Like any dog, the Shepherds are predators so that their teeth, stomach, and digestive secretions are adapted to raw food, especially meat. The dry nutrition of high quality fulfills all dog’s needs and peculiarities, so there are no healthcare concerns of avoiding it. But if you decided to start a raw diet for German Shepherd, we have a couple of tips to do it beneficially.
Food
The main item of dog nutrition is meat. Being raw, it doesn’t influence dog health. Moreover, cooked meat is unhealthy for dogs, because it’s too easy to digest, so lots of acids accumulate in a stomach.
Next kinds of raw meat are allowable:
- Beef tripe. This is the best meat for a dog as it assimilates quickly and helpful microelements.
- Mutton — second the best, contains B-vitamins.
- Venison, bear, rabbit flesh, and other game meat.
- Salt-water fish (salmon, tuna, etc.)
- Bones (but not the chicken or fish bones).
- Pork — it’s too fat and hard to assimilate.
- River fish, e.g. carp or — has too many bones which may stick in the throat.
- Any mincemeat, primarily purchased.
Nutrition Plan
The dog may gladly eat a lot of greens, and it’s OK to add it to the nutrition plan. Veterinarians recommend:
- Cucumbers and tomatoes — free to give without cooking.
- Carrot — great for teeth. You may give whole big carrot as a toy.
- Cabbage — it’s better to give sour cabbage for the dog. Full of C-vitamin and good for health.
- Garlic and onion — helpful for the immune system, help to fight worms.
There also some greens that won’t go well with raw diet. They are:
- pumpkins and watermelons;
- potato (you may give some raw potato once);
- turnip;
- beans;
- rhubarb;
- spinach.
It’s better to consult with veterinarian whether give exact fruits and vegetables to the dog if it has some health issues.
How Much Raw Meat to Feed German Shepherd?
The best way to serve a raw meat is to give medium-size pieces (like a half of the chicken breast). Small pieces or mincemeat aren’t compatible with the dog’s stomach. As you may have already noticed, shepherds seldom chew something. The vegetables can be grated or chopped.
