# How much would a 30 lb bag last?



## russellnm

:help: Hello Fellow GSD Owners,
I am currently in the process of researching what kind of food to buy the two puppy GSDs I will be getting in March, they will be a brother and sister. Since we are getting two pups, we were wondering...

How much do you think a 30 lb bag of food would last us a month?

In your opinion, what brand of dry dog food do you recommend? (I was considering Blue Buffalo.)

Also, what kind of feeding instructions would you recommend also?

Thank you for your time,
Nicole Russell
:help:


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## Emoore

Why in the world would anybody in their right mind get two German Shepherd puppies at the same time? 

The feeding instructions will be on the side of the bag. Start with those, and if they look chubby feed less; if they look skinny feed a bit more.

I'm thinking a 30lb bag should last about a month?

Seriously, if at all possible, get your deposit back on one of the pups and only get one. Getting two at a time is a bad idea. They'll bond more closely with each other than they will with you, not to mention they'll make you want to pull your hair out.


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## Minnieski

Well, we feed Blue Buffalo and have had great results. Tanner is still on BB Large Breed Puppy, and he goes through a 30# bag per month, so I would think that you would double that for two puppies. The feeding instructions on the side of the bag work well, just adjust if they need more or less.

Have you ever had two puppies at once? I would highly recommend against it. We had a 16 month old female and then we got Tanner, and it was WAY more than we bargained for. It's hard enough to socialize and train one puppy at a time, but two was crazy, and Minnie was already mostly trained. I also noticed that Tanner is VERY attached to Minnie, and he has a lot of anxiety when they are separated. You will need to keep the puppies separated and make sure to spend alone time with each of them, every day, so that they bond to you and not just to each other. Honestly, I would wait until one dog was at least 2 before getting another one. Just my opinion.


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## GSDBESTK9

Well, at our house, a 30lbs. bag won't last us a week.  Depends on how many dogs you are feeding with it and how much.

2 puppies? Bother and Sister? Must be a back-yard-breeder cause no reputable breeder out there would sell you 2 pups at the same time. :nono:


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## unloader

I would die with two of those beasts at once!

I hope you are an experienced shepherd (of any type) owner!!!

You probably should go into hibernation mode right now, you are going to need the rest come spring time. 

Oh, and the food question....it all depends on the type of food, and the dog's needs. That wasn't very helpful...


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## LaRen616

Check out this thread http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/general-puppy-stuff/140519-2-pups.html

Well my 2 adult 1.5 year old males go through a 30 pound bag of TOTW every 2 weeks in my house.


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## Whiteshepherds

russellnm said:


> :help: Hello Fellow GSD Owners,
> I am currently in the process of researching what kind of food to buy the two puppy GSDs I will be getting in March, they will be a brother and sister.
> Also, what kind of feeding instructions would you recommend also?


I would ask the breeder what they were being fed up to 8wks old. If you don't want to stick to whatever brand of food they've used, start out with a small bag of it and mix it with whatever new brand you choose so the change-over is easier on the pups bellies. 

We free feed most of the time so I can't tell you how much to feed your pups, the instructions are on the bags of food though. There's tons of info about how to feed pups on the forums, you'll have to decide which method and brands you want to use. 

Congrats on the new pups, you're going to have your hands full with two of them!!


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## GSDAlphaMom

I would stay away from BB. http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/diet-nutrition/145562-blue-buffalo-what-they-hiding.html

Orijen, Acana, Wellness, Solid Gold or several others you are better off with.

Take it from all the experienced advice you are getting on here...getting two puppies really is a bad idea. You will do yourself a huge favor by only getting one for now. You can always add one later...much later...and you will be glad you did.


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## DDR Chief

I agree with everyone else. My parents and I got a brother and sister out of the same litter (we live in separate houses) and when they are together, they pay no attention to us humans. I CANT imagine raising 2 puppies, especially GSD's in the same house. You're in for a lotttt of work and time keeping them separated while you get alone time with each.

But to answer your question, I go through about a 30# bag of food every month. Double that for 2.


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## DDR Chief

GSDAlphaMom said:


> I would stay away from BB. http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/diet-nutrition/145562-blue-buffalo-what-they-hiding.html
> 
> Orijen, Acana, Wellness, Solid Gold or several others you are better off with.


Orijen is a great, high quality food. My pup had food allergies towards it though (I narrowed it down to either the egg or turkey in it). Switched to BB and i'ts 95% cleared up now.


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## Veronica1

There were times when Panzer was a young pup that I thought it would have been good to have two pups at the same time so they could wear each other out. They could chew on each other instead of the humans. You'd go through all the rough stages at one time. If you're already sleepless for one pup, you'll be sleepless for two.

I could see where it would be difficult to have an adolescent pup and a very young pup, but wouldn't some of those difficulties be eliminated if both pups were the same age? 

I'd say check out the bag at the store and see the recommendations for feeding. The food requirements increase, peak and then decrease, so there'd be times when you're going through more food than others.

