Feeding A German Shepherd Puppy A Homemade Diet Or Fresh Food
Homemade diets or have become a growing trend. You need a recipe or a subscription service for fresh dog food . Whats difficult about opting for homemade dog food is the nutritional profile. As we mentioned, kibble and wet food you buy from the store have all been formulated to provide balanced nutrition. Many of the recipes were created by vets and pet nutritionists.
If you do not have these credentials, you may not know how to make homemade food that provides your German Shepherds with everything they need. Sure, you can look up recipes online, but how much do you trust all the so-called experts without real credentials?
If you can get your hands on a recipe that incorporates all the nutritional values your German Shepherd pup needs, then fresh food is what we recommend most. It is the least processed out of all the types of dog food we have discussed so far, and it will also be irresistible to many dogs in terms of taste. Your trusted vet may also recommend temporarily feeding your German Shepherd a fresh food diet if he suffers from medical issues.
But are there drawbacks? Like with any other food, fresh diets also come with their fair share of disadvantages. Human-grade ingredients will not keep as long as processed puppy and adult food, and it can really get expensive. It is also very time-consuming to prepare and again, you should make sure you have consulted with your vet or pet nutritionist to work together to find the best recipe.
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula
Looking for an ideal option for your German Shepherd puppy? Blue Buffalo lacks artificial flavors and preservatives and offers your pet a delicious meal packed with real chicken.
This brand also provides your German Shepherd with wholesome fruits and veggies that will help your pet build strong muscles. This Blue Buffalo formula is engineered specifically for large-breed puppies. Its packed with high-quality protein that will ensure your young GSD will grow into a healthy and vibrant adult.
This formula is also rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that will help your puppys overall health as they continue to grow bigger and stronger. If youre looking for the ideal dog food for your young German Shepherd that will help them become strong and healthy adults, this is the perfect dog food for your pup.
How Can A Homemade Diet Help German Shepherds With All Of This
Home-cooked food for German Shepherd ensures that your pup always eats fresh, wholesome, and allergen-free foods as no chemicals, additives, or fillers are used when cooking at home, hence preventing allergies.
More importantly, home cooking for your GSD allows you to pick only those ingredients that you know wont cause an allergic reaction to your German Shepherd. If you dont know what foods can trigger allergies in your GSD, we strongly suggest doing an At-Home Food Dog Allergy Test before choosing ingredients for your German Shepherds next meal. Plus, it could save you a trip to the vet.
Homemade dog food is easier to digest than kibble more easily digestible food means more efficient absorption of nutrients. Dogs with homemade diets absorb nutrients more efficiently thus, minerals, vitamins, and amino acids act more quickly on the skins inflammatory response, preventing or relieving symptoms of skin allergies, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and/or a potential case of Perianal Fistulas.
A condition like EPI in GSDs requires a low-fat diet and highly digestible food. Homemade cooking allows you to create the low-fat diet needed to feed your dog, plus research confirms that fresh diets are, in fact, more digestible than even a seemingly nutrient-rich kibble10.
Remember each dog is different, and always consult with your vet before making any changes to your GSDs diet.
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Do You Have To Follow A German Shepherd Puppy Feeding Chart
While weve given you a German Shepherd puppy feeding chart, its important to note that this should only serve as a guideline and not as strict rules you should follow.
Weve mentioned several times already that there are several features you should consider when calculating the amount of food your GSD puppy needs. This includes their age, weight, growth rate, and overall health condition.
Also, active dogs might need more food than couch potatoes, so always make sure your dog gets enough energy to get them through the day.
A proper diet is of utmost importance when youve got a growing GSD puppy. If you dont feed them properly, you might end up with a dog with many orthopedic issues and other health problems.
Its also important to note that you should contact a vet before changing your dogs food. Always consult a professional, as they might know your dog has different nutritional needs that youre unaware of.
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Tips For Feeding A German Shepherd Dog
You can find a ton of dog feeding guides online, and while they each hold merit, its best to talk to your vet about your dogs specific feeding needs.
Getting a personalized recommendation from your veterinarian is worth the time, expense, and effort. That said, there is still plenty of good information in this article that should give you an idea of your dogs nutritional needs at each stage of life.
Its likely that your vet will give you plenty of options, including suggesting you follow this guide and make small adjustments as needed.
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What Kind Of Snacks Can I Feed My Dog With Kidney Disease
Our dogs walk a bit on the wild side when it comes to snacks as they love thin apple slices, banana chunks, carrots, whole unsalted peanuts in the husks, and dehydrated sweet potatoes! Dogs with kidney disease should avoid meat based chews/treats that are high in phosphorus, so you may find that you need to explore doing friendly fruit and veggies for treats like we have. We still on occasion will offer Hooch bully sticks or a jerky treat, but it is better for him if we limit his intake due to the levels of phosphorous that those treats contain.
