What Can Baby German Shepherds Eat

How Much Should A 2 Month Old German Shepherd Puppy Eat

Ideally, they should be on food with lean protein and low fats to keep their slim physique. Puppies should be fed about 2 cups of food daily, on average. The amount of food depends on the crude fat contained within the food. A puppy should eat 3 times a day, moving to 2 times a day at around a year old.

Promoting Gastrointestinal Health In A Sensitive German Shepherd

Some German Shepherds have a sensitive stomach that can be easily aggravated. These pups often require special care when it comes to their diet, and often benefit from extra support from probiotics and other dietary supplements.

So how can you promote digestive health in your German Shepherd? Here are a few of our favorite tips!

Why Do The Mother German Shepherd Eats Her Newborn Puppies

I have a German shepherd pair. Female gave birth to 5 puppies very first time. But she ate 3 of her puppies and killed the other 2. Why did she eat her puppies? What should i do next time she gives birth?

Firstly I would get her Vet checked as it may be a medical problem, research calcium supplement for dogs during birth.

I would also consider not breeding her again if she has it in her to kill/eat the pups. It can be a hereditary trait, if you are going to do it again seriously do some research on calcium supplementing a whelping bitch, get her health tested and make sure she has all her nutritional and behavioural needs

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Purina Pro Plan Focus Puppy Large Breed Formula Dry Dog Food

Dont worry about your little ones first meal when you have Purina to save your day. This Pro Plan Focus Puppy recipe is created to keep your German Shepherd puppy fully nourished without any digestive complications. The high-level of proteins extracted from the best and most natural sources ensure a high level of activity in your little pup. Keep their tummy safe and offer nutrients for great optimal growth.

Do Adult German Shepherd Dogs Need Special Nutrients

German Shepherds often develop digestive problems due to a shorter colon. This can lead to a sensitive stomach. Therefore, it is important to give a very precise diet to avoid triggering the sensitivities and also contribute to optimal health maintenance. Provide your adult German Shepherd a balance of meat protein, fiber, carbohydrates, fat, minerals, and vitamins.

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Five Week Old Baby German Shepherd

At this age, the German Shepherd puppies will continue to grow in size, social ability, and mobility.

They may begin to show signs of more complex social behaviors towards their other den mates, and they should learn important skills like bite inhibition.

The socialization process should continue, with the puppies gently being exposed to new people, sights, and sounds.

The German Shepherd babies will also be further weaned off the mother at this time, slowly moving onto a fully solid diet.

Meal Plans For German Shepherds

The amount of food you should give your German Shepherd depends on her age, size, activity level, health condition, food type, and brand. Underfeeding or overfeeding your dog has serious consequences. So as your pet grows, you need to weigh and feed her with the food quantity that matches her weight.

Puppies typically eat more than adult German Shepherds because they need more nutrients and calories to grow and develop body parts.

Moreso, if your German Shepherd is a couch dog, it will consume less food than working police or sled German Shepherd dog that exercises all day. Working or security dogs need food with high protein content to provide extra calories for their daily activities.

Another essential thing to consider is your dog’s health condition. If your dog is ill or pregnant, your vet may recommend increasing the amount of food you give your dog. Pregnant or lactating dogs typically need more calories and high energy foods to keep up with daily energy demands.

Build Your Dog’s Custom Meal Plan

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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.

How Does Diet Affect The Health Of Growing Shepherds

Recently it has come to light that a proper diet for puppies does more than prevent malnutrition.

Orthopedic Problems

Many orthopedic problems such as hip and elbow dysplasia have a strong hereditary component. However, people often discount the role of diet in bone developmental issues.

Theres a clear link between obesity in puppies and the resulting exacerbation of hip, elbow, and back problems.

However, your German Shepherd pup doesnt have to be overweight to suffer a myriad of health challenges. Merely creating an oversized puppy, as is often the case for show animals and people fixated on large dogs, can lead to several painful disorders:

• Hip dysplasia
• Elbow dysplasia
• Panosteitis Generalized inflammation of the long bones in puppies common in German Shepherds.
• Wobblers More common in Great Danes and Dobermans, Wobblers is a condition whereby the spinal canal is too narrow, causing neurologic instability.

Overnutrition and over-supplementation of certain vitamins and minerals lead to paradoxical malnutrition of the bone, and subsequently improper development.

Nutritional experts have modified their recommendations regarding the diets of large-breed dogs.

Many nutritionists and veterinarians advocate feeding German Shepherds and other large-breed puppies an adult or professionally-formulated homemade diet to limit the occurrence and severity of developmental problems.

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What Do German Shepherd Puppies Eat If Their Mom Cant Feed Them

As every experienced German Shepherd dog breeder knows, there is always something that can go wrong when you are breeding dogs.

One thing that can and sometimes does go wrong is that the mother German Shepherd is unable to produce milk to feed her puppies. This could be due to illness or infection or for other reasons.

When a mother dog cant feed her puppies, the breeder must step in to make sure the puppies get fed with the proper mix of nutrients. Since GSD puppies would normally drink milk, is this a time when milk can be safely fed?

The answer here again is that giving dairy milk to German Shepherd puppies is not the best choice.

In this short video, a GSD breeder explains how to make your own puppy formula using goat milk, water, an egg, and a little Caro syrup.

Another option many German Shepherd breeders use is commercial milk replacement formula or powder for puppies. Usually, this is mixed with water and offered to the puppies every few hours.

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How Long Is A German Shepherd Considered A Puppy

A German Shepherd should be fed a puppy diet until around 12 months of age, or as advised by your veterinarian based on their growth and development.

