[Jen M]

My 1 year old german shepherd was on Canidae for months and a few months ago he started having explosive diarrhea and the vet put him on their prescription food and a probiotic to take. This food is extremely expensive and low quality.. it is fill of wheat, corn, and all that crap that doesn’t benefit dogs at all…. I tried weaning him onto WellNess Simple Limited Ingredient Grain-Free food, I did it very slowly, but once he was at half and half, the mushy poops started again… Has anyone else had experience with this problem? Does anyone have any suggestions or tips, or know of another food for him to try?

• This topic was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by Jen M.

[ALFRED B]

Need to find a healthy food for my female adult german shepherd who refuses to eat royal canine

[Chloe K]

Hi there! I have a 12 week old German Shepherd boy and we just started a week ago on raw – We are currently feeding him a premade diet which is costing me a fortune so I would like to look into creating my own meal for him.

So far I’ve learned:

“2.5% of Bears weight (40kg) 1kg

45% Raw Meaty Bones – 450g
45% Muscle Meat – 450g
5% Organ Meat – – 50g

Your goal is to have no more than 20-25% actual bone in the diet.
25% of 450g is 112g”

This is what I have written down, I would like to feed him 2 meals a day when he is older, so that is 25g of offal per meal? Is that right? That seems like such a low amount?

Can I feed raw chicken and raw beef in the same meal?

Can I feed him say 125g of Turkey and 125g of Chicken for one meal, with 25g of beef liver? Is this okay? Should I do this?
How often should I really feed him fish? Twice a week? I think I would like to feed him a whole fish? Gilapia or Whiting Fillets are these a good choice? If not, what are some good choices? I’m trying my hardest to find Green Tripe in Australia but it’s proving difficult, I would like to add some veggies in his diet, which are the BEST? How often should I add them? I know I have to juice/blend them or else he won’t get the full benefit.

I am from Australia so I weigh things in grams and kgs
Is Kangaroo a good source of meat also? What about Kangaroo heart and liver?

Bear is going to puppy school today! I can say he will be the most handsome there

Here is a picture of my little guy 🙂

[Carol W]

Hi. I recently bought a German Shepherd puppy that I’ve had on a high quality brand of puppy food, but just the other day, I was told by a professional handler that with large breeds, that’s not always a good thing. The puppy foods usually contain high percentages of protein that can cause problems with bone development happening too fast. She advised me to switch to a good adult brand to prevent this from happening. Just something to consider, especially with a large breed like a Mastiff.

[Christine M]

Did you already try Taste of the Wild kibble? It was highly recommended by our dog therapist and dog trainer who also trained our dog in her home for 12 days to stop his constant biting attempts (it’s a white German shepherd puppy, will turn 6 months this month). Since then we use Taste of the Wild. Maybe worth a try?

[Susan]

Hi Christine, German Shepherds are prone to IBD EPI & SIBO, boiled rice is a no no for some dogs, can you get the Vet Diet “Eukanuba Intestinal” not the Intestinal Plus just the Intestinal, I even think there’s a Eukanuba puppy Intestinal…The Eukanuba Intestinal was the only diet that help my boy get stable.. also join this Face Book group “Dogs With Inflammatory Bowel Disorder” make sure you start to fix this problem now when he’s still young & don’t let him keep going with the irritated bowel like my rescued boy did…. a lot of dogs with IBD are real stress heads, don’t keep still, eat everything in site (Pica) anxious… see a vet that specialises in IBD… some vets wouldn’t have a clue about IBD & say “Oh its just a sensitive stomach” when it isn’t, he might have food sensitivities or food allergies have you tried boiled potatoes & a protein that he has never eating before like kangaroo, rabbit duck…. on another Face Book group called “Dog Allergy International group” I’ve listed limited ingredients kibbles in the files section…. have a look at “Natural Balance” Limited Ingredients http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/ on ur top left click on “Dog Formulas” thin click on the Limited Ingredient Diets the Kangaroo, Rabbit & Duck have the least ingredients, a few dogs with IBD are doing really well on this kibble…also NO TREATS nothing just his kibble & NO CHEESE it has diary & FAT….then when he’s doing firm poos & only 1-3 a day for a good 3 months then give him a new food & see does he have sloppy poo, see what happens if everything is good in the poo department give again the next day & the next day as some dogs wont react for 5-10 days like my boy he does really well the first 5-6 days them BOOM diarrhea… hope to see you in the F/B groups you’ll get some help when needed from a few German Shepherd owners…

[Christine M]

We have a white German shepherd dog, he just turned 5 months in March. I was looking forward to take him at least twice a day for walks, but he poops too much. I have degenerative disc disease and can use the very helpful pooper scooper in our backyard, but there is no way I carry that thing around with me on walks.
The dog cannot sit still, so I basically would have his leash in one hand and try to scrape his soft stool from the sidewalk, but would need a third hand to put the poop into the poop bag.

We talked with my friend from Germany about it. Her female collie had soft stools until she was 1 year old, so she believes that’s normal.

Our vet wanted us to stop feeding him Eukanuba Large Puppy kibble (supposedly it has too many fillers, she recommended Taste of the Wild kibble instead) and to start feeding him a bland diet (white rice and ground chicken or ground beef) until his stools get firm again. That’s what we were doing the past 3 weeks, the rice did NOT firm the stool.
Do I have to stop giving him Lean Treats, 5 tiny little cheese cubicles and Abady dog cookies (1 cookie per day) which I give him in-between his breakfast at 8 a.m. and his dinner at 4:45 p.m.. He gets water the last time at 6 p.m., because we have to put him in the crate by 9 p.m., so he can make it through the night until one of us lets him out in the backyard at 5:30 a.m..

Our vet said that some dogs have a sensitive stomach. In case he has such a sensitive stomach what else could we feed him?
We cannot continue not exercising the dog properly. I was so much looking forward to start walking with him and when I took him for walks in February, he pooped in the garden first and then we started walking and sure enough: on those short 20 minutes walks he pooped again. Thank God there were very high snow banks left and right of the sidewalks where several other dogs from our neighborhood pooped and their owners didn’t pick it up, because nobody could witness it, but the snow is unfortunately gone now and I need advice very desperately.

