Raw food for small dogs: how much to feed

Cavoodles, Poms, Jack Russells, Shih Tzus and Chihuahuas are common dogs in New Zealand homes, and plenty of them are raw fed. Raw food for small dogs works the same way as for big ones, just in smaller portions. This guide is mostly about those portions: how to split a box into small meals without waste, and how far it goes.

How much to feed a small dog

These amounts use the same percentages as our feed calculator: 2% for a quieter dog, 2.5% for a moderately active one and 3% for a very active dog.

A Pomeranian often weighs 1.5 to 3 kg, a Jack Russell around 5 to 8 kg, and a Cavoodle anywhere from about 5 to 12 kg depending on the poodle side. Weigh your own dog rather than going by the breed, and use their ideal weight if they need to lose or gain a little.

Small dogs can gain weight on very little extra. Count treats as part of the day, and check their shape every couple of weeks at first: you should be able to feel the ribs easily without seeing them.

For toy breeds the numbers get very small. A 2 kg dog at 2.5% eats about 50 g a day, roughly a heaped tablespoon or two at each of two meals, so kitchen scales that weigh in single grams are handy for the first week.

Portioning small meals

Our mixes and minces are cut into blocks of about 500 g. For a 5 kg dog eating about 110 g of mince a day, one block is four to five days’ food. Thaw a block in the fridge, keep what you’ll use in the next two to three days in a covered container, and pop the rest straight back in the freezer. Raw meat thawed in the fridge can be refrozen.

A tip we pass on to small-dog owners: weigh one scoop of food once. If a scoop holds about 50 g and your dog eats 125 g a day, that’s two and a half scoops, and the scales can go back in the drawer.

The easy way to set this up is a stack of small lidded tubs:

1. Thaw one block in the fridge overnight.
2. Split it into tubs, each holding a day or two of food for your dog.
3. Keep two to three days’ worth in the fridge and put the other tubs back in the freezer.
4. Each evening, move one tub from the freezer to the fridge.

Ice cube trays and small freezer bags work too. Once it’s a habit, a single thaw sets you up for the week.

How long a carton lasts

Our calculator plans about 90% of the food as mince or blend and 10% as raw bones. A 5 kg dog eating 125 g a day gets through about 110 g of mince a day, so one 10 kg carton lasts around three months. A carton of bones lasts a small dog a very long time. Many owners of small dogs choose a mince with the bone already in it instead, such as our Chicken Mince, which is minced with the bone.

That makes freezer space easy to plan: one carton of mince, about 36 × 27 × 18 cm, covers a season.

It’s also easy on the budget. For a 5 kg dog, feeding from our boxes comes to about $0.80 to $1.00 a day, and delivery is $5 an order whatever the weight, so one box every couple of months keeps it simple. If you have room, two products at once, say a mince and Fussy Mix, give your dog some variety from the same delivery.

Rolls and small dogs

Our rolls are 1.8 kg each, which is about two weeks’ food for a 5 kg dog. They work fine with a small dog if you use the same tub routine: thaw a roll in the fridge, empty it into a sealed container, split it into small tubs, keep two to three days’ worth in the fridge and freeze the rest. Blocks are simpler for most small-dog homes, because a block is a smaller amount to thaw.

Bones for small dogs

Choose the bone to match the rest of the diet, then pick a piece your dog has to chew rather than one they could swallow whole. Supervise every bone, and take it away once it’s small enough to swallow. Our guide to which raw bones dogs can eat has the pairings, and the chicken necks guide has a note on necks that’s worth reading if you have a small dog.

Foods that suit small dogs

• Chicken Mince: 100% NZ chicken, minced with the bone.
• Fussy Mix: veal and chicken with liver and offal, a good one for choosy eaters.
• Veal Mince: a single protein that’s easy to portion.

Small dogs can be choosy. If yours is, our guide to getting a fussy dog to eat raw has six things to try.

Common questions

Once a day or twice?

Either works. Some owners feed small dogs once a day, others split it into two small meals. Pick what suits your routine and keep it consistent.

Can a small dog and a cat share the same food?

Often, yes. Fussy Mix, Veal Mince and Chicken Mince all suit cats as well, which makes one order cover both. Our guide to feeding cats raw meat has the cat amounts.

Can I refreeze the rest of a block?

Yes. Raw meat thawed in the fridge can be refrozen, so thaw a block, keep two to three days’ worth, and freeze the rest in tubs.

Will a 10 kg box fit in my freezer?

The carton is 36 × 27 × 18 cm. If it doesn’t fit whole, the blocks come out of the carton and stack loose or go into freezer bags. Our guide to portioning raw dog food has more on fitting it in.

Can small dogs eat raw bones?

Yes, matched to the diet and big enough that they have to chew rather than swallow. Supervise every bone. Many small-dog owners use a mince with bone through it instead, which covers the bone part without any chewing.

Can a small-breed puppy eat raw?

Yes. Puppies eat more for their size and need more meals, so the amounts are different. Our guide to how much raw food to feed a puppy has them by age.

Do small dogs need different raw food?

No. The food is the same; only the portions are smaller. A mince with bone through it, like Chicken Mince, saves having to find bones small enough.