Raw

[Tara B]

I am so glad to see so many Newfies eating Raw!

I have been feeding raw for 7 years now. I started feeding it when i brought home my lab puppy and she was very sick: chronic diarrhea and weight loss. Conventional meds and kibbles were not working; we were up every night with diarrhea and my poor girl was wasting away.

I started doing my own research and starting reading about raw. The first book i read was Give Your Dog a Bone by Iam Billinghurst. I loved it. I thought "Yes! This feels right, this is what i need to do!"

So i did it, i made the switch and Hero started gaining weight and her diarrhea slowly went away. When i saw the change in made in Hero i switched my 12 year old Golden. Haley has arthritis, chronic ear infections, yeast infections and fungal infections on her head and chest.

After a month of feeding raw all of this cleared up! It was amazing! She also seemed to have a new zest for life - lots more energy and she seemed happier.

Since the switch 7 years ago i have fed raw to all my dogs with great success.

I feed primarity a store-bought raw from a company called Tollden Farms. I also get tripe and whole herring and mackrel.

When Luna was a puppy her breakie and dinner was raw and her lunch was kibble: Orijen Fish. I wanted her to be used to kibble for when we travel.

Now my girls eat raw as 90% of their food. Hero also eats NRG; the dehydrated food and Luna still gets some Orijen kibble.

Benefits of raw:
-small stools
-no doogie odor
-clean teeth without brushing
-gorgeous coats
-less shedding
-raw promotes muscle growth, not fat
-lots of natural glucosamine/chrondroitin in bones
-more vitality and strong immune system
-minor skin issues clear up

Raw can be expensive to feed a big dog so if cost is an issue you can always feed 1/2 raw and 1/2 kibble and still receive many of the benefits of raw. Raw in the morning and kibble in the evening, switch it up too, it doesn't really matter.

 

[greenkatie]

I'm getting ready to pick up my first newf puppy in July, and I'm thinking about following the raw meaty bones diet. My mom basically saved the life of her gorgeous 70 lb hip-dysplastic mutt over the last few years by switching off kibble to this diet, so I'm a firm believer. The problem is, I hear so much about how achieving the right calcium, phosphorous and protein levels are really important for growing newf pups in order to prevent them from growing too quickly. I'm also very concerned with joint health, since I grew up with several dysplastic dogs and have seen the suffering it causes. When is it safe to start the raw meaty bones diet? How do I address the growth-speed issue? And finally, do I still need to feed a glucosamine and chondroitan supplement to protect my newfie's joints? Anyone who has raised a puppy on this diet, I could really use your advice!
Thanks,
Katie

 

[Tug]

Tried raw with Tug; got a 'great' brand, he wouldn't eat it. The cats wouldn't eat it. The birds, raccoons & squirrels would't eat it.
So... I did it myself; got all the components & supplements... He lost his energy, his glossy coat, started losing more hair.
I am a HUGE proponent of a raw diet, but it's not in the cards for the Tugster. He does get his raw bones and some raw treats, but he doesn't flourish on the full diet.

 

[SheilaT]

I had planned to start my new pup on Orijen 6 fish, but cannot get it here on the island. My two boys are raw fed and thriving...so I will start the new baby on raw and try to give her as much variety as I can....with plenty of fish. I am a bit nervous about it, but with some guidance from a few breeders, I think we'll be okay. I know some people don't like to give any veggies, and personally, I don't think veggies and grains are necessary, but I do give the boys veggies 'cause they are serious chow hounds!

 

[Angela]

Gracie was fed raw from 8 wks age till about 4 yr.

In the beginning I gave her raw chicken wings and then chicken necks and backs, that was in the mornings.
Whilst on 3 meals a day she then had raw lean ground beef and pureed vegetables,for the lunch and suppertime meals, after 6 mths, reduced that to once a day in the evening. She also had various supplements.