Thank you,

Chrissie from MA

[Dina Kouveliotes]

The largest kibble I’ve found is NOW Fresh Large Breed by Petcurean. It’s rated 4.5 stars and has been very good for my German Shepherd Dog with a sensitive stomach. I highly recommend. I add raw extra virgin unrefined coconut oil and a every other day I mix in either scrambled eggs, salmon, fresh cooked chicken or ground beef. Just for variety and some fresh foods.

[Carol W]

I agree we need to be concerned about this. My dog gets only fresh wild caught salmon fillets; the same that I eat, and canned that is also wild caught. Another thing with the manufactured foods is that they add leftover garbage and try to pass it off as lovely salmon fillet, chicken breast, etc.. It can be costly, but I have lost 2 beloved German Shepherds to cancer, and I’m doing everything I can to prevent it happening again with my new pup. I have only one dog at a time, so that helps with the cost.

[Saint Louie]

I adopted an amazing German Shepherd/Chow mix 6 weeks ago and think he may have EPI. My dog is eating a very high quality grain-free food that my labs thrive on, yet this boy acts ravenous and has lost 4 lbs. in 6 weeks. His coat is dulling and his shedding seems way out of the ordinary. He has occasional diarrhea. When I increase the amount of food, his “output” increases, so I started researching foods specifically for German Shepherds on the forums and came across your post. I will have him tested next week, but would sincerely appreciate your expertise. Can you give me the names of several very high-quality foods that may work for him in combination with the enzymes — I want to begin my research and get food samples ordered.

Thank you in advance for your help!

[Freddy w]

i have 4 year old german shepherd
With fistulas
My vet says feed her no grain – no potato dog food
So I’m looking around for the best of the best for her
I was feeding tractor supply 4health dog food no grains
But she also can not have meat I was told
If you have any ideas please let me know !

Thank you so much

I’ve never delt with this issue before so I appreciate your help

[barak b]

Hi, I have a German shepherd dog about 4 years, until now she eat proplan sensitive and lately avoided to eat. What food do you recommend the best type of dog is that? Thanks in advance

[Wicks Ma]

Hello Everyone!
I am new to this site, we adopted our first dog a month ago, he is an adorable 12 week old Australian German Shepherd and by the looks of him almost exactly half and half (we only know is mom is for sure a German, but all of the puppies look pure Aussie haha). Anyways he never had any stomach issues while at his foster house but since we have had him he has had chronic diarrhea. He also became fairly ill after receiving his vaccinations so it might be related. Regardless we had used Iams prostora probiotics and it seemed to really help, however they were $50 from the vet for only 2 weeks worth!! I bought new probiotics (nutrivet) this week after seeing online reviews that were very positive! I also bought the Fresh Digest in clover enzyme prebiotic mix and am considering giving him this also in hopes of increasing the efficiency of the probiotics and helping with nutrient absorption since he is only 12 weeks at best (technically don’t know exact age) and the chronic diarrhea is starting to worry us a lot. We have seen our vet multiple times as well and she switched his diet to Royal Canin GI (I know its not great but my boyfriend is more of a give them whatever kind of guy and after spending 40 dollars on a small bag is not looking to switch foods again). My question is whether it is a good idea to use the enzymes for such a young puppy and also should it be provided with the probiotics or at a different time?

[GSDsForever]

Dori,

EPI is a known issue in GSDs that is genetic. Among well bred GSDs from good breeders of showlines, who breed healthy and correct animals, this and other health and structural problems are less common. None of my dogs I’ve ever owned have had it.

Among GSDs generally, among the “normal” population that does not test positive for EPI and show clinical signs associated with EPI, German Shepherds often have lower than average TLI scores in within the wide “normal” range compared to other breeds.

All of this relates to digestive enzyme activity in digesting their food, which is why the main standard of care treatment for EPI (and related malabsorption conditions) is

*a highly digestible diet with a highly digestible & high quality/biologic value protein source, moderate fat or high digestible fat, highly digestible carb source (like white rice)

*+ Viokase/pancreas (gold standard) or other enzymes added to the food and pre/probiotics

[Dori]

Hi GSDsForever. Very coincidental. Anyway, my question is purely for my education. Why is it that German Shepherds don’t digest foods as well as some other breeds do? I’m just always trying to learn. Never too old to learn something new. I’m 66 years old by the way. I’ve never owned German Shepherds nor will I ever. I’m allergic to all animals that have fur, hence my having toy breeds with hair, no fur and low allergens.

[GSDsForever]

Dori,

Oh how funny! Lucky you! 🙂

Yeah, and can you imagine a vet with more advanced degrees and such than she has? Talk about highly educated & experienced.

Of course, I consider her to have and additional qualification that I plan to put to future good use in that she has owned German Shepherds.

Having familiarity with German Shepherds, she should be well acquainted with how they typically don’t digest foods as well as do other breeds! I remember when I first tried all kinds of homemade diets many years ago, from Pitcairn recipes and the like, and still continue to hear people talking about feeding their dogs various whole grains and carbs, legumes, etc. with no problem at all. Nope! Not so with my GSD: I saw all that stuff come out “the other end” wholly unchanged.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by GSDsForever.

[Oleanderz]

