Feeding Gsd Puppy On Raw

[Tilly]

I am feeding my 9/10 week old GSD raw as his breeder was feeding raw.

I am cheating a little and have brought Dr Billinghurst's R.A.W. BARF patties - I got the rabbit and Combo varieties. According to the box for his weight (about 8kg) he should be getting 1 pattie (227grams) per day with equal amount of bones.

As he doesn't think this is enough food I have been giving him the 1 pattie in the morning (with a good portion of mashed pumpkin) and 2 small chicken necks - he won't eat his breakfast until he gets the chicken necks.

For tea he is getting a smallish chicken frame - still frozen. He polishes off both meals quickly (without gulping) and some times at night he is still hungry so I give him a carrot or a piece of raw pumpkin to chomp on ... with he also polishes off.

Usually once a week I also add some sardines and an egg to his breakfast.

Is he getting enough ... or too much? Is there anything else I should be adding?

I was looking at slowly adding Royal Canin GSD dry food as an addition to his current diet ... but as he had a tummy upset for a while after getting him I have held off doing that just yet.

[Tiggy]

I think the BARF patties say to feed puppies up to 10% of their weight so you could be feeding up to 800gm. The diet sounds good to me.

[aus_k9gsd]

I have my 10 week old Shepherd pup on barf as well, you will know if you are feeding him enough by keeping an eye on his weight

Mine gets a turkey neck or chicken necks or wings for breakfast and for dinner about 700g of The Edge

I also add some sardines a couple of times a week and an ester c tablet

[Tilly]

He weighted 6.5kg on the Tuesday (the day after we got him) and then the following Thursday he weighted in at 7.8kg - so he put on 1.3kg in a week and a few days.

I thought some of that might have been fluids because he was a little dehydrated after arriving on his long flight.

If I asked him ... he would think he is absolutely starving all the time. I am trying to keep him well fed but without over feeding because I don't want him to grow too fast and have joint problems etc.

I have heard of some giving supplements such as brewer yeast, livamol, kelp powder, ester C and flaxseed oil - should I look at any of these. I was considering the ester C and I think the BARF patties have kelp.

[persephone]

he is a pup - and IMO (not up with the modern feeding regimes ) needs more than pumpkin and/or carrot to fill him up

Turkey wings and necks ,maybe?

Pumpkin and carrot are good for dogs who need to lose weight..... or for dogs with digestion probs.

puppies need meat/bone/fat.

Edited June 7, 2009 by persephone

[gareth]

Pet Ark have a great puppy supplement that you can add to raw bones and make it a complete diet.

www.petark.com.au

[Sandra777]

I would agree that the pumpkin carrot etc are just filling him up - they're not FOOD.

450g of food for an 8kg puppy is about half of what he should be getting, puppies need at least 10% of their current body weight. I've never used premade barf but wonder if the instructions are for adult dogs hopefully there are also instructions for puppies??

Get back to the breeder with your questions, obviously they've raised GSD pups on raw before so probably have a better idea than many of us on the requirements of their breed. Didn't they give you a diet sheet?

Edited June 7, 2009 by Sandra777

[Red Fox]

Are you only giving him 2 meals per day? What if you add in a lunch meal or a late supper before bed?

I give my dog a bit of goats milk in addition to his regular meals when he's extra hungry (usually mid morning or before bed), fills him up nicely without having to give another whole meal. (and he LOVES it!) I also had him on 3 meals per day until he was around 6 months.

Oh, and BARF for puppies is supposed to be around 10% of the pups body weight but I never had to feed this much. When I tried Kei just porked up way to quickly I just fed an amount based on how he looked - too chubby, less food/too skinny more food. He now weighs around 36kg and I'm feeding roughly 700g-900g of food per day (2-2.5%).

[Just Midol]

I fed mine barf, and he put on around 1kg a week average so his weight gain is normal imo. One of my vets claimed he was growing too fast but his trainer and other reputable people said he was growing fine.

[aus_k9gsd]

Pet Ark have a great puppy supplement that you can add to raw bones and make it a complete diet.

www.petark.com.au

i wouldnt feed this with the barf patties, it seems to be a suppliment if your only feeding mince, it has calcium in it which the pup will not need with the bones he is getting as well as the barf patties already have crushed bone in it, you will be overdoing the calcium which is not a good thing

i agree with the others i wouldnt be adding the veges as they are only fillers, what is his condition like, how do his ribs feel

[gareth]

i wouldnt feed this with the barf patties,

As I said, it is fed in addition to raw meaty bones ie. minced chicken frames.

[Tilly]

He is only getting 2 meals a day. He has treat ball for during the day but he tends to play with it but not actually eat the food it drops ... he prefers raw.

According to the feeding instructions on the box for a puppies (giant breeds) they should be fed 2%-4% of bodyweight per day. It did say "can be useful to add extra veggie pulp" with emphasise on "important to grow slowly".

When I started the patties he was 7.8kg. Going off the 2-4% advise I used the chart on the box which had 5-7kg should get 0.5 to 1 pattie. The next range is 10-12kg should get between 1 to 2 patties.

I kept the pumpkin because it helped with his runny poos and he likes it. I was initially feeding him chicken and pumpkin for that reason and changed the chicken to BARF patties.

He is lean but not overly skinny ... It is expected he will mature to 45-50kg.