 

[Armand]

eggs

How many eggs can I feed......is it only 1 a week or is it more ....have read great source of protein
Armand......Blessed 7 yrs
Grimsby 9 months

 

[victoria1140]

what is the best site to get info on feeding raw from, bear in mind I live in the uk so will probably need to do half raw half kibble as can't afford too much extra expense at the moment though if I can work out a game plan to do it and Beaus problems dont clear up then I want to be as well informed as poss

 

[Angela]

I read the Ian Billingshurst book "Give your dog a bone" before I started feeding Dudley raw.
There is a yahoogroups raw list I believe also.

 

[SheilaT]

Kymythy Schultze has a great book (or several) on feeding raw...and she has Newfs.

 

[cedarvalleynewfoundlands]

Hi All

I am slowly trying to switch everyone over to a raw, prey model diet.
The adults are doing great, but I am having a problem with my 12 week old girl.
She is swallowing her chicken wings whole....she's not even trying to chew them.
I give one to her and GULP its gone!!!
I am making her sit, trying to slow her down and its not making a bit of difference.
I am assuming this is not good for her, but I am unsure what to do.
If I grind it up, I am taking the whole chewing and gnawing effect away from her.
But I am scare to death she is going to choke or have a bowel obstruction.
So far, the only solution i have come up with is to give her a chicken leg quarter, which would be too big for her to swallow whole.
Is that OK, to give her a leg quarter and just let her work on it until she has it gone?

 

[2Paws]

My Benson was a gulper and could swallow a whole turkey neck. I had read someplace that if you grip the food with plyers and tell them easy or slow while they are eating it, that would help teach them to eat it slower. I tried that with Benson and it helped slow him down a little.

Maybe this would help you with your little girl. I haven't feed my dogs chicken wings or leg quarters so I can't offer any advice in that department. Good luck!

 

[cedarvalleynewfoundlands]

Any Raw Feeders In/Around St Louis???Possible Co-Op Opportunity With AWESOME prices

Hi All

I am about to sign a contract that would enable me to get supermarket meats that have just expired and can no longer be sold as "fit for human consumption". The supermarkets would take their meats once they are at the expiration date and freeze them. Once a week I would go pick them up. This would be mostly beef, pork, chicken, turkey, seafood/fish and some processed meats (hot dogs, deli meats, etc) In addition, there would also be some tripe, organ meats, pig ears/snouts/brains etc.I can get anywhere from 1-4 stores as part of my 2 year contract. One of the stores alone will have between 2600-2800 pounds a month.
The catch is, each store I contract with, I have to take ALL the meat (cant pick/choose or just take what I need)
So....this is scheduled to start mid Oct and I need to know if there is anyone who would be interested besides myself.I could use 1000-1200 pounds a month myself.
I anticipate the price would be end up being approx 10-25 cents a pound for this meat.
This would just cover my costs for gas, the liability insurance to have the stores allow me to do this, and my electric costs to operate the freezers to store it until it is picked up.
It sounds like if participation went above the 2600-2800 a month, I could just add another store.
Also, I wont know until I get in there how much of the meat is boneless etc. If we have to add bones, I have also found a wholesale dist of chickenbacks that would be $16 for a 40 pound box and also pork neckbones (whole REALLY nice neckbones...not the cut up ones you normally see in the supermarket) that would end up $40 for a 40 pound box, as well as whole pork kidneys, heart, and other stuff for just under $1 a a pound. The pork dist also has 250 pounds of pork spleen she is trying to move and has it down to around $28 a 40 pound box also.
If anyone thinks this may help them, please PM me and we can go from there.
Just trying to see if there would be any interest here.

 

[nowhavethreebears]

Geez, I wish I was closer to you....I would love to get the kids back on raw again...Gabriel was doing so well on it.

 

[Snowden]

Wow what super market did you contract with? I wish I were closer too!

