# how much to feed my puppy?



## Slickfilip23 (Aug 18, 2010)

well i have a 4 months old gsd and i have her on nutro cause blue buffalo was not working out. how much and how many times a day should i be feeding her? thanks


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

What was the problem with the Blue Buffalo? Was that the food your breeder was feeding? How long have you had her for?


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## GSD Fan (Sep 20, 2010)

Every dog food is different. It should have something on the side of the bad that will tell you how much each meal should be according to weight. I would feed 3 meals a day til the dog is 6 months - 1 year old.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I wouldn't go by the bag suggestions, but the feel of your pup. You should feel a rib or two, during growth spurts up the amounts and if the pup feels plump back off a bit.

Nutro isn't a very good food for a GSD. Taste of the Wild fish based would be best if you don't want to spend $ on a better kibble. Tractor Supply carries TOTW along with many pet stores. If you can afford better, Wellness, Acana or Orijen have the appropriate calcium/phosphorus levels for growing GSD's.


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## PupperLove (Apr 10, 2010)

onyx'girl said:


> I wouldn't go by the bag suggestions, but the feel of your pup. You should feel a rib or two, during growth spurts up the amounts and if the pup feels plump back off a bit.
> 
> Nutro isn't a very good food for a GSD. Taste of the Wild fish based would be best if you don't want to spend $ on a better kibble. Tractor Supply carries TOTW along with many pet stores. If you can afford better, Wellness, Acana or Orijen have the appropriate calcium/phosphorus levels for growing GSD's.


Is TOTW safe for a 4 month old pup? I noticed they don't list their Calcium content either on the website or the bag. I have heard TOTW is not safe for growing puppies... Is the fish formula different? If so I would love to make the switch to grain free for my pup too.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

No, it doesn't have the proper ratio, but much better than nutro...And the ingredients are better all around than nutro. I would feed the pacific stream if I didn't have the $ to feed a better kibble.


Taste of the wild /calcium 2.1 ph 1.4
Pacific stream/ calcium 1.9 ph 1.1
wetlands/ calcium 2.1 ph 1.4


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## Skotty009 (Oct 6, 2010)

onyx'girl said:


> I wouldn't go by the bag suggestions, but the feel of your pup. You should feel a rib or two, during growth spurts up the amounts and if the pup feels plump back off a bit.
> 
> Nutro isn't a very good food for a GSD. Taste of the Wild fish based would be best if you don't want to spend $ on a better kibble. Tractor Supply carries TOTW along with many pet stores. If you can afford better, Wellness, Acana or Orijen have the appropriate calcium/phosphorus levels for growing GSD's.


That's interesting because I will be switching puppy food here in a few days and was recomended to use Nutro. My GSD is 8 weeks old and when he goes potty its never solid. So the vet told us to take a sample to them so they can test for parasites. It came back fine and we were told to put him on a bland skinless boneless boiled chicken and rice meal for 3 days to clean out his system and try again. Nutro was recomended at the training facility here in town that also breeds only GSD's. Science diet was recomended by the vet if his stools dont thicken up.


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## Slickfilip23 (Aug 18, 2010)

her stool never became solid so we were told to try a different food and i thought that Nutro was second best for GSD


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## GSDBESTK9 (Mar 26, 2002)

My Cisco is 6 months old and he has been doing good with 3 cups a day. 1.5 in the morning and 1.5 in the evening.


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## Slickfilip23 (Aug 18, 2010)

the food that i got her is the Nutro Max for large breeds is that good?


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

I've also had Nutro recommended. I decided to go with a grain free food because of the potential for allergies to grain. I use Nature's Variety Instinct rabbit and mix in Taste of the Wild salmon since Stosh loves fish. I would say that the brands everyone's mentioned are higher quality than Nutro but certainly there are far worse foods.


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## GSD Fan (Sep 20, 2010)

Slickfilip23 said:


> the food that i got her is the Nutro Max for large breeds is that good?


Nutro Max for large breed puppies? Here, see what this says about it:
www.dogfoodanalysis.com

You want to feed the best that you can afford, so if you can afford better, then I would feed better.


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## Slickfilip23 (Aug 18, 2010)

i decided to go with Royal Canin it looks very good and i like that they have a specific one for GSD


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Many times the "breed" specific food is a marketing ploy.
I prefer this website when it comes to reviews about food:
TruthaboutPetFood.com


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

Slickfilip23 said:


> her stool never became solid so we were told to try a different food and i thought that Nutro was second best for GSD


depending on whether or not cost is an issue for you, i think you would get a pretty srrong consensus that Orijen Large Breed Puppy would be at or near the top of everyones list. its grain free, has as good a meat content as any kibble will, and is well designed for large breed pups.

it doesnt work for every dog (no food can), and it is a bit pricey.


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## ahazra (Aug 20, 2010)

roxy84 said:


> depending on whether or not cost is an issue for you, i think you would get a pretty srrong consensus that Orijen Large Breed Puppy would be at or near the top of everyones list. its grain free, has as good a meat content as any kibble will, and is well designed for large breed pups.
> 
> it doesnt work for every dog (no food can), and it is a bit pricey.


I've been advised by my breeder that Orijen is right up there among the best. However, if we are not exercising our dog as frequently as they should be, then it's not a bad idea to dial it down a notch and use Acana (from the makers of Orijen). Apparently Acana has slightly lesser meat content and easier to digest as well !


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