Raw Diet For German Shepherd Recipe

Keeptrack Of Weight Gain And Loss

Begin a schedule of weekly weigh-ins to keep track of your German Shepherds weight when looking to bulk-up your dogs body. You want to know if they are gaining weight, losing weight, or remaining the same.

This helps you to decide if your weight gain plan is working or if you need to adjust your plan. If your dog continues losing weight or if you see a lack of progress, take your dog back to your veterinarian.

Based On Dr Ian Billinghurst Give Your Dog A Bone& Raw & Natural Nutrition For Dogs Lew Olson Phd

All these pictures of happy healthy dogs were taken by Mark Watkinson at GSD Northern Walk Group

A picture of health

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FIRST

It is unlikely for any dog to suffer food poisoning from raw meat, their bodies are equipped to process meat and bones fast, due to how nature designed them, with a particularly short gut. Salmonella is very rarely a factor, but when some dogs first take raw chicken, the Camphylobacter Bacteria can cause diarrhea, easily treated and once they recover, unlikely to reoccur. It is widely acknowledged by the raw food experts that some dogs have a reaction to this bacteria, but their systems soon become used to it. There is the exception, when dogs have auto-immune disease and then they do require specialist dog nutritionist advice, in some cases they are advised not to have raw chicken, as a result.

It is certainly advisable not to feed dogs weight bearing beef bones, it is true that these can cause chipped teeth, thus causing periodontal issues later in life. When dogs are gradually introduced to raw bones, it should be a process. Start with smaller bones and let them just have a a short time with a bone and gradually build up. Like us, they need to learn

There are occasions when dogs swallow large pieces of bone, BUT due to the extreme acid environment in their stomachs, they are able to digest bones into a powder.

I quote from Tom Lonsdale:

Playtime

N A T U R A L R A W D I E T for Y O U R D O G

1.Vegetables/Fruit to include:

Raw Dog Food Delivery Service

If you are a German Shepherd owner with a busy lifestyle and dont have much time to cook for your pet and wish your GSD could enjoy the benefits of eating raw food, a raw dog food delivery service is for you.

BARF World is one of our favorite options and the best raw food for German Shepherds available in the market.

This raw dog food company is the pioneer of raw diets for dogs. They deliver Biologically Appropriate Raw Food straight to your door. Their formula is a balanced blend of raw meat, fruits, vegetables, organs, and bone. Plus, its supplemented with 4 other key ingredients.

BARF World states their food has helped generations of dogs become free of allergies, itchy skin and coats, digestive problems, obesity, and weight problems, among other issues.

All of their ingredients are USDA sourced, and their formulas are developed with the input of a veterinary nutritionist to meet the nutritional guidelines for dog food.

The best part of feeding BARF World is that you never have to worry about balancing ingredients, portion sizing,grinding, chopping, measuring, mixing, potential pathogens in raw ingredients, and all the risks and hassles involved in cooking raw dog food on your own.

In our experience, its a huge time-saver, and you can spend time on more important things like walks or training. We think its worth the cost after you add up the prices of all the ingredients youll need to cook a recipe and the convenience of it.

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Turkey Rice And Vegetables Mix

Ingredients:

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• 6 cups of water
• 2 cups white or brown rice
• ½ cup mixed frozen veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, or carrots
• Optional 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

Directions:

• Place all the ingredients, except for the frozen veggies, in a large pot, stir until the turkey is broken up then bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.
• Lower the heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Add the frozen veggies and let the mixture cool for 5 minutes.
• Remove, leave it to cool, and serve.

What To Include In A Canine Raw Food Diet

In the wild, dogs are primarily carnivorous animals. Most of the vegetables that they would consume would be from the stomachs of herbivores that they eat.

Dogs and wolves are known to eat the skin, organs, and even the bones of animals that they catch in the wild. These provide a significant source of important nutrients, such as fat and protein, as well as calcium.

One thing to point out is that dogs are not evolutionarily designed to digest raw vegetables. This is why they prefer to only eat pre-digested vegetables that are already sitting in the stomach of animals that they have caught themselves. If you try to include too many raw vegetables in your dogs meals, they may simply turn them down.

In addition to feeding them animals that they could catch in the wild, such as cows, its a good idea to include other sources of nutrition.

