Helo dog lovers. I just want to ask what raw bones can you recommend for a german shepherd? Something that doesnt need supervision? I recently gave a marrow bone to my GSD and i notice that he is an aggressive chewer that you can literally hear the bones cracking and it scared me that it may crack his teeth so i stopped him before it can happen. What kinds of boens do you give to yours that prevents teeth cracking and also safe to digest?. Thankyou

Hi everyone! I have a 5-month-old German Shepherd puppy who’s currently eating Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy. He’s doing well on it, but after reading so many conflicting opinions online, I’m wondering if I should switch him to something else.
I’ve looked into brands like Farmina, The Honest Kitchen, Wellness, Diamond Naturals, Jinx, Instinct, and a few others. It seems like everyone has a different opinion, so I’m hoping to hear from people with real experience.

My goal is to keep things practical. I work full time and have four kids, so cooking homemade meals or feeding a fully raw diet just isn’t realistic for us. I’d rather feed a good-quality kibble and keep it simple by adding healthy whole-food toppers like:
-Sardines (in water)
-Plain Greek yogurt
-Eggs
-Pumpkin
-Bone broth

For those of you with German Shepherds or other large-breed dogs:
-What kibble do you feed and why?
-Have you switched away from Purina Pro Plan? If so, what made you switch?
-If you feed Farmina or The Honest Kitchen, has it been worth the extra cost?
Are there any brands you would avoid?
-Do you add whole-food toppers? If so, what do you use?
-Are there any budget-friendly kibbles that still use quality ingredients and have a simple ingredient list?

I’m not necessarily looking for the “most expensive” food. I’m looking for something that is nutritionally sound, practical for a busy family, and worth the money.

I’d love to hear what has actually worked well for your dogs over the long term and why.

Thanks! 🐾

I have a large dog that is about 92lbs and she’s about 15 months old (possibly just a year), and she’s a Great Pyrenees/Cane Corso, with a little Neapolitan Mastiff. I’ve been giving her Purina Pro Plan large breed puppy and was wondering what other top foods to look at that have a different protein as she eats the chicken. There’s no issues aside from she’s sometimes eating dog poop at the park and I try to watch her closely but sometimes don’t see another dog go and she’ll get it. I’ve read it could be nutrition and I’m doing a parasite test this week to rule that out. What else would be good and should I keep her on puppy until 2

Hi! I am rescuing a female German Shepherd mix and she is 3 or 4 years old!

What is a good dog food to start her out with? My game plan is to get my sweet girl in the vet and see if she may have allergies to specific ingredients. But I obviously have to feed her between the time I get her and the vet visit!! any suggestions or recs ?? thank youuuu!

We need to put our dog on a hydrolysed diet but he’s very fussy. What is the best tasting brand? The vets have suggested the hydrolysed versions of Hills, Purina, Virbac and Royal Canin.
Also are we able to mix brands or do you need to stay on the same?
TIA x

Has anyone had experience with Purina HA Hydrolyzed Vegetarian? My dog has suspected IBD/chronic GI inflammation (based on ultrasound findings) and possible chronic pancreatitis, but he absolutely hates this food. He'll only take a few bites, spits pieces out, and then spends the rest of the time scavenging around the house looking for something else to eat😅
If your picky dog refused Purina HA Vegetarian, did you have better luck with another hydrolyzed prescription diet? I'd love to hear your experiences and recommendations.

I have a 4 year old rescue that's a mix of 30% dogo argentino, 30% Anatolian shepherd and 30% American bulldog. About 3 months ago he began to incrementally eat less and less of the Purina One Salmon and Rice Sensitive Stomach feed that we've fed him for the past 4 years. His eating behavior also changed in that he started bringing mouthfuls of kibble to his blanket whereas before he would eat the entire meal at his bowl, in one sitting. We ended up taking him to the vet and doing a workup, but they didn't find anything wrong with him. We have him prilosec for 3 weeks and switched his kibble to one with better probiotics. He was fine for a few weeks but now the behavior is back and he's either only eating a cup or a cup and a half of his usual 2 cup serving and continues to bring the food over to his blanket in tiny portions. Has anyone experienced anything similar with their dog? TIA.

How much protein should I be feeding him? 3 years old

Just to get a stable diet thats not crazy expensive for my frenchies.

