I found this dog about 2 1/2 months ago and he came to me completely traumatized. He was scared of cars scared of men and had no training. He was not microchipped and wasn’t wearing tags. The vet thinks when I found him (2/16/26) he was about 10-12 months old. Luckily, we now have the best bond I could ever have imagined for us and he's super happy and has learned so much but I really want to get him on a raw diet because he does not do well with regular kibble. I need everybody's advice with this. I didn't sign up for a GSD but I want to give him the best life possible and I want to make sure he's happy and healthy so if anyone can help me with where to get these raw diet materials, what's the best products etc., I would really appreciate it and Koda would too 🤎
Ya I am pretty sure my pup is allergic to salmon. I had her eating salmon kibble with some salmon oil added and her poop was mush. Soon as I switched she is fine. I got her royal canine for shepherd puppies now and she is loving it.
We have two GS, a boy and girl, 6 and 9, and I’ve learned their stomachs are very finicky and any change in diet can create loose stool but often after many days it stabilizes. From researching GS, it seems like that’s common. So you might give it a week, if you haven’t yet, and transition from one food to another slowly. (May have done that of course and or it might be a bit different with puppies :) )
We have both of ours on two different salmon kibbles (one is a senior so hers is a lower calorie senior blend) now and they do well. But that’s after trying others over the years and having issues including our boy would get recurring ear infections. He gets them easily including if he has table food bites and such.
They both get a tiny bit of fish oil in their food in the last 6 months, but we had to dial it back to a very small measurement because otherwise they had the runs.
Ya I let it ride for a while because it didn’t even turn to diarrhea right away. But it did for two days in a row and this was after half of a 20 pound bag was gone. She also got real flaky skin. Which was weird because of the salmon oil I was giving her.
My vet told me to try switching foods and literally the next day she had hard poos again. I can tell she has a finicky stomach already because certain things I put in her Kong will upset her stomach as well. I use her kibble now instead of treats most of the time in her puzzles and when training. She is only 4 months old I am hoping she grows out of this a little bit.
I don’t know about raw -lots of reaearch coming out that they DO need grains which raw diets very often neglect unless one is fastidious in balancing. One of my boys has a chicken allergy and we have him on Canidae Pure Salmon. We do a topper of Honest Kitchen dehydrated fruit/veg blend and a bit of water and he’s good to go!
I am in agreement with you. The newer studies seem to show that grain free does more harm than good. More specifically cases of Dilated Cardiomyopathy in dogs without genetic risk.
Unpopular opinion here maybe but I don’t think raw is a good idea, especially when you don’t know what you’re doing. It can be really dangerous, actually.
What kibble/wet food have you tried? Have you spoken to his vet about it? You’ve only had him 2.5 months so realistically you cant have tried more than 2 foods long enough for his tummy to get used to it. I would gradually switch to a sensitive stomach food. Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach is a popular one for pups who are sensitive to poultry, and not outrageously expensive.
ETA: Also the FortiFlora probiotic packets help a lot. You could also try a prescription diet, depending on how severe the issues are.
I never really got sold on the raw diet, my boy has had eating and tummy issues "soft poops" since he was young. We tried everything, even the raw diet and it seemed to make things worse. We eventually landed on the Hill Science Kibble. Been a year now and no issues at all
In vetmed this is is actually the predominant opinion. You have a dog not a wolf, they dont need to eat raw meat. Kibble is made to have all the nutrients your dog needs and raw meat -IN THIS ECONOMY- is not the safest thing to feed your dog. Salmonella risk is too high. No dogs need raw diets.
Is he allergic to chicken? I had trouble finding kibble that my pups belly agreed with until I realized he had a chicken and poultry sensitivity. He now eats acana wholesome grains sea & farm puppy recipe.
Obviously raw diet is supreme, but do be mindful that he will likely need a special nutrient diet until he is 2 years old and growth slows. Beautiful boy!
My last German shepherd had a chicken allergy. We spent hundreds on vet consultations before someone finally suggested we get her on a chicken free diet. Was a game changer for her skin health
Mine has a red meat allergy! Took months to figure it out. She’d have a solid poop and then straight liquid diarrhea, throw up, and then have more of a soft serve textured bowel moment. It was terrible. I switched her to chicken and eliminated all red meat (pork counts as red meat) and now she’s doing great on kibble. Turns out her sire is also allergic to red meats and the breeder found out along with us.
I’m not sure about the allergy to chicken. I never have given him any besides chicken liver and he seemed to love that, but it was cooked. I appreciate your input and suggestions ❤️
I feed my GSD’s half raw (chicken leg quarters) they loveeeee it. Sometimes I cook up Salmon and ground beef too to switch it up. Frozen salmon is a great treat too!! Then they have kibble in between when they are feeling it… #spoiled💘😂 as they should be. 😇
You def need to get a recipe from an actual canine nutritionist. There are some bone and heart issues that can occur if they don’t have a balanced diet. I’m not an expert, I’ve just discussed it at length with my vet. There are a lot of good intention raw diets online that are lacking in scientific evidence.
