Dog & Puppy Feeding Guide
An adult dog needs around 2% of their body weight each day.
Puppies require around the following amount per day, split across 3-4 meals dependant on age. (This is a % of their current body weight, so ensure you weigh you puppy regularly as they will be growing fast!)
0-4 months Between 8-10% spread into 3-4 meals
4-6 months Between 6-8% spread into 3 meals
6-9 months Between 4-5% spread into 2-3 meals
9-12 months Between 2.5–3.5% spread into 2 meals (larger breeds mature 18 months +)
An adult dog requires 2%
Remember, you know your dog or puppy better than anyone. The above is only a guide and it depends on your dog’s activity level as to how much food they will ultimately require per day. Dogs with a very active/sporting/working lifestyle will generally require a larger daily amount than a senior dog, for example.
Note that larger breeds tend to stop growing at around 18 months – 2 years, so may require a higher % of food until maturity. Ensure you regularly check your pets body condition and adjust accordingly if required.
Cat & Kitten Feeding Guide
It is generally recommended that you feed between 2% – 4% of your cat’s ideal bodyweight, split into two or three meals a day.
Kittens should be fed 5-6% of their growing body weight until adulthood at approx 12 months of age.
Switching you Cat or Kitten to a raw diet:
Cats tend to be more fussy than dogs and are more sensitive to dietary changes. Do not give up, its generally a slow process! A good tip is that it is best to switch cats from a wet diet rather than dry as the textures are similar,
A good rule of feeding is 80% muscle meat, 10% offal and 10% bone, most cat foods are pre-prepared to this ratio. – Always ensure you cat is getting a source of taurine from its diet, this is easily found in heart or chicken thighs for example.
- Day 1 – 2: Mix 10% of raw food with your cat’s current wet food, its best to serve the raw at room temperature.
- Day 3 – 4: Increase the amount of raw food by another 10% and decrease the amount of the current wet food.
- Day 5 – 10: Apply this method until you have eliminated the need to mix the current wet food and raw, until your cat is solely eating raw.
Guide to feeding raw & transitioning your dog to a raw diet:
Aim to feed as many meat sources as possible, a good guideline is a least 5 proteins rotated & balanced out over time. The more variety you can give your dog the better, so have fun & experiment with tastes & textures. This ensures a healthy & balanced diet.
We offer a wide selection of ‘complete’ minces that follow this 80-10-10 guideline, this is what your pet requires on a daily basis and can be fed after the transition period. (Remember to feed as many proteins as possible as explained above)
The great veg debate: You can choose to add vegetables to raw meat if you wish, but if you do they are best absorbed & utilised by the dog if pureed. This is because their digestive enzymes struggle to break down the cellulose walls of plant fibres. We provide pre prepared veggies in store ready to add to meals.
To introduce your dog to raw, aim to feed mild, easily digestible proteins such as Chicken, Turkey or Beef/Lambs Tripe. – These are gentle on the digestive system & easy for your pet to handle in the first few days. Aim to feed boneless for the first few days, then move onto a meat & bone mince. You can then feed 80-10-10 completes once your dog has transitioned. If your pet struggles with loose stools on boneless, then go straight to meat & bone mince – Bone acts just like fibre, and is what bulks up the stool.
You can make the switch to raw straight away, there is no need to mix with their old feed (kibble is full of carbohydrates & thus slows the gut down, so this is mainly why we recommend not mixing to avoid tummy upset)
Raw fed dogs have much higher stomach acidity than kibble fed dogs. This is perfectly natural and assists them to digest meat, and especially bone. This can take time to build up, so avoid whole meaty bones for a few weeks to ensure your dogs stomach is well equipped to digest them. – Soft bones such as chicken wings or chicken carcass are an ideal introduction when the time is right. Always supervise when feeding bones of any sort.
Don’t rush the transition period, each dog is different & some take to their new diet quicker than others. Feed these gentle proteins for as long as needed until your dogs tummy is settled & ready for new flavours.
There are many to choose from, such as Beef, Lamb, Pork, Rabbit, Duck, Salmon, Oily Fish, Venison, Pheasant, Goat etc. – Experiment and see what your dog likes best!
Most of all – Enjoy your experience in giving your pet the best!
