Raw diet questions

[maybe532]

I was wondering if anyone on here feeds the BARF diet to their dogs. I don't have a Newfie yet but I do feed my dog, Lucy, a raw diet. Although she's 27 lbs, not 150 lbs. Online I've read that you feed 2-3% of their body weight which means 3-4.5 lbs of raw food per day (based on 150 just to be on the safe side). Is this right? I didn't know if it was accurate for giant breed dogs. Also, I've read some larger breeds don't each as much food as you think and I wasn't sure if Newfies were part of this or not.
Also, how much do you pay for the raw food? With Lucy I just buy stuff from the grocery store and since she's small it's relatively cheap. She only eats a little over 1/2 a pound of food per day.
The reason I'm asking these questions is because I'm trying to determine if we can afford a Newfie or not. We can afford the initial purchase price, vet bills, ect, but if the monthly costs are too much we'll have to wait a few years until my husband is done with his residency. Lucy costs us around $30/month for food. I really don't want to feed kibble, although I do keep Innova Evo around for when days are too hectic or if someone else is watching her.

 

[luvmynwfy]

Hi
I have fed raw since day 1 and my girl is over 5 years old now. She weighs 115lbs and she get between 2lbs - 2.5lbs of food daily so the 2% average applies. It doesn't just depend on the size of the dog but also the energy level (ie more food when we've excercised a lot - less when there's a heat wave and she's sleeping over the air conditioning vent for 2 weeks). I did fast my Newf once per week from age 18 months - 5 years, now I'm fasting once every 2 weeks (she still gets all the water she wants and her morning marrow bone on the fast days) not every raw feeder does this though.
I buy my food in bulk and freeze it 4 to 6 months at a time - hard for me to estimate how much I spend monthly but I bet its around $60.00 (give or take).
Good Luck,
Marina

 

[Sailorgirl]

Hi there. As I always preface my raw feeding posts, I'm no expert. I've only been doing this for a year and a half or two years and I'm learning every day. I also feed half raw, half kibble, for various reasons. A little unorthodox, but it works for me.

Anyway, I base my guys' food on 2% of their body weight. They need just a touch more during summer when they are most active, and a little less in winter when we're all holed up in the house. So for the raw meal (dinner) I actually give my dogs 1 percent of their body weight (2% divided by 2), so I'm feeding just slightly over a pound to one and 1.5 pounds to another.

I buy my food in bulk, primarily from an Oma's Pride (raw food brand) distributor and also from a meat supplier in the state that delivers to various raw buying groups. honestly I'm still figuring out the most economical way to approach it. Since I buy in bulk about every 3 to 4 months, I truly have no idea how much I'm spending (nor do I really want to know) but I'm guessing I spend around $35 to $40 a month per dog just on the raw food. Keep in mind I'm only feeding half raw, so you'd need to add quite a bit to that if I were to feed 100% raw and if I didn't buy in bulk it would not only be very difficult, but very expensive. But I'm happy to say that my dogs have been (knock wood) very healthy and I credit their diet with at least part of that.

However, I don't find there to be a lot of difference in price between feeding raw and feeding a high-quality kibble, so honestly I don't think the raw feeding thing should factor in too much on whether you can afford a newf .. it's more can you afford to feed them period.

 

[SheilaT]

I feed my two boys raw and since they're still growing at 13 and 18 months, they eat about 3 pounds of food perday, each. I buy cases of food in bulk from restaurant suppliers and belong to a raw feeders co-op to buy in even bigger bulk for lower prices. I'd estimate I spend about 150 dollars per month, including training treats for the two dogs. I imagine this will drop as they mature and settle into their adult weight. I also imagine the cost will drop as our co-op negotiates lower pricing with our increasing membership.

 

[Newfs Forever]

I am going to guess and say it costs me roughly $100.00 per month. I feed totally raw, so this is a guesstimate of the meats, fish and poultry.

I am going to say that the protein runs about $75.00. The veggies are another $25.00.

I buy the meat and poultry from a human grade wholesaler. But, you have to buy in quantity, which is fine if you have an extra freezer. I buy the veggies in quantity also, and chop them up and freeze them.