My only real advice is that you just have to be careful about checking credentials. Vague and unmeasured information like “my dog is doing well” is what a lot of people will say. But there’s no data to back their claims, just anecdotes.
We can’t afford raw right now so we just using Purina Pro Plan. My GSDs like it, so I lucked out there. Their annual blood work is good and they’re at healthy weight/body comp.
He looks like my buddy! Mine had a really sensitive stomach when he came to me but years back the vet got him on Science diet biome kibble (gsd is on the bag lol) and I will never change! It was a game changer.
My poor girl Knight at 5 has just developed allergies. You can get blood work done at a vet. Or there's food intolerance tests you can order online that have great results too. (I used 5strands) And they just need a few hair strands. You may have to limit him to a single ingredient protein. I use the lamb from Merrick because there's no chicken fat, barely, or rosemary which my dog is sensitive too.
I can't help with the diet but I have to say thank you for taking Koda in. Sounds like the poor guy's had a rough life so far and now he's going to have a good life. I'll never understand how anyone could mistreat an animal like that. Congratulations on finding your new family member.
Thank you 🥹 I feel so incredibly blessed. I was in a previous relationship for 5 years and we had gotten a GSD together and named her Maple. I loved her so much but when we broke up, she was his to take. Broke my heart. Now, a year later, I found Koda chasing cars outside of my apartment and little did I know he’d be my newest addition to my family. 🫶
First of all, huge respect for giving him a safe place and building that bond, that’s not easy with a traumatized dog...🙏
About raw feeding, I’d be a bit careful. Some dogs do better on it, but it’s not automatically healthier and can actually cause problems if it’s not properly balanced. Studies show raw diets can carry bacteria like Salmonella and may lack essential nutrients if not planned with a professional.
If kibble isn’t working, a safer approach might be:
• Try high quality limited ingredient or sensitive stomach formulas
• Consider fresh cooked diets instead of raw
• Work with a vet or canine nutritionist before switching
Raw can work, but only when it’s done correctly with guidance. Otherwise it can do more harm than good.
You’re already doing an amazing job helping him recover, diet is just the next step to get right...👍
Idk about raw, its honestly more work and money than im willing to do on top of the kids, house and jobs. However they make pretty good prepackaged meals if you dont mind paying the premiums.
Also thst first pic looks like clive owens character in the movie shoot em up with the carrot
Sounds like you’re doing right by your dog, but I think a raw diet will be an unnecessary complication in your life. Find a good dry food that agrees with any digestive sensitivities, and supplement it with a little bit of wet food if you feel like you want to give him the white glove treatment.
Took me weeks to fully realise that mine had a poultry allergy, so now he eats salmon based dried food. All has been well since.
First of all beautiful dog thanks for taking him in ❤️ second, you don’t necessarily need raw food diet. You can boil some chicken breast and add to his kibble see if he eats it? Also you can add organic chicken livers (boiled) which will provide plenty of nutrients(don’t over do it maybe couple spoons). And always add fish oil too if you can it’s great for their coat, heart, allergies etc. My girl was super picky about her food when I adopted her and wouldn’t eat just kibble. But she’s very healthy now and eats it with pleasure when I add all of the above. if you’re set on raw food diet I can’t help you much. You’ll need to find trusted butcher shop.
I’ve only tried Hill Science diet sensitive stomach and skin. After realizing it was making him sick I have been giving him a variety of quinoa, carrots, cooked ground beef, chicken livers, sweet potato’s, sardines, Greek yogurt, blueberries, brown rice, bone broth, salmon, and lamb. Thought I was doing the right thing because my lab is looking great and her stools have been fantastic. But he’s losing weight and his poops aren’t always consistent.
I also tried hills with my gsd and it gave him runny poops, but we switched to pro plan salmon and rice and he’s been good ever since. Definitely give it a go if you can as raw diets can be dangerous. Also check with your vet and stay away from grain free diets
Depending on your budget I would consult with a nutritionist! My guy needed a highly specialized diet and the vet hand crafted a homemade recipe for him based on his needs. It cost $425 for the vet to hand create the recipe, which cost will likely vary based on where you are. He has very specific medical needs so it was necessary for the vet to do it. But it may give you peace of mind to have someone who specializes in nutrition to create a recipe that caters specifically to him. Also he is so adorable! That last picture is exactly how my guy looks at me, it’s very clear that he loves you a lot! You two are lucky to have each other!
