Best Homemade German Shepherd Dog Food Recipes
Weve compiled our favorite German Shepherd homemade dog food recipes to share with you.
Additionally, we give you a special treat recipe for German Shepherds that is not only tasty but packed with impressive health benefits. We kid you not. This recipe can do a lot for your GSDs health and wellness. It has our favorite secret ingredient, dog CBD oil.
For even more German Shepherd food recipes and cooking options, cookbooks can come in handy to have an array of dog food recipes at your disposal. We love Home Cooking for Your Dog: 75 Holistic Recipes for a Healthier Dog.
Note: Please consult with your pets veterinarian & use personal judgment when applying this information to your dogs diet. The recipes below do not include serving size because portion sizes will vary depending on breed, weight, activity level, age, and your dogs health. A common recommendation is to feed your dog a comparable amount of ounces/cups to what you would usually feed in kibble BUT check with your vet to be certain.
When Should You Stop Feeding Your German Shepherd Puppy Food
Puppies can begin adult kibble when they are approximately 80 percent of their adult weight. This usually occurs around 8 to 10 months of age, but you can safely feed puppy food up to one year old as long as they are not putting on excess weight. German Shepherds usually dont reach their full growth until 18 months of age.
It isnt harmful to keep a German Shepherd on puppy formula until their growth plates have fused over, which is generally around 12 to 18 months of age .
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.
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German Shepherd Dog Feeding Chart
It is important that German Shepherd owners know the amount of food that their dog requires on a daily basis. Feeding too much or too little can cause health problems in GSDs. If you feed a lot of fat to your pup, it will develop hip dyslexia.
Depending on how youre deciding to feed your puppy either a natural, real meat / bone / vegetable diet, or if youre giving them off-the-shelf dog food, youll want to follow the recommendations below to help ensure they properly develop their internal systems, and maintain their energy levels.
Your German Shepherd is going to grow rapidly over their first 12 months of life, so youre going to want to increase the amount of food they have as they get older. Ensuring they have the proper amount of nutrition, in the proper ratios is critical to them developing into healthy adults.
German Shepherd Feeding Guide: Adult Years
Once your German Shepherd has ended his puppy stage and transitioned into adulthood, hes ready to eat a balanced adult diet.
Adult dog food will have a different ratio of calcium, protein, phosphorus, and other nutrients than puppy food does.
Feeding an adult dog a puppy formula can cause obesity as well as put too much strain on kidneys and other vital organs. Long term use of inappropriate food for an adult dog can have catastrophic consequences.
That said, there is no need to panic if your adult GSD eats a bowl of puppy food now and then.
Adult German Shepherds should be fed twice a day. They can get by on once per day, but its always better to split daily caloric intake between smaller meals instead of feeding it all at once.
Again, bloat is a real problem for large breed dogs, and large meals seem to be a big cause of this.
If youre not home for twice-daily feedings, you can use an automatic feeder. These will dispense the proper amount of food at set times each day so your dog isnt left waiting for meals.
Throughout the years, Ive fed a number of different high-quality dog foods to my German Shepherds.
One of my consistent go-tos is Royal Canin Adult Breed German Shepherd dry dog food. I feed my adult dogs this particular blend for a number of reasons.
In addition, this blend also uses optimal levels of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids to make a GSDs coat pop, so to speak. You really can see the difference.
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How Much Should A German Shepherd Puppy Eat
You need to be careful when feeding your German Shepherd puppy. They should not be left to their own devices when it comes to food. Instead, feed your puppy 3 meals a day.
The amount of food your puppy needs depends on your puppys hunger, weight, and the type of food that you are feeding him. Stick to the German Shepherd puppy feeding chart below.
Watch your puppys waistline to see if there seems to be any excess weight hanging out that will be hard to lose later.
A puppy that is too thin will have visible ribs. If that is the case, monitor how much your puppy eats and, if concerning, call your veterinarian.
How Much To Feed A German Shepherd Puppy Per Day
Once you have decided what dog food to feed your GSD, the next step is to determine how much you should feed your German shepherd puppy. To figure this out, let your German shepherd puppy eat as much as he wants in a thirty-minute period. Pick up the bowl after your puppy is full and measure how much kibble is left in the dog bowl. Do this for several days to get the right amount of food.
