Raw food for Staffies: how much to feed

Raw food for Staffies comes down to two things: the amount, and keeping them lean. Staffies are one of the most popular breeds in New Zealand, and they tend to approach a bowl of raw food with real enthusiasm.

How much to feed a Staffy

A Staffordshire Bull Terrier usually weighs somewhere around 11 to 17 kg, with males at the heavier end. Plenty of New Zealand “Staffies” are crosses or American Staffordshire types, which can be quite a bit heavier, so weigh your own dog.

The feed calculator does this for your dog’s exact weight and activity.

Keeping a Staffy lean

Staffies are muscly and food-motivated, and the weight can creep on before you notice. Check their shape every couple of weeks: you should be able to feel the ribs easily without seeing them, and there should be a waist when you look down from above. If they’re getting round, cut the daily amount by about 10% and count treats as part of the day.

Bones for a strong chewer

Staffies have powerful jaws and like to get stuck in. Match the bone to the rest of the diet, then choose a piece big enough that your dog has to chew it rather than swallow it. Supervise, and take the bone away once it’s small enough to gulp. Skip the heavy weight-bearing leg bones from large animals, which are very dense. Our guide to which raw bones dogs can eat has the pairings.

Foods that suit a Staffy

• Beef Mince: a single protein, 100% NZ beef, for building the bowl yourself.
• Active Dog Mix: beef, horse, offal and green tripe, for a busy dog.
• Beef Brisket Bones: a raw bone that matches a beef-based diet.

If your Staffy can’t have a particular meat, our guide to raw food for dogs with allergies sorts the range by protein.

Switching a Staffy to raw

Go slowly even if your dog would happily eat it all on day one. Swap a little of the old food for raw and build up over one to two weeks, starting with one protein. Our guide to switching to raw has the plan.

American Staffies and Staffy crosses

Plenty of dogs called Staffies in New Zealand are American Staffordshire Terriers or crosses, and they’re bigger, usually around 18 to 32 kg. The amounts work the same way: a 28 kg dog at a moderate 2.5% eats about 700 g a day. For a dog that size, a blend like Breeders Mix is an easy everyday base, and ordering a few cartons at a time keeps the freezer stocked.

Common questions

How long does a carton last a Staffy?

A 15 kg Staffy eating 375 g a day gets through about 340 g of mince or blend a day, so one 10 kg carton lasts roughly four weeks.

One meal or two?

Two meals suit most Staffies, and it helps a keen eater feel less like they’re starving between meals. Pick a routine and keep to it.

My Staffy inhales their food. What helps?

Slow the meal down. Spread the food over a lick mat, use a slow-feeder bowl, or serve it while it’s still slightly firm from the fridge so it takes longer to get through. Feeding each dog in its own spot also stops a fast eater racing the others.