Feeding Guidelines By Weight
German shepherds can be of different weight ranges. Thats why the feeding plan of your dog can be complicated. Fortunately, theres a calculation for the feeding amount of German shepherds according to weight.
- Inactive German Shepherds: For every 1 kilogram your dog weighs, theyll need 40 calories a day.An average weighted German shepherd will then need 1400 calories per day. This only applies to German shepherds that do not exercise or inactive.
- Active German Shepherds: In the case of active German shepherds that exercise regularly, every 1 kilogram equals to 55 calories per day.So an average weighted German shepherd will require 1925 calories per day to be able to function properly.
Take note, however, that this calculation may be affected if the German shepherd has a health disorder concerned with metabolism or digestion.
Is Homemade Dog Food Good For Dogs
While I am not a vet, and I certainly cant speak for all animals I can tell you that switching to homemade dog food made the world of difference for Rascal. We had a very unique case with him and his food allergies, but we have also seen other positive changes.
On traditional dog food Rascal was lethargic, he shed in abundance and his appetite was mediocre. He was also low in his weight class, weighing in at just 64 pounds for a full sized male Golden Retriever.
Since the dog food switch he has been energetic, focused, and calmer. He has also put on about 15 pounds in just one year after switching to homemade food. On a traditional diet were vacuuming at least once a day but now 1-2 a week. We no longer have to coax Rascal into mealtime and have finally developed a great eating schedule.
How Much Water Should A German Shepherd Puppy Drink
Your German Shepherd puppy needs to drink 6 ounces of water per day for every 3.5 kilograms of body weight. Therefore, if your puppy weighs approximately 35 kilograms, he needs to have about 60 ounces of water every day.
If your dog is engaged in a lot of physical activity, or if the weather is hot, then this amount may need to be increased. You may notice that your dog is panting and this is a clear sign of dehydration. Always keep the water bowl full.
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How Often Should I Feed My German Shepherd
Once your dog reaches an adult stage, you will need to increase the amounts you feed him but decrease the frequency of feedings. So, how often should you feed your German shepherd?
Starting from 1 year of age, you should reduce his feeding frequency from 4 times a day to 2 times a day. The exception is for pregnant female German shepherds . They may be fed an extra time depending on how hungry they might look.
Do remember, though, that reducing the quantity of the food does not mean compromising on the quality of the food.
How Much Do You Feed A German Shepherd
German Shepherds areknown for their size and energy. They are excellent guarddogs and need a nutritious and wholesomediet to keep them healthy throughout the day. There are a lot of factors thatneed to be considered when deciding how much dogs are supposed to eat everyday, as not feeding your dog the right quantity can cause obesity or malnutrition.
An adult German Shepherd must be fed at least twice aday, preferably in the morning and evening. They require about 2.5 to 3.5 cupsof food per day, depending on their size, weight, age, gender, and physicalactivity.
It is important toremember that every German Shepherd is unique as it lives in differentenvironments. Hence, you will need to consider quite a few factors to avoidover or under-feeding your dog. These factors vary between dogs, so you need tolook into each category carefully before deciding upon a meal plan. Lets diveinto the details!
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Instinct By Nature’s Variety Raw Boost Large Breed Puppy Recipe
Advertised as the “raw brand,” Instinct dog food is all about providing pups with a diet that consists of wholesome ingredients. The Raw Boost large puppy food is no different.
It has 33.5 percent protein that comes from chicken, turkey meal, lamb meal, and more. Small bits of freeze-dried raw meat are thrown into the mix as well for an extra boost of muscle-building protein.
The recipe uses complex carbs and a variety of plant-based ingredients as well. They act as a source of vitamins and minerals that help your dog’s growing body.
How Long Do You Keep A German Shepherd On Puppy Food
Some breeders recommend keeping German shepherds on puppy food until they reach six months to one year old. After that, you can transfer your puppy from puppy food to a leaner adult dog food later to prevent overgrowth. This arrangement allows your puppy to get all the essential nutrients that he needs in his early stage of development.
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German Shepherd Puppy Diet: Newborn
For a German Shepherd puppy to develop and grow properly, it is imperative that they first nurse on their mother’s milk. The first milk they receive is a protein and antibody-rich type of milk known as colostrum. This gives the puppy’s immune and central nervous systems a boost. They then progress on to regular breast milk.
Puppies will nurse for at least 6 to 8 weeks, gradually being weaned on to solid food at about 4 weeks. We cannot overemphasize the importance of a puppys first milk, as it provides them with 90% of its natural defenses. In addition, a puppys first feeding contributes to proper blood flow and helps oxygenate the puppy’s organs.
If, for any reason, the puppy cannot suckle its mother, don’t give them cow or goat milk. These milks are very poor quality in comparison to a puppy’s mother’s milk. If your German shepherd puppy has to be prematurely weaned, a veterinarian will be able to prescribe specific infant formula and establish the appropriate dosage for your puppy.