Try some of the much better quality kibble like “farm food”, they’re an entirely different beast from the regular cheap ones.
If you want good normal food for your dog; cook for them.
We did it for years for our girl:
40% grains, boiled. We did lots of buckwheat, quinoa, lentils, rice and others on rotation.
30% lean meat, boiled, chicken breast, turkey, chicken hearts, chicken lungs, chicken bellies or other, but primarily the healthiest leaner ones like chickenbreast or organs.
vegetables boiled, carrots, brocolli, cauliflower, cabbages, brussel sprouts, any her stomach would be good with.
Then mix them all together in a sort of rotation. It’s pure food which she’d go nuts for as its all healthy. But boiled makes sure it’s safe and sensitive and healthy versus raw.
It’s a lot of work, we would do it every two weeks in big batches for several hours to make enough kilo for that time period and freeze it.
My wife is a vet and hates that people do this. I understand the desire but it's far more complicated than just cooking some food. Buying a quality dog food is going to be a much simpler and SAFER option. Don't buy grain free either because that can be dangerous AF. A quality brand has nutritionists making sure the diet is healthy and safe. Now I'm not saying it can't be done but it's takes a huge effort for little gain because quality dog food is very healthy for your dog. If you decide you must do a different route it shouldn't be raw but cooked and not relying on Internet help but with guidance from your Vet. It should go without saying that quality dog food only comes from the US, not from China. It's awesome that you two found each other and I have no doubt you will cherish each other. Dogs are the best. Best of luck.
Lucky! He's so pretty. You've got a bestie for life. Idk about raw but I gave my baby Fromm (duck and sweet potato flavor was his favorite) and he also ate a lot of rotisserie chicken and veggies and he lived to be 14 and a half 🥰
Shepherds are prone to chicken allergies. Fiber is also extremely important in their diet. My vet actually recommended not doing raw with ours because it can intensify gastro issues.
My foster failure male had dietary issues and two vets put him on a high protein diet if I remember correctly. We moved and I took him to a new vet for a checkup. New vet said let’s try and restart his system with a tapering prednisone regimen. Worked a charm. Ate regular dog food and here we are 11 years later!
I think there a ton of intermediary steps in between kibble and raw and you should check out at least a few of them. Easy to try: meal toppers. Mix in stews (little packages from pet store) or anything really that makes the kibble appealing but is able to be mixed so homogenous in that he can’t just pick out the yummy stuff and leave the rest
You didn’t sign up for him but from the looks of it he signed up for you lol! I would start by getting a few small bags of food from zignature or a similar brand each made with a grains and a different meat, it sounds like he has an allergy to what’s in the food you have tried. If his tummy is still up set I would move onto trying the grain free formulas. I hope you get it figured out, he looks so happy!
We have two GSD’s and feed them a 1/4 cup of kibble and we make our own version of fresh food. We make it in a crock pot and our GSD’s love it.
3lbs of ground turkey Small bag of frozen peas & carrots Small bag of green beans Small bag of frozen spinach Small bag of cubed sweet potatoes 3/4 cup of wild brown rice 1 cup of water
This makes enough for 4 days, twice a day feedings for two GSD’s.
I'm a vet tech and I can tell you from a veterinary point of view, we all hate it and sigh uugghhh internally when someone tells us their dog is on a raw diet. I've aeen multiple dogs get sick from eating raw. They are not wolves anymore and should be fed a food that was formulated by a veterinary nutritionist and gone through food trials to prove that they're nutritionally complete. It's also a risk to you and anyone else in the house. And no grain free!!!! He's an absolutely gorgeous dog, I'm so happy he found a good home with you! ❤️
Hello and welcome to the wild and wonderful world of being a GSD owner!
For anyone interested in starting to feed raw, I highly recommend watching videos from this channel, she has some great beginner and introductory playlists:
If you're still in the learning phase, just start with a commercial raw product. I have only done homemade raw so I don't really have brand recommendations but I'm sure other owners will chime in with their preferences.
Took a while for my guy, he was a 2x runaway/stray and had GI issues the first 9 months I had him. I’ll assume it was because he had to scavenge food while on the street.
It took awhile to dial in the kibble product and probiotic to get it corrected without too much GI interference with food he would enjoy and be able to manage on the outbound.
Maybe try Hills prescription to start and then introduce a different brand and tweak after a few months?
He’s amazing looking and congrats on your rescue and journey with him.
