What’s everyone feeding their GSDs?

[Kaia Murphy]

I’m curious what everyone’s feeding their dogs lately, both raw and kibble!

There are so many different opinions out there, and I’d love to hear what’s been working best for your pups. If you feed raw, what’s your go-to mix or routine? And if you feed kibble, which brand and protein source have you had the best results with?

Feel free to share photos of those shiny coats or meal preps too

 

[MyDogBitz]

I'm feeding a mix of kibble and raw. I like to keep kibble in the dog's diet for a few reasons:

I like training puppies with food, kibble is great for that. Also, if I'm ever in a pinch and I can't offer raw I don't want the dog turning their nose up at kibble. Last, we own a second home and travel between houses a lot. Kibble is far more convenient to keep at the second house. I always have some on hand.

I use Team Dog elite kibble. My dog does well on it. Bomber in particular is a picky eater when it comes to kibble and he really enjoys this brand. He rejected Victor High Pro, Royal Canin, and Science Diet. He accepted Blue Buffalo, begrudgingly. LOL.

For raw, I'm feeding eggs, bone-in chicken, beef, tripe, greens, carrots, blueberries, things like this.

I use two supplements:

Atlas 5-in-1 by Active Power and fish oil pills.

The dog has a shiny, dandruff free coat. He rarely scratches, his teeth are bright white and he never stinks beyond his regular doggy smell. He is regular and his stool is tight and firm. He physically performs at a high level with power and persistence. He recovers quickly and has powerhouse strength.

 

[Malakai The Great]

Right now I’m feeding a mix: raw in the mornings, kibble at night. Raw is mostly beef, tripe, liver, and bone, with a bit of salmon oil and a scoop of pumpkin. For kibble I rotate between Orijen and Acana depending on what’s in stock.

I’ve noticed the combo keeps muscle tone solid while still giving me consistent energy levels for training days. Anyone found a good raw/kibble hybrid that travels well?

 

[MyDogBitz]

Right now I’m feeding a mix: raw in the mornings, kibble at night. Raw is mostly beef, tripe, liver, and bone, with a bit of salmon oil and a scoop of pumpkin. For kibble I rotate between Orijen and Acana depending on what’s in stock.

I’ve noticed the combo keeps muscle tone solid while still giving me consistent energy levels for training days. Anyone found a good raw/kibble hybrid that travels well?

Plus 1 on the pumpkin. That stuff is magic. LOL.

I haven't really found anything that travels great but I've definitely given my dogs chicken that had gone bad with no side effects whatsoever.

 

[Kaia Murphy]

I'm feeding a mix of kibble and raw. I like to keep kibble in the dog's diet for a few reasons:

I like training puppies with food, kibble is great for that. Also, if I'm ever in a pinch and I can't offer raw I don't want the dog turning their nose up at kibble. Last, we own a second home and travel between houses a lot. Kibble is far more convenient to keep at the second house. I always have some on hand.

I use Team Dog elite kibble. My dog does well on it. Bomber in particular is a picky eater when it comes to kibble and he really enjoys this brand. He rejected Victor High Pro, Royal Canin, and Science Diet. He accepted Blue Buffalo, begrudgingly. LOL.

For raw, I'm feeding eggs, bone-in chicken, beef, tripe, greens, carrots, blueberries, things like this.

I use two supplements:

Atlas 5-in-1 by Active Power and fish oil pills.

The dog has a shiny, dandruff free coat. He rarely scratches, his teeth are bright white and he never stinks beyond his regular doggy smell. He is regular and his stool is tight and firm. He physically performs at a high level with power and persistence. He recovers quickly and has powerhouse strength.

That actually sounds like a really smart mix, I hadn’t thought about keeping kibble in rotation for training and travel, but that makes a lot of sense.

Also, Bomber sounds like he’s living the dream with that meal plan, eggs, tripe, and blueberries. That’s basically a better diet than mine. Thanks for breaking it down so clearly, it’s super helpful for someone still figuring out what direction to go food-wise

 

[Kaia Murphy]

Right now I’m feeding a mix: raw in the mornings, kibble at night. Raw is mostly beef, tripe, liver, and bone, with a bit of salmon oil and a scoop of pumpkin. For kibble I rotate between Orijen and Acana depending on what’s in stock.

I’ve noticed the combo keeps muscle tone solid while still giving me consistent energy levels for training days. Anyone found a good raw/kibble hybrid that travels well?

Do you find Orijen and Acana digest about the same when you switch between them? I’ve heard some dogs get a bit sensitive with rotation. Also curious what you use for travel, do you pack the raw or just stick to kibble on the road?

 

[Malakai The Great]

Do you find Orijen and Acana digest about the same when you switch between them? I’ve heard some dogs get a bit sensitive with rotation. Also curious what you use for travel, do you pack the raw or just stick to kibble on the road?

Yeah, good question, I’ve found they digest pretty similarly, but I always do a slow transition if I’m swapping bags. The protein sources are close enough that it’s usually smooth, though Acana can be a bit richer for some dogs depending on the formula.

For travel I usually stick to kibble. It's way easier to manage, and less stress keeping raw cold unless I’m driving with a cooler. If it’s a short trip though, I’ll pre-portion a few frozen raw meals to thaw as I go.

Do you travel often?

 

[Kaia Murphy]

Yeah, good question, I’ve found they digest pretty similarly, but I always do a slow transition if I’m swapping bags. The protein sources are close enough that it’s usually smooth, though Acana can be a bit richer for some dogs depending on the formula.

For travel I usually stick to kibble. It's way easier to manage, and less stress keeping raw cold unless I’m driving with a cooler. If it’s a short trip though, I’ll pre-portion a few frozen raw meals to thaw as I go.

Do you travel often?

Only sometimes, my question was for curiosity

 

[EnraaGygas]

Chase is on a mix of Honest Kitchen dehydrated and homemade. We started with kibble but it just wasn't working for him, he was super lethargic and just had zero energy whatsoever. I usually take one day of the month and make his meals, then vacuum seal and freeze them in meal portion sizes.