What If My Puppy Has Problems With Diarrhea
On the opposite end of the spectrum, diarrhea in your German Shepherd puppy can be caused by a multitude of factors per Dr. Suchodolski. Dr. Suchodolski identifies the following items as chief causes for diarrhea:
- Changes in diet
- Consuming nonfood material or garbage
- Intestinal blockage
One of the best preventative treatments you can offer your German Shepherd puppy is an appointment with a veterinarian. They can receive their shots to prevent worms and other unflattering parasites.
This video from Top Dog Tips outlines the ideal strategy to manage the animals diarrhea. Let the canine drink plenty of water and dont let them eat anything within the first 12 hours of diarrhea. These two actions will help cleanse the puppys digestive tract.
Should your furry companions diarrhea remain constant, it may be necessary to take them into a clinic for further treatment.
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Some Dogs Eat Poop To Please Their Owner
Harsh potty training techniques may cause some dogs or puppies to eat their own poop in an effort to appease us or to avoid painful punishment.
Remember the antiquated trick of rubbing a dogs nose in their feces when they poop in the wrong place? This can send mixed messages to a dog about getting feces on their mouth.
Some dogs may also see us cleaning up their poop in the house and try to mimic that behavior. This is why many trainers suggest that we do not clean up potty mistakes in front of our dogs.
Consistent feeding times will regulate your dogs digestive system and make it easier to supervise their pooping behavior.
Things To Consider When Feeding Your German Shepherd
Before we go any further, its time to finally explain what you need to consider when deciding on the right amount of dog food your GSD puppy needs.
The following factors vary from dog to dog, but they are essential in learning how to apply the German Shepherd puppy feeding charts you see everywhere.
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Supplements For German Shepherds
The vast majority of commercially available dry kibble is complete and balanced for your dog, assuming its a high-quality food.
That means there is almost never a reason to supplement your dogs diet with additives, vitamins, or herbal supplements. In fact, adding these things to a healthy dogs diet can cause a lot of harm.
Never supplement your dogs diet unless directed by a veterinarian. In those cases, they will prescribe or suggest canine-safe products to cover your GSDs special needs.
Human supplements are often unregulated, minimally effective, and often contain substances harmful to animals. Never use a human supplement for your German Shepherd.
Useful Supplements For German Shepherds
As we said before, German Shepherds may need supplements if the dog foods chosen dont supply enough. Food toppers are excellent add-ons because they taste yummy to your GSD, and they round out their meals.
You can also go for the pill or powder supplements that are independent of dog food. You would either mix it into your dogs bowl during meal times or feed it to him separately as instructed. What exactly does your GSD need?
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Year Old German Shepherd
At 1 year old, youll begin to notice that your dog is actually eating less food than they did when they were younger. This is because their metabolism is beginning to slow down.
You can begin to limit the amount of times you feed them to once a day. If they leave food in their bowl, you can cut back on the amount youre actually giving them. We recommend Royal Canin Nutrition GIANT formula for large breed dogs.
Final Thoughts The Importance Of Nutrition
You now know what the best diet is for your German Shepherd. Theres certainly a lot to consider in this giant guide, but I hope Ive given you enough food for thought!
The best advice I could give you is
- Choose a type of food that suits your dogs life stage and your lifestyle
- Invest in the best quality dog food you can afford
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When People Find Out We Make Our Own Dog Food At Home They Always Ask Us What About A Raw Diet So Lets Get That Out Of The Way First
There are LOTS of thoughts and theories on feeding your dog a raw diet especially a dog that is living with kidney disease. Our vet however, was personally opposed to feeding a raw diet due to the fact that dogs, just like us, are very susceptible to food poisoning. Besides that, a raw diet can be tricky to get just right! You run the risk of giving your dog a horrible belly ache by mixing a raw diet with cooked treats, so if you decided to go raw it is important to have both raw meals and raw treats planned for your pup at all times. NO MIXING the two! Since raw and cooked foods digest at different rates any combination of the two can wreak serious havoc on your pups gut which can lead to some pretty unpleasant situations for you if you get my drift.
What Are The Risks Of Dogs Eating Feces
It generally poses little danger for a dog to eat his own stool. However, bacteria and parasites from that stool can possibly be transmitted to humans and other animals through contact with the dogs mouth and saliva. If you are unable to keep your dog from eating feces, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly if you are in contact with your dogs mouth/saliva.
When a dog eats the feces of another animal , he is at risk for ingesting the eggs of intestinal parasites and potentially harmful bacteria that can easily lead to illness. A dog that is known to eat the feces of other animals should have frequent fecal analyses by a veterinarian.
Perhaps the worst effect of a dog eating poop is the foul breath you have to smell. Home dental care can help the breath, but its best to prevent stool-eating altogether.
