Switching From German Shepherd Puppy Food To Adult Food
Switching your German shepherd puppy to adult food can be done between the ages of 9 months up to 1 year when your puppy has achieved about 90% of their adult size. The transition should be slow to prevent diarrhea and avoid upsetting your puppys intestinal tract.
Begin changing his diet by feeding a quarter of the adult food and three-quarters of the puppy food for about a week.
Next, feed your puppy with a portion of half adult food and half puppy food for several days and then introduce three quarter adult food and a quarter of puppy food for a few more days. Finally, introduce your puppy to adult food now.
The Doggy Bag A Take Home Message
German Shepherds tend to live the longest, healthiest lives when they are kept in a leaner body condition, receive life-stage-appropriate balanced nutrition, plenty of exercise and routine veterinary care. This is why working with your veterinarian to find the best dog food for German Shepherds is so vital to your pet’s overall health and well-being.
Regardless of which dog food you choose for your furry family member, it is important to follow feeding instructions carefully, You should also consult with your veterinarian if you are ever concerned about your German Shepherds health or nutrition.
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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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German Shepherd Raw Diet
Like homemade diets, formulating a raw diet for German Shepherds requires lots of effort and planning. There is more risk of contamination and nutritional imbalance due to its raw nature.
Raw dog food usually consists of uncooked and unprocessed animal-based products. These include raw meat, bones, vegetables, fruits, eggs with shells on them , dairy products such as butter and cheese made from raw milk without pasteurization or homogenizing. A dog raw diet is supposed to resemble the diet of what dogs ate in the wild millions of years ago.
Raw dog food is a growing trend These diets provide canines more nutrients than cooked foods and help them protect their teeth, coat, digestive functions, among other health benefits. Read our German Shepherd Raw Diet Guide to learn all about raw feeding GSDs and their benefits. We also recommend visiting our best raw dog food article to find the best brands to feed your dog.
Best Dog Food For German Shepherd Adults
Adult GSDs often have digestive problems and might have sensitive stomachs. To prevent this, they will need a well-balanced diet.
They are also built for hard work and have certain caloric requirements to keep their minds and bodies fit and healthy.
An inactive GSD might only need 1,200 cals per day, whereas an average adult will need 1,500 cals. For working dogs or those that are always on the go, youre looking at close to 2,000 calories a day.
Take a look at Sniper trying out some raw dishes and veggies:
9. Taste of the Wild Southwest Canyon Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
Top ingredients: Beef, Peas, Garbanzo BeansType: Dry
A high-quality dog food made in the USA. No list of best dog foods is complete without a mention of Taste of the Wild.
It contains natural ingredients and sources their protein from lamb, boar, and beef, with the intention of feeding our domesticated buddies what their wild ancestors would eat.
10. Blue Buffalo Wilderness Salmon Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
Top ingredients: Deboned Salmon, Chicken Meal, PeasType: Dry
Another wolf-inspired formula, this also boasts grain-free ingredients as well as protein-rich kibble.
Their kibbles are enriched with antioxidants as well as LifeSource Bits which will offer support to their immunity.
11. Merrick Grain Free Large Breed Dry Dog Food Real Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe
Top ingredients: Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey MealType: Dry
12. Royal Canin German Shepherd Adult Dry Dog Food
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Hill’s Science Large Breed Puppy Diet Chicken Meal & Oats Recipe
Specially formulated for large breed puppies like the German Shepherd, this Hill’s Science Diet dog food is a great option for your pup. It’s made to provide controlled bone and joint growth.
It does this with optimum levels of calcium and phosphorus. It’s also filled with healthy antioxidants to improve cell function and immune health. Minerals help to make your dog’s teeth strong while DHA supports brain development.
As for protein, the kibble is made up of about 26 percent. It comes from chicken meal.
Where To Start With A Raw Food Diet For Your Gsd
Raw food recipes for dogs are all over the internet. And dog owners like you can prepare their dogs raw food diet from scratch with careful planning and time.
But as I mentioned, there are frozen raw diets on the market that help make raw feeding easier for you.
These diets are delivered frozen or freeze-dried to your door. Some have everything you need rolled into one.
Ingredients like vegetables, vitamins, and fruits already mixed in. Or you can buy them separately.
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Our 2021 German Shepherds Feeding Guide
Puppy
Average Weight Approximately 10lb to 30lb
Recommended Daily Food Intake 1-2 cups a day
Adult Dog
Average Weight Approximately 60lb to 90lb
Recommended Daily Food Intake 3-5 cups a day
Senior Dog
Average Weight Approximately 60lb to 90lb
Recommended Daily Food Intake When it comes to feeding your senior German Shepherd , you must consult your vet as to the suggested amount and type of food. There are a range of factors that can affect feeding, so ensure you have spoken to a professional.