I get a blended chicken mix from local butcher for my dog. Feed it to him raw, frozen. He gets kibble, royal canine. Supplements include sweet potatoes, veggies & ice cubes. Avoid pea & pea protein, legumes in general as there's evidence it leads to cardio issues. Biggest thing is if he's active & good weight. That will keep him healthier. Got a good vet? Got a firm stand on consistency w training? Got a good pair of toenail trimmers? Congrats on your new best friend. He looks like he's at home with you 🐾❣️
Thanks!! That’s super helpful. I have a great vet, got us training classes and he’s learning very quickly, and he came to me with his nails filed down so short that they STILL haven’t grown out yet enough for me to cut. Not sure it was from him running on the pavement for so long, or if his previous owners were tired of him scratching that they turned his claws into nubs. Luckily he lets me touch his paws still 🥹
A growing German shepherd REALLY needs a balanced diet for their joints. A large breed puppy kibble would be just fine. If you do raw wrong, you could make him really sick.
He’s conpletely gorgeous!!! I went through a bunch of different kibbles for my shepherd when he was younger and he ended up doing the best on purina pro plan performance. I get the allure of raw but it’s extremely difficult to do well, and a young GSD needs all the nutrients in order to get their joints and eyes set up well for life! (The breed is prone to hip and wrist issues and Pannus) please talk to your vet about what they’d recommend to make sure you’re meeting his nutritional needs. GSDs are also prone to allergies, mine gets a cytopoint shot to manage his regularly but switching him to pro plan several years ago completely eliminated all his GI symptoms and skin issues- now he just gets itchy in the spring.
Good luck with your pup! They’re the best dogs 💙
Try prescription food first. Raw diets seem really sketchy, and dogs need a lot of micronutrients that are hard for you to manage. GSD stomach issues are fairly common, but could be easily solved on the right dog food.
The most important thing a out raw diet is BALANCE. You need to know the ratios of muscle meat, bone, and organ and weigh each meal. Lots of variety since different meats have different nutritional profiles. Dogs cannot digest cellulose, which is the cell wall of plants, so any fruits or veggies need to be blended to burst these cell walls in advance.
Easier would be to purchase a balanced raw diet like Honest Kitchen. I started with Nature's Variety raw diet patties. If you use products like these, you also want to incorporate raw meaty bones for dental and jaw health. But again, balance is the name of the game. If you want to do it, lots of research is your first step. Any kibble diet is going to be better than an unbalanced raw.
Your dog looks healthy, but another consideration for dietary issues is EPI which is frequent in GSD. Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Vets can test for this, some require prescriptions but some are OK with over the counter pancreatic enzymes. I had a girl who was negative for EPI, but using using the enzymes was a game changer for weight gain and solid poo. Called her my sub-epi for testing negative but improving on enzymes.
You have a great dog. It will be a very rewarding relationship. So smart, loyal and intuitive. Especially rescues. They know and will forever be grateful. You are so lucky. Mines a beef girl. Anything else and its a messy experience
I fed my papillons a raw diet and they loved it. We got a GSD last year from the local pound and we tried her on raw food and she would not eat it unless it was cooked which defeated the purpose of it. We tried many different options at local spot.
Shes just on the brand of kibble that the pound had her on and shes doing very well on it. Her diet is supplemented with lots of treats like freeze dried sardines, salmon, duck strips, and pigs ears. Sometimes table scraps as dogs are omnivores but it’s a very small amount and not daily.
I’ve tried carrots with her and she won’t eat them. She’ll shred them. My other dogs have loved carrots.
Your dog looks very happy and healthy. I wish you both many happy years.
Look into making home made food. Its so much healthier that store bought. I make my dogs food and he is 12 yrs old. So much healthier. Just my opinion. Too many chemicals in pet food.
I wouldn’t go raw. Tried that with my first GSD and she always had digestive issues. Have you tried the Royal Canin german shepherd formula?I’ve had terrific results with it for both of my GSDs. Healthy digestion, healthy coats, healthy joints.
Beautiful boy. Raw is expensive but this is Ripley, 3 yo F, 29 kilos, raised on: ground beef, diced or stir fry cuts of beef, diced chicken breast, chicken giblets pieces and chicken necks. Also recently added canned sardines or herring. No health issues or rashes (so far). I’ve recently also tried sometimes adding some kibble SoulMate slow roasted chicken from New Zealand which she seems to like (I’m in Australia so may not be available in the US). Good luck to both of you.
Our gsd is called Koda too! She loves raw feeding, we currently have her in a possum and venison mixed mince with bones and organs ground in too. She gets itchy with chicken so pretty much ruled out most commercial foods available where we are but luckily we found a fur place that makes dog food with the carcass
Edited to add, we do offer a lamb kibble alongside it so not entirely raw fed
I feed my 11 month old GSD mix with Mush Barf (sold in all pet stores in Finland) Vaisto Puppy Ice Blue. After she's 1 year old, I will switch to Vaisto Blue.
I gave a lot of thought and done a lot of research about how to feed my dog better. She's recently been to the vet who praised her health so much :') Feel free to send me a message if you want to chat about it!