ETA - Just read through the two pups link posted above and have a better understanding now.


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## GSDAlphaMom

THe link states my issuees with BB. Their cal/pho levels are under tight wraps which tells me they are too high. Perhaps Wikileak can get access and publish for everyone.


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## Emoore

Veronica said:


> I could see where it would be difficult to have an adolescent pup and a very young pup, but wouldn't some of those difficulties be eliminated if both pups were the same age?


Except for the issue of them bonding more with each other than with their people. Also each pup needs a lot of individual attention as far as training and socialization.


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## Denali Girl

Wow....well good luck with that! I'm good with one at a time for now, I have a 6 month old and it is a handful and sometimes stressful to make sure she's fed the right way, exercised the right way, taught obedience the right way and then there is the vet bills you will have to pay for things like heartworm and so on. Your a better man than me lol


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## unloader

Denali Girl said:


> and then there is the vet bills you will have to pay for things like heartworm and so on.


You can say that again! I've spent 2k on my dog in the last 6 months, about 1k was for vet care outside of the norm!

Some people have spend 10k on their dog in a short period of time....that would not be fun shelling out that much, let alone doubling that figure!


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## russellnm

Well thank you everyone for your opinions and I think I will take everyones advice, just sticking with one pup. I havent put a deposit down yet. I knew it would be a lot of work with two pups, but yeah it would be best to get one and then see how things go later down the road.

It seems as if everyone doesnt like Blue Buffalo, so what would you recommend then?

Again thank you for your replies I greatly appreciate it.

Nicole Russell


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## GSDAlphaMom

Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble

ORijen, Acana, Wellness, SOlid Gold. It's trial and error as some work for some dogs and not for others. Find out what the breeder is feeding so you can do a slow transition (unless the breeder has it on a high quality food then you won't have to change). It's very important when changing food to do so very gradually or you will end up with loose stools. Well not you, but your pup!


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## unloader

Great choice! One will be plenty, I think we can all promise you that! 

Most will say feeding RAW is the best, second to that most will say Orijen Large Breed Puppy (LBP).

In the end, it all depends on the dog and your budget.
Other good foods I have had experience with
Wellness LBP
Acana Pacifica (although this isn't a LBP food)

There are tons of great foods, browse the "feeding my puppy" section. There are way too many foods to list that are good.


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## JustMeLeslie

Welcome to the Forum!! I see you have decided to go with one puppy--good choice. You will have a lot of work ahead of you with just one puppy so there is no need to double that. You have time to research what brand of food you want to go with. I can tell you right now that that is one touchy subject here(choice of dog food brand). That debate will probably go on forever. Just do lots of research before you decide what will work for you and your budget etc. Once you get your puppy you might have to switch a couple times until you find one that works for your puppy. All puppies/dogs are different and what may work for another dog may not work for yours. It is a trial and error type of thing. Good Luck and welcome once again.


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## Denali Girl

GSDAlphaMom said:


> Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble
> 
> ORijen, Acana, Wellness, SOlid Gold. It's trial and error as some work for some dogs and not for others. Find out what the breeder is feeding so you can do a slow transition (unless the breeder has it on a high quality food then you won't have to change). It's very important when changing food to do so very gradually or you will end up with loose stools. Well not you, but your pup!


 

Good choises but solid gold is a bit grain heavy, check out dogfoodanalysis.com, great site not ran by any one company.


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## geissap

I just want to further the opinion of others. I would NEVER get two puppies. In fact I actually go as far as questioning the breeder in this situation. Our breeder wouldn't even allow it because anyone who's had a GSD puppy knows that's just not a good idea. It's so important that you bond with your puppy and establish alpha/dominance and I see that being very difficult with another puppy in the picture.

On top of it they are so much work. I read and researched for over a year and it was still way more work than I had even calculated in my brain. They are absolute landsharks and so much work. Unless you are an extremely advanced dog owner, have trained several puppies in the past, etc. I would strongly encourage you against two GSD's. 

With that said Jada is 16 weeks old. She gets two cups of food in the morning around 6 AM and two cups at night around 5 PM. She gets about a cup or two worth of dry food, treats and other stuff like peanut butter/pumpkin throughout the day through treats, rewards and kong chew toys. We feed our puppy 4Health - Large Breed from TSC, it's not the best out there but it is a darn good food for the price. I've had no regrets using it. She has a beautiful shiny coat, is healthy and growing at a proper weight.


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## Whiteshepherds

GSDAlphaMom said:


> It's very important when changing food to do so very gradually or you will end up with loose stools. Well not you, but your pup!


LOL, good thing you cleared that up for new puppy owners!


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## Rerun

30 lbs would last us about a week and we're feeding four, so I'd say feeding two young puppies you would get maybe a month out of the first bag (if that), because they don't eat as much, but once they are 5 or 6 months you'll probably go through a bag that size every other week.


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## Heagler870

I buy 40 pound bags at a time. I go through them in about 2 weeks with 2 dogs. I feed my pup according to the bag and my other a little extra because he is underweight.


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