As your puppy enters growth spurts, youll find that his appetite increases drastically. At this point, observe your pup carefully. If he always seems hungry and looks thin, you may need to put more food into his bowl. If he appears to be chubby or has diarrhea, you should slightly cut back on the amount of food he eats.
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Raw Dog Food Recipes For German Shepherds
Here is a list of our favorite German Shepherd raw dog food recipes you can cook.
We have also added a recipe for a special treat that is tasty and packed with impressive health benefits. This recipe can do a lot for your GSDs health and wellness. It has our favorite secret ingredient, dog CBD oil.
For even more German Shepherd raw recipes and cooking options, this raw dog food cookbook can come in handy to have at your disposal. Or better yet, you can get the best raw dog food for german shepherds from one of the brands we recommend on our Raw Dog Food Guide.
Note: Please consult with your pets veterinarian & use personal judgment when applying this information to your dogs diet. The recipes below do not include serving size because portion sizes will vary depending on breed, weight, activity level, age, and health of your dog.
CBD Infused Treat | Ground Beef Raw Mix | Raw Boneless Turkey |Organ Patties | Chicken & Greens
There Are Two Ways To Determine How To Feed Your Puppy
The most pressing questions you probably have about your new puppy are how much to feed them and how often lets go over a few things to consider.
Many people use the food bag as a starting point to decide how much to feed their dogs. However, a label on commercial food is one of the easiest ways to overfeed your growing puppy.
Dog food labels may raise feeding guidelines by up to 25% to ensure the diet meets or exceeds NRC requirements.
Its more accurate and healthier for your puppy if you calculate and measure meals yourself.
Feeding your puppy involves regularly evaluating and tracking their weight. You should be able to assess how close your pup is to their ideal weight just by looking at them.
Weight charts are useful guides, but they dont account for an individuals variations from the norms. Also, dont forget to include treats in your calculations for daily food allowances!
If you give a lot of treats during training, for example, you need to account for it by decreasing meal sizes according to your pups weight or body condition.
Assessing Body Condition
Drake Center for Veterinary Care uses a body scoring system modified from Purinas charts and other sources.
Puppies will vary in their body scores and may change rapidly within a few days. Pups often lose their abdominal tuck right after a meal.
Puppies under 16 weeks old commonly have a pot-bellied appearance without much abdominal tuck.
Volume
Calories
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German Shepherd Feeding Guide For Seniors
You will need to modify your German Shepherds diet when he changes from adult life stage to senior. Older German Shepherds have lower energy needs.
They will begin to have less physical activity and move slower, and so they will require fewer calories each day. You should increase in fiber amount in their diet because digestion tends to slow down in seniors
There are some commercially sold dog foods that are already adjusted for seniors. If you prepare your own dog food, you will need to reduce the calories primarily through the carbs.
Senior German Shepherds still require proper nutrition, especially for their bones and joints.
When it comes to treats, senior dogs should have healthy ones like whole-food treats such as apple slices or carrots.
Creating A Consistent Feeding Schedule
Keeping your German Shepherd puppy on a consistent food schedule will help teach him when to expect food. It will help regulate his hunger and ensure that he is eating consistently to grow well.
The ideal schedule for a puppy is to give him about 2 cups of food a day, broken up into 3 meals. When your puppy reaches one year, you can decrease the amount to 2 meals a day. The needed amount can vary from puppy to puppy.
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Why I Feed My Dogs A Raw Diet
That’s an easy question to answer
- Simply because I want to control the ingredients that are going into my dog’s bodies.
- Ingredients I can eat too not that I’ll ever eat green tripe though!
- I want ingredients that promote the optimal health of my dogs.
And unfortunately, as you’ve seen, with kibble, that’s not always the case.
Now I want to move on to a positive note
Feeding Guide For German Shepherd Puppy From 6 Months To 12 Months
At this time in your German Shepherds development, growth will be slower. You should not give her as many feedings as you used to.
Watch your dogs weight, health, and activity level. But now, you can split her total daily calories over fewer meals. At this stage, she should still be consuming puppy food. At that time, you may consider buying a bag or adult formula for her too.
Individual kibbles from the adult formula can be used as treats or training rewards. This will assist her in acclimating to the new flavor and texture.