HTH,

 

[Lisa@Caeles Hills]

Like Erin, I feed half raw and half kibble. I have found raw to be about the same per pound as my kibble (Eagle Holistic). I use SoJo's mix with my own raw meat and find that really conveinent and easy to make smaller amounts at a time. I use both the vegatables and oat mixes and raw hamberger which I can get for arount 1.39 per pound. I had been using another recipe for a while til Rafe's handler (who breeds top German Shepards) told me about So Jo's and how her dogs have been on it for years and they are just magnificent. Here is the website if you are interested in finding out more about it. It has vegatables, raw eggs, bone, etc... you just add water to soak and then meat and mix. I put it in dixie bowls which hold 1 pound.
http://www.sojos.com/europa.html

 

[Capri]

We buy our food from the markets from town. Much cheaper than from normal supermarkets. Butchers are another good place to go to, especially if they are "farmer-butchers". You should go around asking prices for "leftovers" and see what you get. Some butchers even give them free! (we get our food free when we're in France from the local butcher).
Try to compare before you buy, and buy in bulk (get a big freezer for that if you don't have one already). Buy when it's cheap, get seasonal fruits and veggies from the farmer's market. Stock up when it's cheap.

Barffing for two newfs costs us around 35€ per month, which is definately cheaper than the kibble bags.

I'd regard newfs (at least females) as one of the breeds which eat much less than expected. (except during the growth phase when they consume more than you could ever imagine

)
Our girls eat nowadays more or less 500g per day (1% of bodyweight). They eat more during winters than summers, but it's basically that.

 

[selah]

Our guy has been on raw since we brought him home at 9.5 weeks. He is now 18 months and 140 pounds, and he eats about 3-4 pounds per day. Although I have never calculated it, I am guessing that we spend roughly $100/ month-- but at first we were spending much more. I shopped around all the local grocery stores and butchers, and the bulk of his food is turkey parts which we can consistently get at a local market for 59 cents/ pound and fish parts for 99 cents/ pound. There have been times when we can't find any meat and need to buy more expensive things, but I truly believe that what you spend in providing your dog with a natural healthy diet you will save on vet bills!

 

[maybe532]

Thanks for all the replies! From all the research my husband and I have been doing it is definitely cheaper to feed raw than kibble or canned so that just affirms this is the way for us to go. My husband always teases me that I do way too much research. A good friend of mine was shocked I did any research, she had decided Australian Shepherds were cute so she got one. She didn't even realize different breeds are better suited for some people than others. But that's a whole other story...

We have been doing tons of research on the breed in general and have decided to adopt an adult newf sometime this year (summer/fall). It's funny, I have always known I wanted a newf someday but when we decided to get another dog I still researched all the different breeds just to be thorough. And then, when we were in North Texas on vacation, we ran into Petsmart to let our daughter stretch her legs and look at all the animals and we ran into a newf! This hasn't happened here in Houston so we practically ran across the store to ask if we could pet her. I got there first and the woman was nice enough to let me pet her dog and talk to me for a bit. The dog was so sweet but not all that interested in me. Then the minute my husband walked up with our daughter the dog got so excited and sat down right in front of her (she's 2 1/2). What is even more interesting is I'm normally pretty picky about which dogs are allowed near my daughter, I understand lots of dogs aren't used to toddlers and you can't always trust owners when they say "oh, she won't bite". This dog made me instantly at ease. so anyhow, I had to tear myself away from this woman and my husband and I couldn't stop talking about the dog for the rest of the evening.
My husband is graduating med school in a few months and after we move this June we'll start looking for our new family member. I think we are going to start out by contacting breeders to see if they have any adults for sale.

 

[dadomer]

Thanks for all the replies!

I have also sent you a private message. Please check. Thanks.

 

[Nasus]

Maybe532.. just a word of caution.. Not all breeders are created equal. Just because someone says they are a breeder or has a nice glossy Internet web page does NOT make them good breeders and the adult you pick up from them might not be what u signed up for. U MUST research a breeder just as u did for food and even more. I would suggest joining your local Newfoundland Club now.. talking to members.. they can get you on the right path.. also have u thought about Newfoundland Rescue? Joining a Newf Club can also put u in touch with rescue.. not to mention you will learn a lot along the way.
U can also check out the "sticky" in the forum.. "What to ask breeders".. it gives you important advice when looking for a Newf.