Dr. Lotatti is an internal medicine vet in Studio City. I mention her by name because I found her to be a terrific Dr. She recommends against a raw diet. Cooking kills bacteria. A raw diet exposes dogs to pathogens that are harmful to their health.
She prescribed Royal Canin hydrolyzed protein dog food for my GSD’s allergies. This diet was life changing. I mention the Rx diet to underscore another Reddit comment about GSDs——They have very sensitive digestive systems.
Great choice. I feed my GSD a combination of cooked butternut squash, raw fresh green beans, and Primal Beef Nuggets. You can buy them frozen or freeze dried. Huge difference in her coat, skin, and overall health once I got her off that nasty kibble she came with from the rescue fosters. I’ll get downvoted (don’t care) by the anti-raw Redditers. Good luck.
I do raw for my cats but would never do it for my dogs because: 1) it's expensive; 2) dogs don't need raw. To do raw correctly, please remember to include a source of calcium, liver, a secondary secreting organ, eggs and balance it with some fish oil. Since your pup is still growing, the ratio of calcium: phosphate is different from that of an adult dog. Your dog needs bone as his source of calcium--think chicken wings or turkey necks. It's A LOT of work to do raw correctly. Don't just throw raw meat in a bowl.
I feed mine kangaroo. Not sure if it is a thing where you are. It’s lean meat. Also steamed chicken breasts are good. Even if you can make a little broth. Also, pasta is good, spagbol. Even rice, carrots, sweet potato and pumpkin.
It seems like your dog has found the best place they could be and would love whatever you made.
GSD's are notorious for sensitive stomachs. I have mine on Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach large breed. It's the one with the German Shepherd on the bag...
I know you asked about raw diet. I have no experience. But I do know you must do any diet change slowly. Even if changing kibble, do not do a complete change from one bowl to the next.
Great looking boy. You might not have signed up for a GSD, but you will find out that there isn't a better friend or dog out there.
I can only speak to a GSD puppy that is 4 months. But I did do a lot of research and had similar stomach issues with my pitty before she passed. I stick to salmon/rice mixes. They seem to be more tolerant on the stomach and make my puppys coat super smooth and shiny. We use the Purina Pro Plan Large Puppy Breed. Purina Pro Plan (not regular purina) are 1 of I think 5 brands that meet a specific standard in testing with real science behind it.
I would try something like that first before committing to a natural diet. Also most vets will tell you to not feed your dogs raw meats (depending on what you meant by raw). Cook the meat without any spices, and mix in rice and dog friendly veggies. The biggest thing about homemade dog food is ensuring you are getting the proper level of nutrients per serving for a GSD.
We have our 5 month old GSD on Nulo Salmon Limited Ingredient and she does fabulous on it! She absolutely devours her food too every time without having to use food toppers. Her stools are firm and regular as well.
Beautiful GSD 🐕 I’m glad you kept him and he will give you nothing but good memories 😀
My GSD (RIP at almost 14 years) wasn’t allergic to anything, but her last year she wasn’t eating her kibble as much. Given her age at 13 she was loosing a bit of will, so me and my mom would increase her chicken breasts intake to every day and give her chicken broth added to the kibble to be just enough for the kibble to soak up the broth.
If your GSD is sensitive to spices, I would cook the chicken bland or almost bland.
Remember to also give him multivitamins. I gave mine from a brand called Pet Honesty. I recommend to give your GSD one or two less tablets/chewable of what the brand vitamins recommended, so that your GSD’s gut can adjust to the vitamins 😀
The kibble brand I gave to my GSD for her last half of her life was Blue Buffalo, before that it was Iams and the Costco brand. All of those brands had chicken and brown rice as main ingredients. I also gave my GSD high protein treats, but that would also depend on your dog’s guy sensitivity
Highly recommend some professional training and maybe an assessment re: aggression or reactivity. You will love a shepherd. After this you'll always want one.....or more.....around.
What we do with ours is we use a a fun feeder bowl to slow down his feeding time and make it more fun for him. We get high end kibble (simply nourish salmon or lamb) that we put on the bottom and then switch out certain types of veggies and fruits for each meal.
One of his favorite meals is kibble on the bottom with a spoon of raw lamb, one raw egg, a spoon of cottage cheese, spoon of mashed sweet potato, and some blueberries on top. We add a little bit of warm water and he just dives in. These are all small portions so it wont cost an arm and a leg but he loves it. German shepards can sometimes be picky eaters so its mostly trial and error. Just make sure to read into what not to feed them before getting creative.