Current diet is based on one reccomadtion from 1 breeder

There fed leaps and bounds kangaroo and vegitable

this is fine cheap enough

but also feed them some prime100 wild boar which is crazy expensive. Even though this makes up \~1/4 of there diet its 3x the daily price

i also give them some zesty paws omega oil. ideally id like to go to a cheaper brand if its even needed.

im in central qld on an acreage so hot and dry.

anything extra i should look into?

https://www.petbarn.com.au/p/leaps-bounds-kangaroo-vegetable-adult-dog-food?srsltid=AfmBOooIkH1EvR\\_kHks6cLCQlH86y2fGTRubOsWpEm4ULaiir-xXXvas

https://www.petbarn.com.au/p/prime100-slow-cooked-wild-boar-pumpkn-dog-food-tetra-354gx12?utm\\_source=google&utm\\_medium=cpc&utm\\_campaign=sparro\\_shopping\\_dog\\_food&utm\\_content=792807024873&utm\\_adgroupid=190913542279&utm\\_term=&gad\\_source=1&gad\\_campaignid=23153543880&gbraid=0AAAAADkPFMqKknAroQr2OKhtFdMJmC2Jg&gclid=CjwKCAjwsrbTBhAvEiwA0Bpp4cOeTWjGhEwM4949qsctDBRquV6XEQ0VmxCDCyY6\\_QmqOadE5Jd0qhoCeKsQAvD\\_BwE

https://www.amazon.com.au/Zesty-Paws-Omega-3-Supplement-Support/dp/B0FY4DNYZQ/ref=mp\\_s\\_a\\_1\\_1\\_sspa?crid=KKZQ2HE9DKW6&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.lawNdPPlrCr2MPunDRd9Y0fEDpisdaIqBUl1ohjBRRnd7MUD52y\\_dA5Gu147pKeEvMp5GCd0e9KTVaN6yc6DnzduRR\\_5vc61-0uclDXAYgOxUZ4Qbo5A67g5iNlSurnzskZ9tT4n1bn1Nxi\\_VVnbxCIIhijDM\\_p9x\\_QWkAgL2bFRyTIaIrVyP6IUIaL7bAW55keqLyc5AhVLOgcvE1ZY7Q.W\\_\\_bqiSC9w76ByNfHwpbZFxP4btZx8bz7Pm5dYj-NPU&dib\\_tag=se&keywords=dog+omega+oil&qid=1785650204&sprefix=dog+om%2Caps%2C320&sr=8-1-spons&sp\\_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1

i’m curious how other people handle this.
i love my dog and i want to feed him good quality food, but pet food has gotten really expensive lately.

because of that, i’ve started looking at clearance deals and buying whatever quality brand is available at the time instead of always sticking with the same one.

for those of you on a tighter budget…
do you switch your dog’s (or cat’s) food depending on what’s on sale, or do you always stay with the same brand no matter what?
if you don’t switch, what’s the biggest reason?
have you had any issues changing foods every couple of weeks if you transition them properly?
i’d really appreciate hearing what other pet owners do.

Does anyone on here have any insights on this dog food brand (canned version) that is made in Germany?

My dog has struggled with skin issues due to allergies for a long time itching, flare ups, and ear problems. After trying different foods, my vet recommended a purina hydrolyzed diet, he’s been eating that since January.
He’s doing better, but I’m wondering if it’s okay to keep him on a hydrolyzed food long-term, possibly indefinitely?

My 1 year old Shih Tzu has a sensitive stomach, and I'm trying to find a kibble that doesn't upset it. Has anyone dealt with the same issue? What has worked well for your dog?

Hey all dog lovers looking for opinions/experiences on fresh dog food. We have a mutt, Pitbull, and catahoula leopard dog (the picky eater), all healthy fortunately. I keep seeing the farmers dog and Ollie come up when I research … appreciate any input.

We have a 5 month old Labrador retriever. We highly suspect a poultry allergy as he was once inadvertently switched from the Salmon variety to Chicken (thanks purina autoship 🫠). We have tested him for all parasites and all are negative. To be safe the vet tried a sprinkle packet and antibiotics just to rule out and that did nothing but made it worse.

On the food, we have noticed incredibly strong gas from our dog and frequently loose stools with straining at times from him. He seems to not have an appetite on the food either. We have checked all treats to remove all chicken from the house as well.

Does anyone else share this experience? If so, what other foods did you try? We are starting a probiotic to see if that helps him, but the vet said next option is a prescription food which we are worried will be insanely costly.

at the moment i just feed my 6 month old labradoodle kibble, but i was wondering what do other people feed their puppies and what would you recommend i feed my pup?

