Dog food for German Shepherds

What should you pay attention to when picking food for your German shepherd?

1. Whether their dog food is well balanced – It’s hard to say as Scratch is the only dog food in Australia to disclose how much we use of every ingredient, but most big dog food brands fill their food with too much fillers that create bacterial overgrowths over time. Unbalanced diets create long-term health problems so our nutritionists made sure that Scratch is suitably balanced across your German Shepherd’s entire nutritional requirements.
2. Is it full of chicken, beef or poultry? – Most large breed dog food is full of chicken or beef. They’re the cheapest meat to source, but typically the lowest quality (often with more bone and carcass than meat and organs) and the culprit for a lot of skin and stomach issues.
3. If they’re a puppy, whether it has suitable calcium:phosphorus ratio’s – Gotta look after those fast-growing bones and make sure that they don’t grow even quicker
4. Do the ingredients contribute to inflammation? – A lot of foods (not just grains) contribute to inflammation. This effects joints and overall mobility, as well as skin and coat. Controlling inflammation is vital in older dogs.

German Shepherd nutritional needs

Like most breeds, German Shepherds have genetic traits (not guarantees, but higher likelihood) and lifestyle-related health issues to consider, and hopefully avoid. Common health issues amongst German Shepherds include Hip & Elbow Dysplasia (leading to arthritis), Degenerative Myelopathy and Atopic skin disease.

Good breading and genetic testing can reduce a lot of risk, with diet and lifestyle also helping to avoid or reduce the effect.

Scratch is the best dog food for German Shepherds, reducing health risks through:

1. Appropriate levels of calcium and a suitable range of calcium to phosphorus – all of our recipes are suitable for adult German Shepherds, while puppies should go for our Turkey, Lamb & Beef recipe.
2. High-protein from quality meat sources. All Scratch meat protein comes from specific source, human-grade meat
3. Ingredients with low inflammation markers to look after those joints. You won’t find wheat, corn or white rice and these overabundant fillers in any of our recipes
4. Limiting fat. While a great energy source, German Shepherd’s are prone to kidney issues if their diet contains too much fat.

German Shepherd puppy food

With fast growing bones and growth hormones in overdrive, German Shepherd puppies require a different diet than smaller puppies. Their food needs to contain:

• A calcium:phosphorous ratio in a range suitable for large breeds.
• DHA for brain development
• Enough salt and electrolytes
• Tons of protein (at least 22.5%)

A high-quality protein provides the essential building blocks for muscles and organs. But not all protein is created equal. Dogs do better with plenty of high-quality animal protein.

Our Turkey, Lamb & Beef recipe is 100% nutritionally complete German Shepherd puppy food.

How much should a German Shepherd eat a day?

A German Shepherds feeding amount depends on their age, weight, activity level and often ignored – what food they’re eating. Different foods give off different amounts of energy. Scratch for instance has more energy in a piece of kibble than most other dry dog foods, so dogs would eat less Scratch than other foods and a bag would last longer.

Look for the amount of Kcal per 100 grams. The higher the number, the more energy the food contains. The lower, the less it contains and the more they would need to eat. To find out how much Scratch your German Shepherd should eat a day, take our personalised quiz. If you have a puppy, their feeding guide will update as they grow.