GSD dry food recommendation

[Endur]

Damn it's been a while since I have been on. Busy, busy, busy. Anyway, there was a dog trainer on here but I am forgetting his name. I am looking for recommendations on the best dry dog food to feed a GSD.

[Wake27]

I don’t know about GSD specific but we use Orijen. Not cheap but seems to be a far healthier option with lots of protein instead of just grain fillers. Our golden and golden mix both love it and have done very well on it. I just wish it wasn’t $200+ every few weeks.


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[gaijin]

I use “Taste of the Wild” DF for my Britts, my daughter for her brace of GSDs.
No grain, all meat, legumes.
My Britts prefer the Venison.

[BuzzinSATX]

I did a lot of research on pet foods when my dog came down with skin and coat issues early on, and I have found it is best to stick with grain free foods. We use a brand called "Activia" that is made in Texas and sold exclusively at "Pet Barn" stores. But prior, we too fed our German Short Hair "Taste of the Wild". Good stuff...

I'd suggest sticking with a quality grain free food as a base. I supplement my dog's feed with a chopped up hardboiled egg (with shell crushed and mixed in), splash of olive oil, and a fish oil and glucosamine tablet. I also give my dog a half serving of Dinovite and moisten the food with a quality, no salt beef or chicken stock.

My dog also gets leftover vegetable meals from time to time...and he loves raw carrots and cherry tomatoes from my garden.

[Endur]

Thanks. Currently feeding Earth Born grain free bison. He is having loose and liquid stools. He is going on four months old. All shots and medication are current, so I am inferring it is the food causing the issue.

[26 Inf]

Thanks. Currently feeding Earth Born grain free bison. He is having loose and liquid stools. He is going on four months old. All shots and medication are current, so I am inferring it is the food causing the issue.

I had two different vets recommend Purina ONE Smart Blend Large Bread Puppy Formula ( https://www.purinaone.com/dogs/products/puppy-food ) for the first two years to keep the dog lean and help joint formation. I trust the first vet implicityly, he has been our vet for 20 years, and has spent the nigh on a cot next to one of my labs after gut surgery to make sure she made it.

My guy is 15 months weighs 85 pounds and is lithe and solid. His stools are not as firm as dogs fed kennel mix, but they are firm versus loose. I can tell when one of the girls has fed him something outside the norm, so one of the things I'd make sure of is no one is 'treating' your dog on the side.

At the two year mark the plan is to move to the appropriate Blue Buffalo food. I hesitate to go as high as 32% protein for a non-working dog, so will probably opt for the Blue Freedom line rather than the Wilderness line.

ETA: Why aren't you feeding your dog their Earthborn Vantage Puppy Formula?

[ramairthree]

I just grab Diamond Naturals Extreme Athlete at Tractor Supply.

One trainer and one trainer/breeder use it from weaned to grave on their GSD, DS, BMs.

[Wake27]

I had two different vets recommend Purina ONE Smart Blend Large Bread Puppy Formula ( https://www.purinaone.com/dogs/products/puppy-food ) for the first two years to keep the dog lean and help joint formation. I trust the first vet implicityly, he has been with our vet for 20 years, and has spent the nigh on a cot next to one of my labs after gut surgery to make sure she made it.

My guy is 15 months weighs 85 pounds and is lithe and solid. His stools are not as firm as dogs fed kennel mix, but they are firm versus loose. I can tell when one of the girls has fed him something outside the norm, so one of the things I'd make sure of is no one is 'treating' your dog on the side.

At the two year mark the plan is to move to the appropriate Blue Buffalo food. I hesitate to go as high as 32% protein for a non-working dog, so will probably opt for the Blue Freedom line rather than the Wilderness line.

ETA: Why aren't you feeding your dog their Earthborn Vantage Puppy Formula?

I was under the impression that purina one was one of the many big names that had serious QC issues lately.


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[BuzzinSATX]

Thanks. Currently feeding Earth Born grain free bison. He is having loose and liquid stools. He is going on four months old. All shots and medication are current, so I am inferring it is the food causing the issue.

Loose stools? Try boiling a couple chickens in a large pot. Remove the birds when cooked and set aside. Let water cool and skim congealed fat off top. Reserve broth and use to cook short grain brown rice.

When chicken cools, debone and de-skin. Try feeding 3-5 oz. chicken + 1/2 cup rice twice per day. Make sure the pup has plenty of water. Dog's loose stools should tighten up within a day or two.

You can also try simply adding 1/4 cup cooked brown rice to the food. That may solve your problem.

Avoid much fat in his diet until you get this solved. Then add back to the diet slowly.

Also, this is good info from petMD: https://www.petmd.com/dog/emergency/.../e_dg_diarrhea

[Stickman]

I use “Taste of the Wild” DF for my Britts, my daughter for her brace of GSDs.
No grain, all meat, legumes.
My Britts prefer the Venison.

I too use Taste of the Wild (TASTW) dog food, both for the pup and adult GSDs (different food for each).

Our vet is probably the best vet I've ever met, and we went over all the ingredients and felt TOTW was a solid choice. While it isn't cheap, you can always get it on Amazon and have it delivered via Prime.