# What food to buy?! 7 months old



## NewToGS (Dec 6, 2016)

Hi everyone!

We are fairly new to German Shepherds and dry kibble. We currently have a 7 month old and have tried out RC and Blue Wilderness Puppy Large Breed. Unless we fancy the kibble up, she won't eat it. 

I want to try out some new puppy kibble for her to try out but have no idea where to begin. 
My top picks would be from a word of mouth:

-Origen 
-Nutro (I've heard theres multiple different versions like Max/Ultra/Etc.)
-Fromm? (never heard of it)
-Canidae? (never heard of it)
-Avo

Please help! Of course these are all reputable dog food, so I'm sure whichever one I buy it'll be good for her. I just want to know your experiences if you have any with these brands! Thank you in advance!


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## SamsontheGSD (Dec 23, 2016)

We feed Wellness Core to our 6 mo old. He likes it, has a beautiful coat, is healthy, etc. We've recently begun mixing the puppy with their wild game adult formula. We do add toppers usually. A squirt of salmon oil, a heaping tablespoon of ground beef, and even a pinch of cheese from time to time. The topper makes up a miniscule portion of what he eats though.

You may want to check out dogfoodadvisor.com and see what their top recommendations are.


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## dz0qp5 (Oct 12, 2004)

Contrary to popular opinion ignore the ingredients list unless your dog has a sensitivity, it is generally used for marketing purposes. Of the ones you have listed Nutro Max gave me the best all around results and the ones my dogs have found most palatable. Even with Nutro stick with the more traditional foods, the chicken or lamb and rice large breed puppy. The traditional foods will generally give you the best results.


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## LBethO (Mar 18, 2017)

I fed Nutro (both Max and Ultra) to adults for years. We had no problems with obesity or arthritis with their selection. One GSD lived to nearly 14, She had been well cared for before we got her and we continued her dental care. I think it makes a difference in their health. Currently, we have a ?13? year old Golden who had a very bad case of heartworms when he came to us at approx 2 years old. He was on Nutro until about a year and a half ago, I switched to Costco's premium brand. He is 13 and has the blood work of a young dog. Food, dental, who knows? 

I feed Costco signature puppy food to our newest mixed breed puppy. She has gained about 2# per week since she showed up and we had her wormed, etc. The others get Costco food, too and all of their coasts are gorgeous. Our 6 yo GSD has a positively luxurious coat. She had apparent sensitivities, yeast? Issues? Those have pretty much disappeared on the Costco Signature brand. The rescue we are involved in are all into the high end feeds, raw, etc due to food allergies they claim their dogs have. I would pooh pooh all that but the GSD sincerely scratches and licks and gnaws her feet if we give her wheat products. I don't give her crappy treats now. 

We did try pro plan at one time. I saw a definite improvement in the dog's coats when we switched to the salmon and sweet potato Costco. Also, they had hot spots on the Pro Plan. I'd feed what my dog would tolerate and has good ratings. Still don't know a dog who will eat Science Diet!


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## kast2L (Aug 23, 2016)

NewToGS said:


> Hi everyone!
> 
> We are fairly new to German Shepherds and dry kibble. We currently have a 7 month old and have tried out RC and Blue Wilderness Puppy Large Breed. Unless we fancy the kibble up, she won't eat it.
> 
> ...


My Malinois was good with bluebuffalo (wilderness) as a puppy and one day just got sick and couldn't eat it anymore without having diarrhea. So we moved him off it to Fromm and he has never had a problem since! So we switched our other dog to it as well and they are both good with it. Main reason I went with from is they have never had any recalls on their dog food too! Hope this helps.


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

I liked Fromm, but my dog didn't. My dog is a hopelessly picky eater, and after trying a bunch of different foods, we switched to homemade raw.

I'm now feeding Farmina Natural and Delicious along with raw. We are working toward kibble at one meal, raw at the other. The end game here is to be able to pack only kibble for her when she boards or when we travel. My dog LOVES the Farmina, and she's happily scarfed down every Farmina formula I've thrown at her. So far in terms of digestive...erm, stuff, we're having the greatest success with the wild boar pumpkin formula. Lamb was okay but not great, although she was sure excited about eating it. Next up: Cod.


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## NerdicEclipse (Feb 20, 2017)

NewToGS said:


> Hi everyone!
> 
> We are fairly new to German Shepherds and dry kibble. We currently have a 7 month old and have tried out RC and Blue Wilderness Puppy Large Breed. Unless we fancy the kibble up, she won't eat it.
> 
> ...


We tried Origen, Avo and Nutro before Fromm. Fromm's was the one that Minka liked best and would eat without us having to mix things in to tempt her. She's not a big eater, doesn't even respond to treats well, but she loves Fromm's so far. Well... As much as she'll ever like food I guess! Talked with their customer service as well before ordering the first time through Chewy (their food isn't sold anywhere here) - they're incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. Which was a bonus. I always kind of like to contact manufacturers to see how they act and speak on the phone. If they have a robot answer service or people who are pushy/can't answer specific questions honestly and accurately I don't care to put their food in my dogs' bowls.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

I like the Fromm large breed puppy gold. Max ate it right up and Luna our pup likes till recently I'm sure she is getting bored, so we have to add different things to make it more interesting - she is a picky eater.


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