A dogs breed type does however influence this feed. For example, a Chihuahua and a German Shepherd should not be fed the same food. This is because hese breeds have different nutritional needs. Take a look here to find out more about the diet for a prematurely weaned puppy.
Taste Of The Wild High Protein Real Meat Recipe Dry Dog Food
German Shepherds are built to be muscular. Though we wouldnt want them to grow out of their puppy bod, its still paramount to keep the protein intake sufficient. The Taste of the Wild High Protein Real Meat Recipe Dry Dog Food will make sure your pup has everything he needs to achieve the lean and strong build like hes intended too. One of its ingredients is real meat thats rich in fatty acids and lean protein. This product is best for puppies with high energy levels. The best thing about it is its made from sustainably sourced ingredients without artificial flavoring and preservatives.
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How Much Should I Feed My Gsd Puppy
A normal healthy GSD puppy will require anywhere between 1 to 2.5 cups of food depending on the age and lifestyle. A larger puppy may also need more food, and the gender of your pooch may play a part as well since males are largely bigger than females. As your GSD reaches adulthood, you will need to feed it anywhere between 2 to 3.5 cups of food daily.
General Nutritional Recommendations For German Shepherds
All dogs require a balance of protein, fat and carbohydrate in their diet, though dogs of certain sizes may require a slightly different ratio than smaller dogs. Large-breed dogs like the German Shepherd, for example, may require more protein than smaller dogs to help support their lean muscle mass. Smaller dogs usually require more fat than larger dogs to support their faster metabolisms. As a large-breed dog, your German Shepherds diet should provide high levels of protein with moderate fat and limited carbohydrate content. According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, adult dogs need at least 18% protein and 5% fat while puppies need 22% protein and 8% fat. If you want your dog to be as healthy as possible, however, you should choose a diet that provides more than the minimum for these nutrients.
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Week Old German Shepherd
At 6 weeks old, your job as a new owner is to make sure that your puppy is receiving the same level of nutrition that they were getting from their mothers milk.
Ideally, your puppy should still be nursing from their mother, because most foods are going to have a hard time replacing the needed micro and macronutrients, along with the natural antibodies that are found inside of the mothers milk.
Things To Look For In A Dry Dog Food For German Shepherds
Although German Shepherds can live on almost any kibble, their large and agile bodies thrive on high protein formulas. These allow them to build and maintain lean muscle mass.
Generally, you should avoid any brand that doesnt have an animal source of protein listed at the top of its ingredients list.
The needs of every GSD will be different but, generally, this is the nutritional content you should look for in dry dog food:
| Lifestage | |
|---|---|
| > 25 | > 23 |
Additionally, you should look for a brand that doesnt have any filler carbohydrates. Deciding on whether or not you should feed your German Shepherd a grain-free diet is up to you. Generally, dry dog food containing digestible carbohydrates like vegetables and whole grains is sufficient.
When youre looking for a kibble brand for your GSD, take the time to look at the additional ingredients. Some variants contain supplements like omega 3 fatty acids, which are beneficial to your dogs skin and coat. Others have probiotics for a healthy gut while several contain glucosamine for optimum joint health.
Of course, your German Shepherds specific health conditions will affect the type of food they need as well. If they have food allergies, make sure you scrutinize the label to keep your dog safe.
If theyre not hitting their weight milestones, they might need to consume high-calorie kibble to gain weight. If your dog has a health condition that might require a special diet, its always best to get dry dog food recommendations from your vet.
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Orijen Puppy Large Breed
You will question less on How much should I feed my German shepherd puppy? with the calorie-limiting property from Orijen Puppy Large Breed. This dog food will make sure your little fur babys weight is on the right track. Its doing in while also fulfilling a pups need of protein to go by the day, resulting in an active and lively puppy. You dont need to worry if your pups a picky eater, the turkey liver will make any pup eager to devour it.
Monitor Weight & Health
You can determine whether you are feeding the right amount by running your hands over your dogs ribs. Fido is at a good weight if you can feel your dogs ribs but not see them.
Weighing your GSD on a scale regularly is the best way to keep an eye out for a healthy weight.
Monitoring your German Shepherds weight is key as you transition to a raw food diet. An unbalanced diet can lead to excessive energy, skin or coat disorders, allergies, weight loss, malnutrition, or obesity.
Follow your GSDs weight and health closely for about a month to ensure that he is not adversely affected by this new diet. If you notice these symptoms, immediately stop feeding your dog this food and consult with a professional dog nutritionist.
Its important to work alongside your vet to ensure the diet maintains nutritional adequacy.
