At 5 weeks of age your puppy has been started on a diet that consists of raw meat with ground bone, muscles meat , and organ inclusion for optimal health! They continue to get nutrition from their mother’s milk until they are 8 weeks old to ensure proper development and for antibodies for a strong immunity. After 8 weeks of being on their mother’s milk and colostrum; Dogs of all sizes and breeds are genetically designed to digest raw meat protein with a small amount of fresh fruits and veggies. Canines fed a process- free diet develop appropriate bone structure, digestion, immunity, cognitive function, mobility, healthy coat, teeth, and will increase your dogs lifespan. Dogs fed a raw diet develop the appropriate joint and bone strength due to the naturally occurring magnesium, calcium, glucosamine, and chondroitin found in bones. Preventing joint issues such as arthritis and hip dysplasia as your dog ages.
On top of a variety of different raw meat sources, I also feed a selection of fruits, veggies, and natural supplements. Some of my favourite fruits/veggies I use are: Yams, pumpkin, beets, steamed spinach, and bananas. I add probiotics for gut health and digestion development. Probiotics also aid in nutrient absorption. I include hemp oil as a source of omegas for cognitive development, immunity, and natural parasite prevention. Lastly, I add turmeric as an overall vitamin and mineral source. Turmeric has many benefits such as: anti inflammatory properties, aids in mobility for seniors, increase in cognitive function/memory in seniors, parasite prevention, immune boosting properties, antioxidants, loads of vitamins and minerals, and overall longevity for your dog!
Puppies should be fed about 4% of their body weight in pounds per day. Plus a small amount of veggies/fruits you have prepared. Puppies grow at very fast rate from the time they are born until they are about a year old. You want to ensure that they are eating more calories than they are burning especially during their first year of life while they are developing. You want to keep a little bit of extra weight on your puppy until they are done growing. That way they have something to grow into. Once they are a year old you can start lowering their food intake to about 2% – 3% of their body weight. Depending on how active your dog is and how fast their metabolism is, you may find they require more or less food.
Dogs do not have the proper enzymes in their stomach to breakdown sugars, processed food, and grain. You will notice with dogs on a high sugar or processed feed diet that their teeth have plaque and tartar buildup. They will shed their coat a lot more, as there is much waste and filler not being absorbed by the body and is not nutrient dense so the body gets rid of it through shedding. They will have an oily coat, smelly poops and smelly breath.
Dogs on a raw meat diet do not drink nearly as much water as dogs on a processed diet. That is due to the naturally occurring moisture found in raw meat. Dogs on a processed diet are in a constant state of dehydration. When the processed food reaches their stomach it expands up to 5 times the size and absorbs the dogs moisture. When this expansion happens there is risk for bloat, which in serious cases results in an expensive surgery and sometimes death.
The best treats to give your dog are bully sticks and raw bones. Raw bones are going to keep your dogs teeth clean, while strengthening your dogs jaw, gums, and teeth and prevent plaque and tartar build up. Stick to bully sticks until they have their adult teeth (around 5 – 6 months of age) as bones have the ability to break fragile puppy teeth. Single ingredient treats are the best way to go! Some of my favourite single ingredient treats are made by Orijen or Puppy Love. Stay away from processed biscuits unless they are grain free. Stay away from rawhide! Rawhide expands up to 5 times the size once it reaches the dogs stomach and it’s also a risk for bloat. Rawhide is bleached and preserved with some very scary chemicals such as formaldehyde.