Moving a puppy onto a raw diet is a very common concern among vets and pet parents, as they are concerned it may lack calcium for growth or provide enough protein, in addition to other essential nutrients. However, you can certainly make the switch. What’s critical is to ensure you’re feeding the right diet. Sadly, not all raw diets are created equal, and some may not be appropriate for your puppy.

Certain vets will suggest waiting until a puppy is 6 months old before switching to a raw diet, but you do not need to hold off if you’re buying from a reputable supplier who can provide appropriate food for their life stage.

I recommend starting with a raw mince formulated with puppies in mind, as it will typically have finer bone content and will be easier on smaller breeds’ digestive systems. As a guide, we can look at what an 8-week old pup would have eaten in the wild pre-domestication. At this stage, a puppy definitely wouldn’t be hunting. Instead, they’d be eating the food their mother chewed and regurgitated for the litter. They’d also be playing, snuffling around, and investigating the carcass remains as their teeth came in and the desire to chew fired up. We can learn from and, to a certain degree, replicate this diet when feeding today’s puppies, hence starting with a raw mince.

The best raw diet for puppies will also be complete and balanced, designed to stimulate healthy growth and development. If you are unsure whether a company provides a complete raw diet for puppies, ask them! A good company should be happy to answer any questions they get on their food.

Transitioning to a raw diet for puppies

There are 2 ways to shift to a raw diet for puppies:

1. A straight swap 

If you’re feeling brave, you can safely make the swap right away to a raw diet for puppies in mince form, kicking off a new day with their new raw diet. 

2. A gentle transition

Want to take things more slowly? Hug’s raw puppy food is the ideal introduction to a raw diet. Unlike most puppy foods, it’s cookable, so you can gently acclimatise your pup to raw food by adding it cooked to their kibble. (I do not recommend cooking any type of raw that contains bone). Likewise, while fresh veggies and raw meat tend to be a hit, some pooches may be resistant to change or have health concerns that need factoring in, such as digestive issues. In cases such as these, we recommend a gradual transition to a raw diet.

Begin by feeding half of their morning meal as cooked Hug mince. If all is well the following morning, feed the whole morning meal as cooked mince.

After you have shifted your pup to a raw diet, their poop should become firmer, and there will be less of it. If your young’un is a little more sensitive to change and passes softer stools, pause at just one cooked meal or half-cooked meal per day until they’re passing solid stools. From here, wait a day or two, then gradually replace their second meal of the day with cooked mince until you are serving both meals cooked.

At this stage, if you’re happy cooking the food, continue doing so. Alternatively, you can reduce cooking time over a week until you’re serving the food entirely raw. Once your pooch is eating their meals 100% raw, you can switch to traditional raw with bone or stay on the cookable raw puppy food.

Formulating your own raw diet for puppies requires specialist knowledge, especially for those with large or tiny breeds. Rather than going DIY, I recommend consulting a nutritionist or professional for a plan, as things can easily go wrong. You also need to be careful of certain types of bones with puppies until they have all of their adult teeth, so this can restrict available options when DIY feeding in the early months.

The focus needs to be on delivering a bone content of approximately 10%, in addition to ensuring that meals are calorie-dense enough to meet energy and growth requirements. Like I mentioned before, not all diets are created equal, and regardless of the type of food you wish to feed, a poor and imbalanced diet can cause lots of problems!

How much should I feed my puppy?

Unsurprisingly, puppies expend a lot more energy than adult dogs as their bodies and minds continuously grow and develop. Due to this, they need a lot more food, up to around 6-8 months of age. Once they’ve reached adult size, they can drop down to a daily allowance of roughly 2-3% of their body weight.

Although it may seem like quite a lot of food when switching your puppy to a raw diet (especially if you previously fed dry food), it is needed!

I hope this helps and your pup enjoys their new raw lifestyle!

Katie x

In other words, raw feeding cats is feeding them as nature intended – it’s better for their long-term physical and mental health. 

The catch? You need to persuade your resident feline to make the change. Lovable but often aloof, foodies but often fussy, cats can be reluctant to adopt new diets. Think of it as a bit like trying to convince a teenager to pick a lovely salad over a takeaway.

