# What do you feed you GDS and How many cups per day



## wentworthsmom

I am feeding my male GDS 8-10cups of food per day and he is still really skinny. How do you make sure they have enough weight on them?


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## sgtmom52

What kind of food are you feeding him?

Have you had him checked for worms or other parasites recently?


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## allieg

What brand of food are you feeding him?That sound like a lot of food.


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## marksteven

How old and what is the weight of your dog? i feed 1 1/2 cups in the a.m. 1 1/2 cups in the early eve. with a full cooked egg mixed in and 1 cup later in the eve.


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## EJQ

*Re: What do you feed you GDS and How many cups per*

Well, 8 to 10 cups of food per day sounds like a lot. Tell us what you are finding him. Also when was the last time that you had him checked by your vet for parasites?


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## BlackGSD

If he is eating that much, I would have him checked by a vet!

Are you using a REAL measuring cup to measure his food?

My 10 month old pup eats almost 3 cups a day, my 10yo eats a little less than that.


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## wentworthsmom

He is eating Pro Plan large breed puppy. and yes i have taken him to the vet and he has no worms or parasites. I use a measuring cup that pro plan gave to me.


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## allieg

What does the ProPlan bag say for recommendations?You can switch to the adult formula.I use to feed that but I can't remember the amount.


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## wentworthsmom

He is only 8 months and the adult food is not good for puppies until they are about 18 months according to my Vet.


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## allieg

Almost anyone you talk to hear will argue that.I switched and haven't had anything bad happen.Most breeders don't even do puppy food only all life stages.


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## doggiedad

8 to 10 cups a day doesn't seem right at all. how old is your dog? what are you feeding him? has your Vet checked him recently? what size is his parents?

i feed my dogs:
Wellness kibble and can. 95% meat cans and mixed cans.
broccholi
boneless & skinless chicken breast (cooked)
100% ground beef (raw)
sweet potatos (baked)
string beans (fresh, boiled), when canned the kind that
only has water added.
quinoa, brown or white rice, millet
organic plain yogurt
sliced apples (no seeds)

my dogs get a portion of the above over their kibble at every meal.

in a 2 or 3 pound cannister we mix the below for vitamins:
nutritional yeast
bone meal
tumeric
garlic powder
flax meal


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## sgtmom52

> Originally Posted By: WentworthsMomI am feeding my male GDS 8-10cups of food per day and he is still really skinny. How do you make sure they have enough weight on them?


I looked at some of the pictures you posted earlier and he doesn't look really skinny to me. At 9 months old he may be just in that leggy teenage stage. He still has a lot of time before he really fills out.

Does your vet think he is under weight?


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## allieg

> Originally Posted By: doggiedad8 to 10 cups a day doesn't seem right at all. how old is your dog? what are you feeding him? has your Vet checked him recently? what size is his parents?
> 
> i feed my dogs:
> Wellness kibble and can. 95% meat cans and mixed cans.
> broccholi
> boneless & skinless chicken breast (cooked)
> 100% ground beef (raw)
> sweet potatos (baked)
> string beans (fresh, boiled), when canned the kind that
> only has water added.
> quinoa, brown or white rice, millet
> organic plain yogurt
> sliced apples (no seeds)
> 
> my dogs get a portion of the above over their kibble at every meal.
> 
> in a 2 or 3 pound cannister we mix the below for vitamins:
> nutritional yeast
> bone meal
> tumeric
> garlic powder
> flax meal


Except for the raw meat and kibble can I come for supper sometime???I don't think I need the vitamin mix either..


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## wentworthsmom

My vet thinks he should be a little bit bigger. I am not going to worry about anymore. he has food and he eats. My vet said I should not walk everyday. I was walking him 4 miles per day. now I am only walking him 4 miles every 3 days and just playing ball with him the other days in my backyard


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## Daisy1986

Sounds like you are a wonderful owner...

I feed Shadow 4 cups a day. 2 in the morning and 2 at dinner time. He is around 60 lbs. 26 inches tall. 17 months old. 

People tell me he is skinny all the time. Vet is not worried. Like someone else said they fill out later.


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## Kayla's Dad

You may want to reference this thread where a lot of us where (are) posting our puppies' height (and wt in some instances)

Height Growth Chart 

I thought your Wentworth looked great in the pictures you posted.

As another point of reference, Lancer at 8 months 25" and 63 
lbs. He eats around 3 cups a day between two meals and another 1 cup in treats. When I brought him home at 8 weeks, he was on Nutro High Energy and is currently on Taste of the Wild-all adult foods.

If you are using puppy formulas, it is actually a good idea to switch a GSD puppy to adult food at around 6 months - that is what I did with Kayla. It was not only the suggestion of her breeder, but it has been discussed on this forum a lot as well. 

Sounds like you trust your vet which is great. However, you want to supplement the information you get with info you can get specific to GSD's. (Vets tend not to be nutritionists and tend to want to see our dogs larger than they really need to be-that's a general comment BTW)

The 18 month comment - 18 months is approximately when growth plates mature/finish growing and when it is considered safe to start allowing your GSD to start jumping as high as they please. Prior to that you do not want Wentworth doing a lot of jumping or doing activities that put a lot of stress on his joints as it can be risky to the growth plates.


