physical changes after feeding raw

Since I have been feeding half raw and half kibble there have been some changes so I am looking for some comments.

O.k. before when the dogs were getting all kibble I was having to trim their nails once a week. And Bender was gaining 2 to 3 lbs. a week.

Well since The food change I have had to trim Sophie's nails once and Benders are not growing if at all (month and half since new food change). I took Bender to the vet to get him weighed for his next heart worm pill. Thinking Sophie's weight is the same and Bender probably gained 10 lbs.

Bender hasn't gained any weight in the last month and he is about 35lbs. to 45lbs. shy from being his full weight and size. He is only 6 mths. old and should still be growing and gaining weight.

Everything else looks the same with the dogs. They still have some kibble and they get bones with their raw. Why the change in nail growth and Benders overall growth?

Hmmm... well... assuming that nothing else has changed (ie, more activity/exercise), I would suspect that a lack of nail growth could point to a calcium deficiency.

I know that, for a while, you were feeding primarily organs and muscle meats. Roughly, how often to you feed raw meaty bones (with an edible, palpable bone in the meat)? Preferably, meaty bones should make up roughly 70% of their diets... or, specifically, about 10-20% bone, 70-80% meat, and 10% organs. It doesn't have to be exact, but you MUST provide a consistent source of calcium in a raw diet. I feed at least one raw meaty bone per day, of some sort. They are not only a good source of calcium, but they make for good poops, as well. You must balance calcium (the bone) to phosphorus (the meat) over time, especially when you have a growing pup. If you don't want to feed bones, you could feed egg shells or bone meal, but you HAVE TO provide adequate amounts of calcium.

How does Bender feel? Is he very ribby? Can you feel his hipbones? If so, I would simply increase his intake, both of raw and kibble. A number on a scale is much less reliable than feeling him, as puppies go through lots of awkward stages.

Bender has always been thin, LOL hes like an empty hole.

The dogs get bones every time and I feed them both twice a day. Sophie gets a little more bone because she has all her teeth. Bender is starting to get more bone since he was loosing his teeth and it was hard for him to crunch the bone I noticed as I watched him. But he still got some just not the bigger ones. But he got more kibble during those times.

From what I've read, dogs fed raw will grow at a slower rate than dogs fed kibble. and that's actually a good thing because it puts less stress on the bones/joints. But, being that he's young he could also need more food, and so maybe adding a little more meat will help...

I don't know about nails though...

Thanks xpaeanx

I also wanted to add because I forgot in my last post that with the organ meat that was only the first week and two days, since it has been regular chicken and hen meat with the bone and organ here and there. Adding variety here and there as well.

How much does he weigh now and at what weight will he top out?

Ihartgonzo touched on it but has anything else in his routine changed? More exercise? On pavement? It makes sense that raw would slow the growth slightly, but if he's still getting kibble I don't see how it would make that big a difference.

Perhaps it is diet related, but I'd first blame it on teenage puppy weirdness. Not based on anything scientific, but I feel a lot of pups stall at about 6 months and then take another year and a half to two and a half years to completely fill out with growth so slow it's hardly noticeable.