Here’s your guide to making the move. 

Raw feeding kittens

In our experience, you’ll have more success raw feeding cats if you serve raw meals from day one. 

When transitioning an adult cat to raw, the hurdle comes in the form of suspicion ‘why is my pet parent suddenly feeding me different food?’ To us, this makes little sense: why be concerned about being offered a better quality diet? But felines are what we call neophobic, which means they’re fearful of anything new! 

As solitary hunters, cats don’t hunt as part of a pack. To survive, they need to be self-preserving, remaining fit and strong with well-honed hunting skills – after all, they depend on themselves and no-one else to bring home the next meal. Being cautious about new foods ensures they don’t make themselves unwell – and therefore vulnerable – by eating rotten meat or poisons. 

Kittens aren’t used to a set diet in the early stages, so they’re far likelier to accept a raw diet. If you have a young kitty, now is the perfect time to kick off raw feeding.

Setting the scene

To ease the transition to raw feeding cats, you need to set the scene a bit. 

Unsurprisingly, cats also like to eat alone, in a quiet, safe place. With this in mind, strategically place their bowl – perhaps on a high surface or in the most peaceful room in the house. 

Felines can be really picky about the bowl, too. Go for a saucer-shaped one to avoid contact with the whiskers, opting for ceramic or melamine for best results. Raw feeding cats little and often is ideal, as felines prefer to eat around 2-15 times a day.

The question of texture

The impact of texture on the feline appetite has been well-researched, so it’s another big factor to consider when raw feeding cats.

Mogs can be turned off by kibble’s shape alone, and texture preferences vary from cat to cat. Some prefer cooked meals, some are happy with minces, while others prefer chunks or ripping the meat from a chicken wing. The latter instinct can be beneficial for swaying these natural hunters towards raw dining. 

Many cats will eat kibble, then happily go out and eat a freshly caught mouse or bird. We need to transfer that psychology to the bowl. Feeding raw cat food at body temperature (37°C) may help tempt your cat – but do serve it as freshly as possible, as any oxidation will put them off. 

Raw feeding cats – it’s a waiting game

When making the change to raw feeding cats, it’s always worth simply offering a raw meal to see how your cat responds, as an avid hunter or kitten may just get stuck in. 

If your cat is on a dry diet, a good first step is to introduce a wet diet as a precursor to raw. There is a considerable change in texture between dry and tinned food, so take it slow. Mix a teaspoon per meal of wet food to their current dry diet, and add an extra teaspoon every 3-5 days if all is going well.

However, more often than not, it’s a waiting game. You need to be invested for the long term, and it’s not unusual for the transition to take many months.

In the early stages of the move, you can expect your feline to sniff the new food. They are then likely to hesitate, take their time, and will not rush to tuck in. Cats also change their minds, maybe touching with their tongue or taking in one or two bites. 

Next, apply the same strategy to the raw cat food, gradually adding it to the wet diet. Add a teaspoon into the regular ration, adding one extra teaspoon every 3-5 days if your cat is eating it without issues. If your friend doesn’t accept the new addition, just place the teaspoon of raw food to the side of their normal ratio – just being next to the new food is enough, to begin with. 

Cooking before you run

Stuck at square one – or worried your cat wouldn’t even sniff at raw? Don’t fret: we have the perfect solution. Get cookin’. 

A great way to ease into raw feeding is to serve meat cooked, mixing it in with your feline’s current meals. After they’ve grown used to cooked meat, gradually decrease the cooking time before each meal, eventually serving it raw, or, if your cat prefers cooked food, just keep on cooking!

It is important to note that you should not cook any raw diet that contains bone. Our completely cookable range gives you the best of both worlds, as it remains a complete diet, whether fed raw or cooked.

You may find it hard getting past a certain level or need to take a step back if there isn’t any success. Remember to keep raw cat food ultra-fresh, only defrosting very small amounts in your fridge and throwing away any that remains after 2 days. 

Please note: do not let your cat starve herself during the transition. Those who refuse raw food will not give in, even if they are hungry. This can cause feline hepatic lipidosis (liver failure). Transitioning at a rate your cat is comfortable with is vital, whether it takes weeks or, in some cases, months!

