What is the best commerical puppy food for a German shepard?

Question

one website told me that it wouldnt suggest anything with rice, fish or soy but all the large breed food has this stuff... i dont know if this website was lieing or what .... so if you know a great german sheppard or large breed food plz let me know

Answer 1

I have had German Shepherd dogs, and sure can't figure why you wouldn't feed brown rice! but GSD's may have skin troubles with soy or corn. Also beet pulp is to be avoided.
I recommend Canidae (my fave) Wellness, Innova, Solid Gold, Natural Balance, for a GSD pup.
Nothing that you can find at the grocer's is worth feeding. You can find the brands I listed at most local pet supply shops (not chain)
here is a site that rates dog food by quality> http://www.connecticutk9.com/dogfood.htm
Just scroll down to see how the brands score

Answer 2

Frankly, you should be skeptical of anything you read on the web.
Any of the high quality brands such as Iams, Nutro, Eukanuba, even Purina One or Purina Pro Plan will be excellent. Be sure to get the large breed puppy formula. I'm sure many people will insist on Innova, Solid Gold, or another 'holistic' brand, which are all fine too. Just avoid store brands and other 'junk' foods like kibbles n bits.
My two German Shepherd Dogs did have an intolerance to soy, but that doesn't mean that all GSD's do. And there is rarely any problem with rice, or fish for that matter.
Just pick a brand that the pup likes and one that you can stick with. Change food gradually, over at least a week, offering the original food with just a small amount of the new food, then gradually feeding less of the original and more of the new until the pup is eating just the new food. If your pup has nice healthy skin and fur, is growing well, and seems active, playful and happy, then the food is fine.

Answer 3

Corn wheat and soy are the most common allergens for dogs.

Fish I am not sure the websites reasoning but myself personally I won't feed because a fishes body absorbs alot of toxic chemicals such a mercury and industrial pollutants and pesticides, most lake fish in North America it is recommended that humans not to eat more than 2 meals a month, being a dog eats the same meal day after day I will not trust that it can be safe for dogs.

Rice is a low allergy food and pretty common as the main carb in most better quality foods,

If you want to go with the websites recommendations there is food locators on each of these sites to help you find places to buy

Natural Balance Duck and Potato it is an all stages food that can be fed to dogs of any age
http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dogformulas/PandD.html

Natures' Variety New Zealand
Venison Meal & Millet Medley again an all stages food
http://www.naturesvariety.com/content.lasso?page=1326&-session=naturesvariety:488BA2F60791f02F0Duqu140E4E3

You will be hard pressed to find much else without going into real high protein foods with is not recommended for large breed puppies or having to use corn based foods unfortunately I can't recommend any as corn is an ingredient I avoid feeding as I have one dog that is highly sensitive too

I have fed a shepherd Canidae with no problems which contains rice also an allstages food

http://www.canidae.com/

Answer 4

There are so many different opinions out there, and so many companies promoting their product, that it is hard to sift through it all. I have tried many different brands from Nutro, to Science Diet (which are both good), but have had the best results with the IAMS products. Generally speaking, you want a puppy food that has good amounts of fat and protein, and either has low amounts or no corn/corn meal(too much corn will cause your puppy/dog to poop a lot, just like humans can't digest corn completely). There are a lot of different puppy/dog diets out there. Some people don't believe in feeding their dogs commercial dog food at all. Some people only feed their dogs raw uncooked foods only. You will have to determine your own beliefs, through trial and error. You may also notice that cheaper brands may suggest double or triple the servings, compared to a more expensive brand. This is due to the lower nutritional value of the cheaper stuff. You actually might lose money on cheaper food since it is consumed faster. Good luck in finding the right food for your G. Shepherd.

Answer 5

The one thing I would do is ask your vet if you should feed your pup puppy food or adult dog food, as I have heard different opinions on this idea. Good Luck

Premium Foods:
Wellness
Innova
California Natural
Solid Gold
Natures Recipe Breed Specific
Natural Balance
Nutro
Pro Pac
Eukanuba Breed Specific
Petsmarts Authority Brands

Foods I would stay away from would be:
Pedigree
Beneful
Kibbles and Bits
Dog Chow
Puppy Chow
Alpo
Gravy Train
Ol"Roy
Hi Pro
Come N Get It.

Answer 6

Royal Canin has a line of "breed specific" foods, including one for GSD's. It is formulated for the specific needs of German Shepard dogs.
Have you looked at a GSD owners website for food recommendations from other owners?

Answer 7

The brand called "Solid Gold" makes several varieties of high quality and relatively affordable dog food for all size/breeds of dog.

Answer 8

I use Purina Puppy Chow for the first year, then switch to Purina Dog Chow. I've also heard from several GSD breeders that Black Diamond is good for them.

Answer 9

check out feedmypet.com it has alot of good info I would recommend Life's Abundance or flint River Ranch very good high quality dog food. no Fillers so the dog gets proper nutrition without having to feed a whole bunch. the less crap you put into the dog the less crap he puts out! good Luck

Answer 10

Commercial Dog Food is Killing Your Dog.Do not
buy commerical dog food.
visit http://dogs-food-recipe.com/
You will know why.