# Diet plan for a 5 month old puppy



## Lucky

My GSD is 5 months old.

Her current diet since I got her

3 meals a day

1) Given around 7 am

Milk and one handfull of Ultra brand large puppy food.

2) given around 12

Boiled rice (I did initially give her basmati rice
Then switched over to par-boiled rice)
Boiled chicken quarter without the bones)

3) given around 6:30-7pm

Small amount of rice
Small amount of boneless chicken
The boiled chicken liquid (strained)


In between meals we give her treats, lots of water, and sometimes kibbles if required.

Rate my diet plan please!

Also I plan to switch to two meals per day after 7 months.


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## NancyJ

Is this ULTRA Brand or Nutro Ultra? Are you locate in the USA? Do you have a link to the dog food ingredients? I gathered with the Basmati rice you may be in an Asian country?


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO

No, this is not a good diet.

Why are you giving her milk? Beyond a few weeks old, dogs do not need any sort of milk.

Also, why are you feeding her rice? There's plenty of rice in her kibble and it's certainly not a necessary ingredient in there either.

If you want to feed chicken, first, there's no reason to cook it. Second, if you want to supplement kibble with chicken, make sure the kibble makes up at least 2/3 of the diet (which it doesn't right now), otherwise you need to balance the minerals in the kibble and meat.


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## PupperLove

She should be getting the recommended feeding amounts of the bagged puppy food, which is listed on the side. The puppy food has the right formulation of all the essential vitamins and minerals, protein, and fats she needs to grow properly. Puppyhood growth is crucial to her adult life, so just skip the rice, milk, and chicken for now. It doesn't have the right amounts of mineral, vitamins, etc. rationed to what she needs right now. It won't be bad to give them to her in very small amounts as a treat or snack every once in a while, but not as a meal routine.


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## Lucky

Haha Basmati rice is Indian indeed but I'm located in the easy coast (big apple). The brand Of puppy food is nutro ultra. I have been going on the advice of vet and my parents (both had German shepherds). I'll look into getting her into kibbles only diet then. What brands do you recommend?


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO

Lucky said:


> Haha Basmati rice is Indian indeed but I'm located in the easy coast (big apple). The brand Of puppy food is nutro ultra. I have been going on the advice of vet and my parents (both had German shepherds). I'll look into getting her into kibbles only diet then. What brands do you recommend?


 
If the vet told you to feed the dog milk and all that rice, I would find a new vet!

What is your food budget?


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## Lucky

Nice advice Miko. I know that some
Dogs are lactose intolerant, but lucky doesn't have
Any problems with her stool afterwards. When I told
My vet about the diet he was surprised that my pup
Was Ok with milk, most dogs have loose bowl movements after consuming dairy products. But yea do you have any recommendations for kibbles?


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO

Lucky said:


> Nice advice Miko. I know that some
> Dogs are lactose intolerant, but lucky doesn't have
> Any problems with her stool afterwards. When I told
> My vet about the diet he was surprised that my pup
> Was Ok with milk, most dogs have loose bowl movements after consuming dairy products. But yea do you have any recommendations for kibbles?


There's still no nutritional benefit to giving a dog milk, especially a puppy who is still growing and needs a proper calcium and phosphorous ratio to grow properly and healthy. 


If you can provide your budget for food, I can give you some recommendations. There are many good brands in different price points.


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## Bear L

A lot of people in Asian countries feed rice as part of the dog's overall diet. It's not necessarily bad and is even recommended in that part of the world. It can work but may not be best if that makes up half or more of what the dog is getting (especially if there's already sufficient amount in the kibble). If kept at the right level, it is fine to feed the dog rice. 

Is your vet ethnic? The milk and rice are what made me think of that.


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## Lucky

My budget is really something I don't have in mind. I think whatever is best yet affordable is good for me! Sorry for being vague.


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## Lucky

Hey Bear,

Actually nope my doctor is far from ethnic. The rice, milk, and chicken is traditional in Asian countries, I agree. Im looking for the best kibbles brand, as currently only feeding her nutro ultra


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## Lucy Dog

No... this doesn't sound like a healthy or balanced diet at all.

Do you want to do strictly raw or do a kibble based diet? It seems like you've got a mix of both with a sprinkle of other stuff that dogs really don't need (milk and boiled rice).

If you do raw... figure out the CORRECT ratios. We have a good BARF section of the forum.

B.A.R.F./Raw Feeding - German Shepherd Dog Forums

If you want to go kibble... stick with the kibble. There's a good section on here discussing all the different kibbles out there. Figure out a good one and if you want to sprinkle in some toppers like meat, yogurt, pumpkin, etc, go ahead, but really isn't needed. 

Diet & Nutrition - German Shepherd Dog Forums


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## Wolfgeist

I don't think that is a balanced diet at all, especially for a young puppy. I would change your plans immediately. I have to say though, I can tell you are TRYING to do right by your puppy and you can definitely feel great about that.

Learn all you can about a raw diet, it seems like you would be a good fit for being a raw feeder. I started my puppy on raw at 8 weeks old. Definitely check out the BARF / RAW section of the forum.. tons of great information. Also...

Welcome to the Raw Dog Ranch

Some articles I wrote on raw in case you are interested in reading more:

K9 Instinct - Dog training, dog obedience training, raw diet, raw feeding, minimal vaccines: Raw Food for Dogs: Change your dog's life with raw feeding!

K9 Instinct - Dog training, dog obedience training, raw diet, raw feeding, minimal vaccines: Dogs and Wolves: Eat like a wolf, live a long and healthy life! (Raw Feeding for Dogs)

K9 Instinct - Dog training, dog obedience training, raw diet, raw feeding, minimal vaccines: Feed your dog RAW for less than $1 a day!

K9 Instinct - Dog training, dog obedience training, raw diet, raw feeding, minimal vaccines: Enhance your dog's coat condition and colour naturally with diet and supplements.


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO

Lucky said:


> My budget is really something I don't have in mind. I think whatever is best yet affordable is good for me! Sorry for being vague.


 
That's fine, I just didn't want to suggest anything that could be out of your price range.

Personally, I prefer grain free food (I actually feed raw now, but fed kibble for several years)- but there aren't many grain free foods out there suitable for puppies. Also, I prefer a reputable company. Many foods are made by Diamond who has just had way too many recalls for my taste. Nutro has a bad reputation for recalls too.

Here's a few I can think of off the top of my head
Orijen large breed puppy
Canidae's grain free line (now manufactured in their own plant)
I think some of the Fromm grain free varieties are okay for puppies

If you don't care about grains:
Acana large breed puppy
Fromm large breed puppy
Canidae all life stages


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