# 8 week old puppy (male) diet



## manisingh (Mar 9, 2015)

Hi,

Hope you're all well...new to the forums.

I'll be picking up my 8 week old puppy this Friday and it will be the first time i will be having a pet.

I've been reading a lot (past 6 months) into getting a GSD regarding, diet, health, training, obedience etc and realise that there is a lot of maintenance involved but if you do it correctly, it will be natural.

I just can't seem to figure out what food to give him?

Currently i thought of this;

07:00

RC GSD puppy food (2 scoops)
2 boiled/scrambled eggs

Water - constant through out the day

13:00

RC GSD Puppy Food (1 scoop)
1 Boiled / Scrambled egg
Fresh mixed fruit
Salmon Oil

Water - constant through out the day

19:30

This is where i need help..
I was thinking Chicken, Beef, Liver, Chicken Bones. A different meat every day or certain days mixed with ???

Would be of great help.
Even any ideas on the food during the day would be great...

Thanks in advance


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I would highly advise a commercial raw food that is balanced for puppies if possible.


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## bellagriff (Jul 1, 2012)

Be careful with the fruit as it can cause diarrhea for sure - not saying don't do it just maybe start slowly.

Some owners skip puppy food altogether and just use a quality adult food - I'm not sure which is correct but wanted to mention it.

Also, if possible I would do completely raw. Unfortunately I am unable right now with my schedule and commercial raws tend to be rather expensive. If you need more information here is a great link that was put together by a member on this forum - can't remember her name right now.

Welcome to the Raw Dog Ranch


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## manisingh (Mar 9, 2015)

still very indecisive ...

great posts so far...

a diet plan would be great to get me started.


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## paradoxlnx (Dec 17, 2014)

bellagriff said:


> Be careful with the fruit as it can cause diarrhea for sure - not saying don't do it just maybe start slowly.
> 
> Some owners skip puppy food altogether and just use a quality adult food - I'm not sure which is correct but wanted to mention it.
> 
> ...


I got one bag [about a month] of puppy food from the breeder which I gave but from the second week I started mixing it with young/adult food with sufficient nutritional values.

I believe dog food should always be of great quality [which doesn't equal a high price!].
Somebody told me "knowing what the ingredients are is not the same thing as knowing their nutritional value or what effect they have on your dog"
Which is true imo.

I like to read food labels of the very best and expensive brands, 
read up on ingredients and their effects/nutrition and compare ingredients with the cheaper or middle budget dog foods.
For example: 
read this:
PEDIGREE® is a Top Brand Because of Its Healthy Dog Food Ingredients
MAXI Adult 5+ / MAXI (dogs from 56 ? 99 lb) / Size Health Nutrition / Dog Products / Products / Products / Home Royal Canin USA - Royal Canin

and compare the data with contents and ingredients of affordable brands.
It's often alike or if you combine/mix/alternate you can have the same input for your food to achieve equal and better affordable nutrition.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

I would keep him on whatever the breeder gives you for the first several weeks that you have him home as he will be going thru a lot of stress leaving his home and litter, and coming into a new environment with strangers and new sounds. You should also be careful with the treats you are giving and maybe just use his kibble. New food items can give a pup terrible diarrhea as bellagrif mentioned.

After several weeks, I would very slowly transition him on to a higher quality food such as Fromm's or Acana or Nature's VARIETY, or a commercially prepared, balanced, raw diet as Jax mentioned. Some people do use adult kibble. Something you should be comfortable with after researching it for yourself.

Read all you can about the raw diet before feeding as a meal, but you could start him out on some raw, skinless chicken necks for a treat several weeks after you have him home. If you are worried about him swallowing it, I started my dogs out on bones by sitting on the floor (on top of an old sheet), holding one end with a paper towel to keep it from slipping out of my hands, while he chews on the other end of it.

Eggs should only be fed 4 times per week (to keep from interfering with biotin uptake) and IF cooked, cook the egg over easy so as not to destroy the fragile fatty acids in the yolk from the heat.

You may also want to have some "Slippery Elm" on hand (available at a health food store) just in case he does get a gut upset. This coats and calms the stomach/digestion track. 

Good Luck and we expect pictures of your new Little Fur Baby!
Moms


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## manisingh (Mar 9, 2015)

thanks for all the replies.


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## amburger16 (May 22, 2015)

For the price of RC, I would go with a different brand, like Fromm, Acana or Orijen. RC still has a lot of unnecessary ingredients and I personally believe the specialized for gsds isn't really specialized, more of a sales tactic. They don't have any different nutritional needs then retrievers, labs, rottis, etc.. All large breed and need smaller amounts of calcium to help with bone development. Your choice, but remember when you switch him, if it's within a week or two of bringing him home he will more then likely have diareah anyways due to the stress of being removed from his mother and litter mates. I had to switch Bear immediately because I got him from an accidental litter and they had him on very poor quality food, and he didn't have any issues. Good luck with your new land shark!


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