Ideally, how much food should Duke eat per day?

tucknroll · 01-11-2013, 04:54 PM

Hello all, our 3 year old male weighs about 105lbs, is very healthy and with no medical problems, and he is a very tall/large-bodied GSD. Locally we've gotten a lot of snowfall this winter but its been iced over for a while, making it no fun for poor Dukey to go romp around in, so he's been getting less exercise than usual. My concern is he might start to gain a little flab while we wait for better weather. How much should a shepherd his size/age/activity level be getting per day? He'd been on Instinct Rabbit formula for quite a while until our local feed store ran out, so we bought him a bag of Innova Large Breed to tide him over, but we're so unimpressed with how he's doing on it (he's started to itch here and there for the first time) we're putting him right back on Instinct once the bag runs out in a few more days. I've been giving him about a cup and a half for breakfast first thing in the mornings along with one scoop of Hip & Joint supplement powder and a dallop of canned pumpkin, as well as about 2 cups of his food along with same amount of supplement and pumpkin around 5 in the evening. He's not really a big treat or bone fan (I know, shocker right?) so he doesn't get any. In the warmer months he gets TONS of exercise in our large yard and on walks/hikes/hunting trips, but for right now he's mostly a homebody. Any advice on feeding?

tucknroll · 01-11-2013, 05:00 PM

Here are some pics of him, to give an idea of his size/condition.

Ideally, how much food should Duke eat per day?-imageuploadedbypg-free1357941373.696450.jpg

Ideally, how much food should Duke eat per day?-imageuploadedbypg-free1357941386.598002.jpg

Ideally, how much food should Duke eat per day?-imageuploadedbypg-free1357941412.332534.jpg

Ideally, how much food should Duke eat per day?-imageuploadedbypg-free1357941430.833605.jpg

Ideally, how much food should Duke eat per day?-imageuploadedbypg-free1357941451.199819.jpg

Ideally, how much food should Duke eat per day?-imageuploadedbypg-free1357941474.856233.jpg

Ideally, how much food should Duke eat per day?-imageuploadedbypg-free1357941489.275808.jpg

Ideally, how much food should Duke eat per day?-imageuploadedbypg-free1357941526.066223.jpg

Ideally, how much food should Duke eat per day?-imageuploadedbypg-free1357941557.626660.jpg

Ideally, how much food should Duke eat per day?-imageuploadedbypg-free1357941612.811881.jpg

Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App

**jocoyn** · 01-11-2013, 05:01 PM

My advice is keep an objective eye on him and feed him what he needs to maintain shape and condition. Both my dogs weigh about 72lbs. Eat the same food (each other, not yours). One gets 5 cups a day, the other gets 3.

3ToesTonyismydog · 01-11-2013, 11:33 PM

They should be kept slim not skinny. Tony is 110 and gets 3-4 cups of kibble depending on the activity level that day.

http://www.4germanshep.com/Dog-Puppy%20Photos1.htm

https://www.google.com/search?q=pict...ient=firefox-a

01-11-2013, 04:54 PM	#1 (permalink)
tucknroll New Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Dunsmuir, CA Posts: 6	Ideally, how much food should Duke eat per day? Hello all, our 3 year old male weighs about 105lbs, is very healthy and with no medical problems, and he is a very tall/large-bodied GSD. Locally we've gotten a lot of snowfall this winter but its been iced over for a while, making it no fun for poor Dukey to go romp around in, so he's been getting less exercise than usual. My concern is he might start to gain a little flab while we wait for better weather. How much should a shepherd his size/age/activity level be getting per day? He'd been on Instinct Rabbit formula for quite a while until our local feed store ran out, so we bought him a bag of Innova Large Breed to tide him over, but we're so unimpressed with how he's doing on it (he's started to itch here and there for the first time) we're putting him right back on Instinct once the bag runs out in a few more days. I've been giving him about a cup and a half for breakfast first thing in the mornings along with one scoop of Hip & Joint supplement powder and a dallop of canned pumpkin, as well as about 2 cups of his food along with same amount of supplement and pumpkin around 5 in the evening. He's not really a big treat or bone fan (I know, shocker right?) so he doesn't get any. In the warmer months he gets TONS of exercise in our large yard and on walks/hikes/hunting trips, but for right now he's mostly a homebody. Any advice on feeding?

01-11-2013, 05:00 PM	#2 (permalink)
tucknroll New Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Dunsmuir, CA Posts: 6	Here are some pics of him, to give an idea of his size/condition. Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App __________________ http://i49.tinypic.com/dmslew.jpg http://i50.tinypic.com/166k4j.jpg Duke, German Shepherd born 10/9/09 Mila, Doberman Pinscher born 11/25/12 Instagram : tickitytuck Last edited by tucknroll; 01-11-2013 at 05:03 PM.

01-11-2013, 05:01 PM	#3 (permalink)
jocoyn Zombie Queen Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: South Carolina Posts: 11,805	My advice is keep an objective eye on him and feed him what he needs to maintain shape and condition. Both my dogs weigh about 72lbs. Eat the same food (each other, not yours). One gets 5 cups a day, the other gets 3. __________________ Nancy www.scsarda.org Beau -NAPWDA Certified Cadaver Dog Waiting at the Bridge (italics=GSDs) (hemangiosarcoma=blue):Grim , Cyra, Toby, Rainbow, Linus, Oscar, Arlo & Waggles

01-11-2013, 11:33 PM	#4 (permalink)
3ToesTonyismydog Banned Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Washington Posts: 1,022	They should be kept slim not skinny. Tony is 110 and gets 3-4 cups of kibble depending on the activity level that day. http://www.4germanshep.com/Dog-Puppy%20Photos1.htm https://www.google.com/search?q=pict...ient=firefox-a Last edited by 3ToesTonyismydog; 01-11-2013 at 11:40 PM.

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