# GSD Puppy Diet



## Jana11 (Feb 21, 2016)

Hi,
I'm going to be bringing home my first GSD puppy in March. I'm very nervous because I have no clue how much or what to feed him. I need your help! I want to give my pup the best diet and the cost isn't an issue. Please give me suggestions about the diet for a 2 months old, GSD boy. Could you also be specific in terms of quantity, e.g. if I am to feed him dry dog food, how many cups should I be giving him every meal? 
Thanks!


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## thaemcee2 (Jan 20, 2016)

Jana11 said:


> Hi,
> I'm going to be bringing home my first GSD puppy in March. I'm very nervous because I have no clue how much or what to feed him. I need your help! I want to give my pup the best diet and the cost isn't an issue. Please give me suggestions about the diet for a 2 months old, GSD boy. Could you also be specific in terms of quantity, e.g. if I am to feed him dry dog food, how many cups should I be giving him every meal?
> Thanks!


Did your breeder or vet reccommend anything specific? As for brands, there are many that people here use, I feed Fromms based off reviews on Chewy.com and here. Most use Fromm, Orijen, Victor, Taste of the Wild etc but I would search the forums and use dogfood advisor for a pretty in depth explanation of the food...Feed the pup according to the guidelines on the label of the food...it goes off the weight and age of the puppy.


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## Jana11 (Feb 21, 2016)

When I went to select a puppy I forgot to ask the breeder about diet, I was just too excited about seeing the puppies lol. I will ask them about it when I go to pick up my GSD but I would like to be prepared and have some meals planned and food available beforehand. Thanks for the suggestions, I'll see if I can find them since I'm from Australia.


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## eddie1976E (Nov 7, 2010)

Did the breeder lets you pick your own dog? 

Go with Fromm LBP. Works.


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## Jana11 (Feb 21, 2016)

Yes, I was allowed to pick which one I wanted. Thanks for your help


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## thaemcee2 (Jan 20, 2016)

Jana11 said:


> Yes, I was allowed to pick which one I wanted. Thanks for your help





Jana11 said:


> When I went to select a puppy I forgot to ask the breeder about diet, I was just too excited about seeing the puppies lol. I will ask them about it when I go to pick up my GSD but I would like to be prepared and have some meals planned and food available beforehand. Thanks for the suggestions, I'll see if I can find them since I'm from Australia.


Maybe someone overseas or in Australia can chime in but I know Chewy doesnt ship to Austrailia so you will have to look into a little more...quick google search results in dogfood.com/au and petcircle.com/au which had a decent selection including taste of the wild..good luck!


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

Hi Jana and Welcome!:greet:

Have you ever considered feeding raw?

It's my opinion and many others on this blog that raw is the healthiest way to feed.

You need to do your home work on feeding raw before beginning b/c it needs to be a "Balanced Diet". There is much you can learn on this site!

If you do consider feeding raw, here is a list of distributors in AU from Ian Billinghurst's BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) diet . Australian BARF Distributors 


I would highly suggest that you contact the breeder and *find out before you bring your puppy home, EXACTLY what she/he is feeding *the litter and have that on hand before getting your pup.

Pups are notorious for gut upsets (diarrhea) when moving to their new home. So, it is VERY important to keep him/her on the same food that the breeder is feeding for several weeks, before changing, until the pup adjusts to you, your family, new house, new yard etc. Then, once you feel the pup is settled, introduce a new food very slowly taking at least 2 weeks to wean the pup on to a new food.


If you are going to stick with a "kibble" type food, K9 Naturals is what I would personally choose for a very High Quality food that is available in AU.
"K9 Natural *Freeze Dried* Lamb Feast is made with real lamb, blood, bone, tripe, liver, heart, kidneys, vegetables, fruit, egg and green lipped mussel. This New Zealand made *complete balanced raw diet is for all life stages and all breeds.* Simply add warm water and feed as directed." https://www.petcircle.com.au/product/k9-natural-lamb-feast 

Hope this helps!
Moms


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

I just want to second pretty much everything momto2gsds said. I have used some of the K9 natural products as treats and always had good results. 

I do 1/2 raw and 1/2 "kibble". 

The brand I raised my boy on is ziwipeak. It's made in New Zealand. It's an air dried raw diet. (Dried at low enough temperatures to keep the nutrients and enzymes of raw intact) More affordable then freeze dried and more importantly it is a company that is trustworthy. 

The ingredients are: Lamb - Meat (includes up to 3% finely ground bone), Lamb - Liver, Lung, Tripe, Heart and Kidney, New Zealand Green-Lipped Mussel, Lecithin, Chicory Inulin, Dried Kelp, Parsley, Vitamins and Chelated Minerals.

The company uses NO ingredients from China. All ingredients come from New Zealand, Europe, or North America. All of their meat sources are grass fed, antibiotic and hormone free. The company has very strict quality control. They own their own factories and do regular testing. They even test for nasties like ethoxyquin, BHT and BHA & propylene glycol. I have called and spoken with one of the colour Dersingham on the phone at length. Very transparent. One of the few companies I trust. Dog and people food combined. 

They also have a permit for their food to enter Australia without having to be irradiated. Something you might want to consider looking into if you choose an imported food. 

Good stuff. Pricey. But good.


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## dz0qp5 (Oct 12, 2004)

A good large breed puppy food. Good is a subjective. You want slow growth, low calcium and low calories, all of those are generally found in a good LBP food.


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## brucebourdon (Jun 2, 2010)

You've gotten a lot of good replies, and recommendations to speak with the breeder. I'd agree, though you may or may not decide to use the same that they use, it's good to have more facts. Plus check if they'll be giving you any of the food that they've been giving to your pup. If so, you can either continue with that type or use it to gradually wean the pup to your target food choice, mixing less of the original with each meal. Nowadays most try to use low grain or no grain dog food, as it's been used as a filler in the past, and there's evidence that it may be detrimental to the dogs health. And the food package should state the quantity for your puppy. Good luck!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## GSD316 (Jan 5, 2016)

When we picked up our puppy they were using eukanuba so I bought a bag of that to ease the transition to our home. After doing some research on Dog Food Reviews and Ratings | Dog Food Advisor, chose the Authority grain free brand puppy food. To make the change to the new food, I blended both dog foods together for a day or two. Haven't had any issues


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## GSD316 (Jan 5, 2016)

voodoolamb said:


> I just want to second pretty much everything momto2gsds said. I have used some of the K9 natural products as treats and always had good results.
> 
> I do 1/2 raw and 1/2 "kibble".
> 
> ...


Never knew there was an air dried raw product.


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

> colour Dersingham


Worst. Auto correct. Ever. That was supposed to be "co founder"

Oh. Another thing about the ziwipeak - the beef flavor has the best calcium/phosphorus ratio and levels for large breed puppies. The lamb is just a smidgen over. 

Also I have found they are very generous about sending samples if you send an inquiry email. They sent me 2 full sized cans and 8, 1oz sample size bags of their various flavors along with a lot of literature.

http://www.ziwipeak.com


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