Six months already — how did that happen?!
Pepper is now a 6 month old Labrador puppy and hit her half-year milestone this month. She weighed in at 21.7 kg / 47.8 lbs and she’s the perfect mix of mischief and beginning maturity that defines this puppy age.
By now, she’s also transitioned out of the fast-growth phase of early puppyhood. That means I’ve slightly lowered her daily food intake to 6 % of her current body weight, which worked out to about 1.3 kg / 2.87 lbs (45.8 oz) of raw dog food per day.
That’s less than the 8 % she was eating at five months, but I felt that the recommended 7 % at 6 months was just a bit too high for her body condition to keep her waistline visible.
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.
Try the Free CalculatorOther than that her coat is glossy, and her energy levels are steady — all good signs that this adjustment was spot-on.
This post is part 4 of my ongoing puppy raw feeding series: I’ll be sharing Pepper’s raw feeding journey throughout her first 12 months with me. Look out for a new update each month with what she’s eating, how she’s growing, and the little tweaks I’m making along the way. If you missed the first one, you can catch up here: Raw Feeding My 5 Month Old Labrador Puppy – At Home & Camping.
What’s in Pepper’s Bowl at 6 Months Old
I still base her daily raw dog food meals around the classic raw feeding ratios, adjusted for her puppy needs:
- 40 % muscle meat: 297 g / 10.5 oz (+ the meat that’s on the raw meaty bones)
- 8 % heart & lung: 104 g / 3.7 oz
- 10 % fish: 130 g / 4.6 oz
- 17 % raw meaty bones: 221 g / 7.8 oz (the meat from the bones counts towards the muscle meat)
- 7 % liver: 91 g / 3.2 oz
- 3.5 % spleen: 45.5 g / 1.6 oz
- 3.5 % kidney: 45.5 g / 1.6 oz
- 11 % plant matter (veggies & fruit): 143 g / 5 oz
Her raw meaty bones this month were mostly duck necks and chicken necks, both of which are roughly 50 % bone and 50 % meat.
Because there’s 50 % muscle meat attached to those necks, I put that towards the muscle meat allowance to balance everything out.
Wondering if your puppy needs more or less than this?
Feeding Schedule & Portioning for My 6 Month Old Labrador Puppy
At six months, Pepper’s still eating three meals a day, which helps keep her blood sugar stable and digestion smooth. I’ll probably transition her to two meals daily sometime around 7-8 months of age.
Her appetite is consistent, and her digestion is excellent — solid, easy-to-pick-up poops (yes, I always mention them!) and no signs of tummy upset.
Stainless Steel Bowl Upgrade
Since she’s growing fast, it was time to upgrade her to a larger stainless steel slow feeder bowl. This one holds 3.5 cups, so around 28 oz (400 g). I filmed a quick video review of it because I genuinely love this one — it’s sturdy, non-slip, and easy to clean.
I have to highlight the STURDY part because Pepper took a little nibble out of Wally’s orange silicone slow feed insert – the pull paw tab to be exact.
There’s no chance in hell she’ll take a bite out of this stainless steel one!
If you’ve been following along since Pepper’s early days, you might remember how much smaller her old bowl was back then.
That was the AIPERRO stainless steel slow feeder, which is also great and continues to work nicely for my adult pup Wally, but it’s just too small for Pepper because it only holds 2 cups.
Below is a picture of both next to each other for comparison purposes.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
FeeDoo Stainless Steel Slow Feeder
✅ 3 sizes
✅ Slows eating
✅ Chewproof
AIPERRO Stainless Steel Slow Feeder
✅ For medium dogs
✅ Slows eating
✅ Durable
Observations at 6 Months Old
- Pepper’s adult teeth are all in now, and she’s handling duck and chicken necks like a pro.
- Her coat has deepened to a rich black glow that’s SOOOO soft!
- She’s still full of puppy energy and she also still needs long recovery naps after playdates and mischief around the house (and my dog-friendly office).
- Training-wise, her impulse control is improving — even “leave it” — but her recall still depends heavily on what else she’s interested in. Having said that, she does have a solid “sit” that we can use if she’s not coming when called.
I’m continuing to track her growth closely to make sure she stays lean.
Labs can gain quickly once their metabolism slows down, so watching that waistline is key!