Naturella- Ok thank you, you just solved all my confusion with pumpkins in one strong swoop, much appreciated! (^_^ )
Yeah, it may be a good idea to have her stay overnight, I don’t want her tearing anything, just as long as I can pick her up first thing in the morning it won’t be such a bad option! She’s really not all that big, but I want to play it safe.
She is a Beagle/German Shepherd mix, I think it’s safe to say she’s she’s medium? She’s a 47 lb amalgamation of soft and sweet itself.
https://gm1.ggpht.com/fGVl0ACllCaI8E_fMSxsFCZ6m9dkCETYbrjeGi2WvfXB7UmvL5lSPo5CvFDLy6WOc6Ymbi-x-aoO9mbAWeeb9Bnd6NxTbf2ovM6JREChoSoUxCNPsuprZR28p94RPy14bRpotBDEOd2TBSjG4b8CNLcdvLEBXe9_3r4gCRh_YIfqA0hq0PuMRrbSIQ5tCwD3SQYenXHESFIjz1-cM8lZi4y7_-XGmriKFAjTddrO0d8MloZOuEA7rtZr__89K519ktBlZKqHsfXSscNpzj0guDviJdSKr7EYuYyU4TLocmDbd2VPUM1Ym0BC-gLfjUuKAsfuS7a8mXiwXwsEkeOd3O808oGSCPZkBx0L8GJLK0RdQC1PUMrf1ZOI3LURvQ-u5l14L-Hw13iwL0T-fiCvbmydda73dp1gJjikOD68_4ZfKZm3oUNh4h_J6WjnylgZLRKJE4cMAGsStwYKxDdb_tXEaXNn4Mp7W13Cb4WfI9boGueuYx8PVdgeMWNykxtyV3lAOIN1xpj_f93a3Z2o8bkuR9syPoXB1KxR02wKqDIVIuzGJLafAwZNFn2g04O1FA8yALE=w1342-h547-l75-ft
THANK YOU, YOU ARE HEAVEN SENT FOR THIS SCHEDULE!! I’ve been so worried at how I’d incorporate each flavor, I couldn’t decide on whether I’d want to continue using the brands over the course of the month switching the flavor or to switch the flavor everytime a different brand of food is introduced. Thank you!! Now do you think this is a pretty balanced schedule or should I add another brand into it? Or should I just stick with the four I have on that list?
No, I don’t think she does, but she did get itchy all the time before I started feeding her EB. One day I just looked it up online and it said that some grains can be associated with skin issues. So I decided to go with EB:GF…. Come to think of it, it might’ve been the brand we bought back then. I’ll look into it with her vet, but would it hurt her at all if I DID included a grain included brand since she’s been of it for so long?
Cool! Thanks! With eggs. I see a lot of people on this site giving their dog raw eggs?? Can’t dogs get salmonella like that? Can I cook her egg and add it as a topping? Now one last question. Do you buy all the food at the same time? Or do you wait until the rotation is just about up and then order it? I don’t want anything to be rotting by the time we go to eat it. If Lucille’s EB remains gets unsealed I put all of her food inside of a air tight food vault, I usually never buy more than two 28 lb bags at a time.
Thank you for all of the helpful charts and tips I’m going to get a marker board for Luci’s feeding schedules and food times. I start with the old food to new food ratio plan as well. I’ll also provide some incentive for my brothers to be more proactively engaged with her walks, training and play time too. Hmm, now that you’ve mentioned Excel signatures though, it does seem like a good method, this way I can keep track of who’s goofing off.
I’ll certainly keep everyone updated on when I start and how it’s progressing! I apprecciate all the help!!! (^w^ )<3
(Yay for little bags of Dr. Tim’s woohoo!!)

[Naturella]

@Oleanderz, I will answer a couple of the questions you had to Dori, if both of you don’t mind – dogs can eat plain yoghurt, plain Greek yoghurt, and plain kefir. None of the fruity stuff – just too much sugar and other additives. Pumpkin doesn’t necessarily help with digestion per se, but it provides a lot of fiber, which helps calm the tummy, balance the stool and the bowel movements, and is overall a pretty good tummy additive when switching foods if problems occur. We tend to use canned plain pumpkin from the grocery store as it is already conveniently cooked and pureed in a can, but if you want to go through the trouble of peeling pumpkin, boiling/baking it, and pureeing/mushing it up, you also can. At the grocery store make sure you get plain (100%) pumpkin (and not pumpkin pie filling) cans.

Ok, now to my questions, lol:
When my roommate’s dog had her spaying surgery, he also lived in an apartment and his dog (Casey) was already pretty big, but for the day of the surgery he carried her up and down 3 floors for her to go potty. He didn’t want her stretching and pulling stitches and what not. I don’t know how feasible that will be with Lucille… Or if it’s even necessary, that’s just what he did. You may want to talk to the vet about that and see if she can stay overnight at least for the first day so that she doesn’t have to go up and down steps so much. We also carried Bruno on his surgery day, but he was small (still is), and by the next day he just ran out the door, perky and happy like he didn’t just lose his balls, lol. But talk to the vet about that, or maybe some of the pros will be able to answer. When she is healed, you can exercise her as normal, but not while healing.

Hm, I will look at chewy.com for small Dr. Tim’s – I have fed Kinesis GF, but I really wanted to try Momentum, Pursuit, and RPM… Haven’t seen them in small bags though.

Lucille is a German Shepherd, right? I would probably rotate her every large (not medium) bag for now, just to let her tummy get used to switching slowly, i.e. – you do the rotation, then she has a good amount of time to get used to the new food, then you rotate again, time of “rest” from the switch. If in a few bags all rotations go well, just rotate as you prefer – you can start rotating every medium bag, or just keep it at every large bag. It really is up to you how often you want to rotate, and how she’s taking it. I like to switch up every month or so, and luckily, a small bag lasts us just the right amount of time for that. I have, however, used larger bags even for Bruno (yes, that’s him in the picture, my cutie patootie) – 15 lb Dr. Tim’s Kinesis GF and 3 14-lb bags of Earthborn Holistic GF (Coastal Catch, Great Plains Feast, Primitive Natural), but after Coastal Catch, which lasted like 3 months, I decided to half them and put a different food in between them, as you can see from Bruno’s menu list, lol. Your rotation plan sounds good, I would also switch up the protein with every bag, for example:

EB CC – Dr. Tim’s Momentum – Nulo FS Lamb – Victor High Pro GF –
EB PN – Dr. Tim’s RPM GF – Nulo FS Turkey – Victor Yukon Salmon GF –
EB GPF – Dr. Tim’s Pursuit – Nulo FS Trim Cod – Victor Joint Health –
EB MF – Dr. Tim’s Kinesis GF – Nulo FS Salmon – Victor Ultra Pro – repeat!