 

[cedarvalleynewfoundlands]

The actual contract is through Quest Recycling's Meat Program. They've had a trail program for several years for zoo's, animal sanctuaries etc. They have just now gone National with the program.For $100 month (covers your liability insurance) you get up to 4 supermarkets/stores. For $150/month you get 5 to however many you can handle. The store I will be contracted with is a SuperWalMart in the area. I am SOO excited, since it will finally make raw feeding a variety of many meats extremely affordable.
The only drawback is that it is a very large amount of meat, and you must take it all, and be there every week to pick it up. Apparently, the supermarkets must pay a rendering plant to pick it up, so they actually have to pay to throw it out!
I know someone in the area who runs a rescue organization, and they are going to go in on it with me also. Hopefully, between the two of us we can get the freezers etc to store the meat and be able to build up a co-op over time. I have never seen any prices that even come close to what this program could do if we can find enough people to utilize it.

 

[Newfobsessed]

Maybe you could send this info to your local breeders club(s) any rescues that actually use raw? I'm sure other breeders, maybe not Newf breeders, would love to share your wealth of meat. Along with everyone else, I wish I was closer to you too! Enjoy!

 

[SheilaT]

Drat and double drat! We have a raw feeder's co-op in central Florida that would probably LOVE to get in on this....but too dratted far away!

 

[lola]

That sounds like an amazing idea! Nice to know theres a facilitator out there for these things! I'd love to have something like that out here, but just simply don't have the time (or storage space) for it. My dad works in refrigeration, I had a dream he would make me a nice walk in freezer room so I could store it all, but that would be really pricey.

 

[LindaR]

Hi All

I am slowly trying to switch everyone over to a raw, prey model diet.
The adults are doing great, but I am having a problem with my 12 week old girl.
She is swallowing her chicken wings whole....she's not even trying to chew them.
I give one to her and GULP its gone!!!
I am making her sit, trying to slow her down and its not making a bit of difference.
I am assuming this is not good for her, but I am unsure what to do.
If I grind it up, I am taking the whole chewing and gnawing effect away from her.
But I am scare to death she is going to choke or have a bowel obstruction.
So far, the only solution i have come up with is to give her a chicken leg quarter, which would be too big for her to swallow whole.
Is that OK, to give her a leg quarter and just let her work on it until she has it gone?

Your girl needs BIG food to slow her down. Chicken wings or necks should not be fed to a dog the size of a Newf. Could easily cause an obstruction. How about purchasing a whole chicken and cutting it in half or quarters. Chicken is about 30% bone, so you could add chunks of meat to balance out the meat/bone. She is probably excited about her raw diet and making her sit to slow down will just be frustrating to her and to you. Mine must sit and wait quietly while I prepare their meal and cannot touch it until given permission. Feel free to PM me as I've been thru the same thing with my girl.

 

[Goofy Newfy]

What exactly would you say is a RAW diet?

I have noticed for several months, the place that I purchase my ground beef, lunchmeat from has advertised homemade dog food sold. Deciding to give it a try after reading about RAW diets on here, I purchase a 8lb bag that came frozen. It consists of the ground-up leftovers from the meats that they sell. My number one question is, is this considered a RAW diet. Or is RAW ground beef only?

My dogs loved it but I can't wrap my head around if I'm going to be able to continue using it. First it came frozen, so I thawed and cooked the whole bag yesterday morning. I have 2 big guys so this will last about 1 week. How does everyone store the meat that they have laid out to feed for the week. Do you feed it uncooked?

Do you cook it at each meal, or cook it ahead of time, then reheat it?

My biggest issue with heating it up at each meal is having to stick my finger in it to see if it is warm enough. I also really had issues with cooking it and seeing the....I just have to say it...the tubes, and ligaments, etc in the meat. I had to fight back gagging and couldn't let myself think about what I was doing. Is this what is considered a RAW diet?

Sorry to sound like such a baby. I really want to keep with this but need some easy tips to get through it.

Thanks, Tina