If your dog seems to be gaining weight, reduce the number of calories they consume. What they mean by this is that you should always be aware of your dog’s body size, shape, and condition, and not being too strict with charts and graphs of food measurements. Most vets will tell you to watch the dog and not the bowl when deciding how much to feed a German Shepherd. German Shepherd Feeding General Guidelines Low-quality foods may save you money in the short-term, but in the long run, they could cost you thousands in vet bills and a whole lot of heartache watching your fur baby suffer. These aren’t all the health considerations to keep in mind, but you should have a pretty good idea by now of how important nutrition is to your German Shepherd. Kidney problems can happen due to an overabundance of protein in the diet, pancreatitis can come from poor-quality foods that are too high in fat, and heart disease can shorten your GSD’s life if you feed them too much salt and fat. In fact, the balance between calcium and phosphorus is imperative. Many of these disorders come from inflammation and malnutrition, including a deficiency in calcium. Several musculoskeletal disorders can cripple your GSD if you don’t take appropriate precautionary measures right from day one.
Since this is generally an inherited predisposition, you may not be able to fully prevent it from happening, but starting with an excellent diet and maintaining it through your dog’s life has a good chance of helping. One such health issue that may be prevented or mitigated by diet is arthritis, often caused by hip or elbow dysplasia. It’s always better to try preventing problems right from the start rather than waiting until they crop up and trying to treat them. Health Considerationsīecause this breed is prone to a handful of health issues, it’s important to understand each issue and begin preventative treatments through a healthy diet. If you want your dog to perform well and stay healthy, you can’t feed them the equivalent of fast food burgers and soft drinks in the form of cheap, generic dry kibble every day. These high fat and sodium foods do not provide the variety of nutrients these athletes need to perform at top capacity.Ĭheap, fatty, highly-processed foods produce a sluggish body and mind.
#Black baby german shepherd professional
To put this into perspective, a professional human athlete would not subsist entirely on fast food burgers and soft drinks. As a working breed, German Shepherds are active, muscular, and agile.Īll of these aspects contribute to a higher caloric need and should be addressed through the feeding of a high-quality diet. Just as activity level affects how much humans should eat, so too does it affect dogs. Puppies will need different nutrients-such as protein and calcium-than a senior GSD, for example.īe sure whatever you’re feeding your German Shepherd is not only high-quality and healthy, but it should also be suitable for the age of your dog. These dogs grow fast, so they’ll need specific nutrients provided at specific times in their lives. With such a large body and high energy level, it’s imperative that you provide your GSD with appropriate nutrition levels at each stage of development.
#Black baby german shepherd full
Though the AKC considers this to be a medium to large breed, in everyday life, that’s a pretty big dog, which means it’s going to have a big appetite to match.ĭon’t just stuff your dog full of the cheapest thing you can find-go for the quality products. While males can be around 66 to 88 pounds, females fall into the 49 to 71-pound range. Size ConsiderationsĪccording to the AKC breed standard, German Shepherds can be as tall as 26 inches at the shoulder. Small dogs, for example, need something totally different than our big, hard-working GSDs.įor maximum health and energy, keep these things in mind when deciding what to feed your German Shepherd. Every breed has its own special dietary needs. Raw Diets, Cooking for Dogs, and Other Alternative FeedingĪll dogs deserve healthy, nutritious, and satisfying food, but generic “dog food” isn’t going to be right for most of them.German Shepherd Feeding Guide: Senior Years.German Shepherd Feeding Guide: Adult Years.German Shepherd Puppy Feeding Guide: 6 Months to 12 Months.How Much to Feed a German Shepherd Puppy.German Shepherd Puppy Feeding Guide: 12 Weeks to 6 Months.
0 kommentar(er)
