Pet Grub

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This page provides information about making wholesome homemade dog food — but for *puppies* only. You will learn an easy, quick and simple method to feeding your puppies that will help provide them with a more wholesome meal.

If you have a mature dog, then please read the page that talks about how to make homemade dog food.

For those who have both dogs and cats in the house, then you may want to read the page that talks about how to make homemade pet food. This page provides an easy method of feeding both mature dogs and cats at the same time.

Information about homemade cat food and homemade kitten food is also available.

Feeding a puppy a wholesome raw meat diet is ridiculously simple. Not only that, but doing so will help your puppy grow up to be healthier than those that have not eaten a wholesome raw meat diet. If you are feeling overwhelmed with information — it's not uncommon. I have found that some people are tense or overwhelmed, not because this is difficult or anything like that, but because people are afraid to make errors. Thus they put extra pressure on themselves to get things perfect. The reality is, you will never create a perfect diet. All we can do is create a diet that is as close to perfect as the joy of chasing a cat is to extreme bliss!

Some of the information on the preceeding and following pages will overlap and repeat itself, but I am assuming that those with dogs will only read the page for dogs, those with cats will only read the page for cats and so on. But if you are curious and read all of the pages, then yes, there will be some overlapping. However, the repition will also reinforce the information.

This page talks about feeding ground meat as well as meat chunks. Personally, my preference is to feed meat chunks. You, however, can decide what's best for you and your puppy.

The pros and cons of feeding ground meat instead of meat chunks and vice versa was discussed at the beginning of Part 2 and also on the page that talks about how to prepare meat.

How to prepare ground meat and vegetables has already been explained on the second and third pages of Part 3. Read them again if you have to.

Assuming you have prepared the ground meat and finely chopped some vegetables already, do the following when it is time to feed your pets:

• Remove the containers of ground meat and finely chopped vegetables from the fridge.
• The following is a guide for you to use and is presented in a ratio format. Therefore, increase or decrease the amount needed based on the ratio.
• Please remember, this is only a general guideline. If you think your pet will need more specific guides, consult a holistic veterinarian that is familiar with a fresh food program.
• Mix 3 parts ground meat to 1 part finely chopped vegetables.
• Once you have the necessary amount of food in the bowl, add hot water until the food becomes the consistency of a thick stew.
• If you make the food too soupy, your pets probably won't eat it — thick is the consistency you want.
• The hot water takes the chill off the food, replaces the water naturally found in the prey, and volatizes the odour.
• Once you have added the hot water, then add other nutritional supplements.
  • Add the supplements after you have added the hot water. This way the hot water is not poured directly onto the supplements.
  • Although there are numerous beneficial pet supplements you can add to the food, the single most important supplement is a calcium supplement for pets.
  • A guide to pet supplements can be found in Part 1.
• Mix and serve.
• It's really that simple!
• Your puppy should decide when they have eaten enough and they should walk away with some food still left in the bowl. Read the page on how much to feed your dogs and cats for more information (found in Part 1).
• If you are feeding eggs, then the eggs replace the meat. Read how to prepare eggs for dogs and cats for more information on eggs.

The combination of food does not have to be accurate, just close. You can use a spoon, cup, or whatever you want to use for measuring based upon your requirements.

These are just guidelines.

Some puppies may like, need or want more meat or vegetables — give the body what it needs and the body will do the rest. Watch your carnivore friend as they will provide clues to what they need. Also, if on one day you are short of vegetables then don't worry about it as meat is the most important part of the meal.

The method of above is a basic and simple concept that can be modified based on your preference for doing things, your likes and dislikes, etc.

I do not suggest feeding meat chunks to puppies that are younger than 6 to 8 weeks of age. Each puppy will develop slightly differently, but a puppy should be at least 6 weeks of age before eating meat chunks. When the puppy is younger than this, ground meat should be fed. Ground meat more closely resembles the regurgitated food the mother would provide its puppies. It is at about 6 weeks of age that puppies really begin to be able to eat larger pieces of meat.

Feeding a puppy a wholesome raw meat is extremely simple. Feeding meat chunks is even easier. You can literally throw meat to your puppy and they will either catch it or eat it from the floor if they miss it. Of course, you can put the meat on a plate too, but don't you think that's rather boring! Anyway, feeding meat chunks to a puppy (or dog) is really simple. They inhale the food so quick that feeding them really only takes minutes (sometimes seconds)!

Of course, I don't suggest tossing finely chopped vegetables to your puppy or dog, for obvious reasons!

How to prepare meat chunks and vegetables has already been explained on the second and third pages of Part 3. Read them again if you have to.

Assuming you have the meat chunks already thawed in your fridge and some finely chopped vegetables ready to go, do the following when it is time to feed your pets:

• Remove the meat chunks and vegetables from your fridge at least 1 hour before feeding.
• The amount of meat you remove from your fridge will depend on how many mouths you are feeding and ultimately, how much they will (or can) eat.
• Add the supplements to the meat chunks.
• Although there are numerous beneficial pet supplements you can add to the food, the single most important supplement is a calcium supplement for pets.
• A guide to pet supplements can be found in Part 1.
  • Read the tips on the first page of Part 2 for some tips on mixing supplements in with the meat chunks.
• Let the food sit on the counter for at least 1 hour to remove the chill.
• If you don't have time to remove the meat and vegetables from the fridge at least 1 hour before feeding, that's okay. The only reason why this is done is to help remove the chill. But if you are in a rush and must feed the food cold, it's okay. It's not the end of the world.
• Remember, when letting the food sit on the counter that cats (and some dogs) have been known to eat the food before it's time to eat. So you might need to cover or somehow protect the food.
• One additional benefit of letting the food sit on the counter for about 1 hour before feeding is that your puppies can smell the food. This gets many puppies excited and so when it comes time to eat, they're ready to go. However, it's not difficult to get puppies excited about food. They are a growing body and they will be hungry and ready to eat.
• When feeding meat chunks to your puppy, put some meat chunks onto the plate and put some of the finely chopped vegetables to the side.
  • If your puppy does not eat the vegetables, then don't worry about it. Just feed your puppy only meat.
  • Unlike cats or kittens, puppies can't as effectively cut meat into the size they need for swallowing. A puppy can and will chew its food into a smaller size, but nowhere near as efficiently as a cat. If you sit and watch, you will observe cats are real experts at cutting through meat using their molars while dogs try to be experts. But in a puppy's excitement to eat their food, they are more likely to swallow a piece that might be too big for them.
  • For the most parts, dogs rip meat off their prey while cats cut meat off their prey. If you watch a wolf or coyote feast on its prey, then you will notice they sink their teeth into their prey and then begin pulling and ripping meat off their prey. Realizing that dogs can't cut their meat as well, I like to cut meat chunks into an appropriate size for puppies.
  • Puppies don't need really small meat chunks. They can, in fact, swallow relatively large pieces of meat. But if you notice your puppy is having to chew its chunks of meat before swallowing and is getting tired doing so, then that piece of meat is too big and you will need to cut it.
  • When the meat chunk is the right size, the puppy will just grab the meat, open the mouth and swallow — instantly gone like a magician's disappearing act.
  • If you are feeding a bull mastiff, don't feed it tiny meat chunks that are meant for a Chihuahua and vice vera.
  • Don't feed your puppy as if it is an human infant. A puppy doesn't need you to cut the meat up into super small sizes. Doing so will just waste your time. Puppies can swallow, relatively speaking, large pieces of meat.
  • When adding vegetables to your puppy's plate or bowl, for every 3 parts of meat, add 1 part vegetables.
• The combination of food does not have to be accurate, just close. You can use a spoon, cup, or whatever you want to use for measuring based upon your requirements.

Here are some variations on how to do the above things:

• Instead of using hot water to warm the food, you can quickly pan fry the ground meat and vegetables. However, the word is quick. You don't want to cook the meat although some may darken due to the heat. Instead of using oil to heat the meat, use water. But whatever you do, don't use the microwave.
• You can prepare enough finely chopped vegetables in advance and freeze in plastic bags or a reusable container of some kind. This way, instead of chopping vegetables every few days, you can chop a large amount, freeze and then thaw as needed.
• Although some people mix the ground meat and vegetables together and freeze combined, I personally still prefer to keep the meat and vegetables separate. This way, if your pet no longer likes, wants or craves certain meats and/or vegetables, then at least not all is wasted. Believe me, it's not uncommon for our pets to change their likes and dislikes based on the needs of their body.

Puppies, similar to kittens, need frequent meals during the day.

A puppy becomes a mature dog when it turns 1 year of age. However, large breed dogs take 2 year to fully grow. As a result, large breed dogs have a slightly different feeding plan to small breed dogs.

Small Breeds:

• Age
• Feedings Per Day

• 1 - 3 months
• 4 to 6 times per day

• 3 - 6 months
• 3 to 4 times per day

• 6 - 12 months
• 2 times per day

• 1 year and older
• once per day

Large Breeds:

• Age
• Feedings Per Day

• 1 - 3 months
• 4 to 6 times per day

• 3 - 6 months
• 3 to 4 times per day

• 6 - 12 months
• 2 times per day

• 1 - 2 years
• 2 times per day

• 2 years and older
• once per day

I realize, that for some, feeding puppies multiple meals per day is not possible. But if you can, really try to feed them their multiple meals. It really makes a difference. At the very least, feed your puppy 2 meals per day. Saying that, in some situations, what I have suggested to people is feed a meal in the morning, one meal immediately when you arrive home from work and then another meal just before sleeping. Although not ideal, it can help.

Ultimately puppies will reduce the number of meals they need naturally. You will notice that initially they may like or need 6 meals per day, then after a while, they will only want 5 meals, then 4 meals and so on. Your puppy will essentially loose interest in a meal as they get older. But initially, they will want frequent meals.

Feeding your pet the appropriate number of times when a puppy is crucial to allowing your puppy's body to develop fully and completely. When you feed a wholesome, natural, raw meat diet combined with the proper number of feedings per day, then you will notice that your puppy will develop much better than other dogs that have been fed a commercial diet. This is because your puppy will have received the proper nutrition to develop properly. Many pets today have cramped teeth, hip problems, joints problems and more — all of which can be prevented either partially or fully when good food is fed properly.

My guide is based on my own experiences. I watched how my pets responded to my feedings. Your puppies may be slightly different. Watch and respond — that's the beauty of wholesome homemade food for dogs and cats — you become an active participant in your pet's health and well–being and when you do, there is such joy — the joy of doing with love.

Remember, only large breed dogs should eat two meals per day from the age of 1 to 2. But once your large breed dog reaches 2 years of age, they too only need 1 meal per day.

If you forget how much to feed your puppy, please remember to read the page about how much to feed which can be found in Part 1.

Puppies are definitely cute until they begin teething! But they are still cute even when they begin to chew your favorite pair of shoes. Ho hum, we've all had an experience like this me thinks.