Raw feeding a Newfie 7 months old?

[MaxMom]

Hello! This is my first newf he is 7 months old currently, and my first time trying raw. I have owned a Great Dane, she passed almost 2 years ago so I am used to large breeds. My male newf has started to itch A LOT, so I wanted to try a raw diet. I have given him, chicken, turkey and some ground beef. He's had chicken feet, raw thigh bones, wings etc.. My concerns are, one, I noticed he is eating WAY LESS. I mean I read at his weight(105) he needs 3lbs.. he is just under 2 pounds of food, and he now refuses his kibble. He's also getting super picky  which leads him to eat less, I read to try cheese and, yes I sprinkled some and he ate, no issues. Two, I read all this info about organ meats and how imp they are. Well he so far doesn't like them. I did just purchase Annamaet Enhance because I'm kind of going nuts. Some of these articles share me that I will wreck him. Has anyone out there raised a Newfoundland on raw, can you give me some advice, helps anything???

 

Max and I thank you!

~Nora

[Rebanne]

I'm not a lot of help but how long have you been feeding raw? Has he lost weight in this time? I do believe that raw is the same as kibble re feeding guildlines i.e. that you do not have to feed what the graph is telling you so maybe 2 pounds is right for your dog. Re the organ meats you could grind them up with some of the meat your dog does eat. Also nothing wrong with sprinkling a bit of cheese on each meal. I've done that before. Remember not every meal needs to balanced everytime as long as it all balances over about a week.

 

Has your dog seen a vet for the itchies? Might be worth getting bloods done.

[sandgrubber]

4 hours ago, MaxMom said:

My concerns are, one, I noticed he is eating WAY LESS.

So long as his body condition is good, I wouldn't worry.  I've never had Newfs, but have raised many Labs.  Pups go through periods of not wanting to eat a lot. It's far better to be a little skinny than to grow too fast or get fat

[persephone]

Gorgeous big boy
Is he an indoor dog ? With the weather getting cooler where you are , perhaps using heating etc is making him itchy? have you changed grooming/shamppoing products? 
is he scratching more since the use of the Annamaet Enhance supplement, maybe? 
I am presuming he is on flea control ...Obviously a vet is the best person to ask . 

With feeding raw - maybe present hime with an extra meal than what you are currently doing ...if you are feeding 2 - give him 3 , and see if that may encourage him to eat a bit more - but maybe he doesn't need the extra ? I agree with Rebanne about grinding up the organ meats - they aren't a large amount anyway ..., and also about sprinkling cheese

[Pjrt]

I worked for a Newfy breeder for 3 yrs moons ago. Back then they were fed a mix of Eukanuba kibble & raw meats. 
if I owned one myself it would be entirely raw fed. 
a few things... at 7 months your pup is hitting ‘coat change’ where all that soft thick puppy fuzz starts to give way for the nice flat shiny strong adult coat. You might be able to see that stronger adult coat coming in around the shoulder area and along the back. During coat change a lot is going on with the skin and grooming needs to be doubled down on. Really thorough brushing down to the skin with a slicker brush. Push Into the coat with your hand and push a small section up and back then using the slicker brush pull that section of hair back into place. You need to go through the entire coat like this several times a week. The alternative is to get a professional groom where the dead hairs will be blown out of the coat with a high velocity dryer after the bath, then a thorough groom through to finish. I’d be doing a professional groom once a month with home brushing at least weekly between. You could also purchase a professional style dog dryer for just $100-150 on eBay etc and do it yourself.. point is, puppy coat change & seasonal shedding in general needs to be taken care of properly to have nice healthy skin & coat. 
on to feeding. Raw foods are whole foods, and digest much more slowly than commercial pet food, so your pup will naturally feel fuller and stay feeling fuller for longer, if eating & digestion raw foods, so eating less goes along with it. 
growing a giant breed takes time. You want to grow them slowly & steadily, keeping them slim, not roly poly fatties. 
if you are feeding raw meaty bones and or good quality kibble, please do not give your pup calcium supplements. 
If I was growing a newf I’d probably be using whole chicken carcass, lamb rib flaps, turkey necks, lamb & beef hearts, chicken livers, heart & giblets, eggs, oily fish, natural yogurt, cottage cheese. If you want to add vegetable matter it needs to be as processed as possible but still raw. The pulp from a juicer is ideal, and even the juice in moderation. I wouldn’t cook any ingredients with the possible exception of lamb/beef livers as many dogs find them unpalatable raw but will scoff them lightly cooked! (That’s why I use raw chicken liver as I find it is generally better accepted as a raw product) 