Around 9 months of age, you can begin adding a small amount of the adult formula into her puppy food. However, she should still be eating primarily puppy chow.
At 12 months, you can usually switch to adult dog food. Before making any modifications to your GSDs food, consult your veterinarian.
Only your veterinarian can tell you when your dog is fully mature. Some GSDs stay on puppy food for two years. You should ask your vet if your dog needs to remain in the puppy food for a longer time or if it can move to adult food.
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The Other Nutritional Requirement For A German Shepherd Is Fat
The fat comes from the protein and gives flavor to the food of a dog . However, feeding too fatty foods will be detrimental to the dogs health . While on the other hand, if your German Shepherds diet is low in fat, it will create a lot of skin problems in your dog
The ideal content of fat in a dogs diet helps keep his skin healthy. As a German shepherd sheds a large amount of skin throughout the year, it is very important that you are given the correct amount of fat in your food. The fat content recommended by AAFCO for the German Shepherd is 5% -8%.
Individual needs in the diet of German shepherds depend on a number of factors, including age, sex, lifestyle and much more . The feeding requirements for a young dog do not have to match the diet of an adult.
Sometimes younger German shepherds require a high-energy diet to keep them active. This is the case of dogs that live both indoors and outdoors. These dogs also require a diet rich in protein to regulate their body temperature.
Turkey Rice And Veggie Mix
Delicious wholehearted food low-fat recipe for German Shepherd who may want to maintain a healthy weight. It provides a good balance of lean animal protein, healthy carbs, and veggies.
Ingredients
- 1/2 diced apple
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Directions
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For How Long Should Your German Shepherd Puppy Eat
In order to find out how much your puppy should eat, you need to monitor your puppys behavior closely and see how hungry they get at mealtimes, how much time they take to finish their food, and whether or not theyre still hungry after finishing their food.
Puppies usually take 15 minutes to finish their food. If the food is still there after 15 minutes and the puppy has stopped eating, then that means theyre not hungry. If the puppy continues to eat even after 15 minutes, then you might want to increase the amount of food you feed them at each meal.
German Shepherd Puppies’ Dietary Needs
Curious, confident, courageous, and vastly cuddly, these canines will gladly risk their lives to save yours. But, German shepherds usually need proper care and attention as they undergo drastic growth in the initial year of their life. Any neglect of nutritional needs results in serious health complications in their adulthood.
To begin with, you have to understand that GSDs are a large breed of dogs. So, it would be best if you gave them a large breed formula. You see, GSDs need extra minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates, and calcium. These nutrients support a healthy joint structure, promote buccal growth and a shiny coat. They also need a higher calorie intake as they tend to burn off the energy quickly. The German shepherd puppy sprouts super fast in the first eight months of their lives. That is when they need you to give them extra TLC.
On average, the GSD puppy requires 500 calories a day. And, by the time the puppy is 15 months, it needs 1600 calories. The protein intake should be around 18% to 22%. Moreover, there should be about 8-12% fat content in the diet to sustain the growth of your doggy.
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Swapping Puppy Food Brands
You should initially feed the same diet the puppy was eating before you adopted them.
Consider continuing with this diet and then with the equivalent adult dog formulation.
If you plan to change to a different food do not do so in the first few weeks.
Then gradually include increasing proportions of the new food over a period of two to four weeks.
The Hygiene Of The Trough And Drinking Fountain
Our puppys food and drink containers should always be clean. Hygiene is important to avoid insects that can cause intestinal parasites in our German Shepherd puppy. If you notice that your puppy hasnt eaten for three times in a row, take him to the vet. You may have swallowed something that causes intestinal obstruction or stomach pain. Dont forget that puppies are very sensitive and weak living beings. Letting too much time go by in the face of symptoms of illness can be very serious and harmful to your life.
In addition.
The German Shepherd puppies must be socialized and trained from the first day they live with us. They must be obedient and open-minded to get them to learn the great wealth of things they are able to do.
All this will be achieved more easily through proper nutrition and exercise in line with your development. The harmony between exercise, food and affection will make us enjoy a healthy, balanced and happy German Shepherd Dog.
Originally published at www.chienmag.com on September 4, 2018.
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