# What did you feed your male pup?



## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

I will get a new pup, male, in a few weeks (!!!!!!! :wub Question to those of you who raised a male GSD from puppy age on through it's first year without having had to deal with skeletal issues like Pano, HD, ED or OCD: what did you feed this pup?; main diet but also treats and chews.


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

I used Beaverdam kibble. Puppy and active dog. Still do actually. With that I used Redbarn beef rolls for training treats. I didn't add any canned food when my pup was little but I do now, 1/4 of a can of 4health, different flavors. Also had bits of real cooked chicken, an egg now and then, slices of banana or broccoli. He never did get into chewing carrots like my gal-dog does but he learned to love bully sticks. Just have to watch pups who might bit off more than they can chew, literally.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Max loved the large breed fromm puppy. I loved his puppy body. He was a slim pup but always looked healthy and shiny coat. He grew really nice no to fast and had no issues. I have not had to deal with allergies or loose stools. Frozen carrots, Himalayan chews, frozen apple with peanut butter in middle - without the xylitol the fake sugar which is toxic to dogs. Training treats - a good brand and or chicken or what ever left overs in the house in pieces.


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

Raised Mako on a mix of mostly ziwipeak and homemade raw. 

Treats and chews were mostly dried natural products like bully sticks and baa baa qs and fresh chewies like RMBs and chicken feet. 

Males need more zinc than females so i do prefer to keep them on red meat based diets.


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## dogbyte (Apr 5, 2002)

i fed one 20lb bag if high quality puppy food at breeders recommendation. Then put him on the same food as my adult Dutch Shepherd. I was feeding 4Health grain free. But our local Menards got in a lot of dry food rated even better on the dog food review site. And at great prices. So now they are getting Native 3, which is also an all life stages food. If you feed non-puppy food I would make sure it lists ages on the back with the feeding suggestions. I can't afford the really expensive foods, but this one got a 5 star rating, and is $50 for 40lbs, then we always mail in the 11% rebates if they have them. The dogs transitioned quickly with no loose stools. And they love it.


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## CometDog (Aug 22, 2017)

Congrats! Can't wait to see pics 

My last puppy Alvin, HAD pano when at got him at 3 to 4 mos old. I switched him to raw. It went away. Current pup I got at 5 months and he is now 7mos. He was on raw when I got him, and still is. Growing like a weed but no signs of pano.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

car2ner said:


> I used Beaverdam kibble. Puppy and active dog. Still do actually.


 Did you do 50/50?


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

Homemade raw mix only. 
Mix contained muscle meat, organs, vegetables, small amount of fruit and supplements.

Real meat treats

Moms


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

wolfy dog said:


> Did you do 50/50?


no, the kibble is actually called Puppy - Adult High Energy . My dogs are healthy and lean and full of spunk so I've just stuck with it over the years. the 1/4 can of food was the vet's suggestion when my boy started walking away from his meals. The vets thought it might be that he was tired of the same old thing day after day. The variety of topper flavors helped. 

Premium Dog Food | Beaverdam Pet Food

I've read that Victor is similar. I haven't personally compared.


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## NerdicEclipse (Feb 20, 2017)

My GSD is a female, but my Mal is a male. They get raw diet only. Homemade raw mix. Minka the GSD is older, and we started with kibble. Having heard about raw though we gave it a shot and it really cleared up some of the itchy skin issues she had, made her coat a lot more shiny (and less prone to shedding) and her personality a bit more level, so we stuck with it since. Way cheaper than high end kibble anyway. Chews were taken care of in the form of bones as part of daily meals. That also makes it so you don't really need to clean their teeth, but we do that anyway as a good chance to inspect their mouths and make sure everything is healthy and in good shape!

They don't get treats regularly, but when they do we make those too. We've always just had our dogs work for praise and affection. We don't do the bartering for food thing, they do what we say because we say so and life is better for all involved that way. Happy humans mean lots of affection and playtime, so happy dogs too :wink2:


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Tefco Performance Dog. (Males dont' need anything different than female puppies need)


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## Arathorn II (Oct 7, 2017)

Victor Active Dog & Puppy Formula Grain-Free Dry Dog Food

https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/victor-dog-food/


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Momto2GSDs said:


> Homemade raw mix only.
> Mix contained muscle meat, organs, vegetables, small amount of fruit and supplements.
> 
> Real meat treats
> ...


Thanks! What is in the mix, ratios? Deja gets a small amount of kibble in the morning and a variety of raw at night. I am considering keeping pup on kibble until past 7 - 8 months. Then use the same routine as Deja's. But will consider raw in the evening for the pup as well. I am terrified of messing up their nutrition.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

wolfy dog said:


> Thanks! What is in the mix, ratios? Deja gets a small amount of kibble in the morning and a variety of raw at night. I am considering keeping pup on kibble until past 7 - 8 months. Then use the same routine as Deja's. But will consider raw in the evening for the pup as well. I am terrified of messing up their nutrition.


I'd love to share the full recipe with you to try and change your mind about feeding total raw to the pup!   

I'll PM you!

Moms


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I waited until APOLLO was about 10 months or so before I switched them all to raw. I didn't know enough about balances back then so I wanted to make sure he was getting a balanced diet. He ate Fromm Large Breed Puppy(was not thrilled with Fromm but it was the best option for him) he did get raw treats like goat rib bones with the rest of them. I stuck with dehydrated treats. Now I would do strictly raw(I've done the research and am confident I can balance it) along with dehydrated treats. No store bought treats ever.


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