# Homemade Dog food vs. Store bought



## LizzieLove (Jul 9, 2010)

Hi everyone!!

I'm new to this forum and I'm also a new owner of a 10 month old German Shepherd puppy, and I don't know what to feed her. I've read on some forums that homemade food is better for the dog than store bought, but I'm not sure. Does anyone know which one is better for the dog? If homemade is better, how would I make it? What should it consist of? And if store bought brands are better for dry food or wet food which is better? Should I mix the two? Which brands would be most nutrient filled and best for her?? And last but not least, how many times a day should I feed her and in what portions??? We just got her from a shelter and she's very thin.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Either feed raw or get her a nice bag of orijen large breed puppy. Those are your two best options if you ask me.


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## LizzieLove (Jul 9, 2010)

Lucy Dog said:


> Either feed raw or get her a nice bag of orijen large breed puppy. Those are your two best options if you ask me.


What do you mean by feed raw?


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

There's a whole section of this forum dedicated to raw feeding. I don't do it myself, so i'm not the one to ask, but there are some very informed posters here who can help you along the way. 

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

Raw feeding is basically like it sounds. You buy raw meat, bones, and organs, and feed that. It's probably the healthiest way to go if you ask anyone who does it.


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## LizzieLove (Jul 9, 2010)

Thanks so much!!!


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

If you don't want to go the raw route and you really want a top quality kibble, check out orijen large breed puppy. Orijen is the absolute best when it comes to kibble.


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## JudynRich (Apr 16, 2010)

Research raw before you decide. I hope to switch to raw in Sept. when our younger dog is a year...it is a lot of work, but I think worth it. In the meantime, large breed high quality puppy kibble and supplement w/ homemade. Start easy w/ ground beef (you can cook it). No salt or onions! Invest in a cookbook for dogs - there are alot of foods they should not eat. My biggest worry about raw is the mess and the flies!


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

Find someplace sells premium brands - PetSmart sells medium to bad food - if you can and start with one of the premium brands. A general rule of thumb is: if you can buy it at a grocery store, don't feed it to your dog. There is no one best food. Ask for a premium brand and if she does well, go with that. If she doesn't do well on it, take it back and try a different one.

Don't feed canned as it's very expensive, not necessary, and can lead to picky eating. Once in a while as a treat is fine.

Most people feed twice a day. That's a good place to start and take it from there.

If your dog is thin, I would weigh her right away and keep track of it. I would start by feeding about 2 cups twice a day of dry kibble. Weigh her once a week for a while to make sure she's gaining to the weight you want her at - you can increase or decrease the amount fed as needed - and then cut back until she's maintaining that weight.


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## Relayer (Apr 29, 2010)

JudynRich said:


> Research raw before you decide. I hope to switch to raw in Sept. when our younger dog is a year...it is a lot of work, but I think worth it. In the meantime, large breed high quality puppy kibble and supplement w/ homemade. Start easy w/ ground beef (you can cook it). No salt or onions! Invest in a cookbook for dogs - there are alot of foods they should not eat. My biggest worry about raw is the mess and the flies!


Hah!! Max wolfs his raw burger, turkey necks or liver down so fast, the flies don't stand a chance! I feed Orijen large breed puppy twice a day and once a day raw. If you aren't giving them giant hunks of meaty bones, the meat really doesn't sit around... it's chomped down with gusto.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

JudynRich said:


> My biggest worry about raw is the mess and the flies!


It's no more of a mess than if you had meat from the store for you and as far as the flies...well...it doesn't sit long enough to give the flies a chance.


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## Rott-n-GSDs (Jul 7, 2010)

JudynRich said:


> it is a lot of work, but I think worth it.


Well... it certainly is more work than feeding kibble, but not terribly difficult. It sounds a lot more complicated than it is. I remember thinking how difficult it was going to be... and then I started and haven't looked back since. Any particular reason you're waiting for your dog to be a year old before starting? Luna started on raw when she was 7 months old. 



> My biggest worry about raw is the mess and the flies!


The amount of garbage certainly does increase.... and maybe that's where the flies would come in.  Otherwise, though, it's not terribly messy. Some choose to cut the meat up into meal sized portions all at once, but I just portion it out on a daily basis. The only cleanup is the knife and cutting board... and I have a "dogs only" cutting board that the dogs clean themselves.


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