Raw

[Capri]

I'm only on puppy lists right now but when my pup does arrive I'm seriously considering feeding raw. I've ordered a couple books recommended on this site and maybe this question is answered in them but I was just wondering...can any cooties (E. coli especially) be transferred from dog to human from big, slobbery kisses or from fur to human? I have two little kids (2 and 5) and I don't want to put them at any risk of catching anything. I would feed in a crate to more easily sanitize post feeding.

You should have a look at our website for raw feeding info (you can also email me directly and I can help you to get started ).

If you buy the food from a good source (i.e. human quality meat from the butcher's or a supermarket (e.g. that might have passed the date for human consumption, or leftovers from the butchers etc.) ), you won't have virtually any risk of infection. Of course you'll need to wash your hands after you've handled raw meat, but I wouldn't be overly worried. We've fed raw for the past 5-ish years and we haven't had any problems, and we do give our dogs kisses .

 

[lisaperp]

You should have a look at our website for raw feeding info (you can also email me directly and I can help you to get started ).

Your site was one of the first I looked at! As for human grade meat, apparently there's a co-op in my area that I'm still trying to get info about, but from what I've read they have agreements with a few local farmers and butchers. I've only been researching for the last week or so, so I'm definitly still gathering info. I will email you directly when it gets a little closer to the pup coming home to get more specific newfie info. Thanks for your help!

 

[R Taft]

You should have a look at our website for raw feeding info (you can also email me directly and I can help you to get started ).

If you buy the food from a good source (i.e. human quality meat from the butcher's or a supermarket (e.g. that might have passed the date for human consumption, or leftovers from the butchers etc.) ), you won't have virtually any risk of infection. Of course you'll need to wash your hands after you've handled raw meat, but I wouldn't be overly worried. We've fed raw for the past 5-ish years and we haven't had any problems, and we do give our dogs kisses .

Capri's site is of great help...........Get to know your local butchers and let them meet the dogs. Ours was a little ordinary at first and just gave us what I asked for. I introduced him to our Abbey many years ago, she carried a little Christmas gift in a bucket..........Well how to change peoples attitudes :lol:.......They have been getting the best bones and meat off-cuts ever since at a very low price. The shop has even changed ownership, but our yearly Christmas venture with small gift (chocolates) and card delivered via newf carried bucket have won them over. Katy last year.
We also get day-old fish from a fish monger, who can not sell it to humans, but is allowed to sell for dogfood. But here there is not one other person who wants fish

 

[Capri]

First of all congrats on your newf puppy

You should definitely also contact your local newf club to see if they know anyone who feeds raw. They usually have good sources of food (like co-ops) and the newf owners might also guide you and show you what they actually give their newfies, how much and how often.

Does your breeder feed raw food?

 

[Capri]

I introduced him to our Abbey many years ago, she carried a little Christmas gift in a bucket..........Well how to change peoples attitudes :lol:.......They have been getting the best bones and meat off-cuts ever since at a very low price. The shop has even changed ownership, but our yearly Christmas venture with small gift (chocolates) and card delivered via newf carried bucket have won them over. Katy last year.

Awww Maybe we should go do that too, it would be fun and a nice surprise ! Our butchers haven't really ever met our dogs yet, we just go there montly to pick up our "dog food". But we absolutely LOVE him, he gives us the meat 10 euros/10kgs + all bones free . Couldn't really get any better than that ?! We should surprise him next time. He just knows we have big dogs that eat a lot

 

[R Taft]

Awww Maybe we should go do that too, it would be fun and a nice surprise ! Our butchers haven't really ever met our dogs yet, we just go there montly to pick up our "dog food". But we absolutely LOVE him, he gives us the meat 10 euros/10kgs + all bones free . Couldn't really get any better than that ?! We should surprise him next time. He just knows we have big dogs that eat a lot

Try it, we get so much free and they go out of their way now to find "specials" for the girls.
The last Christmas card was like the avatar i had and it is still up, whilst all the other cards are gone

 

[Cascadians]

That is such an awesome idea, gift barrels / baskets carried by the Newfies. That would definitely make an impression! I'm going to enlist Orka to be an ambassador :allg069:

 

[lisaperp]

First of all congrats on your newf puppy

You should definitely also contact your local newf club to see if they know anyone who feeds raw. They usually have good sources of food (like co-ops) and the newf owners might also guide you and show you what they actually give their newfies, how much and how often.