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How Much Should I Feed My 8 Week Old German Shepherd Puppy
An 8 week old German Shepherd puppy should be weaned from his mothers milk and be consuming puppy food. Offer food to him 3 times a day, but do not leave it out after feeding times in order to get him on a solid schedule for meals. You can offer up to 2 cups a day, but dont be surprised if he cannot eat it all.
Pointers For Feeding German Shepherds
Improper feeding practices can lead to serious health problems for German shepherds. Most of the time, these problems linger throughout the dogs lifetime.
You should remember this before doing something reckless, such as altering your German shepherd puppys feeding amount.
An owner is responsible for taking into consideration the age and weight of a German shepherd before feeding them. So here are some tips that can be applied according to your dogs age and weight.
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Meal Plan / Feeding Guide By Weight
There are lots of German Shepherd food brands out there. However, you need to look for foods that meet your pet’s unique dietary requirements.
A few great recommendations from Hungry Bark include:
- Superfoods with Chicken, Turkey + Brown Rice
- Superfoods with Turkey + Duck
- Superfoods with Lamb + Turkey
- Superfoods with Salmon
If you doubt how much food your dog needs, you should check the meal pack. Most dog food brands provide feeding calculators to help you work out how much your pet needs.
Dry Foods
Hungry Bark recommends these daily serving amounts for your German Shepherds.
- 3lbs: 29-43 grams daily
- 80lbs: 431-517 grams daily
- Above 36kg : You should add half a cup for every additional 7kg .
Lactating German Shepherds need more calories than other adults. So If your female pet is lactating, you should visit your vet or pet nutritionist to recommend the best feeding schedule and amounts for your pet.
Puppies typically need three times the amount of food as adults. And Hungry Bark recommends thrice of daily adult servings for German Shepherd puppies. However, if your puppyâs activity level is low, you should stick to twice the daily adult servings to avoid obesity.
If you are transitioning to Hungry Barkâs dry food, you should feed your pet 75% of the old food and 25% of the new food in the first three days. Within the next 4-6 days, you can serve your pet 50% of the new food and 50% of the old food.
Wet Canned Foods
German Shepherd Puppy Feeding Guide: 6 Months To 12 Months
At this stage in your German Shepherds development, growth will be considerably slower. Since she no longer needs the extra calories to help support her fast growth period, you can safely reduce her feedings to 2 or 3 meals per day.
Youll still want to watch her weight, health, and activity level, but now you can split her daily total calories over fewer meals.
While she should still be eating puppy food at this point, you may consider purchasing a bag of her eventual adult formula.
You can use individual kibbles from the adult formula for treats or training rewards. This will help her get used to the new flavor and texture.
Around 9 months of age, you can begin slowly adding a small amount of the adult formula into her puppy food, though she should still be eating primarily puppy chow.
Again, its imperative that you speak with your vet before making any changes to your GSDs diet.
Only your vet will be able to tell you when your dog has reached maturity and can be safely moved to adult food.
Some GSDs stay on puppy food for a whopping two years! So, make sure you are in close contact with your vet to be sure that your feeding plan is individualized for your specific dog.
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How Much To Feed A German Shepherd Per Day
It differs between puppies, adults and seniors.
Weve listed rough amounts above.
As a reminder:
A vet should be able to tell you how much to feed a dog per day, and the number of meals they should have in a day
The packaging of the dog food usually also tells you how many cups of food to feed them per day which you might space out over the number of meals they have. This is helpful when using commercial dog brand products nutritionally formulated for dogs of different sizes and life stages.
Is My Puppy The Right Weight
You can also refer to German Shepherd puppy growth charts to see if you puppy is gaining weight and within the normal range.
However, keep in mind that some dogs will be unusually small or large but still be perfectly healthy.
Do not try to maximize growth rates as this can lead to health problems later.
But if you puppy is not showing a steady increase in size, or your puppy lacks appetite, consult with a veterinarian.
Ensure that you are familiar with how to assess the body condition of your puppy. You can ask about your puppys condition at veterinary wellness examinations.
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General Nutritional Requirements For German Shepherds
The first thing you need to remember is to feed your German shepherd dog food that meets their nutritional needs. I know this might sound obvious, but it is an easy mistake to make and can cost your dog a lot of trouble in his or her life.
When I consider the food feed to my German shepherds, I always think about their health issues first. A German shepherd is a medium to large breed dog, which means that he is at a higher risk for certain health problems, with bones and hips problems being the most notorious ones.
Genetics plays an integral part in the likelihood of them developing joint diseases, and too much rapid growth is another factor that can make these problems worse.
This is why, although German shepherds need basic nutrientssuch as protein, fat, carbs, and other vitamins and mineralsjust like other dog breeds, you want to be careful with dog foods that are too rich in nutrients as they can promote dangerously quick growth.
Aside from health issues, there are also other things that you need to take into account, including the size, age, and activity level of your dog.