I'm not a raw feeder, so I really don't know--but in general, I think, with a new puppy, you should give her a little bit of time to settle in and start to relax in her new home before making food changes. I'm sure some experienced folks will chime in.

 

I don't hesitate to go for broke with baby puppies - they haven't had enough time on the planet to become digestively accomodated to any diet, really.

One caution I would give you is that baby puppies are sometimes desperately hungry and unskilled at managing pieces of food. I am much more confidant feeding them either ground products (preferably whole ground meat/bone/organ products) or really large pieces that are challenging and cannot possibly cause choking.

You do want to know some stuff. Raw feeding can be done properly in a number of ways, and improperly in probably even more ways. If you have no experience with raw feeding, it might be wise to join a list or two (I am on RAW-lite on Yahoo, and we would LOVE to watch a Doberman puppy grow up!) and buy a decent book or two. You can do this now.

You also want to begin prowling now to locate resources for products, maybe network with other raw feeders in your area to discover where they shop (and if maybe you have access to a co-op). Having a dedicated dog freezer will make you life much easier - you can buy in bulk less expensively, take advantage of sales, etc. Having to shop all the time is inconvenient! In your waiting-for-puppy time, you can keep an eye on Craigslist and Freecycle for a freezer, if you don't have one.

Congrats on your impending addition, and congrats on deciding to feed what dogs really eat!

 

I agree with Melbrod. It's better to feed a puppy the kibble from your breeder at least for a few weeks... and then slowly move to raw feeding. I bet you don't want dog watery runs in your house.

You may start with chicken backs (no shoulders, no spices) or ground chicken with bones. Chicken is easily digestible and light meat but it lacks iron. Then you may add more "bloody" meat like beef or bison and add larger bones and organs.
Muscle meat/bones/organs ~ 80/10/10 that the ratio I use.

Don't forget about supplements. Puppies need calcium to grow.
Ground eggshells and bones are good source of calcium.

Do you know how important correct calcium/phosphorous ratio for a puppy?
READ AND LEARN before you start raw feeding.

 

Puppies will get PLENTY of calcium on a diet with proper proportions of meat/bone/organs. There should NOT be supplemental calcium! Too much calcium will lead to improper skeletal development. Chicken backs are O.K., but hardly balanced (too much bone, not enough meat); if chicken backs are fed, a good portion of just plain meat should be fed, as well. Eggs shell is fine, if it is in the context of handing a whole egg to the puppy (outside!).

 

If you are feeding meatmeals w/o bone and need calcium then you can definitly suppliment with eggshell you have crushed. You can just add it to the meat.

 

We got a new puppy this spring and started a raw diet from moment one. The boy is 9 months old now and looking great. There is no need to feed kibble, no need to feed supplements. Just make sure you are feeding a properly balanced diet by alternating sources of protein and ensuring the ratio of bone to meat to organ is correct (about 10-10-80). I agree with the earlier poster the Yahoo raw food forum is a great place to pick up lots of tips quickly, and I also agree with the other poster who encouraged you to feed large pieces that cannot be easily swallowed but must be chewed. I also agree with the poster who said you should start looking now for a good source or sources for the raw meaty bones. We have some fantastic sources here in CT, allowing us to feed everything from whole rabbit to turkey necks to pork shanks to mackeral...endless variety. Now just a couple of things we learned: if your puppy has diarrhea you are feeding him too much. Just throttle back on the quantity a bit until you get it right. Find a good spot outside where the puppy can eat so you don't have raw meat being dragged all over your house, or feed him in the crate which is then easy to wipe down. We wipe our puppy's chin every time he comes in after eating to avoid him getting those little bumps under his chin that dobermans are so famous for, and to keep the raw meat off of us and our furniture. The puppy should be fed three times a day until he is six months old, at which point you can switch to twice a day. Feed him roughly two percent of his anticipated body weight each day, which the breeder will be able to tell you. For us, that's about 2 1/2 pounds of food a day. The only supplements we give are fruit, and the boy loves crunching on his afternoon apple. Otherwise, he gets everything he needs from the raw food. One other thing is to make sure you are seeing a vet who approves and understands the raw food diet. There is no sense going to someone who is so out of touch that they don't encourage you and support you in this most basic of all good health efforts. Congratulations on making the wisest choice you can make for the health of your pup; I wish I read postings like yours much more often!

 

Research, research and MORE research....you can feed raw right from the get go...but YOU have to be comfortable with what you are feeding. My boys were started at 20 weeks and 14 weeks. They came to live with me at 10 weeks and 12 weeks old.

You have a ton of time now to read all you can. Once the puppy is here...your time will be his time!

 

Research, research and MORE research....you can feed raw right from the get go...but YOU have to be comfortable with what you are feeding.

I agree. It's perfectly safe and fine to go right to raw assuming you have done the proper research.

 

I feed my pups like my adults, they do get kibble but their pm meal is all raw, for the pups I take a hammer to the chicken backs, and then cut into a couple of pieces, they take to it no problem.

 

Thanks for all the replies and tips.
Have been reading about RAW diets over the last few days and will continue to do so.
Getting adequate varied supplies is not a problem. Just trying to decide where to feed the pup outside or indoors. Feeding whilst inside a crate could work. Will just have to wait and see when she arrives.

 

My older boy eats on a towel, and my puppy eats in a crate. I have towels just for their feedings.

 

Hi...
I just started to feed my 4 month old doberman raw diet 2 days ago ....ive read to feed 10% of his body weight when do i start feeding only 2-4% of ideal body weight ?

 

My current Doberman is seven years old and weighs 70#. I bought her when she was ten and a half weeks old and approximately 20#. She has eaten the same 2# of food a day from the day she arrived until today. When she was a baby, the 2# was about 10% of her body weight. Now that she's an adult, the 2# is about 3% of her body weight. She is pretty high-energy, and eats the same amount that my 90# laid-back male did.

The most important criteria is the condition of your puppy/dog. Ribs should be lightly covered with tissue and easily felt, and an adult dog should probably have the last couple of ribs on each side a little visible. You feed the amount which results in your animal being in proper condition, reducing or increasing food as necessary.