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Iams Proactive Health Minichunks Dry Dog Food
Healthy is as healthy eats. And, if your pick for puppy food for German Shepherd happens to be Iams, then your GSD is going to be a happy dog. You see, the farm-sourced chicken makes for a tasty meal. And, the wholesome fiber from the natural veggies boost the metabolism and ease digestion.
The blend has plentiful vitamins and minerals for a shinier coat, strong muscles and bones, and sharper eyesight. And, the DHA promotes brain development. Lastly, the crunchy kibble design makes for removing plaque, bad breath, and chewing for more jaw power.
Royal Canin German Shepherd Puppy Breed Specific Dry Dog Food
Nothing beats Royal CaninGerman Shepherd puppy food, as you will find from the raving reviews from satisfied pet parents of GSDs. It is a formula specifically made for a German Shepherd. And, they know their German Shepherds. So, they have taken into account the smallest of considerations.
The unique kibble shape is easy to grip with the long and robust muzzle of your German Shepherd. The glucosamine and chondroitin make for smooth digestion. Vitamin E is excellent for your puppys muscle development, healthy heart, and liver. Plus, the antioxidants keep the immune system up and running. In short, Royal Canin ranks as a topper in the list for the best diet for German Shepherd puppies.
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Taste Of The Wild High Prairie Canine Grain
If you want your puppy delighted with its meal and for him to grow into a big boy, then Taste Of The Wild High Prairie is the healthiest pick of the day. Its a superior quality formula that is suitable for German Shepherd with delicate tummies.
The blend contains no grain, so there is no question of gluten-related problems. There are no fillers in the meal. And, it has only 100% natural ingredients to guarantee the absolute healthful development of your puppy. Even the smaller-sized kibble is to make chewing and digestion easier for your little fluff ball.
How Many Calories Does A German Shepherd Puppy Need
The number of calories that your puppy needs depend on certain factors such as age, weight, and activity level. Active puppies need more calories to sustain their energy levels.
German Shepherd puppies require at least 500 calories per day, but the amount increases as their weight also increases.
You need to calculate the RER of your puppy and multiply by two to know exactly the number of calories they need. The formula of RER is 703/4.
For example, if your German Shepherd puppy weighs 20kgs their RER is 703/4 = 662. Therefore, their daily intake should be 1324 calories.
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Does Raw Wild Meet Minimum Standards To Be A Complete And Balanced Food
Yes, Raw Wild formulates its food to meet the nutritional standards set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials .
And their food meets the dog food nutrient profiles for all life stages.
Raw Wild offers an impressive Guaranteed Analysis of:
- Crude Protein, minimum 18.0%
- Crude Fiber, maximum 0.45%
- Moisture maximum 70.0%
When I look that the guaranteed analysis of diet I formulate for my dogs using Animal Diet Formulator, it’s in the same range.
So I’m happy with what Raw Wild offers here in terms of guaranteed minimums.
What Human Foods Are Dangerous For A German Shepherd Puppy
Though your German Shepherd can enjoy human foods, some of them can cause harm and they should be avoided to avoid making your puppy ill.
Chocolate contains the theobromine toxin which causes health issues for your puppy these include rapid heartbeat, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, and hyperactivity.
Avocado is another toxic food for your puppy because it contains persin which causes serious gastrointestinal issues when eaten. Other foods to avoid feeding your German Shepherd puppy include onions, raisins, grapes, fruit pits, macadamia nuts, and sometimes dairy.
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Month Old German Shepherd Puppy Feeding
From 3 to 4 weeks old, when it comes to feeding a German Shepherd puppy, we should start by letting them taste new foods and flavors.
At this stage, the German Shepherd puppys diet plan requires them to eat special wet food for puppies.
At around 6 to 8 weeks old, a German Shepherd puppy should be given a little dry dog food with water.
From their eighth week onward, a German Shepherd should be weaned and start feeding on solid food with a special puppy feed.
Puppies must have constant access to clean fresh water.
What Can German Shepherds Eat
So now we know what nutrients dogs need lets take a closer look at what exactly they can eat. These are the main foods German Shepherds can eat. However, they do come with some caveats, so read on!
| PROTEINS |
|---|
| Watermelon |
These are the caveats to be aware of:
- If a fruit contains pits or seeds, these must be removed as they contain toxic cyanide.
- Most vegetables should be cooked first to help with digestion.
- Fruits, vegetables, dairy, and nuts should be fed in small amounts no more than 10% of daily calories.
- Although dogs can eat some nuts, they are not recommended due to their high-fat content, which can cause an upset stomach.
- Its not advisable to feed raw eggs or raw fish due to the risk of salmonella or listeria.
- Some dogs are lactose intolerant and can not eat certain dairy foods, depending on how much lactose they contain.
I wrote complete guides to all the fruits and vegetables your German Shepherd can eat where you can find a ton of helpful information. These articles also include the nasty ones to watch out for!
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