How Much Should You Feed Your Puppy A Complete Puppy Feeding Chart

Puppies cannot regulate vitamins and nutrients like an adult dog can, and puppies require a daily balanced diet. Biologically Appropriate Raw Food (BARF) model or Prey Model Raw (PMR) raw diets provide guidelines on items to include in a raw diet to provide essential nutrients and recommended calories for proper growth and development.

The ingredients included in a puppy’s raw diet need to be selected to ensure recommended allowances for essential nutrients are met daily.

Macronutrients for Puppies

Macronutrients are the first piece in nutrition where they are necessary for optimal health. There are three primary macronutrients which includes protein, lipids (fats), and carbohydrates. Each macronutrient is found in nearly all foods and supply calories for energy.

Recommended Daily Allowances for Macronutrients

Macronutrients are defined as a class of chemical compounds which are consumed in large quantities and provide the bulk of energy within the diet.

Protein

Fat

Carbohydrates

Water accounts for a large portion of the total amount of food ingested in a normal raw diet and does not provide any nutritional value. However, water is an essential nutrient necessary for optimal health.

Micronutrients for Puppies

Additionally, puppies have different micronutrient requirements in comparison to adult dogs. Puppies have higher requirements for amino acids, fats, vitamins, and minerals in comparison to adult dogs and these nutrients must be supplied in sufficient amounts in the diet.

Recommended Daily Allowances for Essential Nutrients

Nutritional Research Council (NRC) provides the following Recommended Allowances (RA) for puppies 14 weeks and older per 1000kcal consumed:

Essential Amino Acids

Essential Fatty Acids

Essential Fat Soluble Vitamins

Essential Water Soluble Vitamins

Essential Macro Minerals

Essential Micro Minerals

When combining recommended allowances for essential nutrients with raw feeding ratio guidelines, a balanced raw diet using whole foods can be achieved to supply a puppy with the appropriate nutrition to support optimal growth and development.

Raw Feeding Ratio Guidelines

A raw diet is divided into percentages, known as ratio guidelines, to provide an estimate on how much of each ingredient is needed. Ratios from BARF and PMR diets are guidelines for the amount of muscle meat, raw meaty bones, organs, vegetables, seeds, and fruit to include in a raw diet for a puppy.

Similar to maintenance percentages, raw diet ratios are to be used as a guideline when selecting ingredients and creating a raw diet. Once maintenance percentages are calculated, ratio guidelines can be determined.

Example 1

Puppy profile in english units:

6 Months Old

Large Breed

23 Pounds

1000 Calories

Estimated Caloric Need

22oz Intake

Estimated Daily Intake

Calculate ratio guidelines in english units:

Puppy PMR Ratios

22 x 0.69 = 15.2oz muscle meat

22 x 0.17 = 3.74oz edible bone

22 x 0.07 = 1.54oz liver

22 x 0.07 = 1.54oz other organ

Puppy BARF Ratios

22 x 0.58 = 12.7 oz muscle meat

22 x 0.17 = 3.74oz edible bone

22 x 0.07 = 1.54oz liver

22 x 0.07 = 1.54oz other organ

22 x 0.07 = 1.54oz vegetables

22 x 0.03 = 0.66oz seeds/nuts

22 x 0.01 = 0.22oz fruit

Example 2

Puppy profile in metric units:

6 Months Old

Large Breed

10.5 Kilograms

1000 Calories

Estimated Caloric Need

630g Intake

Estimated Daily Intake

Calculate ratio guidelines in metric units:

Puppy PMR Ratios

630 x 0.69 = 434.7g muscle meat

630 x 0.17 = 107.1g edible bone

630 x 0.07 = 44.1g liver

630 x 0.07 = 44.1g other organ

Puppy BARF Ratios

630 x 0.58 = 365.4g muscle meat

630 x 0.17 = 107.1g edible bone

630 x 0.07 = 44.1g liver

630 x 0.07 = 44.1g other organ

630 x 0.07 = 44.1g vegetables

630 x 0.03 = 18.9g seeds/nuts

630 x 0.01 = 6.3g fruit

Adapting Ratio Guidelines into a Balanced Diet

Ratio calculations provide a guideline on ingredients to include in a raw diet. Each ingredient provides essential nutrients to use when formulating a balanced raw diet for growing puppies.

Muscle Meat

The muscle meat portion of raw ratios assists in supplying protein, amino acids, fats, vitamins (water soluble B vitamins), and some minerals.

Raw Meaty Bones

The main role of the edible bone ratio is to supply calcium within a raw diet. Raw meaty bones provide muscle meat and edible bone which assists in supplying protein, amino acids, fats, and minerals (calcium and phosphorus).

Liver & Secreting Organs

The liver and other organ ratios assists in supplying protein, amino acids, vitamins (vitamin A and B vitamins), and minerals (iron and copper).

Vegetables, Seeds, Nuts, & Fruit

The vegetables, seeds, and fruit portion of raw ratios assists in supplying carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins (vitamin E and B vitamins), minerals (manganese and magnesium), and antioxidants.

CLOSING COMMENTS

Puppies lack the ability to regulate nutrients like adult dogs and require daily nutritional balance for essential nutrients. Since puppies require multiple meals a day, each meal does not need to be accurately balanced. However, the amount of calories and nutrients fed in one day must provide all essential nutrients necessary for optimal growth and development.

Macronutrients

Macronutrients should be met daily to ensure growing puppies are provided with a sufficient amount of calories for energy.

Micronutrients

Amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals are all essential nutrients necessary for optimal growth and development.

Raw Diet Ratios

The ratios for muscle meat, raw edible bone, organs, and plant ingredients provide a guide on which ingredients to select to include in a raw diet for puppies.

Raw diet ratios provide guidance on which ingredients and their amounts to use when formulating a diet for a growing puppy. However, it is important to note these are starting guidelines, these are not “rules,” and adjustments should be made to complete recommended allowances for essential macro and micronutrients.