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## doggiedad

you are more than welcome to come visit and have dinner. my GF is a gourmet cook. if you take out the raw beef and apples in what we feed our dogs and drizze 100% extra virgin olive on it it's very tasty. i don't like the apples wth the olive oil. i've had it, my neighbors tried it and my GF brother tried it. all of them including myself think it's tasty and it's a complete meal. oh yeah, minus the kibble. Wellness kibble is bland.


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## wentworthsmom

Thank you to all that answered my question. I appreciate the advise.


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## Barb E

That's a lot of food!!!

How's his poops?


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## Skye'sMom

Reduced fat Evo - 1 measuring cup in the morning and 1 1/4 measured cup in the evening.

Maintains a good weight of 67 lbs.

I don't use puppy food for any age, but didn't use EVO until Skye was over 2.


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## Sasha2008

Bogart just turned 1 year old in Jan and he has been eating Blue Seal Active dog formula since he was 5 months old. He is 90 lbs now. He eats 2.5 cups in the morning and 2.5 cups at supper time. 
He is gaining weight at a good pace. 

That does sound like alot of food that your feeding your boy.
Keep reading this site and you will get lots of great advice and suggestions.

Good Luck!

Bogarts Dad.


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## GSDgirlAL

That does sound like a bit much but if he is burning if off fast then it does make sense and puppies do burn it fast not too mention it sounds like you are great at exercising him. I did a little research to show you - just for some comparison and thought.

Pro Plan LBP feeding guide for 6-9 months = 6.5 - 11 cups a day
Nutro Natural Choice LBP guide for 60-80pounds = 5 -7 1/4 cups a day

Not sure how much he weighs but since Nutro doesn't list it by months only weight I picked that one. This just give you an idea that switching foods the bag might last a little longer. And, personally I'm a believer in puppy food. Puppies have different nutrient requirements than Adult dogs. So, that is one of the reasons why I believe in feeding puppy food.


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## GSDgirlAL

Sorry, I didn't even answer the topic ... I currently feed Nutro Natural Choice Venison and Brown Rice and Ava eats a little over 4 cups a day with some NB duck and potato treats in the morning. I will be switching her diet when this bag runs out to either Pro Plan Shredded Blend or Natural Balance.


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## CookieTN

If she is loosing weight, best thing to do is see the vet.


I feed Cookie 2 1/2 cups.


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## balakai

My 15 month old female eats about 3 cups per day. You've got to look at kcal/cup to really compare quantities. India's kibble has about 500 kcal per cup on average (we mix two kinds of kibble and rotate).

~Kristin


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## BlackGSD

> Originally Posted By: balakaiMy 15 month old female eats about 3 cups per day. You've got to look at kcal/cup to really compare quantities. India's kibble has about 500 kcal per cup on average (we mix two kinds of kibble and rotate).
> 
> ~Kristin


Right.








India is eating roughly 1500 claories a day, My 10 month old Siren is eating 1404. The OPs pup is getting between 3056 and 3820 calories a day.

If I had a pup/dog that NEEDED that much of a certain kibble per day, I would change kibble. Maybe that kibble just isn't the right one for him.


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## BlackGSD

> Originally Posted By: GSDgirlALTPro Plan LBP feeding guide for 6-9 months = 6.5 - 11 cups a day


Actually the feeding "guide" for the PP PBP would be 4 2/3 to 7 2/3 cups a day for a "normal" sized GSD from 6 to 9 months old. (The higher end if they are expected to mature to 100lbs which most shouldn't.) The 6 1/2 to 11 is for a dog that will mature to 130 lbs!


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## Brightelf

With a breed so prone to bloat/gastric torsion, I would switch to a much higher quality food. Then, you can feed much, much less. You'll notice most people here are only needing to feed 2 - 4 cups per day.

Why switch if he looks fine and he's eating it? Bloat and torsion are scary.. and the less in his tummy, the better. 8 - 10 cups a day is a LOT, even spaced out over 2 feedings per day.


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## Skittles42

What do people think about Eukenuba for German Shepards?


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## SunCzarina

> Originally Posted By: Skittles42What do people think about Eukenuba for German Shepards?


I think it tastes yucky and so does Morgan.


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## BlackGSD

> Originally Posted By: Skittles42What do people think about Eukenuba for German Shepards?










To Pukanuba in general. I don't care WHO it is suppoed to be for.


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## gmcenroe

My 12 month old female eats 3 1/3 cups Orijen adult per day split into two meals AM and PM. If she gets training treats during the day I reduce her food intake accordingly.

Glenn


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## aubie

Anna gets about 2-2.5 cups of Blue Buff Adult (divided into two or three feedings) and normally some sort of raw food..pork necks, yogurt, an egg, veggies, etc. And then we have our small training treats.

I think eight cups a day would turn her into a pot bellied pig!


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## Brightelf

Skittles, my last GSD positively GLOWED on that stuff. Even the vet was amazed. He did worse on the "better" kibbles. Go figure!


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## BlackGSD

Patti,

Did your dog require 10 cups a day to achieve that "glow"? Or are you talking about the Pukanuba?


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## BlackGSD

OOPS. Double post.


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