Adult German Shepherds are somewhat prone to obesity, which can contribute to the skeletal disorders they are prone to.

You should continue to monitor body condition and modify feeding to keep their weight moderate or somewhat lean.

Our complete guide to the best food for German Shepherd Dogs of all ages will help you find more delicious meals as your puppy grows and grows.

Make sure you read our German Shepherd facts to find out even more about these unique dogs!

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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.

Feeding Your German Shepherd Puppy Raw Food

Feeding raw food to your German Shepherd puppy means that they are always eating wholesome, fresh, allergen-free foods that do not have any fillers and preservatives.

Raw food is easy to digest for your puppy and can help prevent Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Raw food means that your puppy does not eat unnecessary carbs allowing them to maintain a healthy weight.

However, uncooked raw foods can cause contamination with pathogens causing illness to your puppy. Unbalanced raw food can also affect the overall health of your puppy.

Raw foods such as muscle meat, edible bone, liver, vegetables, and fruits will ensure that your puppy is getting all the necessary nutrients. Consult with your vet to come up with raw diet recipes for your puppy.

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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 pets 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 Chart

Split up the total cups of dry dog food listed. Dont feed this amount at every meal or your dog might get sick. Instead, use the chart found below called How Often Should You Feed a German Shepherd Puppy? to determine how many meals throughout the day your GSD needs.

Keep in mind, these are guidelines and you should adjust them based on your dogs energy needs.

How Much Should a German Shepherd Puppy Eat *Guidlines only.

Offer your dog their food and if they dont eat their meal in 10 to 15 minutes remove their dish. Wait an hour and offer them the same meal to see if theyve changed their mind about eating.

If they refuse to eat 2 or 3 of their meals take them to your vet for a health checkup as refusing to eat could be a sign of sickness.

Always offer fresh water during their meal times. Keep the area they eat in calm and dont pester them while they eat.

I find sitting with a book reading, just keeping my GSD puppy company, encouraged my dog to eat their meals while giving us time to quietly bond.

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Feeding A German Shepherd Puppy Raw

BARF stands for biologically appropriate raw foods. These diets do not include cooked or otherwise processed foods.

There is some evidence that German Shepherds fed a raw diet may have a reduced risk of hip dysplasia.

However, it may be more difficult to regulate a BARF diet to ensure a slow and steady growth rate in young puppies.

If you find this option intriguing, you can check out our article on feeding your dog a raw diet.

They Ate Something They Shouldnt Have

One of the most common causes of an upset stomach in German Shepherds is dietary indiscretion.

Dogs are known to get their paws on things they shouldnt all the time, leading to a slew of gastrointestinal symptoms that can impact their immediate health.

Dogs can get into the trash, eat table scraps, eat inedible objects, and any other items that are outside of their normal diet.

Any introduction to unfamiliar food items can cause a dogs stomach to turn, often resulting in diarrhea or vomiting. This is especially true of fattening or greasy food items.

Not only can dietary indiscretion cause an upset stomach in German Shepherds, but it can also cause an intestinal obstruction if the item is unable to pass through the digestive tract.

Foreign bodies can lead to vomiting, abdominal pain, lethargy, and more when they are left untreated.

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Lactose Intolerance In Dogs

Not all dogs digest cheese well, and while cheese contains little lactose when compared to whole milk, dogs with severe cases of lactose intolerance may have adverse reactions to cheese, even in small quantities. Observe your dog closely for signs of intestinal upset after feeding cheese for the first time, and consult your veterinarian with any questions you may have about adding cheese to your dogs diet.

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Blue Freedom Puppy Grain Free Chicken Wet Dog Food

Also from Blue Buffalo is the Freedom formula. It’s a grain-free formula that can do wonders for your puppy’s overall health. Real chicken is used as the primary protein source.

It’s accompanied by chicken liver and chicken broth. When you open the can, you’ll notice the visible vegetables. The food has carrots and peas, which provide plenty of vitamins and minerals.

There’s also sweet potato. It acts as the source of carbs to keep your dog’s energy levels consistent throughout the day. The potatoes also provide a dose of fiber for better digestive health.

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Preventing An Upset Stomach In German Shepherds

So how can you prevent an upset stomach in your beloved German Shepherd?

Though our canines will be exposed to GI upset at some point throughout their life, there are added safety measures to help keep them safe!

• Offer them quality food that is approved by your veterinarian
• Make sure they are always fully vaccinated, especially if they are out in public
• Never switch their diet abruptly
• Always transition to a new diet over 1-2 weeks
• Keep table scraps or greasy food items away from your dog
• Make sure your dog is dewormed and on monthly heartworm prevention
• Keep your trash can in a safe area that your dog cannot access
• Try not to let them eat too quickly

German Shepherd Feeding Chart

So youve got yourself a German shepherd, and you think you can take care of them just fine without any knowledge. However, this will be your undoing. Youll come to a realization that you cant get by without studying about German shepherds.

German shepherds are similar to humans in the sense that they need to eat consistently. And just like us, they, too, have a specific feeding amount and nutrient requirements. You cant just make them eat whatever you lay your eyes on. However, as their owner, you cant always rely on your keen observation.

They can be a bit dishonest sometimes. They may even hide their hunger. Thats why you wont figure out their needs by simply observing. Thats why you need to have clear standards, especially on how you feed them. Overeating can cause sugar levels to spike. The opposite can cause malnutrition.

Either way, this German shepherd feeding chart will be a helpful asset when taking care of these dogs.

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