By around 5 weeks they are able to make backs totally disappear. It's really awesome to watch these little pups devour their raw meaty bones! I begin to add things every few days - a bit of green leafy veg, yogurt, ground beef or lamb, whole fish, ground turkey, heart, organ meats, eggs, etc. I also offer other Raw meaty bones, which at this point are recreational bones for them, though they do manage to get most of the meat off - good for teeth, great exercise, and to provide variety.
At 7-8 weeks, they're getting the same raw diet as my adults, with a higher proportion of raw meaty bones - around 70%. I feed 4X a day, and go to 3X a day at 10 weeks.
I don't supplement much. I do give fish oil daily unless they are having fish for a meal, cod liver oil a few times a week during the winter, and occasionally add a bit of kelp and/or alfalfa. I always add a small splash of raw apple cider vinegar to the water bowl.
Below is a sample of what I fed a litter at around 8 weeks. Mush is a mixture of ground meat/bone, vegetables, fruit and organ meat.
Remember, balance is achieved over time, you don’t need to provide a totally balanced diet every day.
Variety, variety, variety!
Day 1
AM - chicken back, puppy formula
noon - egg, ground pork
afternoon - mush
PM - WHOLE (bones and all) fish, ricotta cheese,
Day 2
AM chicken necks, puppy formula
noon - buffalo (meat), salmon oil, 1/2 tsp each of kelp & alfalfa (for 3 pups)
afternoon - beef heart, a tbsp of leftover lasagna
dinner - egg, ground pork, marrow bone (recreational) note: they will consume most of the meat from recreational bones
Day 3
AM - ground rabbit (with bones)
noon - chicken back
evening - egg, veg/fruit mush (leftover steamed veg from human dinner with a banana), beef heart
pm - whole fish
Day 4
AM - tripe
noon - duck necks, puppy formula
evening - beef liver, finished duck necks
PM - veg mush (apples, kale & carrots), ground beef
Day 5
AM - turkey necks
noon - finished the turkey necks, mush (with beef)
evening - ground beef, veggie mush (kale, parsley, sweet potato), turkey broth, salmon oil, 1/2 tsp each of kelp & alfalfa (for 3 pups)
PM - tripe, veal rib (recreational)
Day 6
AM - pork neck bones (recreational bone), mush
noon - canned mackeral
evening - ground lamb, egg, veg mush (parsley, spinach, bok choy)
PM - chicken necks, marrow bone (recreational)
Day 7
AM - turkey hearts/liver/gizzards, salmon oil, 1/2 tsp each of kelp & alfalfa (for 3 pups)
noon – chicken necks
evening - human leftovers - tofu with vegetables, ground beef
PM - chicken back, pig feet (recreational)
Day 8
AM - egg, ricotta cheese, ground beef, fish oil
noon - chicken backs
evening - tripe
PM - beef ribs (recreational), chicken backs