5 Month Old Labrador Puppy: Raw Feeding on the Road

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When I first brought Pepper home at 12 weeks, she was a chunky little Lab pup who needed almost 10% of her body weight in food every day.

Fast-forward a couple months, and she weighed in at 18 kg / 39.7 lbs as a 5 month old Labrador puppy – leaner, stronger, and full of energy, and also officially heavier than her adult Feist mix brother Wally (he weighs 38 lbs).

Now, this month’s update is not just about how much of what I fed her at 5 months of age.

It’s also about how I kept her raw-fed while we were on the road for 2 weeks in the Italian and French Alps, all the way down to Saint Tropez, France.

Because yes – raw feeding while traveling is possible, and it can be almost as fresh and nourishing as at home.

You just need some flexibility and a portable car fridge or cooler.

This post is part 3 of my puppy raw feeding series, where I documented Pepper’s raw feeding journey month by month through her first 12 months with me. If you missed the previous one, you can catch up here: Raw Feeding My 4 Month Old Labrador Puppy – Portion Adjustments.

A quick heads-up before you start: the amounts in this post are what Pepper actually ate at 5 months old. I’ve since updated my puppy percentages, and today I’d start a 5 month old Lab at about 3.5-5% of current body weight. You’ll find the updated numbers in my Labrador puppy feeding chart, or plug your own puppy into my free raw dog food calculator.

Black Labrador puppy sits beside a stainless steel bowl filled with raw dog food, including mackerel, chicken, and organ meats, with a brown dog nearby at a campsite setup showing camping gear and raw food ingredients in bags and bowls - text overlay reads

Feeding Adjustments for a 5 Month Old Labrador Puppy

OK, so at five months (20 weeks) of age, I fed Pepper 8% of her current body weight per day. (Today, I’d start a 5 month old Lab lower, at about 3.5-5%, and adjust based on body condition.)

For Pepper, that worked out to about 1,400 g / 49.4 oz (3.1 lbs) of raw dog food daily.

That’s down from 8.5% just a few weeks earlier – not because she’s eating less, but because she’s bigger and her metabolism is slowly settling.

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That’s Pepper’s Percentage – Want Yours?

Every puppy grows at their own pace, so Pepper’s numbers are just one example. Enter your own puppy’s age, weight, and activity level to get an instant, personalized ratio breakdown for muscle meat, bone, organs, and plant matter.

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How Much Pepper Ate at 5 Months Old

Here’s how her 49.4 oz / 1,400 g broke down:

40% muscle meat: 19.8 oz / 560 g
4% heart: 2 oz / 56 g
4% lung: 2 oz / 56 g
10% fish: 4.9 oz / 140 g
17% raw meaty bones: 8.4 oz / 238 g
7% liver: 3.5 oz / 98 g
3.5% spleen: 1.7 oz / 49 g
3.5% kidney: 1.7 oz / 49 g
11% veggies & fruit: 5.4 oz / 154 g

If you’re raising your own 5 month old Labrador puppy, keep an eye on their body condition.

You should still see a waistline from above and be able to feel the ribs under a thin layer of fat.

If your pup starts to look a little too round, dial back the food slightly; if the ribs become prominent, increase portions by 0.5%.

Having said that, I did lower her feeding percentage down to 7.5% 2 weeks later when she was 22 weeks old to keep her waistline visible.

Every puppy’s numbers are different – see yours here!

Our Road Trip Setup for Raw Feeding

For this trip, we swapped our usual freezer meals for a mix of dehydrated raw dog food and fresh additions we picked up along the way.

We kept the fresh food cool in a compact camping fridge that plugged into the Jeep, and when we ran low, local grocery stores became our best friends.

In Italy and France, it’s surprisingly easy to find raw meaty bone options – even small village stores carry rabbit and chicken parts.

I kept her on three meals per day during the trip, since that schedule fit best with our travel rhythm and gave her plenty of energy for running around and exploring.

Each morning, I prepped Pepper’s (and Wally’s) meals by rehydrating the base with warm water and an Omega-3 oil, then mixing in local fresh proteins and bone.

Fresh Finds From Local Grocery Stores

One of my favorite parts of this trip was how easy it can be to feed fresh on the go.

In Northern Italy, we found fresh chicken wings, drumsticks and even whole rabbits (without the fur) in local supermarkets like Penny Italia – perfect for variety and bone content.
In Provence and Saint Tropez, France, I found fresh chicken eggs, sardines and mackerel at Carrefour grocery stores, which made adding oily fish a breeze. They even had whole quails with the head – raw feeding jackpot!
Our campsite in St. Tropez/Port Grimaud Camping des Mures also had a little shoppette with fresh foods including meats, some of which were marked down. So I also got some turkey breast and beef stew meat on sale!