Edited June 8, 2009 by Tilly

[gareth]

I feed vegies, including pumpkin. No problem with that all, as long as they are getting the necessary protein amounts and some fats.

[puggy_puggy]

When I started the patties he was 7.8kg. Going off the 2-4% advise I used the chart on the box which had 5-7kg should get 0.5 to 1 pattie. The next range is 10-12kg should get between 1 to 2 patties.

Sorry but 2% to 4% is starving a puppy and what an adult dog usually eats.

For a puppy you should be feeding 10% of their weight. So for an 8kg it should be 800grams and this should be preferabley be spread out over three meals.

The patties already have veggies in them don't they? I really wouldn't be adding more then 100 to 150grams of mixed veggies & fruit (if you have a good combination of veggies in fruit in slops thne you shouldn't have to add any supplements to a healthy puppies diet).

Weigh the patties and feed that way for breakfast. (forget about the 1/2 or 1 pattie reccomendations) Get some lamb bones and feed for lunch. Feed the chicken necks and slops for dinner.

[Scales of Justice]

Reading all your posts, don't you think that this is just too much guesswork for this vital growth stage? Have you considered that anything you do wrong now may impact on the puppy's hip and elbow scores later?

If I were in your shoes I would be feeding Royal Canin (for his age) as 100% of his diet until after 12 months of age, to be sure you get the hips and elbows right. You only get one chance at it. I would be changing his diet to formulated puppy food as soon as possible (and not just as a supplement, but as a 100% diet).

You can change to BARF later after 12 months of age.

[Tilly]

Reading all your posts, don't you think that this is just too much guesswork for this vital growth stage? Have you considered that anything you do wrong now may impact on the puppy's hip and elbow scores later?

If I were in your shoes I would be feeding Royal Canin (for his age) as 100% of his diet until after 12 months of age, to be sure you get the hips and elbows right. You only get one chance at it. I would be changing his diet to formulated puppy food as soon as possible (and not just as a supplement, but as a 100% diet).

You can change to BARF later after 12 months of age.

The problem is the dry food is giving him the runs. Raw is what the breeder feeds & recommends and what the pup prefers.

I am trying not to do this on guesswork which is why I brought the pre-made and was following the directions on the box. I asked so I could make sure I was getting it right - but it seems the chart on the packaging is wrong.

[Scales of Justice]

The problem is the dry food is giving him the runs.

A GOOD quality dry food should not give a puppy the runs. Perhaps you should consider taking a faecal sample to the vet to be checked. He may have a bacterial overload of the gut which is more likely to be precipitated by raw food than by dry food or he may have other issues which may show up on faecal examination.

Either way if you are undecided about whether the diet is correct, why take the risk?

[Andisa]

I have been feeding a raw diet including the barf for several yrs now and raised my 2 litters of Rottie pups on this diet. The only time I have added some dry was while they are in the major growth period and that is a top up not whole meal - the only dry I feed them is Eagle Pack large breed puppy. I have tried a couple of other products but only the organic. I add a few supps through out the week and they have Ester C daily. Feeding 10% of the body weight is ideal, but each pup is different - feed a little less if you think the pup is getting fat, you don't want a fat puppy. I also feed RMB's daily too.

I would also recommend feeding your puppy on goats milk and yogurt for several months if possible. My 8 mth old bitch is still getting it and she loves it. I have a 20 m/o bitch from my 1st litter come back home a couple of mths ago and she went straight back on the goats milk too, it is very good for them.

I know a lot of people do not recommend feeding them milk once they are weaned but it is such a valuable food worth giving them especially while the pups are growing.

Each to their own, feed them what your happy with.

It does say to feed 2 - 4 % for large breed on the box, in the books it says to feed 10 %. I think the old packaging used to say 10%, haven't read the box for a while now so don't know why it is worded the way it is.

[Incavale]

I agree that only premium quality dry food should be fed to any GSD or any dog for that matter. Our pups get 75% dry 25% wet food same as the mature dogs. they all get whole raw carrots every day. Young pups should be getting beef brisket bones for teething & lamb flaps maybe twice a week only (because of fat content). A pup that age should be putting on a kilo a week. Feed your pup everything, the one thing you don't want is a fussy eater. 10 week old pup should be abt 10 kgs. Pups that age we feed 3 rather than 2 meals, but the meals are smaller.

[Scales of Justice]

I would also recommend feeding your puppy on goats milk and yogurt for several months if possible. My 8 mth old bitch is still getting it and she loves it. I have a 20 m/o bitch from my 1st litter come back home a couple of mths ago and she went straight back on the goats milk too, it is very good for them.

I know a lot of people do not recommend feeding them milk once they are weaned but it is such a valuable food worth giving them especially while the pups are growing

I totally disagree with this for a German Shepherd if you want good hips and elbows. The absolute correct calcium:phosphorus ratio and the inclusion of chondroitin for joint growth is a must for German Shepherds. These balances are best not left to guesswork. How do you know how much calcium and phosphorus is going into your puppy when you are using foods other than formulated dry foods? When you add milk you may tip the balance to the calcium side and put the correct ratio out of balance. Good quality large breed premium foods take all this into account.

German Shepherds do not generally have a good gut tolerance for milk as it is well known that GSDs may have less than good digestive processes and are prone to gut complaints if fed incorrectly.

Edited for spelling

Edited June 8, 2009 by Scales of Justice