# 6 month old feeding



## rubygirl (Dec 19, 2015)

Hello everyone, new here and looking for advice from those who have it. My wife and I got our puppy, ruby, when she was about 3 months old from a "breeder" who was just starting out. Not usually our thing but we wanted a German shepherd and he had them for a good price. (Sounds bad to look at it as a monetary exchange, we love her the same) but she is 6 mo now and only 30 pounds. She looks skinny but is healthy according to our vet. We feed her purina large breed puppy chow for now till we decide on a better food brand. The back of the bag says to feed her 3-3 1/3 cups daily for her age and "projected weight at maturity which I'm guessing should be the 50-75# range. Some people have told me this doesn't seem like enough and she acts like she is starving. We have been feeding her 3 times a day also. My question is, how much should I be feeding her? Also I've read a lot of people have 6mo that are way bigger than her. Should I be concerned? 

I'll take whatever info you have! Thanks!


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## Cpellegrino (Oct 7, 2015)

That does seem kind of light for a 6 month old but did you get to see her mother as far as full grown weight? I have a female whose mother was 75 lbs and my girl is somewhere in the mid 40s and she is just hitting 5 mos at Xmas. She is a 4-5 on the body mass index if you know what I'm referring to. So she is right where she needs to be. With these dogs you don't want them to be too heavy as they grow it is not good for their hips and joints as you may have heard. 

I had her on that Purina one smartblend large breed until she was about 3 1/2 months old because that's what the breeder had her and her siblings on. She seemed really skinny and no matter that I was feeding her 3x a day a cup each time or more. I didn't like what I read about it and that it was a low quality dog food as nice as the packaging may be. I switched to the 4health puppy formula over the course of a week. You can get it at a local Tractor Supply store or online. She poops less, her coat seems shinier, and she is on a pooping schedule now. Her weight also came up to where it needed to be fairly quickly. It is a high quality food and they also make wet cans to mix in to the dry if you have a picky eater. My girl will devour her dry if it has a half a can of wet mixed in. She's being fed 1.5 cups two times a day, per the manufacturers recommended guide for her current weight and she is doing well. You may want to give some new food a try. Hope this helps.


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## rubygirl (Dec 19, 2015)

We never saw her parents unfortunately, the breeder was kinda shady. But ya we want to switch her food which is another concern I have; which we should switch to. Just this week she had an ear infection and the very next day she had and infected anal gland. We are thinking some sort of allergy. We plan to pick a food this week and wean her off of the purina. Hope that helps her weight as well as these issues she has.


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## GSDKIMBER (Jan 9, 2015)

Can you post pictures?


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

The feeding guide on the back of the bag is a fine place to start, but the quantity should be adjusted up or down depending on her condition. It's based on averages, and puppies and dogs caloric needs vary just like humans do. If she's truly skinny (when you run your hand down her side her ribs are overly prominent, and you can see more than the last rib or two), I'd increase her daily intake a bit. 

At 6 months old, you can either continue feeding her 3 times a day, or you can cut back to twice a day. Seeming hungry isn't a good indication of whether or not she's getting enough nutrition. My dogs always think they're hungry - if I fed them as much as they'd like, they'd explode! :wild:

Switching her to a better quality food is a good idea.


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## BauerWhite (Mar 18, 2015)

You should probably transition to a better quality of food. My dog is doing great on Fromm large breed puppy. 

Also, it's possible that your dog doesn't weigh much because it's not a purebred GSD. If you post some pictures, than maybe we can help you out better.


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## Wags (Dec 17, 2015)

I'm not an expert as far as GSD goes, because we only adopted one and had him for a few months until he passed away, and will soon be getting another one in general. Although, I've always had dogs, and as far as dog nutrition in general goes, I'd suggest looking into another food brand. Purina has never been top quality IMO. Depending on where you live, there are a bunch of options. We usually feed our dogs Kirkland brand, it is pretty high quality for the price, but it can only be found at Costco (unlike other store brands, all Kirkland name brand stuff is produced by other high quality producers for Costco, their dog food is produced by Diamond). Blue buffalo is also a good brand, but kind of expensive especially for a larger breed dog. We will be starting our pup off on Taste of the Wild, because that is what the breeder has him on right now.

Here is a link to a website which has compiled a list of dog foods and rated them according to their ingredients, it also breaks down any ingredients that shouldn't be in dog foods for whatever reason, and it goes into details about the first 10(?) ingredients on each brand. It also rates different formulas of the same brand. 

Dog Food Reviews and Ratings | Dog Food Advisor

I would recommend getting something that is rated at least a 4 level on that scale. 

Here is another chart which has dog foods organized by price per lb, and also start ratings. Again go for the 4-star minimum, but I believe that this chart is a little more lenient with their ratings, but its a good rule of thumb, you can do more research into dog food brands also. Here they don't list store brands, so if you were interested in any store brands you would have to do your own research in order to figure out cost/lb.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmNw5KB82-n_dGtyOEpVVXhPQ2tfeU1FUGdEdjVnTkE&hl=en#gid=2

I know this doesn't help a bunch with your question, but hopefully it helps you pick out a better food for your little pup!


