Last Updated on October 24, 2022 by Amanda P. Brown
When I was little, I didn’t eat very well; I often left food on my plate, to which my grandmother constantly said: “the dogs are praying for you; they will get your food today. In my opinion, my grandmother wasn’t the only one who stated it. It’s no secret that we frequently give dogs food off of our table.
It is a common mistake that owners do not understand why a dog has problems with the digestive system. After all, what we eat is not suitable for feeding animals since our food is too high in calories and contains a lot of spices, salt, and sugar. What Can German Shepherds Not Eat? You can read this article for the answer.
What Can German Shepherds Not Eat? 20 Prohibited Foods for German Shepherds
Table of Contents
It is a common mistake for many owners to give their pet leftovers from their table and then wonder why the dog suffers from problems with the digestive system. A home-cooked diet is not suitable for feeding animals as it is too high in calories and contains a lot of spices, salt, and sugar.
- Meat of Fat Varieties (Pork, Lamb)
- Chicken, Pork, and Fish Bones
- Macaroni Products
- Potato
- All Types of Sausages, Including Sausages
- Sweet and Unsweetened Pastries
- Legumes (Peas, Lentils, Beans)
- Smoked, Fried, or Dried Meat
- Flour Dishes (Bread, Dumplings, Pies)
- Chocolate and Candy Bars
- Mushrooms
- Raw River Fish
- Salted and Pickled Vegetables
- Canned Meat, Fish, and Vegetables
- Semolina, Millet, and Pearl Barley Porridge
- Citrus Fruits
- Nuts and Seeds
- Raw Milk
- Dishes Containing Spices and Spices
- Fat (Vegetable and Animal)
Important: you can’t flavor the porridge of pets with vegetable or animal fat left after roasting meat and vegetables, as it is highly harmful to the liver of animals
Overview of German Shepherds Diet
German Shepherds are strong, robust, and hardy animals. But dogs of this breed have a weak digestive system and are prone to stomach diseases, diarrhea and constipation. Since meat is the main food item of the animal, so it must be present in their daily diet. But it is impossible to feed an adult shepherd dog only meat products because of the normal functioning of the digestive system. They need not only proteins but also carbohydrates.
Shepherd dogs’ daily food allowance is calculated using the following guideline:
- 50% Protein (Meat, offal, eggs, cottage cheese)
- 30% Carbohydrates (cereals, vegetables, and fruits that contain fiber)
- 20% Fat, whether of animal or vegetable origin.
3 Types of Feeding
There are 3-types of feeding:
- Natural Food
- Dry Food
- Combined Meals
1. Natural Food
Experienced German owners are sure natural food is better suited for feeding these dogs. When feeding a naturalist, animals receive all the elements necessary for the body’s normal functioning, and their menu has a diverse composition.
The Natural Diet of a German Shepherd Consists of:
- Meat and offal: Beef, chicken, lamb, and rabbit are cut into small pieces and fed to dogs raw. Meat needs to be boiled or scorched with hot water. Giving your pets beef kidneys, hearts, and liver is also useful. Offal is also better to cook, except for the liver. Giving it in its raw state will be ideal.
- Vegetables: Cook, steam, raw vegetables, and feed whatever you want. On their menu, you can include carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, pumpkin, celery, and beets. Only tomatoes are advised to be peeled. Otherwise, they can clog Shepherd’s stomach and provoke digestive problems.
- Porridge: Cereals are boiled in water or meat broth. Porridge can mix with meat and vegetables. And do not forget that adult Shepherd dogs can’t eat porridge on milk!!!! Otherwise, the yard will be full of smelly surprises!
- Eggs: They can feed both raw and boiled, but experts recommend giving eggs white only in raw form. Shepherds are suitable for feeding chicken, quail, and turkey eggs. You should add the egg to the animal menu twice a week.
- Fish: You can feed your shepherd hake, mackerel, tuna, flounder, and Pollock, preferably boiled and thoroughly cleaned.
- Fermented Milk Products: Dogs are given fermented baked milk, cottage cheese, curdled milk, and natural yogurts without additives and fillers.
- Fruits: Shepherd dogs are not averse to eating apples, watermelon pulp, apricots, and strawberries.
- Greenery: Add small amounts of chopped parsley, spinach, celery, and lettuce leaves to the dishes.
