Feeding guide for healthy puppies
With CompleteMe Puppy
Make balanced and nutritious food for your growing puppy at home, quickly and easily.
Choose the proteins, vegetables, and other ingredients you would like to use with our new, flexible feeding guide.
Produces 1 kilogram of food, which can be portioned and frozen.
Ingredients
500 grams of raw boneless meat (2-7% fat)
(please see our feeding guide below for recommended meat types and cuts)
300 grams of whole grains or starchy vegetables
(choose from sweet potato, quinoa, potato, oats, rice, pasta, couscous, barley or potato)
180 grams of colourful vegetables and fruit
4 teaspoons of omega-6-rich oil
(choose from hempseed oil, walnut oil, rice bran oil, sesame oil, canola oil, or flaxseed oil)
40 grams of CompleteMe Puppy
Optional:
25 grams of raw offal
(choose from liver, kidney, spleen, tripe, gizzards, or lung)
1 mL (or 1 x 1000 mg capsule) of omega-3-rich oil
(choose from fish oil, krill oil, or marine algae oil)
0.5-1 tablespoon of any of the following:
Bone broth, fresh herbs, miso paste (max 1 teaspoon), natural yoghurt, kefir, chia seeds or ground flaxseeds (max 1 teaspoon), or fermented vegetables (no chilli or garlic).
Directions
Ingredients can be cooked separately, as per the instructions below, or together in a slow cooker.
- Gently pan-fry the diced meat (and offal, if using) with 50 mL water until cooked.
Omit this step if you would prefer to use raw meat. - Steam or microwave the chopped vegetables until soft.
- If using grains, cook as per the manufacturer's instructions.
- Combine the cooked meat, cooked vegetables and grains, diced fruit, and oil and mix well.
- Allow to cool then add 40 grams of CompleteMe Puppy and mix again.
- Portion and refrigerate, or freeze as desired.
If using a slow cooker: add the meat, vegetables, and any grains to the pot, with enough water or broth to cover everything. Add more water if needed during cooking. When cooked, combine food (including any liquid from the pot) with 40 grams of CompleteMe Puppy, and oil, and mix well.
Storage and safety
Do not add to any commercial dog food, or use with any other nutritional supplements (containing vitamins and/or minerals).
For raw meat, freeze for 10 days before use to destroy parasites like Toxoplasma. In areas with Trichinella, please freeze pork for 3 weeks before use.
Larger batches can be made and frozen for convenience. Keep refrigerated food for 3 days, and frozen food for 3-4 months. Please discard any uneaten food after 30 minutes.
Feeding guidelines
Puppies have very different energy requirements based on their size, age, body condition, and activity level.
Toy/mini breeds (adult weight <5 kg)
- 1-2 months-old: 100-330 g
- 3-4 months old: 150-550 g
- 5-6 months old: 240-650 g
- 7-8 months-old: 230-700 g
- 9-10 months old: 120-500 g
- 11-12 months old: 110-350 g
Small breeds (adult weight 5-10 kg)
- 1-2 months-old: 200-600 g
- 3-4 months old: 250-800 g
- 5-6 months old: 350-1100 g
- 7-8 months-old: 450-1200 g
- 9-10 months old: 250-900 g
- 11-12 months old: 220-600 g
Medium breeds (adult weight 10-25 kg)
- 1-2 months-old: 350-800 g
- 3-4 months old: 450-1300 g
- 5-6 months old: 600-2000 g
- 7-8 months-old: 800-2200 g
- 9-10 months old: 440-2000 g
- 11-12 months old: 350-1100 g
Large breeds (adult weight 25-45 kg)
- 1-2 months-old: 450-900 g
- 3-4 months old: 650-2500 g
- 5-6 months old: 1000-3200 g
- 7-8 months-old: 1300-3600 g
- 9-10 months old: 1000-4000 g
- 11-12 months old: 750-3700 g
- 12-14 months old: 700-2500 g
- 15-16 months old: 700-1800 g
Giant breeds (adult weight 45-80 kg)
- 1-2 months-old: 600-1500 g
- 3-4 months old: 1300-3300 g
- 5-6 months old: 2000-4100 g
- 7-8 months-old: 2200-4500 g
- 9-10 months old: 2500-5500 g
- 11-12 months old: 2300-6000 g
- 12-14 months old: 1300-6700 g
- 15-16 months old: 1100-6000 g
- 17-18 months old: 1000-5800 g
- 19-20 months old: 1000-4500 g
- 21-22 months old: 1000-3500 g
- 23-24 months old: 1000-2800 g
Feeding quantities are estimates, and are based on fresh food which contains significantly higher moisture than dry food.The energy density of the diet will also change depending on the ingredients you select (lower fat = less energy dense = more food is needed).