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## rubygirl (Dec 19, 2015)

It's difficult getting a good pic of her currently because she won't stop chasing her tail (anal gland infection). She definitely looks purebred IMO.

Thanks a lot for the links and food choice ideas! If anyone knows about the tail chasing due to the anal gland infection that would be a great help as well! I know German shepherds are notorious for the condition of tail chasing and my concern is that this infection will lead to here making the tail chasing a habit. She's been on antibiotics for 3.5 days now and the chasing has slowed down but hasn't stopped and its concerning. Anyone had this problem. (I know this isn't what my original question was but I want to be the most educated GSD owner I can)


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## BauerWhite (Mar 18, 2015)

Certainly looks like a GSD to me (but I'm no expert). 

It's possible that she will just be a small dog. Have you had her checked by a Vet? A Vet would be in a much better position to determine if there is a reason why she doesn't weigh much.

If you get another dog in the future, you're probably better off buying from a reputable breeder. You pay more up front, but you'll probably save a lot more money in the long run.

Another possibility is that your dog is younger than the breeder told you. Has your dog grown much in the 3 months that you've had her? Do you know how big she was when you first got her? 

You can also ask the breeder how much her parents weighed to get an idea for what her full adult weight should be.


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## Sofie and Miya's Mom (Dec 21, 2015)

Hmmm, did not know GSD's were notorious at tail chasing. My girl Sofie is 19 weeks old and every so often chases her tail, but I really think it's just her chasing her tail like kittens do. 

With the anal sac issue, you need to monitor your pups poops almost forever, haha, I know sounds crazy, but an occasional soft stool is ok, a constant soft stool creates anal sac issues. Feeding grain inclusive, low quality foods promotes soft stools. soft stools will not express the anal sac properly and on their own. You need to keep fairly firm stools, otherwise you will spend the rest of your dogs life needing anal expression done by vet or a groomer, costly to you, but not healthy to your dog. Get your pup on a grain free diet. Keep a handy supply of pure can pumpkin (not the pie filling kind), if pup gets loose stool, give a table spoon of the pure pumpkin and poops should firm up. My Sofie is a spazz for pumpkin, lol. Pure pumpkin is a natural stool firmer, and also a natural stool softener, so it is great to keep on hand. Good luck


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## rubygirl (Dec 19, 2015)

Sofie and Miya's Mom said:


> Hmmm, did not know GSD's were notorious at tail chasing. My girl Sofie is 19 weeks old and every so often chases her tail, but I really think it's just her chasing her tail like kittens do.
> 
> With the anal sac issue, you need to monitor your pups poops almost forever, haha, I know sounds crazy, but an occasional soft stool is ok, a constant soft stool creates anal sac issues. Feeding grain inclusive, low quality foods promotes soft stools. soft stools will not express the anal sac properly and on their own. You need to keep fairly firm stools, otherwise you will spend the rest of your dogs life needing anal expression done by vet or a groomer, costly to you, but not healthy to your dog. Get your pup on a grain free diet. Keep a handy supply of pure can pumpkin (not the pie filling kind), if pup gets loose stool, give a table spoon of the pure pumpkin and poops should firm up. My Sofie is a spazz for pumpkin, lol. Pure pumpkin is a natural stool firmer, and also a natural stool softener, so it is great to keep on hand. Good luck



Ya I found out GSDs can develop that ocd. She used to occasionally play with her tail too. It was cute till this happened now it's triggered it and she is crazy about chasing her tail. 

Thanks for the pumpkin tip!


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## brucebourdon (Jun 2, 2010)

Agree with posters recommending trying to find better quality food.

I went with Blue Buffalo brand once I started paying attention to grains, by-products and other undesirable fillers.

Mine did well on the Blue Buffalo large breed puppy kibbles, and occasional raw beef, yogurt, eggs, etc.

Look around, read, figure out what's practical for your family and do the best you reasonably can.

Good luck, please continue to post and welcome to the GSD community!


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

I am glad you are getting her off of the Purina!

Slow weaning is very important so as not to cause gut upset, which happens a lot with GSD's when switching foods. 
Take your time and watch for changes in the stool. If the stool get loose, go back to previous amount fed (with stools being more solid) and hold on that amount for several days until her body adjusts, then try increasing a small amount again. This is called "bowel tolerance". 

Here are some high quality kibbles to consider:
*ACANA REGIONALS (grain free):* Acana Regionals | Acana Store locator: Store Locator | Acana
*
FROMM'S FOUR STAR (grain free): *Four-Star Gourmet Recipes for dogs - Fromm Family Foods locator: Find a store that carries Fromm


*Nature's Variety* (not Nature's Recipe) Instinct Healthy, Natural Kibble Products for Dogs | Instinct Pet Food for Dogs and Cats 
Store locator: Find A Store | Nature's Variety

*Nature's Logic**(Gluten Free):*Dog Products Archives - Nature's LogicNature's Logic Find a retailer: Store Locator - Nature's Logic

Good luck!
Moms


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## rubygirl (Dec 19, 2015)

We have switched to blue buffalo life protection. Haven't checked her stool but it's only been a week. She seems to be eating slower as well. I think this stuff is more filling for her. Now gotta work on her tail chasing. 

Thanks everyone.


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