Read More: 15-Healthy Vegetables for German Shepherd
I think everyone understands that these foods should be high-quality and fresh. Fruits are washed, carrots are cleaned, and so on -as for self.
2. Dry Food
When feeding dry food, the owner gets an easy life. You do not need to cook daily. Calculating the norms of fat and carbohydrates is also not necessary. Keep in mind that not all feeds are high quality and balanced, so you should check the components and their proportions before feeding anything.
Dry Food is Divided Into 4- Categories:
- Holistic Approaches: Elite, expensive H olistic food. All ingredients are completely natural – without artificial additives, preservatives, flavorings, and colorants. They need to be of the finest quality and worth to the animal. Vegetables, meat, and fish are examples of such foods, but packaged foods and fillers are not. The shepherd dog acquires all the necessary nutrients and vitamins by feeding such food. Veterinarians and professional breeders have both given these favorable diet evaluations.
- Super Premium Class: Ingredients such as fresh vitamins, meat, vegetables, and essential nutrients are included in the food. The best possible quality is thought to be present in it. This broad category covers both puppy food and adult dog food.
- Premium Class: Premium and premium+ feeds contain pellets from meat, offal, cereals, and vegetables. It isn’t the ideal option for your German shepherd because it’s made with ingredients like artificial colors and taste enhancers.
- Economy Class: Economy-class feed pellets include ground bones, cartilage and tendons, and vegetables. And some of them contain too much grain, which, as you know, is entirely unsuitable for dog food. They don’t offer any nutritional value for Germans. These foods also contain a lot of preservatives, flavorings, and colorants, which can create allergies in the animal. Therefore, feeding the German shepherd with economy-class food is not recommended.
You should select super-premium and holistic class foods for German Shepherds. you should not feed dogs of this breed cheap, subpar economy, or premium food pellets; such a diet can increase the risk of health. The daily norm of dry food is six to seven hundred grams.
Special Note!!!
Provide your dog with some boiling cartilage one time weekly. Since using dry granules leads to the appearance of tartar, cartilage is excellent for cleaning teeth from plaque and preventing tartar.
Combined Meals
Combined or mixed food refers to a diet consisting of natural and industrial food. Some people feed their shepherd dogs this type of food. They think that their shepherd will pick all nutritional elements according to their demand among both types.
But experts say these combined foods can disturb a dog’s digestive system. Because the dog has taken different times to consume natural foods and dry pellets. It would be best if you give natural food and commercial foods separately. Otherwise, the dog’s health will be decreased.
Natural products take 2 to 3 hours to consume, whereas ready-made products take 2 to 5 hours. Thus raw foods go into the intestines in only 2 hours, but dry foods remain in the stomach for a long time. As a result, fermentation starts, and the dog’s stomach bloat.
I think combined food is good if we give them separately. You can feed natural foods in the morning and dry foods in the evening. Thus, your dog will get both types of food nutrition.
The ideal amount of food you can feed your dog is: A bowl of natural food should not include more than ½ liter, and dry food should not exceed 300 grams.
Diet of German Shepherds With Special Needs
During a certain period of life, dogs should be specially allowed to choose the menu. We’re referring to expecting females, pets who are ill or being treated, and senior animals.
The female dog whose pregnancy is -2 month running or who give lactation- need three meals daily. Their chart should have mainly boiled liver, cottage cheese, fresh meat, and milk porridge. As additional elements on the menu, bone meal and vitamins A and D are introduced.
When your shepherd is ill or after rehabilitation or surgery, normally, he doesn’t move much. So, giving them light and low-calorie food would be best during these periods.
Moreover, when your German crosses his 6th birthday, age-related changes in his body are revealed over time. After that time you can consider him old. Being old, all animals lose their physical activity, including shepherds. So they require a special diet.
You can give them protein-rich food and vitamin C and E-rich food. Low-fat fresh meats, easily consumable vegetables, and fermented dairy products can be the basic parts of their chart.
Read More: How Much Should a German Shepherd Eat a Day?
Final Verdict
The owner must approach the feeding of German Shepherds responsibly and carefully. After all, the development and health of dogs depend on the quality of products and a properly formulated diet. In this matter, you can’t be negligent, considering that homemade food or leftovers from your table are suitable for pets.
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