Diamond Naturals Adult Dog Beef Meal & Rice Formula
The Adult Dog Beef Meal & Rice Formula by Diamond Naturals uses pasture-raised beef as its main protein source. This is enhanced by superfoods like quinoa and chia seeds, which are not only rich in protein but also offer several health benefits.
Additionally, it is enriched with the proprietary K9 Strain probiotics, which is incredibly beneficial to your German Shepherds gut health and immune system.
This dry dog food is also rich in omega fatty acids, thanks to its addition of flaxseeds and coconut. These help your dog maintain healthy skin and a shiny, luxurious coat.
Lastly, it is rich in fruits and vegetables like blueberries, papaya, spinach, and kale. These arent just a healthy source of fiber but are also powerful antioxidants that keep your dog young and energetic.
| Nutrition Facts Diamond Naturals Adult Dog Beef Meal & Rice Formula |
|---|
| Top Ingredient |
- Maintains healthy skin and coat
Potential Cons:
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What Foods Are Bad For German Shepherds
Like their cousin in the wild German shepherds will tend to eat whatever they get in their way. Sometimes they may not know what is beneficial or harmful. You are the one to choose for them. Always remember, anything offered to your German shepherd may have beneficial or detrimental effects.
With that, you need to monitor everything your German shepherd consumes. Lets check what foods are bad for German shepherds.
Dairy products the tummy of the German shepherd is not well set to digest dairy products like milk. Dairy products will cause diarrhea and bloat on your German shepherd.
Chocolate chocolate has a component known as theobromine which is bad if given to German shepherds.
Candy and gum candy and gum contain xylitol, a sweetener that is harmful to German shepherds.
Onions and garlic Onions and garlic given to German shepherds may destroy the red blood cells.
Tomatoes raw or cooked tomatoes can cause cardiovascular problems to your German shepherd.
Carbonated drinks carbonated drinks will destroy your dogs liver and kidneys.
Alcoholic drinks German shepherds should never consume alcohol as it can destroy their livers.
German Shepherd Dog Food Nutritional Guidelines
Now that you know which type of dog food best fits your German Shepherd needs, you need to make sure the dog food meets all the nutrients requirements established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials .
A GSDs complete and nutritionally balanced formula in line with AAFCO nutrient profiles will need to have water, protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins
Whether you are feeding commercial dog food or homemade food to your GSD, these 6 essential nutrients need to be present in his diet.
Check the table below for a more detailed explanation of each nutrient and its importance.
If these six components are present, your German Shepherd should grow up strong and healthy.
Pro Tip: If you choose to feed commercial dog food, always check the packaging for what is known as The Nutritional Adequacy Statement or AAFCO Statement. This statement ensures they dog food you are buying meets nutrient profiles established by the AAFCO.
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What Types Of Food Are Appropriate For German Shepherd Dogs
The most popular type of food for your German Shepherds is dry kibble. However, for puppies and senior dogs, you should consider a variety of wet food options too. Other varieties you can serve include semi-moist form and freeze-dried food. For owners who dont mind preparation and handling, frozen-then-thawed food is a viable option too.
How To Make Peanut Butter Pumpkin Dog Treats
We have many cookie recipes on the site, there werent any for our fur friends. Did you know that, yes you can make dog treats yourselves right at home. Im a dog person through and through. Ive had dogs for as long and I can remember and I cant imagine a time I wont have one.
On Thanksgiving we added another fur baby to the family. A 12 week old German Shepherd named Tilly. She joins her 5 year old brother a beagle-hound mix that is the laziest lovable dog on the planet. Unless you open the back door.
Hes been an only fur baby for the longest time so he wasnt thrilled at first sniff. Hes come around, as long as she keeps to her own food bowl I suspect theyll be best buds. Right now Ill settle for them being in the same room. Tilly the Shepherd.
If you follow me on social media youve seen those big ears, I mean that sweet face. Id say I was sorry for the over storying but Im not at all sorry about it. I know Im partial but shes cute. And if the amount of messages Ive received is any indication shes almost as popular as my dessert recipes lol.
Shes all ears and legs but have no fear shell definitely grow into them. Her Dad was the biggest German Shepherd Ive seen in my life. He had to have been pushing 100 pounds. Luckily I wanted a very big dog and cant wait to see her grow.