*** EDIT *** – Don’t forget that Dr. Tim’s formulas Momentum and Pursuit are not GF! Everything else is. So you can switch between RPM and Kinesis GF to keep it all GF. Does Lucille have a grain allergy, or do you just like the idea of a food being GF? I used to think GF was better until I learned that dogs/wolves in the wild do consume a bit of the stomach content of the prey they kill, which is, often times, grains, fruits, vegetables, and greens, hence those foods contain those ingredients as well. But it is the meat content that matters most, so I still think that Dr. Tim’s grain-inclusive foods are a really good choice. The grain-inclusive Kinesis is the the only one rated 4 stars, all the rest are 5 stars. But you can use the GF Kinesis instead of the GI one. 🙂

This schedule provides diverse recipes and protein sources and if you choose to use bags that last Lucille about a month each, she will be set for about 16 months before a single recipe is repeated! Or 12 months, if you don’t use Victor. Feel free to use the above “meal plan” if you want, I hope it helps in giving you an idea of meal rotation and protein diversification. Or, you can switch the list up, or not use it at all, whatever works for your dog. 🙂

As for my lists, lol, thank you! Feel free to use them as templates anytime, lol, they are NOT proprietary information, lol! I made them for hubby’s ease in feeding Bru when/if I’m gone. And it did take me about an hour to look at all my foods, their expiration dates, and sort them out by dates and also by protein variety, which warranted the freezing of some foods and refrigeration of others… I did scrap some papers in the process, lol, but eventually made it work! So yeah. The toppers were easier to figure out as I only put a bit of each, and they are things I normally have around the house, except for the THK stuff – I mean, I do have it in the house, but it’s not like people-food. Eggs, yoghurt, coconut oil, sardines, and RMBs are though, so yeah.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 10 months ago by Naturella.

[Oleanderz]

Hello, I’m considering whether or not to spay my dog or not. She is a 5 year old 47 lb beagle/german shepherd mix, turning 6 in October and I was wondering what are the pros and cons or spaying this late? When my family and I picked her up from her litter when she was 8 weeks, the woman who was selling the puppies told us that everything had been arranged for her adoption (shots/spaying/house breaking). We took her home, with her medical papers and thought nothing further of it only to find out the following year of having her she was totally not house broken and hadn’t been given the surgery at all. At the time I was only fifteen and my mom called the shots on whether or not to get her spayed since she was basically the breadwinner at the time. I am now twenty and in college, so I send Lulu Earthborn Holistic GF food, Mr. D’s dog packages and Happy Dog boxes every month, but I still feel that I’m not doing the most for her health wise, so I’d really like to know whether it’s smart to invest in spaying her this late and also while I’m not around. How long will her recovery time be? And what can I do to prevent behavioral problems if any do occur? Lastly, have any of you spayed or neutered your dog after puupyhood? What was it like afterwards for them?

Bonus Question- Dog Boxes, are they a good thing to invest in or do you think it’s something for the main stream to stick with? I’m two months into both of my packages and I’m wondering if they’re worth it to send to her while I’m away from home, rather than Chewy.com haulings.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read all this!

[Kimi_forever]

Yes they have been on kibble all their life. actually they are my mom and sisters cats, but i try and have some input on them too. They used to be fed purina one, and i made them get off that and told them about merrick because it wasnt so expensive. Now we have just recently (this is the first bag) put them on orijen because i expressed that imo it was worth the money over merrick or wellness core we were trying. I recently have read some of the info on catinfo.org and they said the same thing. The only problem is finding decent canned food not chalked up with carrageenan and other stuff is absurdly expensive, i’ve been pricing it for what it would cost for 3 adult 10lb cats and it’s not pretty. the vet on catinfo.org seems to have a method of making homemade meals that while still more expensive then orijen seems more practical, i think we are going to try her method since she has laid it out so clearly how to prepare source and supplement a cat’s diet in a way that economical and practical to do. I got some samples of Honest Kitchen for them to try, because as my pricing went it was a lot cheaper then canned food and still obviously had moisture from the added water, but they just looked at me like i was crazy for giving them THK. Maybe i should contact the vet from catinfo.org and talk to her and see what she thinks. I like the vet we are seeing okay, he has done wonders for my grandmothers old german shepherd whenever he had problems, but i wasnt thrilled when he suggested putting this cat on Hill’s prescription diet for her being over weight, but i know he had good intentions….We are in the process of trying to transition them off kibble but we will probably have to buy at least one more large bag before we get anything setup for a homemade diet :-\

[Danita G]

My Golden Retriever has been diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease or IBD (inflamed bowel disease), he has dropped almost 30 pounds in the past 3 months. What I have read about the Crohn’s and IBD, seems there is not much difference between the two.
I’ve cooked home meals for him and my German Shepherd to make him better. Now he doesn’t care to eat at all!
Has anyone experienced this with there pets? I would like to compare notes with others on this topic!

[Fade R]

Hi, everyone

We’ve got Nala, an extremely gorgeous eight months old German Shepherd puppy. So far we have been trying Taste Of The Wild (high prairie puppy formula with Bison and roasted venison) and Royal Canine for german shepherd puppies. I have subscribed to this wonderful website and now learned that Royal Canine is a poor dogfood, so we’re about to change the food again.

I have a couple of questions, would love to get your help:

1. Many say that changing the food frequently does good. What’s he major opinion on it here?
2. Nala never eats the suggested quantity of the food. Some say she’s just not an eater. She looks healthy, though. Should we aim at increasing the quantity or just leave her alone with it?
3. Would you suggest any specific brand of food for this breed from your experience?

Thanks in advance.
Fade.

[David G]

Hi Everyone,

We just got our first rottie puppy and have been doing our homework on the large breed puppy foods. There’s so many options it’s almost overwhelming. We give our other German Shepherd mix Kirkland Nature’s Domain, and like it a lot. We feel it’s a great bang for the buck.

Some of these puppy food formulas are almost double $60 – 30lbs. Can anyone recommend an affordable food for our baby boy? I saw somewhere that the Kirkland Natures Domain may be suitable for large breed pups as well.

Thanks. I checked out the google doc as well but it seemed limited because she only had so many companies respond about the calcium levels.

Sorry for the redundancy and thanks in advance!

