advice

[Dodgers]

hello, i have bought a 8 week old german shepherd, i have read as much as i can but as many of u know on the net there is allot of conflicting infomation so i thought i would come here and get some advice of people who have exsperience with them .....ok first things first when i bought the pup the lady told me she fed him 4 times a day ...wheatabix soaked in milk in the morning.. 12oclock he has purina bakers complete mixed with pedigree chum meat(puppy one) ...then at 6 he just has the biscuit ..then at 10 he has meat and biscuit again ....does this diet sound ok to you? i know none of you will agree on the pedigree chum but he wont eat just biscuit's on there own i think they are to hard for him or something the other things i am wondering about are what sort of chews/bones should he have i have got him chewy bones and shoes im not quite sure of the name but its that stuff that goes all white and soft when he is chewing it.... i have also got him some cooked bone from the pet store the name on the packaging says "mini roasties" are both of these ok for him to eat/chew? if not what should i get him .... and the last thing is his breathing it really concerns me its like he is costantly out of breath he does pant or anything just breaths really quick even when he is sleeping im going to the vets on monday to get him checked out and to have his jabs but just wondering if any of you could shed some light on it anyway i better stop and let you take a breath lol sorry about the typing/puntuation
Adam
i will get some pics of him when he wakes up he is soooooo cute

 

[iky]

Congrats on your new baby! Cant wait to see photos.

Well, when we firsy got out pups, the vet suggested that we also feed them 4 times a day, but he also said that we must be very stern with the feeding, feed him at certain times of the day and make sure its a routine. make sure he eats all his food and he knows that he wont get again until next meal time. As he gets bigger, go to only feeding him 3times a day, our vet siggested that as he gets bigger Codi should be fed only twice a day. I know a lot of people who just leave the food out for their pets all day, which you shouldnt do.

Codi is the same, he hates eating biscuits only, we also have to mix it with the dog food. Our vet said we shouldnt, but we spoil Codi a lot. I dont see anything wrong with it, maybe i am wrong?

as for the breathing, maybe he is getting hot? Buddy use to breath heavily as well, like he was always out of breath, and the vet said it was just because he was getting hot? Whats the weather like there by you? German shepards have long hair, so it could be making him a little hot

good luck with the new boy.

 

[Debi]

Hi!! My german shepherd has always had heavy, hard breathing. He is now 13 months old and snores.....loudly. He is in excellent health, so I don't really worry about it anymore. Great that you are having him checked soon. Good luck on your new, wonderful pal!!

 

[bogolove]

Now puppies do breathe heavily and quickly while sleeping from what I can remember. I worried about that when I first got Brady but came to realize it is a puppy thing. Sometimes they do it if they are hot too. You can let your vet know about it when you go, but I can remember Brady doing that too. You came to the right place for advice though. There are several people on here who have German Shepherds, and have great advice on them, Serena, Renee, and Debi are a few I can think of offhand, and they are all extremely helpful so you are in the right place. I am sure they will post to help you out soon.

 

[Renee750il]

Shepherd pups do tend to breathe rather heavily - but not as heavily as Fila pups! I can attest to both - lol.

I'm not familiar with any of the things your vet has you feeding, except of course the Pedigree (guess you've read our threads on THAT, hmmm?) and the name "Wheatabix" which is a breakfast cereal here, kind of like shredded wheat. Not necessarily a good thing for puppies as the grains can be an allergen. Some dogs tolerate it, others don't.

As for feeding schedules, you avoid problems like bloat if your dog will graze throughout the day, as opposed to one or two big, gobbling meals. Taking the food away just encourages the gobbling behaviour which can be a cause of bloating, as well as ordinary, everyday gas and even food aggression.

The stuff you're talking about that turns white when he chews it is probably rawhide, which isn't very good for pups. Cooked bones can splinter, too. There are all sorts of good chew toys available for puppies; the Kong toys are really good and you can stuff them with treats like peanut butter to encourage your pup to play with them. When he's a bit older and has lost the needle-sharp puppy teeth the Orbee toys from Planet Dog are fantastic, especially for the big dogs. Even my Filas haven't managed to destroy theirs.

Be sure to have the vet check for heartworms.

Can't wait to see the photos! There is nothing like a German Shepherd pup. Everytime I see one I want another one! They are just wonderful companions - I've had one ever since I was 12 years old and I hope I never have to be without one no matter what other dogs I have.