Sample Meal for My 6 Month Old Labrador Puppy Pepper
Here’s what one of her daily meals looked like (remember, she got 3 of these per day):
- 74 g / 2.6 of duck neck
- 99 g / 3.5 oz beef muscle meat
- 35 g / 1.2 oz beef heart and lung
- 43 g / 1.5 oz sardines
- 30 g / 1 oz beef liver
- 15 g / 0.5 oz beef kidney
- 15 g / 0.5 oz beef spleen
- 48 g / 1.7 oz veggies & fruit (soaked red beets, puréed spinach, and pumpkin)
She also gets 0.44 g of kelp per day to cover her iodine needs, but I usually give her all of that with breakfast rather than splitting it up across her meals.
Now, I like to rotate the oily fish I feed her for their natural Omega-3 fatty acids because they support brain- and eye development in growing puppies.
So while this meal includes sardines, she’s also getting herring and mackerel, as well as Atlantic salmon.
Either way, her meals continue to be pretty to look at, balanced, and full of variety — exactly how I like to feed.
Having said that, I also fed her 2 weeks worth of premade puppy raw dog food because I wanted a break from puppy meal prep – and I’ll continue to include some of those to catch a break from busy puppy life here and there!!
Final Thoughts
This month felt like a turning point. Pepper’s still a puppy, but she’s starting to look and act like a young adult Labrador.
I love seeing how much she enjoys her raw dog food — from the crunch of her duck necks to the last lick of her shiny new bowl.
Next month, we’ll likely start transitioning her down to two meals per day and test how she handles that change.
Until then, I’m savoring this in-between stage — that perfect mix of goofy puppy energy and the calm confidence of a dog who’s growing into herself beautifully.
If you’re following along with her journey, make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter below — I share each monthly update, along with real recipes, product reviews, and raw feeding tips for growing pups.
Related Reading
- Raw feeding my Labrador puppy month by month
- Easy raw dog food feeding charts and worksheets
- Premade raw dog food brands
- Benefits of kelp for dogs
Barbara Rivers is the founder of K9sOverCoffee and a raw feeding educator with over a decade of hands-on experience.
She has fed raw in the US and Europe since 2015, after her Boxer mix Missy’s cancer diagnosis led her to move away from processed kibble and commit to species-appropriate nutrition.
As a former professional dog walker, she developed deep insight into canine behavior, conditioning, and the essential link between proper exercise and long-term health.
Barbara completed online training with veterinarian Dr. Marion Smart and Labrador breeder Dana Scott and works for one of Germany’s leading raw dog food brands, BARFER’S.
In 2026–2027, she is completing a year-long raw nutrition certification for dogs and cats at THP School, founded by raw feeding pioneer Swanie Simon.
Through her blog and weekly newsletter, she provides clear, experience-based guidance to help dog owners feed raw safely and confidently.
Hi I have a 14 month old golden boy, he gets 2 lbs of food a day , 1 lb per meal and is lean. We go for an off leash walk about 5 times a week, maybe a swim once a week, the swimming hole is starting to dry up, also do some obedience classes. I don’t think he’ll go to once a day for awhile. I’m concerned about feeding 2 lbs in 1 meal, what do you think? Wait till he puts on some weight and cut back then after a while just 1 meal? If he holds weight?
Hi Lynn, is there a specific reason why you want to switch your pup from 2 daily meals to one? Personally, I’d stick with two because it lowers the risk of bloat and most dogs tend to do better with 2 meals.
Wish I knew about this blog when I got my Lab puppy (at seven weeks). He was box-trained (pee/poop in a box with cedar chips to keep the ants away) when I got him, so it was easy to transition him to outdoor potty breaks /walks. I was afraid to feed him raw, not because of the germs, but paranoid about feeding him unbalanced meals. I’m not really a germaphobe so handling raw meat was not an issue (still isn’t).
Now six years later, after feeding him raw for about 2-3 years, I am just now unwinding all his health issues that cropped in his third year. Although ultra-processed food was a problem, from my perspective, the neutering habit of Americans is the issue. Fortunately Europeans aren’t as lazy as Americans are when it comes time for watching their intact pets.
Thank you, Eileen. I completely understand – I wish I had started raw feeding my Boxer mix puppies Missy and Buzz when I got them at 8 weeks old. I had no idea that raw feeding was a thing back then and often wonder if Missy had gotten diagnosed with cancer when she was 3 years old if I hadn’t fed her kibble for the first 3 years of her life. Which health issues did you notice in your pup?
Agreed on the early neutering habit in the States.