OP I also fed raw for awhile and something I didn’t consider is how much of a pain it was to travel! For a road trip you really have to prepare and make sure you have tons of space/the ability to keep things frozen
Have you had him tested for EPI? Mine had to switch to a low fat dry food with an enzyme that helps the pancreas break down and absorb nutrients. Also takes a b12 supplement since they get deficient with EPI.
Some GSDs have allergies, can be a specific protein, or they can react to too many carbs. One of mine used to get yeast infections in his ears. Try chicken and rice or lamb and rice, then a good chicken and rice kibble or lamb and rice kibble, and top that with stew (meat and vegetables) or hard boiled eggs, etc. Lamb is usually better if they have a sensitive tummy. For nerves, ask your vet. There are lots of calming chews and supplements, hemp, c b d, etc. for dogs. That might help nervousness.
I have never fed any of my gsd’s a raw diet. They get a combination of rice with cooked veggies and we rotate between chicken, beef and turkey. Super happy I have gotten some of my gsd’s in rough shape. It was pretty much rice w/canned pumpkin until they felt better. Never kibble
I had amazing success with feeding raw. My boy was struggling with all kinds of skin irritations, ear infections and inflammation. Since I feed him raw pork mixed with spinach, broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes, blueberries and either rice or barley. 80% meat.
He’s doing very well now, all allergies have vanished
GSDs can have very sensitive guts when young. Mine cannot tolerate more than about 12% fat right now and he needs very digestible fiber. It took me months to figure that out. Month later I’m still tracking everything that goes into his mouth and every poop he takes. He couldn’t tolerate raw like our other GSD.
I’d suggest sticking to what you are feeding now, nothing else. Track poops on a 1-10 scale and aim for 7/10 for a few weeks. Then slowly start adding in the food you want to switch to. Monitor for a few weeks. If poop slides back to 1-5/10 for more than a few days, dial it back until they can sustain 7/10 for a few more weeks and then try again at a lower ratio.
It can be a slow process but just randomly changing foods without tracking is hard.
Mine is now on Ollie. I tried all the foods out there, my guy had a big time chicken allergy. Ollie is a winner.
Also, in one of your pictures, his ears look really red. Clean them and hope no ear infection. Good luck, he will be your best friend ever.
We mix ours with kibble. I meal prep it in advance. You can find what you need at a grocery store but if you have a Mexican grocer they are treasure troves.
We do roughly 60% organ meat + 20% not organ meat + 10% brown grain + 10% veggie typically sweet potato, pumpkin, spinach. I mix it up and these aren’t exact.
Easy to find organ meats are Liver, Gizzard, if you find an ethnic grocer you’ll find beef heart and tongue. My reg grocery store has pigs feet, pig nose, cow nose, and chickens feet.
We have five kids so we try to keep this simple though my wife refuses to let me use frozen or canned anything you def could.
All from the grocery.
90% ground turkey
Eggs
Calf liver
Chick wings (few times a week)
Sardines (once a week - they pack on weight)
Broccoli / green beans / carrots
Tangerine / apple
Probiotic when needed
Dental powder
And I have a joint supplement for my girl
Forgot to add: I was giving her rice and sour dough for grains. But she’s been on a bit of a diet because… too many sardines! Rice you have to be careful - longer than day old rice can mold - you could freeze into packs. She loves sourdough though and it’s good for her tummy!
Honestly, he’s young and still growing. I wouldn’t mess around with raw anything. I would get him on a good high quality kibble for larger breeds and add some fresh food/meats as topper if you want! I saw you tried some but maybe it wasn’t the right brand as these dogs can have sensitive stomachs.
A dogs diet is not something you should wing or try to figure out quickly if you’re not already educated. They have very specific nutritional requirements. I would talk to your vet and ask them to refer you to a nutritionist who can help you come up with a balanced raw diet. Or you can try just food for dogs fresh frozen food.
My dog does hills sensitive skin and stomach dry and wet food and zignature wet food. Dry food is for breakfast, wet food is for dinner and I will add in some veggies, an egg, some meat, etc. she also gets salmon oil, joint supplement and probiotic powder.
It’s also very important you keep a healthy weight as they can be prone to hip problems.
Also, please learn about GVD also called bloat and how to prevent it and the signs. It is common in German shepherds and deadly.
Congrats on your new son! Thanks for taking him in and I hope you both enjoy each other so much!! <3
I switched my Mal x GSD to purina pro sensitive stomach salmon kibble with their probiotics and after a month her stools were fine, crazy farting stopped and now she is consistent with her poop, always solid and never has stomach issues (except for a bout with giardia). I also keep her training treats in a range of 4-5 different brands so I’m not introducing things that may cause stomach issues
I had my two rescues on Acana Wild Atlantic for nearly their whole lives and they did great. The glossiest and softest coats that EVERYONE wanted to touch. 1 cup twice a day is all they needed to maintain 80# their whole life. Plenty of calories and easy weight management (keep him lean so he doesn't carry too much weight).