-Dave

[Jillian D]

I need some help in finding a sensitive skin and stomach dog food.
My 7 year old German Shepherd has been on the Purina Pro Plan sensitive skin and stomach food for about 3 years. It is absolutely perfect for him, his coat is beautiful and he no longer throws up his food. He seems to be sensitive to products with chicken by products.
I recently adopted a pit bull and was told she could only eat Fromm’s food due to her sensitive skin and stomach. She seems fine since switching, no vomiting or diarrhea. However, she has a ridiculous amount of gas. She also has broken out in hives a few times (not sure if that is related to the food, as it doesn’t happen every time she eats)

Point is, I need advice on other sensitive skin and stomach foods that could work for both of them. Any words of wisdom would be appreciated. Thank you. :]

[Susan]

Hi Kelsey, being pregnant she will need a really good diet, & some extras, how many pups do German Shepherds have, I hope its not a large litter, is their a German Shepherd rescue group you can contact, they may take the pups when they are old enough & vaccinated, worm & desexed then find them really good loving homes…
I rescued a whippet X when I was younger, the man was going to shot her cause she kept pooing under the clothes line, I didn’t even know she was pregnant, until my other dog Pebbles was stressing out one morning, I went to see what was wrong & in the garage where they slept was 13 puppies, yes 13 I nilly died….
Good-Luck

[kelsey s]

I am looking for a good food in the lower-middle price range; I am on a fixed income and feed 3 cats a chi-pin and a pregnant German shepherd mix. It don’t have to be the best, but better than what they eat now; the cats eat meow mix and the dogs eat gravy train. I must admit that I was quite surprised that these foods are so bad.. So please help, I feel so bad that they’re eating such low quality food.

[cyndinisa]

Nancy. I have a large German Shepherd rescued 7 years ago that has always been plagued with skin problems…no matter what I have done in the past. A couple of things help. I do rotate her diet…and she does not have to be transitioned~her stomach does fine. She does best on premium rabbit, but I have to shake it up a bit with premium brands and ingredients. The single best thing I have done is coconut oil, and providone iodine rinses and soaks. Dr Karen Becker has a couple of videos on this, so if the link does not go through…Google her. My Shepherd does not shed that much anymore since I have used coconut oil, and the provodone solution has stopped hot spots and itchiness. Good luck. Nothing zaps you more than having your furbaby sick, right? All her stuff is great to watch!

Coconut oil treatment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCC3opz7LWo

Provodone iodine bath (miracle to me) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng3XqDSIvq8

[Linda P]

Sportmix Wholesomes Chicken and Rice. I understand the other Sportmix formulas are only a 3.5 rating but this formula is rated by you guys as 4. I buy it because it is very budget friendly and yet is rated a 4. In addition, I show German Shepherds and have a number of dogs being fed this food right now and I’ve fed it long enough to see the condition, energy, and beautiful coats they have as a result. I’ve tried several different brands rated both 4 and 5 and so far, the best results on my dogs is this one. Also 40 pound bag is less than $30.00 at Tractor Supply! Another big plus is that the dogs really like it. What good does it do to feed a highly considered food that the dogs won’t eat unless they are starving and even then are hesitant? I’ve had that happen a few times also!

[theBCnut]

Short ribs are about 6 inches and mostly cartilage, easy to chew up bone. Full ribs are between 8 and 12 inches. One of my 45 lb Border Collies can’t eat even half of the thing. The other 45 lb Border Collie eats about 3/4 of it. A German Shepherd should get a good chew out of it, but have no problem eating the whole thing. My old 85 lb GSD chewed them up pretty well, but he wasn’t inclined to gulp and the ribs were big enough that I wouldn’t have considered it a problem. If he is a really voracious chewer then you can have the butcher cut up a rack of ribs so that they are in groups of 2. That’s what I do with pork ribs.

[Cameron P]

Hello fellow Dog Lovers!

I Have posted here a few times about the best diet for my pup, and I’ve finally found a food that he absolutely loves and is on the recommended large breed list! I have had him on Nature’s Variety Instinct: Limited Rabbit Formula for quite a while now. He loves it! He scarfs it down. I have noticed that his stools have been pretty big and usually after his initial poop, he’ll move forward a bit, and let loose a more runny stool. This has happened with every food he’s had, so I was wondering if it was common to experience this. He’s had a stool test in the past, and nothing was wrong with it, and the vet didn’t seem concerned when I mentioned it, so I turn to you guys and gals! Is there something I should do differently to make for more consistent bowl movements, or continue doing what I’m doing?

[Steve S]

Hi there every, my German Shepherd had many allergy issues and cost quite a lot on mess and vet visits. Tried different foods, wiping this and that when she comes indoors……. finally did food research and found only true vegetarian dog food to buy was Nature’s Recipe Vegetarian .
Once on this food her overall allergy problems decreased 98 0/0.
I have been using it for over 7 years and coat is beautiful and she is so healthy.
I have recommended this to others who have had great success too. Also local allergy vet specialist recommends this food to patients.
Good luck

[Nancy C]

Can some of you give me some advice as to where to find and what to get for my German Shepherd 75 pound 2 yr old dog? His teeth need cleaning. I am going to start RAW feeding soon. I understand that weight bearing bones are out – too hard and great for tooth cracking. I know about duck and turkey necks but wondering if there is anything in the goat, beef or llama department that any of you has tried. I am totally GREEN GREEN in this activity of bones yet they are important.

Thanks so much for whoever can help!

[Susan D]

I have a 5 yr old black lab (Jake). In the last year or so he has been constantly licking and chewing his feet. We tried allergy shots (depomedrol) and it didn’t help at all. He is eating a chicken based dry dog food that has not wheat or corn. We add canned food and also cook chicken thighs and add that meat. We also have 3 other dogs, 2 german shepherds and a mixed breed. The others do not have this problem. I bought a natural formula supplement for dogs and he has been on it for about 3 weeks but I don’t see any results yet.

Any suggestions? My husband and I are retired so cost of food is an issue (of sorts).

[crazy4cats]

Yes, my pups are litter mates. Honestly, fighting would be the least of my worries now that I’ve gotten through the puppy stage. Training them is very difficult with two. It’s important to try and separate them while training if you can. They can distract each other very easily. I think German Shepherds are generally easier to train and less destructive than labs. But, it is a lot of work!!! Also, the theory that they will bond with each other and not you is not true in my opinion either. If anything, they are totally jealous of each other and fight for attention from us humans! Lol! It’s also difficult to split them up now. They get a little separation anxiety. But what is really nice is that when we are not home, they keep each other company. I think having two dogs is great. But getting two pups at the same time is a lot of work! Getting two kittens at the same time is mandatory, however, in my opinion! 🙂 Good luck with your decision!

