My sister just rescued a 9 month old GSD and I was wondering how much he should be eating per meal. I have a 3 month old GSD but she has been sickly so I have no idea the amount Loki should eat. Need some help!

At 9 months, I would feed adult food, but no clue how much.

What food is she feeding? That makes a difference.

Pedigree active.

Were hoping that it can help with his stiff hips. He was raised in a crate most of his life and his back legs and hips are so stiff its hard for him to walk. He has an acre of fenced in yard now that he loves to run, well right now he hops in.

He needs some serious protein to help with his muscle mass.

My recommendation would be to ditch anything that has the name pedigree in it, get a solid food (midgrade to upper level), and for the hips given a dedicated joint supplement, like glycloflex I, springtime, etc.

Here are the ingredients to the pedigree active chicken - find a food with no corn, no by-products, and no sorghum as a base food...

"GROUND WHOLE CORN, CORN GLUTEN MEAL, POULTRY BY-PRODUCT MEAL, MEAT AND BONE MEAL, ANIMAL FAT (PRESERVED WITH BHA AND CITRIC ACID), CHICKEN, BREWERS RICE, PEAS, DRIED PLAIN BEET PULP, GROUND WHOLE WHEAT, NATURAL FLAVOR, SALT..."

I think you should use breed specific food like Royal Canin German Shepherd Junior or Maxi Starter because that type of food are specially made for particular breed and according to there nutritional requirement.

RC food was recently advertising a big change from all their meals, like chicken meals, to by-product meals, which I consider a downgrade. Don't know if it's affected all their foods.

Not long ago someone (WDJ???) compared breed specific foods, and found that they were not very breed specific. I think it's mostly a gimmick. However, I know several GSDs that did the best on the RC food (I wouldn't feed it), but that was quite awhile ago, things change.

I remember seeing something about the change Lisa mentioned. They were trying to put a spin on it that the by-products were better than the chicken meal.

Can anyone recommend a dry food for my GM not cheap, good quality but not to expensive, I’ve been using Harrington’s puppy food but not sure its right for him, I’ve checked many compare sites but have gathered a lot of confusing info on various brands
Thanks

GSD NOT GM!!

Hi Dave and welcome to the boards!!! I feed my three Taste of the Wild Grain Free. I use to feed Merrick but wanted to go Grain Free and that was just too expensive. Taste of the Wild does have a Puppy Formula but since my pups were older when I switched I never had a need for that. The 'adult' food has too much protein for a large breed puppy as you don't want them growing too quickly. Good luck! Also there is a food section here that might help out more

We have a running "what to feed puppy" thread, and I'm going to merge your thread with that. You might also want to browse that thread for other ideas.

What country are you in? Looking at the ingredient list, if this is correct, looks like it's not US: http://www.harringtonspetfood.com/products/UK/puppy-food-turkey-rice

At a minimum, I look for a food that has no corn, no wheat, no sorghum, no by-products. The Harrington's has corn as a number one ingredient, I wouldn't feed it.

Both Earthborn and Fromm are good mid-priced foods. If you choose to feed a puppy type, they both have them.

Earthborn is grain free.

I use the Diamond Naturals lamb and rice large breed for adult dogs. Is there anyone with info on that?

Diamond® Naturals™ Large Breed Adult Dog Lamb Meal & Rice Formula features a great lamb formula for dogs sensitive to chicken or those that simply prefer the taste of lamb.

Antioxidants to support overall good health
Controlled levels of omega fatty acids for healthy skin and coat
Added glucosamine and chondroitin to support healthy joints
No Wheat, No Corn, No Soy

A lamb formula designed specifically to meet the needs of your large or giant breed adult dog. Added features will enhance overall good health, helping your dog live a happy and healthy life.

Ingredients:
Lamb meal, ground rice, cracked pearled barley, millet, egg product, rice bran, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), dried plain beet pulp, flaxseed, natural flavor, fish meal, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, glucosamine hydrochloride, L-Carnitine, vitamin E supplement, chondroitin sulfate, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

Guaranteed Analysis:
Protein: 22% Fat: 12%

Caloric Content:
3,400 kcal/kg (335 kcal/cup) Calculated ME

Available in 40 lb. bags.

From Tractor Supply Co, website. $37 for a 40 pound bag. I feed Diamond Naturals. I feed the adult chicken and rice which is a little cheaper, $30 and mix it 50/50 with Extreme Athlete $38 for a 40 pound bag. I get more calories per cup that way, which means I feed less. But if this works for you, it is a decent food at a price that won't break the bank.

So Kane is 10 weeks today. He had his vet checkup and all looks good. Fecal did not reveal anything at this time. However, he has had loose/soft stools off and on and the vet said his coat looked a little dry. I have been feeding Victor Select Hi-Pro Plus for active dogs and puppies. The vet wasn't very familiar with it and she said GSD puppies tend to have sensitive stomachs and felt that it could be his food causing the problem. She gave him something for intestinal parasites and said that if I don't see anything in his stool, it most likely could be the food and I should consider something else.

There are sooooo many different diets out there. Can you all please recommend some that you like and that have worked well with your dogs? Thank you!

There is a 'sticky' on the topic of puppy food. The first thread in this section, just above your new thread. If it's any consolation, you aren't the only one...

I have been pleased with 4-Health puppy food. No grains and the puppies did well. I plan to continue using it; just discovered it with my last litter. I hope you find this helpful. You will probably get about as many different answers as responders. Best of luck.

Thanks guys. I'll some reading up in the 'sticky' topics.

I think it's always good to ask, because things change, both in the actual food that's available, manufacturing processes, etc., and also peoples' experiences.

This looks like the Victor food? http://midamericapetfood.com/victordogfood/highpro.html Some dogs may not do well on the sorghum? That food has beef, chicken, pork, and fish. Maybe start with something more simple and work up to a food with more proteins? I remember Jean talking about doing that once with young pups, but I don't know what type of age guidelines she uses.