[Chris K]

I have two questions. First some background, I have a 9 month old German Shepherd female that is at 52 pounds and hasn’t grown much in the last month. I suspect she may be the runt of the litter so am not worried about the diminuitive size. But she looks kind of skinney.

We buy dry diamond puppy food for her. She does not eat unless we are there with her or she’s really hungry. I bought a couple of cans of wet food and she ate pretty well yesterday. First question, is canned dog food bad for them and how do I know if its good dog food?

This morning she went outside to do her buisness before she ate. I noticed she ate some grass as if her tummy was upset then hacked up a little something. Second question, if I give her some food she likes in the A.M., like a bit of canned dog food do you think maybe her stomache will not be upset and she won’t go outside and eat grass?

Thanks,

Chris

[aquariangt]

Canned food is definitely not bad-in fact, it’s technically better than kibble (just not as cost effective or convenient) and as far as figuring out if it’s a good food-take a look at the label. There are articles on this site that will help you decipher the labels on dog food, and you can also just take a look at the reviews of the canned food you are considering and see where it rates.

There are a myriad of reasons her stomach could be upset, so that’s a hard question to answer, but overall I would work on finding her a food she enjoys more. There could be something about the food that is upsetting her, which is why she is trying to avoid it.

[neezerfan]

Definitely add some canned to her kibble, it’s good for her. Check out the ratings on this site and choose from the 4 and 5 star foods.

[Lance & Nikki]

We have a 16 month old Great Dane and a 7 month old St Bernard and we feed them Merrick dry food (the Dane gets the grain free and the Saint is on the classic puppy) and every 3rd day we mix in a can of Merrick for each into their afternoon feeding. I like to spread it out so that they don’t get spoiled on the wet food and that it’s still like a treat for them. But on the evenings when it’s canned food night, they devour their meals.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Chris K-
I add a topper to every one of my dogs’ meals. They get a little canned every morning and either left overs, eggs, or sardines in their afternoon meal. I like to think of it as making their kibble into a healthier meal, not a treat. I think of kibble, no matter how many stars, is not the healthiest choice and it needs a little boost to make it better for them. Also you may need to add some digestive enzymes to help your dog digest the kibble. Good luck with your pup!

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