Raw feeding cats – worth it

Yes, the move to raw takes time, effort, and, sometimes, a bit of cunning, but boy, is it worth it. 

The benefits of raw feeding cats (and dogs) fresh whole foods have been demonstrated time and again. If you’re able to persuade them to eat like their pre-domesticated selves, you’ll be doing them a huge favour in the long-run. 

We’re always here to support pet parents, so don’t hesitate to contact our friendly team of experts if you need any guidance. 

Week 1 is all about settling in – snuggles, play, toilet training, and sleep. But once your pup’s feeling at home, you can start thinking about introducing their new diet.

We know it’s nerve-wracking: your little friend is just beginning to calm down, so you don’t want to risk an upset or empty tum. Good thing we’re puppy experts here at Hug.

In this piece, we’ll give you step-by-step guidance on transitioning puppies to a different diet, whether you’re opting to feed raw puppy food, cooked meals, or a dry alternative.

Going from one dry puppy food to another…

If you’re switching from one dry puppy food to another, the changeover is straightforward.

Simply introduce their new food slowly into the bowl over ten days, gradually increasing the new to old food ratio until you’re only feeding the new food. Even if this is the same kind of food you were feeding previously, do check feed quantities as recipes differ in calorie and fat content.

Switching to raw puppy food

What about moving from kibble to raw puppy food? As a guide, we can look at what an 8-week old pup would have eaten in the wild pre-domestication.

At this stage, a puppy definitely wouldn’t be hunting. Instead, they’d be eating the food their mother chewed and regurgitated for the litter. They’d also be playing, snuffling around, and investigating the carcass remains as their teeth came in and the desire to chew fired up.

We can learn from and, to a certain degree, replicate this diet when feeding today’s puppies. Raw mince formulated with puppies in mind is a great starting point, as it will typically have finer bone content and will be easier on smaller breeds’ digestive systems. The best raw puppy food is also complete and balanced, designed to stimulate healthy growth and development.

There are 2 ways to move your pup onto a raw diet:

A straight swap 

If you’re feeling brave, you can safely make the swap right away to raw puppy food in mince form, kicking off a new day with their new raw diet. 

A gentle transition

Want to take things more slowly? Our raw puppy food is the ideal introduction to a raw diet. Unlike most puppy foods, it’s cookable, so you can gently acclimatise your pup to raw food by adding it cooked to their kibble.

Begin by feeding half of their morning meal as cooked Hug mince. If all is well the following morning, feed the whole morning meal as cooked mince.

After switching to a fresh, whole food diet, your puppy’s poop should become firmer, and there will be less of it. If your pup’s a little more sensitive to change and they pass softer stools, pause at just one cooked meal or half-cooked meal per day until they’re passing solid stools.

From here, wait a day or two, then gradually replace their second meal of the day with cooked mince until you are serving both meals cooked.

At this stage, if you’re happy cooking the food, continue doing so. Alternatively, you can reduce cooking time over a week until you’re serving the food entirely raw. Once your pooch is eating their meals 100% raw, you can switch to our traditional raw with bone or stay on our cookable raw puppy food.

DIY raw puppy food

Making your own raw puppy food requires specialist knowledge, especially for those with large or tiny breeds. Rather than going DIY, we recommend consulting a nutritionist or professional for a plan, as things can easily go wrong.

The focus needs to be on delivering a bone content of approximately 10%, in addition to ensuring meals are calorie-dense enough to meet energy and growth requirements. 

How much should I feed my puppy?

Unsurprisingly, puppies expend a lot more energy than adult dogs as their bodies and minds continuously grow and develop. Due to this, they need a lot more food, up to around 6-8 months of age. Once they’ve reached adult size, they can drop down to a daily allowance of roughly 2-3% of their body weight.

You can see in the feeding chart below how we calculate portions during that vital first year:

(Calculator here)

Many commercial kibble brands manipulate the calorie density of puppy food. Not so with our raw and cold pressed puppy ranges, which only contain premium, bioavailable ingredients that deliver optimal nutrition as nature intended.

A balanced lifestyle

There are also plenty of ways to work healthy snacks into your pup’s day – just remember to factor them into the daily ration.