Does your breeder feed raw food?

Breeder does not feed raw nor do any of the other breeders close by. I haven't read the breeder's contract yet and I hope feeding raw doesn't nullify the contract. I've been going to the local club events for about a year and have yet to find anyone who feeds raw. And I ask everyone what they feed their dogs! I'm sure as I do more research I'll find others close by who can guide me but right now it's mostly NN. You all are such a wealth of information to those of us who are new to the breed. Thanks so much.

 

[Annetteb]

I am just starting to explore feeding raw to my girls because it would be so much better for them. Looking at sites and forums I see a variety of views and opinions about whether to feed just meat or other vegetables and/or grains. Also, on the subject of supplements. I would like to start with kibble for the morning and raw in the evening.

I would appreciate hearing how others feeding newfs raw do it and if you recommend specific books on the subject. I tried to find some I have heard of at the local book store, but they don't have anything like that so I will probably have to order on line.

Thanks

 

[mrsnamsherf]

Hi, I see you are from WA, too (I'm in Seattle) :sunflower:

I feed my newf raw. I have only had him for 4-5 months and he is 41/2, but I had fed my previous Lab raw as well. Prior to this he (my newf) was on kibble his whole life.

The absolute best place I have found for info on this is the rawfeeding group at Yahoo. They have been around for years and really know their stuff. They recommend 80% meat, 10% bone, 5% organs, and 5% liver-no veggies or supplements, except fish oil. They explain their reasonings behind no veggies, etc. Their archives are invaluable, and I still refer to them if I have problems.

The only real problem I have had with my newf on raw (besides dietary adjustments) is that he gets to smelling funky from all the raw meat juice he gets in his thick chest fur. :whistling: So I just recently went to the local thrift store and bought a number of turtlenecks-the kind with the long neck that folds over-not the short neck, and he wears a turtleneck every time he eats. It really seems to help. I don't fold the neck part over, either, b/c it protects him all the way up to his ears. It also protects his legs, which he likes to hold the food with.

The stuff I recommend looking up in their archives before you feed is what meat to start with and how much, what bones to give (no large weight-bearing bones like cow legs, especially not cooked or smoked), when to start giving organ (and what is considered organ-heart is considered meat). certain foods are more likely to cause diarrhea and should be avoided to start-that is helpful to know. There is actually a lady on the list who raises Newfs and feeds raw. Feeding raw and kibble is not recommended-they say just dump the kibble and start the raw. Kibble one day, raw the next.

Since you are in Wa, let me know if you have trouble finding affordable foods, and I can tell you who usually has sales, etc. And where to get less expensive soy-free/grain-free fish oil. As far as I know there are no really good books out on the subject, but the yahoo group is great-all the info you really need. There is also good info on rawfeddogs.net and rawfed.com/myths.

Good luck with your rawfeeding. Keep us posted on how it goes. :nod:
Marie

 

[Alex]

I want to echo the suggesting of Kymythy Schultz's book, Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats. I also do a prey model 80% meat, 10% bone, 5% liver, 5% other organ when I'm assembling it myself, but mostly I try to feed whole animals- fish, rabbits, chicken, etc. I've fed this for nearly 2 years now and no blockages, no choking, no constipation... no food related problems of any sort except horrible, foul gas if I feed a meal with a very high fat content, like pork shoulder. I feed most of my meals as "meatsickles," frozen hunks right out of the freezer that my boys thoroughly enjoy. I've tried giving them freshly butchered meat, but they were not at all interested.
Another great resource I didn't see mentioned is http://www.rawfed.com Their "myths about raw" section is most excellent.

 

[Annetteb]

Thanks .... I appreciate all the advice I can get from Newf people who feed raw. I have also found that they seem to like having their meat served frozen, Kona looks at me and the raw meat with a strange look on her face. I was hoping it was an OK way to feed.

We have had her up-chuck a couple mornings lately, after turkey and pork ribs (different days). I checked on the raw forum and see that is not abnormal. Just seemed like it could be a problem with the pork rib bones as they are bigger and sharper looking pieces. So far she seems to do the best with chicken.