 

[Joan Fisher]

For those who are feeding raw, what do you do when you travel? Tiika is on a completely raw diet except for some occasional canned salmon, mackerel, or tuna. In the spring we will be traveling for about 10 days ending up at the Canadian Newf Specialty before returning home. We will be in NY state and then Toronto before Gananoque. I was thinking of placing the meat in jars in a cooler, but I'm not sure we can bring it across the border and even with fridges at night I'm not sure it will keep that long. Any suggestions?
Joan

 

[dadomer]

"Any suggestions?"

Hi Joan,

I have sent you a private message about this. Please read. Thanks.

 

[Angela]

Joan,
Check with U.S. customs before contemplating taking raw meat over the border. Dudley had his raw ground beef confiscated literally from under his nose on 2 occasions. He is the only one on raw and we travelled to the National in CA a few yrs back, Took the juicer with us and bought the meat and veggies in the supermarkets down there and made it up for him. For 10 days he had to forgo his chicken backs in the mornings but when they travel, they don't eat in the mornings anyway.

 

[maybe532]

Nasus,
Thanks for the warning about breeders, I am going to study that sticky! I have never bought from a breeder so I'm a bit daunted. We are hoping to find an adult from a breeder because we like the idea that they know everything about the dog (especially important since we already have a dog and cat, in addition to our kiddo).

If we don't have any luck we'll look into rescue for sure, that's how we got our dog and cat. I've looked on petfinder.com but I haven't found many purebreds listed. We find out what city we are moving to in March and once I find that out I can join the appropriate club. I met a woman on Dogster that is involved with rescue and knows some people in my state and I plan on contacting her as well once I am know where we're going. Again, thanks for the advice! If you have anything else to add I'm all ears.

 

[Nasus]

Hi Maybe... Here is the scary part.. there are a few different type of breeders.. BYB breeders (Back Yard Breeders).. these folks have a male and female.. so lets breed.. health, structure, type are non issues. Then u have the so called breeders on the web.. oh they have some real nice pictures, they push all the right buttons and u think WOW WEEEE.. well no.. they are in it for the money.. they are the same as BYB.. and lets not forget puppy mills.. ahh yes the puppy mills.. they will also sell adults.. of course the adults are almost one paw in the grave. There are also breeders that breed to there own standards... all of these are red flags
NCA has a list of breeders.. look at the list BUT still do your homework.. NCA does NOT say these are good or bad breeders only that they are members.
Do not fall in love.. look at this as an investigation... no emotion.. the facts only..
We have many members of Newf rescue on this board.. forget pet-finder.. forget everything u were doing on the Internet... stick with us and u will get the dog u want, it might take time.. but time is on your side.. and we all want a happy ending for both you and your family. One more thing.. u might have to travel for your Newf.. but is that not worth the time, after all.. he/she will be a member of YOUR family... nothing is set in stone.. keep an open mind.

 

[maybe532]

Thanks for the all the advice, this process is very daunting and it helps to know there are people on here that are knowledgeable. I'm sure traveling won't be an issue as long as it's reasonable (say 5-8 hours away). I will say that while we are super excited to get our new family member we would rather wait for the perfect match than rush it.
I will check out the breeders on NCA's list so that I can get some practice on telling if a breeder is good. I'm really glad we started thinking about getting one before we were actually able to, there's a lot of work involved.

 

[Leslie]

My 35 pound Karelian dog eats a little more than twice as much as my 106 pound newfie. So it's kinda hard to tell. I have a male that's really hard to keep weight on and he eats around 4% of his bodyweight. The other male gets about 2%.

 

[mudji]

With regard to traveling cross borders with raw meat... I believe some companies have freeze dried raw meat. I wonder if you can cross with that?? There is always canned. We feed raw and the backup is canned mackerel. They love it.

hannah
in maine, waiting for the next 10+ inches of snow

 

[Joan Fisher]

Thanks for the suggestions. I have found freeze-dried raw and as long as I don't get any with beef in it, I'm apparently okay to take it across the border. As always, Newf Net has a solution !
Joan