Freezing raw food in a kong can keep curious young’uns occupied and complements their natural urge to chew the day away.

You can also feed our cold pressed recipes in tandem with Hug raw puppy food. Our tasty cold pressed puppy food makes for excellent training treats and scent work – you can also feed it as one (or both) of your pup’s meals. Packed with top notch protein, veggies, and prebiotics, it’s rich in omega-3, critical for robust joint and brain development.

Help, Hug-style

Whether or not you choose to feed Hug puppy food, we’re here to help ensure your pup’s nutritional needs are properly met. If you’re looking for reliable advice, get in touch with our friendly team of experts. We’ve got this. 

Firstly, it’s really important to make sure she isn’t off her food because she is unwell or in pain. Your vet will be able to establish this for you by giving her a check over. Now let’s dive a little deeper…

It’s interesting to hear she’s an anxious dog, because fussy eaters often have anxiety issues, and the two are not unrelated. The mind and the digestive system are very much connected, which is why we feel butterflies when we’re nervous or excited.

There are several factors to think about when trying to reignite her interest in food – and combat stress. Just like us, each canine is unique, so sorting the right food for fussy dogs requires time and patience. 

Here’s a good place to start:

Food for fussy dogs: the where, how, what & who approach

Where is she fed? 

Many dogs prefer to eat away from other household members (humans and animals alike) if given a choice. Fear of their food being stolen can lead some pooches to retreat to a quieter (and perhaps darker) place to enjoy their meal.  As a result, bowl positioning is a crucial element to consider when putting down food for fussy dogs. Be mindful of where you serve your Dachshund’s meals, and try to pick a secluded, peaceful spot away from household traffic. 

How is she fed?

A large bowl of food can feel overwhelming to anxious dogs. Try small meals – even a teaspoon of food – to begin with. Move away from the meal mentality and think of unusual ways to nourish your dog.

This could include:

• Using food as treats to reward good behaviour at home and on walks. 
• Sometimes making her work for food by carrying out simple commands such as sit and stay – this helps build a sense of excitement around rewards as pooches love to please.
• Some dogs enjoy chewing food so you could try using a Kong or a raw meaty bone as an additional substitute. 
• Hiding food around the garden or on a local walk that they ‘incidentally’ discover! This is a sneaky way to get in some extra calories.

You’d be surprised how much of the day’s food allowance can be given using the tactics above. 

What are you feeding?  

As well as flavour, think about texture and temperature when sorting out food for fussy dogs. Just like us, every dog is different, with different tastes. Some prefer chunky food over minced meals; some opt for dry food over wet. Although we know it’s essential to feed a balanced diet, remember that dogs are mammals who have evolved to eat a variety of foods as the seasons change.

In fact, you can happily feed a variety of complete meals – there’s no need to stick to one go-to recipe. Purchasing small amounts of one flavour or type of food helps you avoid waste, and helps your hound avoid mealtime frustration: this is one of the reasons we offer a variety of recipes, from cold pressed to raw, and our raw food can be served as is or safely cooked. 

Who is around at feeding time?

Canine behaviour can be very subtle, so it’s useful to put yourself in her paws and think like a dog for a moment.  Our own anxieties around dinnertime can inadvertently exasperate dogs’ picky eating habits. Pups may view your behaviour (or that of another resident cat or dog) as an act of intimidation, and, subsequently, their desire to tuck into a meal can significantly deplete. 

One of these behaviours involves looking directly at your dog. Canines see this as predatory behaviour and, if they’re submissive by nature, this can put them right off their food. Try to leave your dog alone when you offer her food, or try changing who is in the room; remove other dogs or bring them in, as sometimes the competition spurs them on to join in and eat.

Food for fussy dogs: an individual issue

The food for fussy dogs dilemma is highly dependent on the pup in question – their unique needs, their personality, their tastes, and more. Getting to the root cause is a case of trial and error, one you can start tackling with some of my suggestions.

A good behaviourist will be able to help as well, and there are some excellent anxiety-busting products in our range, such as our Calming Blend.

I hope this advice helps and she finds her joy for food again soon. 
Katie x

This is the story behind the creation of Hug’s cookable raw pet food range. It’s the only one out there, and we’re pretty proud of it.

