chicken as it is highly palatable, especially when starting off on raw food for the first time. Alternatively, our Combo for Small Dogs diet may be most suitable for smaller pups. Our Raw Bites along with our Combo for Small Dogs recipes are minced more finely and is portioned into smaller sizes, which can help reduce wastage in the transition phase or in smaller breeds. Please be aware that our food will last about 2 days in the fridge once defrosted.
If your pup was weaned onto cooked or processed food (canned food, dry food or cooked rolls) then we recommend to introduce our food slowly. A raw food diet is very different to a processed cooked diet and any sudden change of diet can create stomach upsets and gradually transitioning helps to minimise this.
Please follow these guidelines, whilst monitoring your puppy’s stools. Loose stools are OK during the transitioning period, but do make sure there is no persistent, watery stools.
Day 1-3: 20% New Diet 80% Old Diet
Day 4-6: 40% New Diet 60% Old Diet
Day 7-9: 60% New Diet 40% Old Diet
Day 10-12: 80% New Diet 20% Old Diet
Day 12+: 100% New Diet
Just keep an eye on their weight to make sure you’ve got the feeding amount right – you’ll find our guide on our boxes and on each product page. This is a great starting point for feeding. Keep in mind that feeding guides are general and optimal feeding amounts may vary with age, size, breed, and activity level. Increase or decrease the amount your pup consumes daily to ensure a healthy weight is maintained.
A Guide To Raw Feeding Your Puppy
How often should I feed my puppy?
Puppies and kittens should be fed more regularly than adults.
A rough guide for your puppy or kitten would be:
2-4 months: 4 meals per day
4-6 months: 3 meals per day
6-12 months: 2 meals per day
Puppies and kittens require more food, more regularly than an adult dog or cat due to the amount of growing and developing they will be doing in the first 6 or so months of their lives. Making sure they get adequate nutrients regularly in this life stage is essential.
Allowing pregnant and lactating pets to feed as often as they want is ideal.
How do I transition my pet to your raw food?
We always recommend slowly introducing raw diets over 2 weeks. The reason for this is to minimise any potential for stomach upsets which can happen if a change in diet is sudden. Some pets will have no issues with a quick changeover in diet, however to be sure, we do recommend slowly introducing the new food.
Day 1-3: 20% New 80% Old
Day 4-6: 40% New 60% Old
Day 7-9: 60% New 40% Old
Day 10-12: 80% New 20% Old
Day 12+: 100% New Diet
Remember, there are no preservatives in our food so it will last only 2-3 days in the fridge once defrosted.