 

[Dodgers]

thanks for all the reply's everyone but im affraid iky and renee you have confused me lol should i give him set times to eat or not? .....yes u are right renee wheatabix are breakfast cereal he seems to like it more than the dog food lol ...what food would u recommend i have heard that eukanuba (sp?) is about the best would this be any good for him? i will get rid of the raw hide and the bones ...i presume raw bones are ok? my mrs didnt like the idea of giving raw bones because once he gets the taste of it he might turn viscous he is already quite nippy lol anyway her are a few not very good pics of him

 

[bogolove]

Oh he is so cute! I love him, just looking at those pics makes me want to go get a shepherd too! Brady would probably love a pal of his own. But I am going to wait until Brady gets a little older.

 

[joce]

He is soo cute!

 

[Debi]

OH MY...I love him already!! He looks just like my Hamlin when he was little. Toooooooooooooooo sweet.

 

[Renee750il]

He's a sweetheart allright!

First off, the food: Eukanuba is sub-quality food with a premium price tag. They also have a very good marketing department. They also treat their lab animals inhumanely. I don't know what foods are available to you, but if you will check the information at www.greatdanelady.com , she has compiled a list of good dog foods, along with plenty of other good information. My dogs do really well on the Innova food, but I don't know if it's sold there.

As far as the raw bones making your baby vicious, well, that's a complete and utter myth. Purely silly. The reason he nips is because he's a herding breed. That's the herding instinct. You can convince him not to chew on you by telling him 'No' quietly but firmly, then, when he stops, give him something acceptable to chew on. Doing this now will help you out immensely when he starts teething.

Feeding times: I try to feed mine at fairly regular times since I can't convince my Fila girls to graze like Bimmer likes to do. I put his food back in the bedroom where he can at least eat a little in peace, guard the door to keep Kharma out (Shiva eats in the laundry room, otherwise she'd eat EVERYONE'S food) and finish it up at a more leisurely pace.

 

[bogolove]

LOL! I wish I could get my cat to graze like Brady. She is such a hefty girl. Always the hungry one.

 

[Renee750il]

But you know, if the cat grazed, Brady would steal her food! No dog can resist that lovely, stinky, gassy cat food.

 

[bogolove]

Yeah he would do that. But she has a baby gate in her room where he usually can't get to it. (that is the one I left open the other day when her paw was hurt, and he stole the sweet kitty litter surprise). Of course he is big enough to plow it over, he just hasn't tried that yet! hopefully I get lucky and he never does! LOL!

 

[Renee750il]

Either that or he's just been slick enough not to let you know he's figured it out! I wouldn't put it past Brady - he's too clever.

 

[Dodgers]

well i went to the vets yesterday he had his first injection... and he gave him a check over he is ok.... except his errr balls have'nt dropped yet lol but he is gunna check again at 12 weeks is this a common problem or not? renee i took ur advice and asked him about checking him for heart worms he just looked at me and laughed apparantly they are not a problem in the uk only abroad ..i was so embarrased i could of fell through the floor ....naturally i blamed you i went to the butchers today and bought him a bone but it has got a bit of meat/fat on it should i cut it off?

 

[Denaluvscorgis]

How precious is he...OMG....adorable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Renee750il]

Sorry 'bout that, Dodgers! But he really shouldn't have laughed at you for being concerned about your puppy . . .

That's great that you don't have heartworms over there. I guess you don't have mosquitos? I thought EVERYONE had to deal with mosquitos, especially where it's damp. There are even mosquitos in Alaska, I'm told.

 

[josephine]

Sorry 'bout that, Dodgers! But he really shouldn't have laughed at you for being concerned about your puppy . . .

That's great that you don't have heartworms over there. I guess you don't have mosquitos? I thought EVERYONE had to deal with mosquitos, especially where it's damp. There are even mosquitos in Alaska, I'm told.

i'm shocked too...i mean it's an issue here too and in whole europe

from an article that i have read recently

Geographically, heartworms are considered to be a potential threat in each of the 48 contiguous United States, as well as in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Central and South America, Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia, the Virgin Islands and Guam. All dogs, regardless of age, sex or living environment, are susceptible to heartworm infection. Indoor and outdoor cats are also at risk for acquiring the disease. The distribution of heartworm infection in cats in the United States appears to parallel that of dogs, but in fewer numbers. If you plan to travel with your pet to a different part of the country, be sure to ask your veterinarian about the relative risk of heartworm disease.

 

[Dodgers]

no we dont have any mosquitos over here lol should have read up on them before i asked him .... anyway about this bone.. should i cut the meat off or just give it him as it is?

 

[Renee750il]

You should be able to let him gnaw on it, just let him have it while you're there to supervise. It's a good opportunity to get him used to you taking things out of his mouth, too. Practice doing that. Tell him to give it to you, take it from him - it's a good time to inspect it to make sure he's not being able to splinter it - and give it back to him. Do that several times over an afternoon or evening chewing time so he gets the idea.