We often get asked how soon it is okay to start puppies on raw food. By far, the very best time to start feeding puppies high-quality raw foods is when they are still in the womb. Some studies suggest that conditions in the womb, including the mom’s diet, may be just as important as genetic factors for your dog’s long-term health and temperament.

People who want healthy, long-lived dogs should look for breeders who feed high-quality (not high-fat) raw diets to the bitch during pregnancy and who wean their pups on high-quality raw diets.

If you bring home a kibble-fed puppy, I suggest you introduce raw food slowly, but start right away. The most important time for good nutrition is when the puppy’s body and brain are developing which even for the brain continues right through the first few months after birth. 

Can Young Puppies’ Systems Handle Bacteria?

Some people may be concerned that a young puppy cannot handle the potential microbes in a raw diet. But dogs, especially puppies, live in a world full of microbes. Keep in mind that dirt contains billions of microbes, and any puppy that has ever gone outside has eaten so much dirt that its immune system can readily handle raw. In several recently published studies, researchers concluded that organisms like the billions of bacteria, viruses and worms that enter the body along with dirt spur the development of a healthy immune system. 

For example, whenever your puppy licks her pads, she consumes dirt. In just one gram of dirt (that’s 1/28th of an ounce), there are a billion microbes, and 500,000 multi-cellular animals. And it’s easy for a puppy to consume several grams of dirt when licking her pads.  As we all know, dogs often lick other areas that are full of microbes: microbes that help develop the dog’s immune system.

So start your puppies on quality raw diets as soon as you bring them home. It’s the most important time to feed the best foods you possibly can:  high-protein, balanced fats, which includes DHA, high-mineral and antioxidant foods. 

(See my previous blogs for information about balancing fats and including DHA, the most important nutrient for the pup’s developing brain.)

(For details and full explanations, see Steve’s new book, Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet, Healthier Dog Food the ABC Way, from Dogwise Publishing, 2009, and available at www.seespotlivelonger.com.)