Puppy Diet

In response to a number of inquiries from people who have our dogs, the following is what we feed our puppies.  Once puppies are weaned we feed three times a day.

Young nursing puppies (approximately 2 to 3 weeks of age) are first fed raw ground beef round rolled to approximately the size of your thumb and fed by hand.  

When puppies are able to eat from a bowl (3 to 4 weeks) they are fed raw ground beef chuck mixed with water, evaporated milk, and baby rice cereal to thicken.  The consistency is like oatmeal. 

When puppies are being weaned (approximately 5 to 6 weeks) soaked dry food is substituted for baby rice cereal and the amount is gradually increased to roughly equal the meat portion.  Non-fat dry milk is substituted for evaporated milk.  A good natural dry food is recommended.*  We use Nutro Natural Choice  Large Breed Puppy controlled growth.

At 8 weeks of age our puppy diet (fed three times a day) consists of:

1/2 cup Dry Food - Soaked in warm water to soften

1/4 pound raw ground beef - High in fat content (25%)

1 tbs. non-fat plain yogurt  - in one of the meals

Mixed with warm water (after 8 weeks we eliminate the milk) 

Morning meal - add 1/2 Theragran-M (or equivalent) multi- vitamin  and 500 mg vitamin C (Ester C is preferred)

Noon - 1 tbs. Cottage cheese every other day

Evening - every other day 1/2 slice raw beef liver - or - 1 hard boiled egg - or - leftover vegetables (especially beans and carrots)

Note - Innova has probiotic cultures and cottage cheese already included.  
If you are using Innova, you can reduce the yogurt and cottage cheese.  

3 Months of Age - reduce feeding to twice a day

Morning and evening meal add an additional 1/8 lb of raw chopped beef  (adjust dry food based on appetite).

6 Months of Age - Change to our Adult Dog Diet 

*Suggestions include Innova or California Natural from Natura Pet Products, Inc., Lick Your Chops from Integrated Pet, Inc., and others.   A more readily available dry food would be Nutro Natural Choice, from Nutro Products, Inc.  (Direct links to a number of natural dog food manufacturers' websites are included on our Adult Dog Diet page).

Our concerns with most commercial dry foods, include the high amount of filler such as soy, corn, or other grains, and numerous other ingredients (such as by products, sugar, beef tallow, animal digest, etc.), and the preservatives which are added to extend shelf life.

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