[Karen G]

Thank you SO MUCH crazy4cats and Cyndi, the list you found for me is invaluable! I have a German Shepherd pup who is about 11 weeks old. I currently feed him Merrick for puppys (grain free). He loves the Merrick and seems to be doing well on it so far. Here is what the lable says: Protein (min) 28%, fat (min) 12%, fiber (max) 4.50%, calcium (max) 1.70%, Phosphorus (max) 1.10%. What bothers me is I don’t really know how much is in the food because of the “min” and “max” designations. I wish I had a little better idea of the actual percentages in the food. I went with Grain Free because I read something about arsenic levels but I eat grain myself so I guess it isn’t a big deal if it contains grain or not….I’m still debating about this. My vet is recommending Science Diet since they are more specific about just how much of these nutrients are included in the kibble but my previous GSD never did well on Science Diet so I’m reluctant to try it. I’m going to take a look at this list that you so kindly provided for me and see what I find. I’m new to understanding what type of ingredients a large breed pup really needs (other than keeping calcium lower) so I’m educating myself now. Thanks again for all your help and for taking the time to respond so thoughtfully to me!!!

[Cameron P]

Hello Guys!

I am very picky about what I allow my German Shepherd Puppy eat! My sister feeds her two chocolate labs “Good Friends” which is bought at Rural King. I always check here to see reviews before I switch foods, but he always eats it at her house and he will be staying with her for a little bit while I’m finishing my last year of college. He’s almost 6 months and his current food is Diamond Naturals Large Breed Puppy. He doesn’t eat much, but he eats it eventually. I’m not too concerned since he’s a healthy looking pup and doesn’t get overfed! However, if anyone knows anything about this “Good Friends” puppy food, I would greatly appreciate some feed back!

German Shepherd Owner 🙂

[milly w]

He was our first puppy. We had seen him from the day he was born. But let me take you back a little bit. My husband had been working for a dog breeder for a long time. He fell in love with dogs, and influenced me to love them with time as well. So when a friend had to travel and asked us to stay with his pregnant dog, we were more than glad to oblige. As fate would have it, our friend was unable to return in time for the birth of his puppies, and we found ourselves with the task of delivering the mother, whose name was Rocky. With my husband’s experience, we were able to support Rocky successfully through the birth. She delivered six puppies, three males and three females.

When our friend, Brian, came back, he asked us to choose one pup as a gift for the good work we had done. We picked the biggest male who we had already identified as special. He was the first one to perk his ears at two weeks, way before the others could achieve this development milestone. If Ricky’s litter was a wolf pack, that puppy would have been the pack leader. Brian gladly gave in to our request and left with the rest of the litter as well as the mother.

It was now time to pick a name for our newest family member. We searched for many hours until we settled for Pawdy. You see, my husband’s name is Patrick. Patrick has many variants, one of which is Paddy. We figured that since we were naming a puppy, Pawdy would do instead of Paddy. We let Pawdy live with us in the house. We pampered him and trained him to be the best dog ever. He maintained the trait that made us pick him in the first place; intelligence. He could tell when people were in a good mood in the house and when people were happy. He would sit in the corner quietly when he noticed we were not in the mood to play, waiting patiently.

Pawdy grew into a huge German Shepherd male. He would have easily been mistaken for a ferocious dog, but we had trained him to be friendly, especially to children. Our relatives loved him, and our neighbors grew accustomed to Pawdy’s bark. I loved taking him for walks and enjoying the compliments I would receive as the owner of such a graceful dog. I was not the only one. My teenage nephews loved taking him for walks too, and I trusted them with my dog. Looking back now, that was a mistake.

One morning as I was leaving the house, my nephews asked me if they could take Pawdy for a walk. Since they had done so before without any problems, I told them it was okay. When I came back in the evening, disaster awaited at home. I had no idea as no one had been brave enough to call me with the bad news. I found Pawdy lying motionless on the front porch, with foam on the spot where he lay. I couldn’t move. I sat down right there beside him and wept. I had too much emotional connection with that dog.

The explanation I was given was that he just collapsed during the walk. My nephews had called my husband who luckily was in the house. They took Pawdy to the vet, who said that he had food poisoning. The vet’s efforts to treat him had failed. I have never known where he had eaten whatever caused his death. Could it be that my nephews were careless and let him eat something poisonous during the walk?

We buried him that evening. A few relatives and neighbors attended. It was a quick and sad burial. Pawdy’s bark was forever silenced, a little too soon. We had hoped that he would live to be an old dog and sire many more puppies for us. But it was not to be. Now we own a kennel full of different breeds of majestic show dogs. We named our kennel after our beloved Pawdy. But we have never found the courage to give any of our dogs that name

[Diane W]

Saw this on TV. I have German Shepherds which have a short intestinal track and can have a problem with loose stools when given wet food. Can you give me your opinion of the lucky dog food….website: http://www.luckydogcuisine.com/ This is suppose to be great.
Thank you, Diane

[must.love.dogs.]

Hi! New to the forum and site. Sorry if this has already been addressed. We have an 8 month old Dogue de Bordeaux and 6 year old German Shepherd. The pup is already well over 100lbs, and the GSD is full grown at 130lbs. Opinions on the best, healthy food for the best price and is purchasing online a better route when cutting costs? Currently, they are eating Holistic Select – Large Breed Puppy and Large Breed Adult. Both love each others foods and will not keep to one, so I was debating All Life Stages by Canidae. All of you know mastiffs and larger GSDs eat HUGE amounts. We do not want to sacrifice their health when making budget adjustments. Any opinions and guidance is much appreciated. I just want the best for our boys while being economical! Thank you.

