In order for a puppy to grow up healthy, active, cheerful and joyful, great attention needs to be paid to his nutrition. Therefore, it must be useful, correct and of high quality.
German Shepherd puppy nutrition in the first month of life
From an early age, you must first adjust the height of the bowls for feeding. Since German shepherds are large dogs, their vessel must always be at chest level throughout the entire growth period. Otherwise, bending low toward her, the puppy will form a hump on his back, the metacarpals of the forelimbs will weaken, or high cheek will develop.
In the first month of life, the puppy’s ventricle is still very small, so the maximum amount of food per day should not be more than 200 grams. Feeding is carried out every three hours, meaning this amount of food is divided by the number of meals.
From the first days, babies feed exclusively on their mother’s breast milk. If they are on artificial feeding, then until 15 days of age they eat only milk or milk formula.
By the age of one and a half months, when puppies can be handed out or sold, two types of meat products are already included in their diet. Two types of carbohydrate food - oatmeal and rice porridge. Milk and dairy products (low-fat cottage cheese and kefir).
Metabolism at this age is very active, a monthly doggie is half the size of a two-month-old dog. Therefore, meals should be regular, food nutritious and easily digestible.
Raw meat
A very important product for an animal is meat. It is given to babies scalded with boiling water or slightly boiled. Some breeders freeze for 24 hours so as not to infect tetrapods with parasites. After cut into small pieces and fed. A large number of vitamins and minerals, which are so necessary for a growing body, are contained in it.
If the dog has an upset stomach, the meat product should be given only in boiled form. On the third broth after cooking meat, porridge is prepared for the kids. Do not mix milk porridge with boiled meat, such food is very poorly absorbed in the dog's body.
Porridge
For good digestion, give only oatmeal, buckwheat or rice porridge. Semolina and millet groats are poorly absorbed by the pet’s ventricle.
Cottage cheese is optionally ground, be sure to dilute it with an egg or kefir. If he is too viscous, the puppy may choke on them.
Feeding a German Shepherd puppy at 2-3 months of age
By this age, the baby is already noticeably grown and a little stronger. The same goes for his digestive tract organs. The stomach is able to digest fiber of plant origin. This means that now is the time to introduce boiled carrots into the diet. In a porridge, you need to add one teaspoon of sunflower oil (unrefined).
The volume of food must be increased to 300 gr. per day, frequency of feeding - 5 times. Also, the puppy needs additional mineral supplements in the form of fruits and vegetables. Therefore, babies are offered an apple or a slice of watermelon between feedings. In winter, when there is not enough sunlight, they additionally give the dog a drop of vitamin D diluted in oil, so it is better absorbed.
To develop the jaws and scratch the teeth, it is worth giving the pet a large brain bone. The baby will gnaw her with pleasure, play with her for a long time. If the puppy lives on the street, then it is better to give the bone in raw form, so it is more useful. In an apartment, in order to avoid the unpleasant smell of a "toy", it is lightly welded. And then soups and cereals are cooked on this broth.
How much and what does a puppy need to eat at 4 months
The number of feedings in 4 months is reduced to 3 times a day, the total amount of food should not exceed 400 gr. There are small dogs that eat very little, respectively, and will develop worse. Therefore, a loving owner will have to feed the dog by any means.
At this age, babies begin the adult stage of life - milk teeth change to permanent. Therefore, the diet should have an increased amount of calcium. Vitamin supplements and calcium gluconate can be purchased at any pharmacy and daily add a doggie to food.
In addition, by the age of four months, German shepherds get ears. If this does not happen, it means that the cartilage is weakened in the dogs. To strengthen it, collagen is introduced into a nutritious diet. Most often give 2 tablespoons of gelatin, previously soaked in a glass of water. When a jelly-like mass forms, add it every time you feed. Some owners of four-legged buy food additives containing essential substances.
At this age, you need to start adding meat offal. They can be scraps from beef heads or broths from chicken heads and paws, it contains an increased amount of gelatin.
For the proper development of the skeleton, it is simply necessary to add special additives to the feed containing chondoprotectors.
Color reinforcement
The color of the German shepherd is completely dependent on its nutrition. After all, the pigment, which is responsible for the brightness of the color, accumulates in the first two years of the dog’s life. Therefore, they need to add raw grated carrots and dried seaweed to their food. If you do not give the puppy the necessary pigment, then its fur will be pale and faded.
What you need to eat a puppy of a German shepherd up to 1 year
The number of feedings up to one year remains three times. The required amount of meat can be slightly reduced by replacing offal in the form of liver and hearts from chicken, beef, rabbit or turkey. It is unacceptable to offer the animal pork or lamb offal.
If a male, he no longer needs milk, girls need this product daily. Porridge is prepared by mixing several cereals at the same time.
Prohibited Products
It is forbidden to give dogs, even if they strongly ask - sweets and rolls, smoked and salted. Grapes, citrus fruits, sorrel and legumes.