• Other forms of protein, such as fish, can help to complement other animal proteins.
• Even though your dog might not enjoy eating raw vegetables, you can certainly process and puree some veggies for your dog to encourage them to eat them. Fruits and veggies provide necessary sustenance.
• Avoid onions, grapes, apple seeds, and any form of chocolate or caffeine.

The goal here is to provide a variety for your dog. Its generally a good idea to provide them with about 75% animal products and 25% fruits and vegetables.

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Can I Add Rice To My Dog’s Raw Food

Many raw feeders do not include foods like rice even oats in their dog’s meal. But, it’s up to the owners and dogs’ preference if they feed rice together with raw dog food.

Raw feeding with rice is not inadequate because the only thing that matters is the quality of the food your dog can acquire.

However, most feeders do not recommend rice because it’s rich in carbohydrates which will be converted to sugar. This sugar is usually the cause of some cancers in dogs. So, reducing rice would also reduce health risks.

What Should I Look For In A German Shepherd Dog Food

When looking for the best dog food for German Shepherds, you should consider several factors:

• Ingredients. Make sure that the constituent ingredients are obtained from a reliable source. Additionally, there should not be any fillers, additives, dyes, and flavors that have been added artificially. The food can also contain beneficial ingredients, including sweet potatoes, blueberries, and carrots, among others.
• Nutritional Needs. German Shepherds are large dogs that have specific nutritional needs. Make sure that the food you opt for offers these dietary supplements. You can also consult a vet for the best results.
• Shelf Life. Make sure that the brand you opt for has a decent shelf life. Otherwise, your food might expire early, and you will be left buying it over and over again. It should, however, be kept in mind that too much of a shelf life could indicate the presence of preservatives that are not considered healthy.
• Cost. Since food is a lifelong commitment, make sure that the product is cost-effective and easy on your pocket. Most premium brands will have cheaper counterparts that you can opt for.

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Lifetime Expenses Of Owning A German Shepherd

The life expectancy of a German Shepherd is 9 to 13 years. Within this period, you will need to provide everything they need to live out their carefree lives.

From the data I discussed in the former section, we can compute the lifetime expenses of having a German Shepherd puppy companion.

The estimated expenses for the first year cost around $2,795 to $5,495, including the puppy.

Assuming that the average monthly cost for your dog is $160 for the succeeding years, we can estimate that the lifetime cost of tending a GSD is around $18,155 to $25,835.

However, this amount doesnt include miscellaneous expenses that may arise. Emergencies can happen anytime and you need to financially prepare for these situations.

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Transitioning To The Raw Paws Diet

No problem!

Raw Paws offer a free meal planning service where they will create a meal plan for you based on the needs of you and your dog.

Raw Paws also has some great advice on transitioning your dog to a raw food diet.

Making it super easy for both you and your dog. Start with a mixture of 75% of current food and 25% raw food.

If your dog is particularly sensitive to food changes, you should start with a 90% to 10% ratio and increase incrementally.

It could take several weeks to transition your dog to their new raw food diet, so be patient!

Although, here I have a different approach. I believe in fasting a dog for 12 hours and then transitioning 100% to raw.

Many dogs vomit up their first raw meal, but that’s totally normal. This is because they’re so stunned and excited about the raw meat.

Making them gulp down the meal. But at the next go, they take to it like a duck to water.

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Recommended Serving Amounts For Homemade Dog Food

As a general rule, dogs will eat around 2 to 3 percent of their ideal body weight in fresh food daily. Larger breeds may need as little as 1 1/2 percent, and smaller breeds may need as much as 4 percent.

This works out to be approximately:

• 2 pounds of food per day for a 100-pound dog
• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of food per day for a 50-pound dog
• 1/2 to 3/4 pound of food per day for a 25-pound dog
• 5 to 6 1/2 ounces of food per day for a 10-pound dog

There is much variation in what the ideal amount should be as it depends on how much your dog weighs and how active she is.

I feel that the best approach is to feed and watch if your dog is losing weight, give more, and if your dog is gaining weight, give less.

For our pugs, we feed a scoop each in the morning and a scoop each in the evening, plus all their supplements.