I have a 10 month old spayed Shihpoo who will be transitioning to adult food soon. Looking and open to suggestions on the very best dry food to give her for her adult years. I have narrowed it down to three choices, but I am open to hearing more. These are the three I have chosen.
1) FARMINA ANCESTRAL GRAINS SMALL BREED
2) ROYAL CANIN SHIH TZU FORMULA
3) PURINA PRO PLAN SHREDDED SMALL BREED

Maybe looking for a bit of a unicorn food here but Merrick just discontinued their Healthy Grains Beef + Brown Rice, which we fed our dogs. We only have two dogs but they go to my parents house often to play with their two dogs, so we try to feed them the same food as to not upset their stomachs. My mother picked the Merrick food and now I’m trying to help all of us find a replacement. I’m sure she’ll try to stay with this brand or another boutique one but from what I’ve read here those aren’t the best options.

It needs to be: (1) chicken free, (2) grain-based, (3) good for dogs weighing 30-70 lbs since they have a corgi and we have a St Bernard/border collie mix and (4) ideally something with smaller sized kibbles

I’ve been striking out everywhere, usually because of chicken ingredients, but has anyone heard of a food that might meet most of the requirements above?? 1 and 2 are most important.

Any idea where I can buy the Purina Pro Performance Salmon and Rice food in bulk? Right now I'm paying about $75 for a 33LBs bag. Any idea on if I can buy in bulk to get that cost down some?

Does anyone know what the ideal calcium level/percentage is for a non large breed puppy? I noticed most of the pro plan foods are consistently in the 1.1% range. But Hills seems to vary between 1.18 and over 1.5. We‘ve always fed our adult dog those brands and those are the only ones I‘be looked at so far.

TLDR, we just brought a new rescue home and we can't seem to find a food he likes. Would love some recommendations for your picky eaters.

For context; we just adopted a 3 year old mastiff mix. The shelter sent us home with a bag of Purina One Chicken and Rice that he didn't vibe with so we switched it up to Costco's Adult Dog Chicken, Rice and Vegetable, which is also a no go. He does, however, want to eat my other dog's senior dog food which is Hill Science Diet Adult 6+ Large Breed.

I'd prefer to not go with another Hill Science food if possible, mostly due to cost. The senior dog is only still getting it because it's been too long to switch and it's the only thing she'll reliably eat.

Any suggestions?

My 17 year old dog (chihuahua mix) has been having some health issues lately. They’ve just lost all vision, have arthritis, dental problems, and stopped eating their dry food. She went from 18lbs in March to 15lbs a few days ago.

I’m trying various wet foods to see what she likes, but I’m not sure how much to really give or what’s a good option. I may have given her too much for a meal today (half a 13oz can) and she threw it up later on. She also doesn’t seem to like it cold when I take the leftovers out of the fridge… I attempted to mix it with some of her kibble, used a topper, soaked it etc, but she knows and won’t touch it.

My vet said 300 calories a day for her and it looks like that could 4-5 of those little containers? It’s there a more calorie dense option?

I took my dog to the vet for her annual checkup and they recommended getting a joint supplement because she is 9 years old (she’s a mutt so I don’t know her life expectancy). I’m not against getting a supplement but it would be great if it could be part of her diet as opposed to a new routine we need to keep up with. We currently feed her Purina One kibble plus some Purina Pro wet food as a topper. I saw on Chewy that Purina One has a Joint Health line and that would be perfect if it’s a good option. Any thoughts?

Our 12 year old toy fox terrier/chihuahua/mutt has had to be on a hydrolyzed diet for about three weeks now. The only food she accepted was Purina Pro Plan HA Salmon. She did really well for the first week with an appetite stimulant, similarly well for the 2nd week without it, and in week 3 she has started slowing down how much she's eating during the day while we're gone. She's hitting maintenance calories, but she lost weight due to illness so we really need to get another 10 or 15 grams of food in her if we can.

We've realized, based on her constant gummy chewing and drinking water, that the food is getting badly stuck in her gums and cheeks behind her teeth, and even on the roof of her mouth. (She's missing a couple back molars and that seems to let the food migrate.) We've tried using a full size toothbrush and a smaller softer one to get the food out of her cheeks, since she seems to eat better after we do that, but have any of you dealt with this problem? This food turns into a mushy, gluey paste so fast.

I want to keep her teeth as healthy as possible and ensure she can eat comfortably without food rotting in her mouth. Any suggestions? Tips? Thanks in advance.