1. How do I know how much food to give my puppy?
Figuring out how much a puppy will eat is surprisingly simple. As a general rule of thumb, puppies eat 10–15% of their body weight in raw meat daily. So a 10 lb puppy will eat just over a pound a day, split across meals (3 meals a day for a young puppy, dropping to 2 later) — roughly half a pound per feeding.
Because BARF-fed dogs don’t tend to overeat, you can let the puppy be your guide: offer more than you expect them to finish (say, a full pound), give a supervised half hour to eat, then pick up whatever’s left until the next meal. Top up to about a pound again next time, and repeat. After a day or two you’ll have a good sense of the real amount — most likely right around that 10–15% mark.
2. I have an adult dog at home. How do I transition them to BARF?
A growing puppy eats up to 15% of body weight, tapering to about 2–3% once fully grown — so a 50 lb adult dog eats roughly 1 to 1½ lb of meat a day. Gradually offering raw meat as a larger share of each meal makes the switch go quickly. Many dogs come to prefer the raw meat so much they start turning their nose up at kibble, which can make the transition faster than expected.
3. How much does BARF cost?
Shopping around, you should be able to get the bulk of your meat for roughly $1.00/lb or less, which makes it cheaper than all but the lowest-end commercial kibble. If you’re feeding a quality diet either way, BARF is typically the cheaper route.
4. We started BARF a couple of days ago and now my dog has diarrhea — are we doing something wrong?
Not necessarily. Even a positive dietary change needs adjusting to, and some diarrhea or vomiting shortly after the switch is normal — especially with a “cold turkey” switch away from kibble. That said, always check with your vet if symptoms are severe or persistent.
5. What kind of meat should I feed?
We used chicken as our staple. Young puppies tend to do well starting on chicken wings (a little pricier, but they don’t need them for long) before moving on to backs and necks once they can handle them. Beef and lamb made great supplemental favorites in our house.
6. What about vegetables in a BARF diet?
The vegetables-or-not debate gets heated in some circles. We’d strongly encourage doing your own research, discussing it with your vet or a BARF-support community, and deciding based on what feels right for your own dog. Don’t let anyone bully you into a decision you’re not comfortable with — you know your pet best, even while leaning on others for support.
7. Do you supplement the raw meat?
Yes — we offered our dogs yogurt, eggs, and fruits and vegetables. Note: never give a dog chocolate, onions, or foods containing tannins (the colored skins that give wine or juice their color) — this includes grapes, blueberries, cranberries, and most other berries. It’s also worth checking your own yard for plants that may be poisonous to pets.
8. What should a puppy already be eating, and what should I have on hand?
A puppy weaned onto raw food typically starts on chicken wings and graduates to backs and necks as they grow, alongside yogurt, eggs, and fruit. Having 3–5 lbs of raw chicken on hand covers the first few days. A small bag of puppy kibble also makes a good training treat — a single kibble is all a puppy needs as a reward, not a whole cookie.
9. Do I have to grind up the meat?
Not if the puppy has already been transitioned to meat with bones in it. If starting from scratch with a dog that has never had raw food, it can help to begin with softer or ground options and work up to bone-in cuts as they adjust.
10. How do I know if my dog is eating the right amount?
If you’re around that 10–15% of body weight mark and the puppy is energetic, playful, and happy, you can rest easy they’re getting the right amount. Because puppies are roly-poly, the usual rib-check trick doesn’t work as well on them as it does on adult dogs — energy and mood are the better signal at that age.