# Puppy Food Recommendations



## beth_newhart (May 21, 2017)

Hi All,

I will be picking up my new GSD puppy on June 29th and I am preparing for their arrival. They will be 8 weeks old when I bring them home. The breeder I am working with takes a holistic approach to nutrition and vaccination. She only recommends the raw diet for puppies and adult dogs. After researching the raw diet, the idea of my puppy swallowing a bone worries me. Also, at face value, it seems rather complicated to figure out how much of a certain meat to buy, to calculate the correct ratio of bones:musclergan meat, and to figure out which type of meat contributes to each ratio. It is my understanding that giving the raw diet incorrectly can have huge ramifications. I suppose some people would say giving your dog commercial dog food will also have huge ramifications. I will ultimately consult a vet, but I wanted to know if any of you have dry or wet puppy food recommendations I should consider. Thank you!


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## NoreeDoree (Mar 16, 2018)

Our little Reina is 5 months old now and we have gone through craziness with food. The breeders we got her from had her on Pedigree and we switched her to Blue Buffalo which was giving her the runs. So we switched her to a raw diet (we started with chicken) but noticed she still had the runs. Plus, it was getting too expensive for us. So I did some digging for a holistic kibble to put her back on. And within my research came up with the idea that she might have Food allergies to chicken. Not only did she have the runs she was also very itchy all the time and started losing patches of hair. I went to our local feed supply and bought some Earthborn Holistic dog food (the Venture line) and instead of chicken I bought her The Alaskan Pollock flavor. And I have to say she is doing extremely well now and she no longer has the runs (unless our little ones give her table food or she gets into something outside) and she's no longer ritchy or losing hair so I would highly recommend that food. It also comes in resealable bags which is a plus for me. That's have other flavors as well and it's actually not that bad price wise. I mean in my case, Reina has food allergies so she has to avoid certain things, but I still think it's a good line. Her fur is so soft now too and though she's never really been an extremely active dog lol she does have more energy than before.


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## NoreeDoree (Mar 16, 2018)

Let me also add if you really want to do a raw diet I would ask the breeder for a starter guide on what she was feeding the pups and go from there.even though we went back to kibble I believe that is the most appropriate food for them and if we could afford it we would go back to feeding it to our Reina (without chicken of course lol) I think once you get the list of what the pups eat it will get easier as you go along.


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## brownclown (Apr 10, 2018)

i Have forever been in the research stage of Raw. prior research on kibbles led me to Fromm and Orjen large breed puppy. The are several that get great reviews and several online resources you can search forever. Those 2 were both highly liked by most people. With a shepherd you really want to makes sure the calcium to phosphorus ratio is about 1:1. If choosing a non puppy food make sure it is "all life stages". If i had the money i would be doing something like Ziwipeak.


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## BigOzzy2018 (Jan 27, 2018)

I put my pup on Acana it’s an all life stage food. I go from one bag to a new one which is rotating helps build up the stomach for diff ingredients. Ex I started with the chicken after that bag went to the beef, after a month of doing that I introduced premade frozen raw for the eve meal vital Essentials . He is on beef now and after I he bag of kibble is close to being done we will switch to another Acana flavor as well as the raw. Never mix kibble with raw they digest each food differently. It’s expensive but he is the only dog and better for him in the long run


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## beth_newhart (May 21, 2017)

Thank you for your suggestions. Keep them coming please! I would also like to add I am very concerned about being able to afford the raw diet. Even higher-end holistic kibble seems more doable. I live in the Boulder, CO area so I have access to many natural pet stores (as you can imagine), so any holistic or non-holistic suggestions are welcome!


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## Nekro (Oct 13, 2017)

I have been feeding 9 month old pup Fromm and she loves it. I started Fromm as soon as I got her and no problems.


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## McGloomy (Mar 13, 2018)

I jist did a complete puppy food reviews like a week ago, you can check that out.

http://www.germanshepherds.com/#/topics/745673


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