more raw questions...

[gbuckler11]

Hello!
So, I just returned from Morgans 12 week vet appointment. She is 20lbs. and healthy! However...I have a million questions.
1. Is 20lbs the appropriate weight for a 12 week old female? I have searched everywhere and I cant seem to find a growth chart. I expected her to weigh more...
2. My vet is not a holistic vet, nor do I have one in the area that is less than $150 per visit. She is anti-raw and told me that Morgan could get salmonella and ecoli by my choosing to feed her this way....I have read nothing to support this. What is the truth??
3. I am also concerned with quantity of food. Morgan is lean, as recommended by her breeder. But I am unsure how to increase her food quantity as she grows. Right now she is eating a chicken back and tripe in the morning and 5oz of a beef blend made by natures variety. It is a complete raw diet and contains multiple veggies and supplements. I am concerned because when I went to the natures variety website it said to feed her 59oz of food per day on their puppy food calculator. The food comes in patties and it would be 7 patties/day. That is absurd!!!! She doesnt seem hungry, I am concerned with messing up her growth...
Thanks
Gillian

 

[drakese]

Gillian,
I am new to the whole raw diet thing, but I think I can answer some of your questions.
First, raw diets slow down a puppy's growth rate. This is part of the reason why people think raw is better.....slower growth, less strain on the body. So, I would suggest that you talk to your breeder about how your pup looks. Ultimately how he looks/feels is much better than looking at a number on the scale.

Second, the things that I've read about raw say that because the dog's digestive track is shorter and different than ours (from a microbiological stand point), they don't seem to have problems with food borne pathogens. Provided that you treat your dog's raw food the same way you would treat your own food and sanitize properly, you shouldn't have a problem.

Also, some vets who are not 'holistic' vets are familiar with raw. You might want to check around in your area to see if there are any vets who do....that way it wouldn't be $150 just to walk in the door. I was fortunate enough to find a vet who occasionally gives raw food to his dogs. He's very open to that sort of thing.....oddly enough it's the receptionists that seem to have a problem with the way my dog is fed and cared for (we want to titer, not do vaccines unless necessary).

Hope this helps!
Shawn and Uwe

 

[Leslie]

All I know is that when I fed Stoli half the recommended amount of food for a 2 year old 165 pound dog, he started getting a little chubby for my tastes. So, I don't think those guidelines work at all for newfies. Bailey is 103 pounds (down from 116 yeah!!) and she gets 4 ounces of fish and about 16 ounces of boney meat a day. Not very much considering the recommendation for her weight is typically about 2.5 to 3 pounds!!

I can't help you with your food because I don't know anything about it. But, I thought the puppy guidelines were something like 10 pounds a month.

Do you think she's too skinny? If yes, up her food. If no, don't. Skinnier is better. Have fun with your pupper.

 

[BoundlessNewfs]

I also feed a LOT less than the amount recommended for the "poundage of dog". Our dogs get an oatmeal/yogurt/mashed fruit or egg/safflower oil..etc...etc..mix for breakfast. I have experimented with amounts, until I am cooking a cup and a half of dried oats for three dogs (instead of the 3-1/2 to 4 cups recommended)...then mix in the other stuff. I divide the cooked oatmeal in half. Lucy gets one half, and I split the other half portion into a "1/3 and 2/3"...Haley gets the 1/3, and Maggie gets the 2/3. Lucy burns the calories much quicker than Maggie and Haley, so she always gets the lion's share.

For meat, Lucy gets 1 and 1/2 pounds, plus the veggie mix. Maggie gets about a pound, and Haley gets about a half pound (plus veggie mix).

All three dogs are doing well on these amounts.

 

[TNeuf]

Hi Gillian,

I also have a Newf pup that we are feeding raw. He is 20lbs right now at 10 weeks (so it sounds like our pups are similar being that yours is a female). I'm feeding him a heaping cup of raw food, three times a day. Right now I'm buying a prepared raw food that has the bones, veggies, supplements all frozen into it in big tubs. I'm trying to stick with meat that he would eat in the wild (rabbit, salmon, fish, venison) with some turkey. So far, so good.

The company I am using has a guideline of feeding 10% of the puppies bodyweight per day (which changes once the dog reaches 30 lbs, then you estimate their adult weight and feed them differently based on an adult calculation). So, for my dog, that would be 2 lbs of food a day which is about 4 cups. I find that this is too much. He's doing well on what he's getting. He was seeming a little hungry about a week ago (on a level cup, 3xday) so I upped the amount to heaping cups and that seemed to fix things. I also give him beef bones to chew on during the day.

A breeder that I know has been feeding her Newfs raw for 15 years. They are absolutely beautiful. She told me that she fed them very small amounts (not nearly as much as kibble). And, like other people said, raw slows down their growth to a nice, gentle rate.

As far as the vet goes, you're paying - leave if they give you a hard time!! I get so annoyed at these close-minded, ill informed vets (doctors, dentists etc...) that forget that they are providing a service to US! I am lucky to have a Holistic Vet here that only advocates raw food, home-made diets. There are many vets who would support this decision. Maybe you could grab the yellow pages and call around? I refuse to make a commitment (of my time and money) without first meeting with my future medical care personnel. I call around and ask to have a free 10 minute consultation first before I will start paying to see anyone. I've only had one person say "no" to this. So, I just crossed them off my list.

Hope this helps a bit.
I'd love to hear how your puppy is doing.

Tara