Collage of raw meats and fish used to feed dogs while traveling, including fresh sardines, discounted beef, packaged chicken drumsticks, quail, rabbit, and other proteins from local markets - text overlay reads

Not only did it keep Pepper’s meals exciting, it also made raw feeding feel like an adventure in itself.

I stopped using the Omega-3 oil when I found the whole fish. And since I fed the fish whole, there wasn’t any mess preparing it.

By the way, before we went back home to Germany, I filled our car fridge to the brim with sardines, mackerel and whole quails from the Carrefour place because the prices are amazing there, and so is the quality!

Example Travel Menu for a 5 Month Old Lab Puppy

Here’s one of Pepper’s meals from our stay in Southern France:

100 g dehydrated raw base (rehydrated with water, equivalent of 400 g / 14 oz of fresh meat)
2 chicken drumsticks (bone + meat)
1 fresh sardine
1 chicken egg

Wally, our 8-year-old Feist mix, ate a similar mix adjusted for his adult maintenance needs – and he definitely appreciated the extra sardines and RMBs (raw meaty bones)!

I did not have to bring any kelp because that was included on the ingredient list of the dehydrated BALF raw dog food I brought along.

That one’s only available in Europe, but here’s a list of dehydrated and freeze-dried raw dog food alternatives in North America.

Tip: If you’re planning on feeding dehydrated raw on a road trip, make sure to check your ingredients for kelp.

If it’s not included, bring some along to ensure that you’re meeting your puppy’s iodine needs.

Collage of campsite raw feeding setup showing bowls of rehydrated raw dog food, chicken drumsticks, fresh meats, and dehydrated raw dog food with hemp oil - includes Pepper the black Labrador puppy and Wally the brown Feist mix dog sitting by the car during meal prep at the campsite

14 Days on the Road With Pepper & Wally

This trip was full of “firsts” for Pepper – her first long car rides, mountain drives, beach swims, and cozy nights in the tent.

She also lost her last puppy tooth and has all of her adult teeth now!

Overall, she handled everything like a champ. Actually, both her and Wally snoozed through most of the drive!

As far as our nightly tent set up was concerned, here’s what it mostly consisted of:

3 person Heimplanet tent that sets up in 5 minutes
0 Degree sleeping bags for the humans
Camping pillows with reversible covers
Collapsible travel dog crate
Soft dog blanket for Pepper and Wally

Collage showing camping tent setup with two dogs - black Labrador puppy Pepper and brown dog Wally - resting inside on sleeping bags and outside the tent. Includes sleeping area with bright orange and green bags, a breakfast bowl, and an inflatable tent surrounded by pine trees. Text overlay reads

Feeding-wise, both dogs adapted beautifully to the road routine.

Their digestion stayed consistent once I started adding the raw meaty bones.

When they only ate the dehydrated meals, their poop was a bit on the softer side.

Close-up of Pepper, a black 5 month old Labrador puppy, showing her last remaining puppy tooth circled in red next to her new permanent teeth - text overlay reads

Final Thoughts

Feeding raw while traveling across Italy and France with a 5 month old Labrador puppy takes planning, but it’s doable.

It reminded me just how flexible raw feeding can be – you don’t need a freezer full of pre-portioned meals to keep your dog thriving.

A bag of dehydrated raw, some fresh local meats, and a bit of creativity go a long way.

Watching Pepper crunch on a chicken drumstick in the Italian Alps on the Ligurian Border-Ridge Road while motorcycle tourists drove by and seeing her play ball on the beach in Saint Tropez while other people walked by with their dogs was amazing for her socialization.

So was sleeping in the tent at night, catching a ferry and going potty wherever she was – she even started pooping in the ocean once (and yes, we still caught the poop and picked it up).

Why I wouldn’t do the exact same road trip with the dogs again

Having said that, I personally would not press the repeat button on the exact same trip with a puppy.

Mainly because Pepper had to go potty once a night as we went to bed pretty early after a long day outside, usually around 9 pm.

So yeah, I didn’t love having to crawl out of the tent with her in the middle of the night and back in.

Also, while it wasn’t hard finding raw meaty bone and raw fish sources, I still had to do more meal prep than I would want to do in the back of a Jeep.

It would have been a different story had I had a (small) kitchen counter in a camper van.

So, I’ll be honest and say that I didn’t care for the interrupted nights as far as my sleep schedule was concerned, nor for the meal prep sessions.

I would still schedule a couple days of camping with a puppy just to expose her to the experience.

But I’ll pass on 14 days of tent camping with a puppy!

Want to see how she grew from here? Head over to raw feeding my 6 month old Labrador puppy, or follow her all the way to her first birthday in my Labrador puppy raw feeding series.

Raw Feeding My 5 Month Old Labrador Puppy – At Home & Camping