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Hills Science Diet Puppy Dog Food
Provide your German Shepherd puppy with the proper nutrition they need for a healthy lifestyle by feeding them the Hills Science Dry Dog food.
This dry food is formulated with wholesome ingredients like chicken meal and oats to meet the nutritional needs of your growing puppy.
This formula is manufactured in the United States following the industry standards and each ingredient meets the nutrient content and purity requirements.
The Hills Science Diet Puppy food is the best dog food for German Shepherd puppy who will be more than 55 pounds when they are an adult and is less than 1 year old.
Hills conduct quality system audits annually in their manufacturing facilities to ensure that the ingredients used in this formula are high in quality and standards.
The company also conducts safety checks to ensure that the food is safe for your German Shepherd puppy.
The Hills Science Dry food has a rich aroma and different textures to ensure that mealtimes are irresistible for your puppy. It also features controlled calcium levels, chondroitin, Glucosamine, antioxidants, and a blend of Vitamin C and E.
Pros
- Supports the optimal growth of your puppys bones.
- Supports healthy joints and strong muscles.
- Helps to maintain a healthy immune system.
- No artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.
Cons
- Foul smell in some batches.
Taste Of The Wild Southwest Canyon Grain
Top 5 Ingredients: 1. Beef, 2. Peas, 3. Garbanzo Beans, 4. Lamb Meal, 5. Canola Oil
Science proves that our beloved four-legged buddy shares DNA with wolves, and Taste of the Wild brand takes this fact very seriously when crafting the perfectly balanced recipe for your large breed dog. The nourishing, grain-free dinner is prepared using lamb, boar, and beef as primary protein sources work wonderfully even for the pickiest dogs. Give your German Shepherd an ancestral diet.
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What Food Should A German Shepherd Never Eat
As stated before, you should never feed your German Shepherd animal by-products, fillers, preservatives, grains, soy, or wheat. These ingredients will make your dog sick or develop allergies. Do not feed your dog a formula with bone meal or corn syrup, either.
Check to make sure you are not feeding him expired meat, animal innards, or protein not fit for human consumption. This is especially important in a raw frozen diet.
Be wary of untrustworthy companies! Check your brand for a history of food recalls. Additionally, some companies break down bad ingredients into multiple groups to make them look healthier. Ask a veterinarian to be sure your choice of dog food is acceptable.
Lastly, if you notice any digestive issues such as hair loss, itchy skin, or lack of appetite, check for bad ingredient or possible allergens. Always consult a veterinarian, too.
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What To Look For In High
Before discussing the specific characteristics that are desirable in a German shepherd food, it is important to outline some of the ingredients and traits that characterize all high-quality dog foods and are desirable when selecting a food for any breed.
Select dog foods made in the USA, Canada, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand, as foods made in these countries are usually subject to stricter food safety protocols than those made in other places. By purchasing foods from these western countries, youre less likely to see it show up on a recall list or make your dog ill.
Look for a high-quality protein as the first listed ingredient. A few high-quality foods list a carbohydrate as the first ingredient, but most of the best foods feature a whole-protein source first.
Its always a good idea to avoid foods with unnecessary and potentially harmful additives, such as artificial colors and flavors, but it is especially important to avoid feeding such foods to breeds prone to food allergies and intolerances, such as German shepherds.
Meat-meals are not necessarily poor ingredients, despite the claims of some. Many of the products used to make meat-meals provide great nutrition for your dog even if some of them seem gross to humans. However, it is important to avoid foods that do not indicate the species from which the meal was obtained.
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How Much Food Should A German Shepherd Puppy Eat
Until the age of about 6 months, young puppies should have 3 to 4 small meals during the day. Dish these out into bowls at the start of the day, and use these rations as their training treats too. Reward them every time they do something youd like to see more of. Like laying calmly at your feet, or not jumping up your guests.
Using their daily kibble as training treats removes the potential for over feeding, and the issues that come along with it. Follow the manufacturers recommended feeding amount guidelines on the product packaging. But dont be afraid to adjust it if you think they are looking too skinny or are carrying a bit too much weight.
Best Dry Dog Food For German Shepherds
What you feed your dog has a significant impact on their overall well-being. Their health and longevity depend on a proper diet. If you have a GSD, you should really look into the kibble they consume.
The best dry dog food for German Shepherds are easily digested and dont irritate their typically sensitive stomachs. Plus, they are formulated with the right ratio of protein, fat, and carbohydrates to maintain their robust bodies and support their athleticism. For most owners, dry dog food is the best choice, but some owners feed a mixture of wet and dry dog food.
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