As for supplements, I have seem some recommended here. Is that for raw feeding or just overall newf health?

Thanks all.

 

[Newfs Forever]

You can also try: NaturalBerners@yahoogroups.com They too, are a wealth of knowledge, anything from raw to herbs to natural/floral essences.

Since I also had berners, I had subscribed to them years ago.

One of the main reasons I have always fed my dogs veggies is because a dog in the wild may very well eat the contents of the stomach of the prey they have killed. Now, I do steer clear of grains (except their treats). To me grains can be/are more of a problem than veggies. JMVHO!

I have always given my guys enzymes. My late Dex was on "Pancreatic 8x plus" for the better part of his life. But, he had some digestive probs. He was a guy that I had to feed at least 2 + C. of food each meal. And no, he was not an athlete. But, he did live to be over 12 1/2 years old. Sammy gets about 1 1/2 - 1 1/4 C. each meal. Sammy is a little over 6 yo.

With Sammy, he is just on the basic "Prozyme".

 

[Alex]

One of the main reasons I have always fed my dogs veggies is because a dog in the wild may very well eat the contents of the stomach of the prey they have killed. Now, I do steer clear of grains (except their treats). To me grains can be/are more of a problem than veggies. JMVHO!

I don't have a quote on this (maybe someone else does?), but I believe Mech found wolves shake the stomach empty and do NOT eat the contents unless it's unavoidable in very small prey.
Mine won't eat stomach contents unless the food is frozen and they can't eat around it. They also refuse to eat fruits or veggies- raw, pureed, or cooked.
Regardless, I don't think veggies can hurt to be added (whereas grains can), but if anyone else has dogs who won't eat their greens, I personally am not worried about it. I'm not going to try to sneak veggies in their hunk of liver or anything.

 

[kailani]

I am just reading this thread now, I love to hear what everyone's experiences are since we are brand new to this.

Our Baloo just came home this past Saturday and the breeder was raw feeding and we are continuing with her "diet" plan. She also feeds the prey model.

He has had pork rib, chicken thighs/drumsticks, ground beef/pork, duck necks. We gave him canned mackeral yesterday but the breeder said she no longer does that and the salmon oil replaces that.

We supplement with Salmon oil and Ester c per the breeder. We also have green tripe, he has only had it once (frozen) and didn't seem to enjoy it but the breeder was using it so next time we'll thaw it first but it smells so bad!

He also didn't care for the egg (our breeder added it to ground meat sometimes) maybe we need to mix it in.

So far it has gone well, I'm just a little nervous about the bacteria that may be growing on his fur because he gets raw meat juice on his ears, feet and chest when he eats and I can't imagine washing him every time he eats but I worried about transfer to other things in the house and my daughter getting sick.

I also have to be careful about bees. He prefers to eat outside and yesterday I was sitting with him while he ate and bees kept coming and trying to land on his meat!

 

[mrsnamsherf]

Put a turtleneck on him when he eats. My Sam wears a woman's large! (Don't tell him...some of them are pink, too! :whistling I keep several on hand and use them once then toss 'em in the wash. Before I began dressing him in turtlenecks from goodwill, Sam would smell funky from the meat juice. This never happened with my lab, so I think it is just the long fur. The turtleneck covers all-chest, neck (I buy the long neck ones and do not roll them up), even leg fur. I feed him right after I put it on and he does not mind wearing it for the most part. After he is done eating, I take it off, then wipe his face, so he does not drool meat juice into his fur.

If you are concerned about germs, you could probably spray a cloth with Listerine and wipe his face with that. (Careful near his eyes, though.) It will kill germs. And you could keep him from licking your daughter for a little while after he eats.

Here he is in his turtleneck:

The yahoo rawfeeding group has a ton more useful information-and they do prey model like your breeder. They talk a bit about germs, too.

http://pets.dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/?v=1&t=directory&ch=web&pub=groups&sec=dir&slk=1


You can probably mix the egg with ground beef, then add less and less ground beef each time, until it is just egg again for him to get used to it.