We recommend feeding multiple meals per day, depending on age. Using puppy growth charts can be helpful in monitoring for too rapid or stunted growth. Discuss with your veterinarian ways to ensure your puppy is growing at their optimal rate.
Learn how to quickly body condition score your puppy here.
Nutritional information
Food made as per the instructions above is complete and balanced, and is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for growth/all life stages including growth of large-size dogs (70 lbs or more as an adult).
It is not suitable for dogs with medical conditions. For adult dogs, we recommend CompleteMe Canine and its flexible feeding guide.
The average kcal/gram for the diet is: 1.25 kcal/gram
The average protein for the diet is:
41% on a dry matter basis
80-105 g per 1000 kcal ME
The average fat for the diet is:
14% on a dry matter basis
30-48 g per 1000 kcal ME
The average phosphorus in the diet is:
0.9-1.1% on a dry matter basis
2.5-2.8 g per 1000 kcal ME
The average calcium in the diet is:
1.4-1.6% on a dry matter basis
3.0-3.5 g per 1000 kcal ME
The average calcium to phosphorus ratio is 1.4-1.6:1
All possible combinations are high in protein, high in moisture, and high in fibre, antioxidants and omega-3.
FAQs
What meats can I use?
A large number of meats and cuts can be used with CompleteMe Puppy. Variety is important; we strongly recommend feeding a range of different meat types and cuts. Don't exclusively feed very lean meats. 5% fat is a good everyday choice, with occasional higher and lower fat meats as well. Try to include different textures as well, for example, chunks, small strips, mince, etc.
- Poultry:
Skinless and boneless chicken thigh, drumstick or breast, mince (2-3% fat), gizzards, hearts (fat trimmed off)
Skinless and boneless turkey or duck breast or turkey mince (6% fat) - Pork:
Lean pork mince or diced pork loin with 5% fat, rump steak (trimmed) - Lamb, beef, goat, or venison:
Extra-lean diced lamb or goat meat (including heart or tongue) with 5% fat
Lean venison fillet or steak (e.g. shoulder, backstrap, rump eye, leg steak)
Extra-lean (5 star) beef mince, gravy or chuck beef with 5% fat, blade, round or rump steak (fat trimmed off), eye fillet or topside roast or steak (fat trimmed off)
Lamb or beef heart (fat trimmed off) - Game meat:
Lean kangaroo mince or steak with 2-3% fat
Wild or farmed boneless rabbit or hare meat
Emu fan fillet, full rump or flat fillet (1-5% fat)
Wild boar backstrap, boneless leg, or loin chops
Crocodile, tail or leg meat (2-5% fat)
Horse, steak or fillet (3-5% fat)
Buffalo, very lean steak or fillet (5% fat)
Which vegetables and fruits are safe for puppies?
For vegetables, try pumpkin, sweet potato, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, green peas, carrot, zucchini, squash, spinach, kale, turnips, parsnips, watercress, Asian greens, mushrooms, tomato, capsicum or cabbage.
Both fresh and frozen vegetables are fine. We recommend steaming or microwaving for most vegetables, however baking can also work well sometimes.
How can I store the food?
This makes just over 1 kilogram of food, which can be portioned and fed immediately, or stored in the fridge (max 3 days) or freezer (max 3 months) until needed.
Can I use raw meat?
You can include the meat raw or cooked, depending on preference. For raw human-grade meat, be sure to freeze the meat for 10 days prior to use. For wild-caught meats or pork (in areas with Trichinella, freezing for 3 weeks prior to use is sensible. Please discuss raw-feeding with your dog's veterinarian; raw feeding is not suitable for all dogs or households.
My puppy has allergies, can I use novel proteins like emu or crocodile?
Yes, using novel proteins is fine. Please select proteins with 2-7% fat only. Some options could include:
Emu fan or flat fillet, or full rump
Crocodile tail or leg meat
Venison mince, fillet or steak
Wild boar shoulder (deboned) or mince
Lean diced boneless goat (visible fat trimmed off)
For quick and easy homemade meals