Raw can be helpful in certain medical situations, but just like humans, if you don't require a restricted diet you probably shouldn't exclude a whole foods group (or two). Fortunately Acana has fiber, even if not grains. And just like people, dogs need fiber to poop. GSD's are already infamous for sensitive stomachs, so I would find a high quality kibble (like Acana) and stick with that (if you are very active with him, get the higher protein Orijen, but be careful, this gave my boys diarrhea because it was too much).
Any time he gets upset stomach and throws up or diarrhea, don't feed for at least one meal, maybe two, until distress stops. Let his guts calm down, then reintroduce food as cooked rice and canned pumped. After poops are solid again, take a week to gradually decrease rice/pumpkin and increase kibble again, back to two meals a day.
Don't over complicate it. A stinky fishy food will absolutely have his attention and he'll never be picky. If he tolerates that well, just keep it regular. Don't change all the time. Don't introduce treats. Don't change bags or formulas based on sales. Pick a bag, and stick with it. For a few years I tried to give marrow bones for Xmas treats, but inevitably both would get diarrhea. So I just kept the bones in the freezer and let them lick the essence and nibble a few minutes a month until they were gone. Too much at once was a recipe for disaster. Then I gave up buying them and stuck with the kibble. My sable, who looked a lot like yours, knew where the food container was, and one day tipped it over (FROM UNDER A TABLE) and tried to unscrew the lid. He loved that food. And everyone loved to touch him in public because of it.
On a side note though, get lots and lots of training if that poor little guy was traumatized. This is the type of dog that ends up biting someone and then gets put down as a result if it doesn’t get a lot of professional training.
I have 3 DDRs and I feed raw chicken quarters, 10 6 and 4, very high pedigree dogs, they are healthy and happy, limit the baths, this is the problem everyone is having skin issues, The quarters are frozen 10# bags from save a lot, walmart has non-frozen
just gonna put this hear because i don’t hear this option frequently my boyfriends great grandma just gets her dogs whatever safe foods are on sale. her 2 lil jawns are 16 and 15 they’re happy and healthy as ever. you can look up recipes/specifics you need online for the breed and age! we’re planning on doing the same once our boy turns a year old but there’s also fresh food you can have delivered to your house like Just for Dogs (i believe) which is also found in like petco/petsmart.
our boy does have some severe allergies :( We recently got an allergy test and put on a prescription diet at 8months old now 10months. So just the sale section likely won’t be realistic for everyone but it works for them! just grocery store human grade foods! unfortunately his proteins are very limited and specific (basically only eggs and fish).
Along with the meats, Use a tablespoon of canned pumpkin (no spices mixed In) to help with digestion. Pumpkin is a super food that can help firm up or soften poop
My girl would explode with diarrhea with certain kibble, mainly chicken, lamb, salmon, etc. Finally got her on a prebiotic powder with a whitefish kibble and she is doing great. I'll send you the info on what exactly she has when I get home from work.
As the owner of a picky GSD, we found that having a rotation of toppers has really helped! Mornings is freeze dried treats crushed with mortar and pestle; beef liver, salmon, duck, chicken or duck. Sometimes I will hold out two different treats in my hand in the morning telling her “pick one”, and whichever one she eats is what she wants on her breakfast 😂 she also sometimes isn’t very hungry in the morning, so if she doesn’t eat or doesn’t eat all of it, the dry options keep it from being wasted because it doesn’t get gross and soggy.
At night, it’s always a protein and a vegetable. Broccoli, carrots, red/green peppers (sweet bell not spicy!), and then chicken, beef or fish. Often, I will shred or cut up the protein and pour some hot water from the kettle over it, since warm seems to be more appetizing.
Hope this helps! And also note, our girl didn’t really get excited for breakfast until about 3 years old. I don’t know why, but she was always indifferent, sometimes hungry, sometimes not and just nibble, so we just let her be and had to trust if she was hungry she would eat (keeping in mind she was always at a healthy weight with no reason to suspect medical issues). She finally found a healthy morning appetite as she got older.
Try Zymox enzymatic ear solution(not cleansing one, the regular “solution” in his ears.
I found this kept my GSD ears from being red inside and without it they slowly would become red…I’d put some in about once a week or even every 2 weeks but if super red may need it a few days in a row.
I used it his entire almost 14 year life and now on my new girl ….hers are less red but she has already needed it once.