[Susan]

Hi Cheryl, German Shepherds are predisposed to Pancreatitis & IBD, some GSD need a low fat diet, have you tried an Limited Ingredient low fat kibble yet & a good dog probiotic…..I like “Wellness”…here’s a link to look at their range….the “Wellness Simple” (scroll right down the bottom of the all the kibbles) is an Limited Ingredient kibble that is easy to digest.. the Duck & Oatmeal is the lowest in fat 11%-12% fat… there’s also Wellness “Large breed Complete Health Adult” Deboned Chicken & Brown rice fat% is only 11% fat…. its 5th row down http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/recipes.aspx?pet=dog&ft=1#

[Heather D]

Hello members. Thank heavens I have found this site though have done nothing this morning with regard housework as just been reading.
We have a Spanish Mastiff crossed with a German Shepherd, rescued from a filthy pen some 4 weeks ago when he was just 6 weeks old. Riddled with parasites internal and external. Has been to the vet’s three times now but doing very well.
previously we had a couple of English Pointers so I was aware of the growth/calcium issue and they were reared to be 14 years. Dusty the bitch, spayed, died with skin cancer. We live in Spain and she was mostly white and was a momkey for lying in the sun with her legs splayed and stomach bared to the sun, she contracted skin cancer and sadly had to be put to sleep aged 14.
Bracken her pal, though not from the same litter, died just 6 weeks after Dusty with a heart attack.
They were reared for their first 18 months on Hills prescription for large breeds and did really well with it.
Now to our new little, well quite big puppy.
He couldn’t tolerate Hills so the vet advised Eukanuba food for large breed puppies and I give him two small additional feeds of cooked turkey each day to add to his protein as the dry food is 26% and wanted to increase it. He is tolerating it well, but I want him to have the best I can afford, and buy. We are pensioners and though not destitute we have to budget.
Spain is not known for it’s care of dogs, and sadly, living in the heart of Andalucia away from the Costas most dogs are raised on dry bread, yes dry bread and anything else they can find. These are the conditions our puppy Max was born into. Locked in a large fenced and gated pen, the owner coming only once per week to bring a sack of dry bread rolls and fill their water bowls. So we have adopted the family and go each night to feed and water through the fence.
The parents and the 2 other pups are doing well, and the owner as a thankyou gave us Max.
There are just 2 pet stores within a couple of hours drive that do sell some varied brands.
We want the very best for Max and from your lists I just don’t know if I am going to find any of the foods you mention.
My question is, sorry after this ramble, if I cannot find any you mention will Max be ok continuing on his Eukanuba for large breed puppies along with his cooked turkey, and are there any other things I can give him to supplement if he has to stay on this diet?

[MastiffMomma]

Hi everyone–I hope someone can help me out here! My mom has a 9 year old JR/Chihuahua cross who has had diabetes for about a year now. He is currently on Royal Canin Moderate Calorie Gastrointestinal Veterinary Exclusive dry and wet food, and has been on this since he was diagnosed with diabetes. He currently takes 8 units of insulin twice daily, and weighs about 15lbs.

Since adopting my own dog (mastiff/German shepherd/ lab cross) I have begun researching dog food and ingredients, and after reading the label of my mom’s dog’s food I am concerned that he is not getting the nutrition he needs. The first ingredients are brewers rice, chicken byproduct meal, corn, and brown rice. There are also several other ingredients noted as “controversial” according to DFA. This food is also quite expensive for the number of poor ingredients it contains ($40 for an 4kg bag of dry food, plus the canned food to mix with as he is a picky eater).

I was wondering if anyone here could recommend a low calorie dry dog food that would be suitable for him? I know it’s difficult to put a star value on therapeutic dog food, so something with higher quality ingredients and no byproduct meals would be excellent.

Thanks in advance!

[Kritterlady]

Love your well thought out questions Lilmonster! In my experience feeding raw to 2 older dogs and one 2 yr old I vary the diet so so as not to cause the problems you mention. As natural scavengers dog benefit from variation. So they eat a variety of fruit and veg in season, eggs when my hens produce well and quality meats with bones in. By feeding clean quality foods, and yes, on occasion quality dog food I have healthy active 11 yr old German shepherd and 12 yr old pit shepherd mix and 2 yr old Doberman. All alergies cleared up and they run the farm like puppies. Also since their food changes regularly there is no pickiness. I continue to read extensively and ask many questions and refine my efforts but the proof is in the vitality of my dogs.

[Andrew M]

We have a 3 month old German bred German Shepherd Dog puppy.
We are feeding him Orijen LB Puppy. His stool is soft, not loose or runny. He also has “gas”…
Was advised to give him some plain yogurt to help with the “gas” issue. Was also told by a breeder that the Orijen, while excellent, may be too rich for him. What is the opinion about Nutro Ultra Large Breed Puppy? (We fed our Golden Nutro Ultra senior and were very pleased with the results.) Thanks in advance to all who comment…

• This reply was modified 11 years, 5 months ago by Andrew M.

[Stefan m]

Got my 2nd German Shepherd puppy coming next week and want to try raw diet.

The first 2 weeks will be fed chicken thighs and each following week a new food including green tripe, beef tongue, liver and version over the time frame

Being fed 2-3% of his adult bodyweight…

Snacks I have homemade dehydrated sweet potatoes,apples and blueberries blend.

An egg and chopped kale will be with the AM meal…veggie blend as noon snack and PM meal more meat with Salmon oil.

Any advice or kuddos??

[Angela A]

Now I can’t say that my GSD’s uti’s were caused by her food, but I can say that I switched from Blue Buffalo Basics Grain free to Kirkland (costco) grain free and she had 3 uti’s since the switch. Cranberry is in the Blue Buffalo, and not the Kirkland brand. We are back on Blue Buffalo and I am researching the Budget friendly foods now. Two German Shepherds put away some food! 🙂 Love that I joined! Thanks!