Marie

 

[kailani]

Put a turtleneck on him when he eats. My Sam wears a woman's large! (Don't tell him...some of them are pink, too! :whistling I keep several on hand and use them once then toss 'em in the wash. Before I began dressing him in turtlenecks from goodwill, Sam would smell funky from the meat juice. This never happened with my lab, so I think it is just the long fur. The turtleneck covers all-chest, neck (I buy the long neck ones and do not roll them up), even leg fur. I feed him right after I put it on and he does not mind wearing it for the most part. After he is done eating, I take it off, then wipe his face, so he does not drool meat juice into his fur.

If you are concerned about germs, you could probably spray a cloth with Listerine and wipe his face with that. (Careful near his eyes, though.) It will kill germs. And you could keep him from licking your daughter for a little while after he eats.

Here he is in his turtleneck:

The yahoo rawfeeding group has a ton more useful information-and they do prey model like your breeder. They talk a bit about germs, too.

http://pets.dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/?v=1&t=directory&ch=web&pub=groups&sec=dir&slk=1


You can probably mix the egg with ground beef, then add less and less ground beef each time, until it is just egg again for him to get used to it.

Marie

Oh my gosh!!:roflmao: That is so cute, I can't believe he lets you do that!
Hmmm I wonder if I could make a dickey out of something like that.

Thanks for the tips, I didn't even think of listerine. It gets all over his ears, chin, chest and legs. I was a vegetarian a ways back for four years because meat creeps me out never mind RAW meat so I'm still getting used to touching it. I eat chicken now but nothing else only because I don't like the taste of it.
Anyway I have always been a bit of a germaphobe when it comes to raw meat and unwashed veggies/fruit so I need to at least attempt to clean him up.

I belong to that yahoo group I just haven't gotten the hang of to use it yet. Maybe I'll venture over there.
Thanks!

 

[R Taft]

I feed RAW too, and have been for a long time. Any way it comes, on the bone, whole or whichever way I get it from my butcher. We also have very few problems with any digestive related stuff, sometimes a bit of flatulence after a lot of pork. Only if Annabelle get fed cookies by friendly kids, because she has so many severe allergies, which are under control when only home food is used. We do feed vegetable with our food, because our dogs go looking for greens in our garden when we do not add it to their meal. And I hate my spinach pulled up by newfs. Ours also self serve from the herb garden.
Our dogs do not seem to get smelly eating their daily RAW bones, usually outside or on the verandah, we feed our directly out of our freezer in Winter or Summer. I could not imagine having to dress my dogs before feeding, but it is a gorgeous pic.
I have never had skin problems with my dogs, due to eating RAW and getting it all over them, except for Annabelle's preservative/wheat allergy. Katy will catch her own crayfish and trout. She loves that the best.

 

[Alex]

That's too cute! Monty is very neat when he eats, Walter gets pretty messy. I just leave him outside until he's finished licking his legs and paws off.

 

[kailani]

I feed RAW too, and have been for a long time. Any way it comes, on the bone, whole or whichever way I get it from my butcher. We also have very few problems with any digestive related stuff, sometimes a bit of flatulence after a lot of pork. Only if Annabelle get fed cookies by friendly kids, because she has so many severe allergies, which are under control when only home food is used. We do feed vegetable with our food, because our dogs go looking for greens in our garden when we do not add it to their meal. And I hate my spinach pulled up by newfs. Ours also self serve from the herb garden.
Our dogs do not seem to get smelly eating their daily RAW bones, usually outside or on the verandah, we feed our directly out of our freezer in Winter or Summer. I could not imagine having to dress my dogs before feeding, but it is a gorgeous pic.
I have never had skin problems with my dogs, due to eating RAW and getting it all over them, except for Annabelle's preservative/wheat allergy. Katy will catch her own crayfish and trout. She loves that the best.

Hmm I wonder if feeding it frozen makes it less juicy. It gets all over the bottom of his ears, chin, chest and legs.

That's too cute! Monty is very neat when he eats, Walter gets pretty messy. I just leave him outside until he's finished licking his legs and paws off.

Baloo doesn't lick his legs or paws, I don't think it bothers him. I tried to wipe him with a facecloth and it became a battle for the facecloth.

It just really creeps me out to see him all wet from meat juice and he is walking around our house. I'm sure I will get used to it in time, it is my germaphobe coming out.