Disclaimer, I don’t actually have a GSD, mine is a Bernese Mountain Dog, but he had stomach issues and dry/flaky skin bad when he was younger, even sensitive skin & stomach kibbles didn’t work and he would eat almost reluctantly. Our trainer (who breeds and specializes in training GSD working dogs) encouraged us to go on a raw diet. Within 2 days both of his problems cleared up and never looked back since. The brand we currently use is OC Raw. Our local (PA) pet store gets us a 20lb bulk box and they come in 1lb patties that we thaw out and good to go. Bunch of different options from chicken, beef, venison, etc that all include different fruits and vegetables for a whole balanced diet. Well sometimes supplement with fruits, peanut butter, cheese, Greek yogurt…but that’s more of a topper for him, everything he needs is already in the patty.
He looks like my boy!!! Be sure to train him as in teach him things to tired his mind too. I can’t help with food case we tried and it didn’t work, apparently he had enterites or something alike and might need meds, he dont tolerate even a slight change in diet and I was spending hours a day cooking for him…
Get him screened for worms and Giardia and treat if necessary. Hill’s ID prescription diet. Heaping teaspoon of psyllium husk on top of food with water at each meal. You can also try Tylan powder if needed, available by prescription. Metronidazole helps for immediate treatment of diarrhea. Metronidazole can be ordered from aquarium supply places, and it is exactly the same manufacturer as the human prescription. You can also order metronidazole from Canadian pet pharmacies.
All of the above is per licensed veterinarians.
I’ve had 10 German shepherds, and all of them have had sensitive G.I. tracts. What I outlined above has worked.
Yes to canned pumpkin!! (Not pumpkin pie filling! I buy organic canned pumpkin) My Shepsky gets 1 tablespoon with breakfast and 1 tablespoon with dinner. She eats Rachel Ray Nutrish - chicken because that is the food she prefers. I have tried more expensive foods …
The canned pumpkin literally changed her poop overnight from soft to normal.
Open farms I had great raw food my dogs love it and no issues however I had to turn back to kibble o feed raw mix m mine love that ass welll I just couldn't afford the raw after squiring three figs since then .But open farms is really good !
Some hard kibble according to my vet helps keep their teeth cleaner. I’ve started giving my older GSD female a mix of cook rice, mixed vegetables and a protein like chicken or eggs with some added ground up eggshells. Part of this came about due to financial concerns but she’s been doing well. She’s still getting Science Diet Senior and absolutely loves a daily carrot. One thing about GSDs is that they tend to have sensitive digestive systems. I’ve had two that would get the runs if there was too much of anything not their food. One loved to cruise the table and counters in hopes that someone would forget to put the loaf of bread from putting away the groceries trip. But, when he got into bread it was a few days of runny poop. Bless his heart but at times he tried to keep it on the dachshund’s potty pads with his best effort to be a good boy. Thankfully I had a home carpet cleaner so I could get the vast majority cleaned up and deodorized. My girl now gets an upset stomach from things like too many carrots or some treats. They are prone to bacterial overgrowth in their guts and I suspect this happened with the bread loving guy. Online there’s lots of info on dog diets.
Such a wonderful story. GS pups are so wonderful, you beautiful Koda boy sounds wonderful. I had them for 50 yrs. Enjoy him and thank you for saving him and giving him a loving home an mama.
We have our Rottie in half raw/half kibble. We get Tuckers raw frozen lamb and pork and Zignature Lamb kibble. He had lots of yummy issues when we rescued him but is doing phenomenal on this diet! We’d love to go all raw but it’s just too expensive with a big dog!
Raw chicken quarters green beans salmon plain yogurt eggs organic meats my dog does not do well with beef talk to your vet and introduce slowly to see what works well my Gsd coat is amazing since switching to a raw diet, just remember to clean bowls and area around where they eat well , don’t want salmonella.
He got the same name like my boy and the best advice to you is if you have the possibility give him the the best this dogs are the best and loyal friends in the world
I tried raw, you have to be careful because if you do it yourself, you need to make sure they're getting the other nutrients they need. Chicken legs and steaks aren't gonna cut it.
I really like Orijin and Honest Kitchen. Something with not too high fat content.
A lot are prone to allergies, so you might need to try different foods to see which he tolerates.
Many get hip/spine issues so limit jumping straight up. I used to throw the ball up and my dog would jump to catch it, no good for their legs.
Thank you for taking care of him. I'm glad he's safe now.
My GSD has a very sensitive tummy. We do a quarter cup of Nutro dry dog food and - quarter cup of Fresh pet twice per day. If she has an “episode” of an upset tummy we just give her hill science diet prescription digestive canned food twice per day.
You can ask Google AI, better known as Gemini. They are awesome as far as information goes, and it’s all backed up to the best information out there. I asked about my huskies and I loved the information I was given. I screenshot a lot of it or I can actually save the conversation to look up when I need it.
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u/Vandermilf May 01 '26
Mine is great on mid range lamb kibble since she is allergic to chicken and salmon was too oily for her.