We have an easy system for this: homemade food is refrigerated in a sealed container with a measuring cup , and all the supplements are lined up together in a cupboard in the kitchen. Keeping your ingredients organized and accessible will make feeding time fast and smooth.

Compared to feeding commercial food, where you might scoop out kibbles or open up a can, feeding homemade food with all the supplements takes maybe 10 seconds more. And even if it took 10 minutes more, fresh wholesome food for our furbabies is worth it.

German Shepherd Raw Diet Supplements

A balanced raw diet shouldnt require additional supplementation. However, poorly made raw diets by inexperienced dog parents, special dietary needs, or health conditions may require additional supplementation to specific nutrients.

Adding a multivitamin like Zesty Paws Multivitamin Chews ensures your GSD gets the recommended balance of vitamins and minerals. For common GSD problems like osteoarthritis and other joint maladies, look for products containing glucosamine and chondroitin, which may help treat or prevent symptoms.

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German Shepherd Homemade Food Recipes

Your German Shepherd dog is your best friend and a member of the family. And as such, you want to give him the best of everythingwe get that.

But sometimes, it can seem like such a frustrating task to find healthy, affordable food for your GSD. Almost every dog food brand these days uses some kind of chemical, preservative, and animal by-product yuck!

Often, making German Shepherd homemade food is not only healthier for your pup but more affordable for your budget. If youre looking for some GSD recipes that will satisfy both your and mans best friend, youve come to the right place.

Is It Ok To Mix Raw And Dry Dog Food

Before, it was not advisable for dog owners to mix raw and dry food because dry food doesn’t easily digest compared to raw food.

But now, it is perfectly okay and safe to feed your dog with mixed raw and dry food unless they are suffering from indigestions.

If you feed both kibble and the raw, its combination will work quite well. Their digestive system will be strengthened and more capable of gaining the complete nutrients for dry and raw food diets.

But for those beginners, owners should gradually and slowly feed them to acclimate the new lower acidity levels.

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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

What Cant German Shepherds Eat

While there are plenty of flavorful, healthy foods you can include in your dogs meals, there are also several ingredients that you should never put in your German Shepherds homemade food.

Several foods that we consider healthy and common for people can be quite poisonous and toxic for dogs.

Heres a substantial list of ingredients that you should never feed to your German Shepherd:

When in doubt about a particular ingredient, its best to leave it out altogether. Stick to the ingredients in the recipes above, and always consult your vet with any questions you might have about your dogs diet.

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German Shepherd Raw Diet Vs Kibble

Both diets have their pros and cons. It all comes down to finding whats right for you and your dog.

With more than five hundred pages and twelve hundred references, Feeding Dogs: The Science Behind The Dry Versus Raw Debate is a must-read for all those interested in understanding one of the most heated controversies is pet nutrition: Should you feed your dog a raw food diet or kibble? Its worth reading if you are still uncertain about raw diets.

Here is a quick look at raw diet vs kibble and how they stack up against each other.

Instinct Raw Boost With Real Duck

Rating:

Real Duck is one of 14 dry recipes analyzed in our review of the Instinct Raw Boost product line.

• First 5 ingredients: Duck, chicken meal, peas, egg product, turkey meal
• Type: Grain-free
• Profile: All life stages
• Best for:German shepherd puppy or adult

Instinct Raw Boost with Real Duck obtains the bulk of its animal protein from fresh duck and chicken meal. Dry matter label analysis reveals the recipe contains 38% protein, 23% fat and 31% estimated carbs creating a fat-to-protein ratio of about 61%.

This formula also gets its antioxidants from natural fruits and veggies for healthy immunity and thus, greater resistance to disease. A top pick for German shepherds and other large breeds.

Sample buyer reviewI recently switched from a dehydrated raw product to Instinct Raw Boost. This is a great quality grain- free food and my guys are loving it. I have a multi dog house hold and most of them have allergies of one kind or another. This food is working well for all..

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Can A German Shepherd Eat A Raw Diet

Yes, a german shepherd can eat a raw diet.

Please keep in mind that if you are making changes to your dogs food plan, it usually takes them about a month before they will start feeling the benefits of feeding raw. A gradual transition is recommended over trying to make too many changes at once. Transitioning to this type of diet may require some extra effort on behalf of the owner.