Puppies are essentially baby carnivores with specialised needs. Puppies naturally wean off their mother's milk at around 8-12 weeks of age. Wild dogs feed their young with prey animal carcases. In the wild, when young dogs are old enough (around 7-8 weeks old) they start to eat on their own whilst simultaneously decreasing the amount of milk they suckle from their mother.

Puppy feeding guide:

• Puppies should be fed a combination of both a high quality commercial puppy food and natural foods to ensure a balanced diet is provided
• Natural foods include fresh raw meat such as minced or diced up pieces of raw lamb
• Human-grade raw meat is preferable to pet meat as pet meat/pet mince/pet rolls often contain high amounts of preservatives that can be detrimental to the puppy's health           
• Cooked meat such as boiled chicken/lamb may also be offered. Please ensure there are no cooked bones, onions/onion sauces or other toxic substances present (see below)
• Tinned sardines in springwater; tinned tuna and tinned salmon may also be offered (take care with any fish bones). Please avoid feeding the one type of fish constantly
• Between four to six months of age puppies cut their permanent teeth and grow rapidly                                                                         
  
  • Introducing fresh raw meaty bones at around 12 weeks of age ensures they are chewing actively around the time their permanent teeth are erupting.
  • This chewing is important to alleviate "teething" issues and also provides several important health benefits including healthy teeth and gums; gastrointestinal and general health benefits
  • Raw bones should be introduced gradually. The bone must be large enough so that the puppy cannot fit the whole bone in its mouth or swallow the bone whole
  • Some examples include raw lamb ribs (not lamb chops though), raw chicken wings, raw lamb tail bones, raw lamb neck bones
  • Too many raw bones can cause constipation. One raw bone per week is generally well-tolerated
  • Always supervise your puppy when eating raw bones
  • Dogs ‘like’ bones very much and sometimes become protective. Do take care and discourage young children from approaching dogs that are eating
  • Avoid large marrow bones, T-bones, 'chop' bones eg lamb chops, large knuckle bones or bones sawn lengthwise as dogs may crack their teeth on these 
  • Never feed cooked bones as these can splinter and cause internal damage or become an intestinal obstruction
  • Please check with your vet that raw bones are suitable for your particular puppy (eg some puppies may have misshapen jaws and may have difficulty chewing on raw bones)
    
• A small amount of vegetable matter may be offered e.g. cooked pumpkin, carrots
• Provide access to grass (avoid chemically treated grass and toxic plants) - puppies will sometimes eat grass which may be a source of vegetable matter and nutrients
• Calcium powder supplements should not be given (unless directed by a veterinarian)
• Providing variety in the diet ensures that trace minerals and vitamins are provided. Restricting variety in a diet increases the chances of missing essential nutrients or providing too much of another nutrient which can lead to serious health problems.
• Please ensure fresh water is available at all times
• Puppies should be offered food at least 4 times per day to begin with, gradually reducing the number of meals as they grow (adult dogs should be fed at least twice per day)

• Do not feed the following: onions, garlic, chocolate, coffee or caffeine products, bread dough, avocado, grapes, raisins, sultanas, currants, nuts including macadamia nuts, fruit stones (pits) e.g. mango seeds, apricot stones, avocado stones; fruit seeds, corncobs; green unripe tomatoes, mushrooms; the one type of fish constantly, cooked bones; small pieces of raw bone or fatty trimmings