The raw vs kibble debate

It started years ago. As our careers progressed, we became increasingly aware of the benefits raw whole food diets offer pets. Each one of us kept returning to the same old question: ‘Why are we told kibble is the best option?‘

Others were asking themselves the same thing. The raw industry sprang up and grew quickly, but, critically, it lacked relevant legislation around balance and safety. Quite rightly, vets questioned (and still question) the nutritional balance and pathogen content of raw diets, and many a passionate debate was sparked regarding the appropriateness of raw feeding pets.

As a rising number of owners chose to raw feed their pets, we became ever more frustrated that vets couldn’t see past the risks of raw. Crucially, this led to a lack of education on raw nutrition in vet clinics, and pet parents were often better informed than the professionals themselves. Ultra-processed kibble continued to be the default recommendation.

Raw like never before

We didn’t feel it was fair that the dogs and cats were missing out on high-quality, species-appropriate pet foods – ones designed to improve their lives, not merely sustain them. That’s why we decided to create our own bone free, cookable raw pet food, made from natural, human-grade ingredients. Simple, healthy recipes, as nature intended. 

We knew many owners wouldn’t feel confident feeding a raw diet, and we understood their safety concerns. We also knew some pets (or pet parents) might have health concerns that made feeding raw food unfeasible. Our answer? To provide all the goodness of a raw diet while resolving the hotly discussed issues: balance, bacteria, and bone content. That way, nobody needed to miss out. 

We put our extensive experience into practice and developed an incredibly exciting, versatile whole food range for pets – one that can be served raw or cooked. But… how did we pull it off? 

The bone issue

Let’s start with the bone issue. There are many horror stories of bone causing ruptured intestines and blockages in pets’ digestive systems, leading to hospitalisation or, worse, surgery. The presence of bone in raw recipes also prevents owners from cooking their pets’ meals, as bone can become brittle and hard to digest once cooked. To remove the risk once and for all, we took bone out of our cookable recipes and replaced it with natural sources of calcium, plus tasty veggies. 

Calcium in bone comes in the form of calcium hydroxyapatite; as canines and felines evolved, this was their primary source of calcium, and, therefore, it’s always the preferable option.

The second most readily available source of calcium is calcium carbonate; this is the most common form of calcium in pet foods. Calcium hydroxyapatite isn’t available as a registered supplement in pet foods, so we include calcium carbonate and other naturally occurring minerals in our bone free pet food. By doing this, we properly replaced the goodness that’s naturally delivered by bone. The addition of seasonal veggies helps cultivate well-formed, non-smelly faeces – a well-known perk of raw feeding your pet! Just thought we’d mention that.  

Addressing the bacteria concern

But what about the bacteria? For decades, the public has been educated about the risks of handling and eating raw meat – and with good reason. E. coli, Salmonella… you know the score, and it’s serious. 

Unsurprisingly, many people are against the idea of storing raw meat in the fridge and feeding it to pets – especially if they have children in the home. However, using top-quality, human-grade meat and correctly storing it can dramatically reduce the risk of contamination. We only source our meat from ethical suppliers who share our high standards of quality and hygiene, plus there’s no green tripe hiding in our food, so it’s fine to store in your fridge or freezer.

And we go one step further…

Bone free pet food you can cook!

Still not keen on raw? No problem. The absence of bone in our cookable meals allows you to safely cook them, eliminating concerns around contamination. If you, your pet, or a family member is immunocompromised, cooking food keeps the risk of bacterial exposure as low as possible. 

You can heat through Hug’s cookable pet food range as much or as little as you wish, without ever having to touch any raw meat – our packaging is suitable for the microwave. All it takes is a few minutes’ heating, then, hey presto, it’s ready (please check the temperature before serving). Warming the food also increases palatability, making it irresistible to your pet – ideal if they’re fussy or struggle with a low appetite. 

Alternatively, we also offer a premium cold pressed range and a working dog range that is served raw.

So, that’s the story behind our cookable raw pet food range. It’s the only one of its kind, and, if we say so ourselves, it’s exactly what every pet deserves. 

Got any questions or concerns? That’s what we’re here for.