I use meaty bones as the base for a meal then add one or 2 ‘sides’ in rotation so a day might be a whole chicken carcass plus an egg plus a couple of chicken liver, lunch a section of lamb rib flap with 2 or 3 ribs in it plus cottage cheese and a diced up lamb heart, dinner 1/2 chicken carcass plus a tin of sardines and a dollop of yogurt.. next day similar bone base with a rotation of different sides. So over 2 or 3 days there’s a variety of bone and sides, then start the cycle again. Don’t be afraid of raw. It’s not designed to be a complete and balanced meal at every sitting. The key to good raw feeding is balance over time. No animal sits down to a ‘complete balanced meal’ at every sitting. Thats marketing brainwashing nonsense that we seem to have largely fallen for! Relax and enjoy watching your pup crunch rip and tear at raw foods. And don’t be afraid to add variety. Depending on your location you might be able to get goat, deer, kangaroo, etc etc. 

[MaxMom]

I do not think he's lost weight, we've only been at this about two weeks, but what concerned me was the total lack of eating. I did brown the turkey a bit, added cheese and some kibble, he ate like he was STARVING. On kibble he ate 6 cups and added cooked food. He's not fat, he is ideal at the moment. mean he gulped down three servings after barely eating in a while. Maybe I should so more slowly.

 

No I have not taken him to vet yet. He is an indoor dog, but gets walked 4 times a day and played with outside, he has  A LOT of energy. 

 

I actually just picked up some Annamaet today and gave him some.  The woman in the store said I don't need organ meat if he uses this supplement, is that true?

 

Yes, he's on flea control.

 

Maybe I jumped the gun and it's the weather causing the skin?

[MaxMom]

Scratch,

Great advice! Yes, I have a dryer, I think you're right I should blow him out. I do need to find a good groomer, the last one he went to I wasn't thrilled. I was told newfs shouldn't be in a cage being dried they need a forced air, he was. He's also going through this thing where he won't get in the car. I brush him, bit still working on getting him to stay on grooming table for longer times. Yes, he is getting his adult coat!

 

Is the Annamaet not a good supplement?  That as a bit pricey.

 

Should I go cold turkey or slower?

[MaxMom]

Scratch, 

Yes he will eat meaty bones! Again, no need for Annamaet then? HIs kibble is Science diet for large breeds

[Pjrt]

10 minutes ago, MaxMom said:

Scratch,

Great advice! Yes, I have a dryer, I think you're right I should blow him out. I do need to find a good groomer, the last one he went to I wasn't thrilled. I was told newfs shouldn't be in a cage being dried they need a forced air, he was. He's also going through this thing where he won't get in the car. I brush him, bit still working on getting him to stay on grooming table for longer times. Yes, he is getting his adult coat!

 

Is the Annamaet not a good supplement?  That as a bit pricey.

 

Should I go cold turkey or slower?

Regarding the supplement I looked up the brand and although it all looks fine, I am not personally a big fan of supplements. Reading through that website I see all the usual marketing drivel designed very carefully to make people question themselves about feeding their pets. The supplements are made from all the things that are entirely available in the raw diet, only in the raw diet are much more likely to be available, proportional, and digestible. And they are right there subtly pushing that idea that every meal needs everything in it..... aside from the extra calcium which if your pup is eating bones daily, calcium supplements could actually be detrimental, there’s probably no real harm in the supplement, but I really don’t see it as necessary. People seem to have been brainwashed to believe that actual real whole foods don’t have any nutrition and everything needs supplementing! 
Marketing and advertising is very powerful, especially when you have a few doubts and concerns already. EVERYTHING your pup needs is perfectly available in its natural state across a varied raw diet. I say go for it! 
 

As for the grooming, I’ve been a groomer for over 30 yrs and personally I have never used cage drying method aside from the very very rare instance of complete intolerance or ‘special needs’ dogs.  A Newfy should not be cage dried, even in part. Yes it’s a big job hand drying a newf with a high velocity dryer from wet to thoroughly dry, but it is truly the best way to release dead coat and produce the best coat finish. Find a groomer who ‘gets’ that! 
 

[MaxMom]

I personally am not either, but I got concerned(should have stayed off the internet, I mean I managed to feed 5 kids and they're healthy? Some sites are scary, you know the whole giant breed don't mess it up!

 

I just blew out his coat and gave him a turkey thigh.

 

I'll try again tomorrow.

 

I will find a new groomer.. I'm concerned he's squirmy on the table(his first groom session she told me) working on it