[Michele N]

I have a 5 year old German Shepherd who has had allergies since he was just a pup. We have tried just about everything out on the market to relieve his itching. He has itched his fur off at times, and it is black underneath. He has a yeasty smell to him. He had to be on steroid shots when he was younger due to his terrible outbreaks and skin infections. He gets worse in the summer, but his problem went year round. Until I got sick of having him on high doses of Benadryll and taking him to the vet for the allergy medicine, which really didn’t help the problem, just gave him a little relief. After a year of me spending hours of researching nutrition , and yeast problems in dogs, I stumbled upon a dog food, that pretty much saved my dogs life. It is Dr. E’s Limited Ingredient Grain and Potato Free Food. It only contains 5 ingredients. For the first time in his life, my dogs fur grew back and he stopped itching and he didn’t smell anymore. I also have him on supplements, probiotics, digestive enzymes by Mercola, Jointsaver, & Lysine. This spring came all the pollens and grass which he is also allergic to, and he started itching again. Although this time he didn’t scratch off his fur. He just had some hot spots, and so I had a friend suggest trying Dinovite, because he said it was helping his dog. I can say that since I put him on this supplement, about a week and a half, he has been itching himself until he bleeds. I emailed the company and they said that was not enough time for the product to work. So I continued a couple more days, and now I am ready to toss this stuff in the garbage. I am so steaming furious, that this company would put out a product that contains yeast as an ingredient, and a ground grain sorghum, and then tell you to put your dog on a yeast and grain free diet, makes no sense to me. I don’t know where they source their ingredients, maybe China, I don’t know, but what I do know is that my dog hasn’t been this bad off in years. He has red bumps all over his legs, back, stomach, groin, even his tail. He is so miserable, that now I may have to have him go back on the terrible medicine I wanted him off of. He has bad hips and elbows and arthritis, so the last thing he needs to be on are steroids. But now it seems as if he has a horrible skin infection after being on this product. We haven’t changed anything else in his diet , so I know for sure, that this reaction is caused from the Dinovite. I absolutely DO NOT recommend giving ANY dog this product that has allergies, immune disorders, pancreatic disorders, or skin problems. He was doing oK, with his allergies, he was itchy, but he didn’t have these red bumps all over his body, and he wasn’t scratching himself bloody. Now I am going to have a huge vet bill, on top of a very miserable dog. I am One very UNHAPPY customer. I should have known better. The less ingredients he has in his diet , the better. There is no miracle cure for allergies, and any product that claims to be, is lying. The only thing you can really do, is limit your dogs ingredients, find a food that has limited ingredients or feed a raw diet so that you know exactly what your dog is eating. Use human grade supplements recommended by a holistic vet, and research dog nutritionists and find one and talk to one if you can. And if you dog is allergic to pollen and grass like mine is, give them baths frequently after they’ve been outside. I use Zymox enzymatic shampoo and rinse. I also have used Dermagic and all of their products are fantastic, especially the hot spot salve. It doesn’t just sooth the itchy skin, it takes the hot spots away. I am mad that I got sucked in to this SCAM at my dogs expense!

[Cassandra S]

Hi there! I’m new to the forum, but I follow DFA news as closely as possible.

I own two pitbull mixes. Emma is a 2 year old German Shepherd/Pit Bull mix with back leg/hip problems. She has not be diagnosed with hip displaysia, but I have been told to put her on glucosamine/chondroitin supplements. Zooey is a 1 year old Pit Bull/possible Labrador mix…(not quite sure what she’s mixed with.) Both dogs are rescues.

Emma and Zooey both have gas issues. Lately Emma has been vomiting at least 2 or 3 times a week. Occasionally she vomits up pieces of kibble, other times its just foamy with bits of grass. Both dogs are a little picky. It’s been impossible to find a food that they both like. They are currently on Purina Dog Chow (which I hate, but I had to do it because of budget constraints) but I am looking to switch them over to a better quality food that won’t break my wallet (or my boyfriend’s). In the past, I had Emma on Blue Buffalo Wilderness, but she stopped eating it; I then switched her to Nature’s Variety Duck. She liked it for a while but then she started to only eat the freeze-dried raw kibble and not the rest of her food. Then I switched her to Merrick’s Bison and Sweet Potato recipe, but she began to chew incessantly on her legs to the point where she was going bald. This is about the time I rescued Zooey.

Zooey was on Vet Prescribed Science Diet. She ate it and then Emma started eating it. It concerned me because it was a puppy food and Emma has problems with her legs and I didn’t want her to gain weight and create more issues. I eventually put both of them on Purina True Instinct (the turkey venison one?) and they both liked it and ate it up, but again Emma would begin to vomit occasionally. I then switched them to Taste of the Wild, but neither of them would touch it. I tried Merrick’s Pork and Sweet Potato recipe and Zooey loved it, but Emma once again began itching and chewing and I worried for her health so I switched to Nature’s Variety again, which neither of the ate…

Since I just recently moved and changed jobs, money has been tight, so that is the reason they ended up on Purina Dog Chow…

Any sort of recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Neither dogs have allergy diagnoses, but I believe Emma may be allergic to fish (both Merrick foods had fish in them) since she had the itching and chewing problems.

[barkalicious. com]

Gimborn Raw Naturals are our favorites. Our German Shepherd has a sensitive stomach and she tolerates these very well, plus they are of course made in the USA which is a must. They’re made with fruits, veggies, and real meat.

[Pauline B]

I have been making my own dog food for several years. I thought they were doing well. No health issues, excellent skin/coat, nice stools, etc.

The other day while my long coat German Shepherd was laying on the floor upside down, i noticed on his elbows two HUGE bald spots. I mean i can’t believe how big they are, it covers the entire elbow!! I just gave baths today and noticed another one on one hip, this one is only about the size of a quarter.

i’m wondering if it is a zinc deficiency. (looked online and saw that might be the problem). Now i am finding this stuff about not using rice. i’m wondering if i am using too much rice.

Here is their diet: i buy organ beef mix from a dog food distributor. it is just that; beef and organ meat mix.

I make a pot of 2 cups rice, 1 cup oatmeal, 1 cup ground vegetables (any scraps that i have accummulated or off the shelf fresh vegetables) 1/3 cup vegetable oil and i cook that in a pot. i add that mix to 5 pounds of the raw meat. i divide it up and feed it in the morning (each dog – german shepherd) gets two cups of the mix with a NuVet supplement; and a tsp of garlic.

In the evening they each get a raw chicken leg (from the regular grocery store).

Like i said, i’ve been doing this mix for approximately 7 years without a problem. Any thoughts, concerns? i’m so confused that i feel like going back to kibble!!