Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

What's the best food for my puppy and does she need supplements?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Female | 2 months and 18 days old

Hi..Which will be the best dog feed to give my dog between drools,pedigree and smart heart? How many times should I feed her in a day? What medicines should I give her? Including skin,calcium,vitamin,bone,muscle etc..And the needed dosage(age wise)..And its age wise perfect bodyweight details..Please

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on June 17th, 2018

I would say Pedigree is the best for Zara. Be sure to feed her a puppy formulated food, as puppies need higher amounts of calcium, protein, and calories than adult dogs. A puppy food will provide that for it, as well as all the nutrients she needs to grow correctly and be healthy. She does NOT need any medicines, her puppy food will give her what she needs. Adding additional medications with her food can abnormally affect her growth, i.e. too much calcium leads to bone growth abnormalities. As for weight, each puppy grows differently even within a breed, so it's not really possible to say her perfect bodyweight. At four months of age, she should be roughly half of her adult weight, and female German Shepherds can weigh between 48.5-70.5 pounds when fully grown. I hope this helps!

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
Hello! I was just wondering what the best dog food for a german shepherd would be. Lucy is a year old but is fairly small, so we would like her to grow a bit more. Any reccomendations of dry foods we can give her? Her diet mainly consists of boiled c
A diet consisting of primarily boiled chicken is not balanced and is lacking in vitamins, fatty acids, fiber and minerals. Proper nutrition, prevention of parasites and disease and genetics are what affects the over-all adult size. She may not get much bigger due to her age (the window of growth closes). I recommend to feed her Royal Canin German Shepherd Puppy until 15 months of age and then switch her to the adult version. German Shepherds can have some unique dietary needs and the diet is formulated specifically for them to address these needs. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi, thanks for helping me all the way through everything. My question is , are supplements good for my puppy? Looking at her age and weight, I would like her train more , gain weight by 6 months with strong bones but afraid of putting pressure on her
Great question! Puppies should not need supplements as long as they are on a quality, balanced food. I am not sure what foods are available in Ghana, but I like Royal Canin, Purina One, Iams, or Science Diet/Hills. These diets are tested and their ingredients have the balanced vitamins and minerals Fierce needs. Make sure you are feeding a Large Breed Puppy formula until she is about 1 year of age. The bag will tell you how much to feed daily based on her age and weight. If you are training with treats, make sure she is still getting her recommended about of dog food and not too many treats. Good luck and kisses to Fierce!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
Is this food in the picture Which I am feeding my 1 month old German Shepard puppy with water is good or not, I feed him in every 6 or seven hours... Is this good for his health and rapid growth or do I need to change that food or add something more
Hello. This may be a pretty low quality food. And adding unnecessary supplements may do more harm than good. You are much better off feeding a good quality large breed puppy food such as the ones made by Purina, Science Diet & Royal Canin. Thanks for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
Got her at a month and two weeks of age in a malnourished condition. Her skin was sparingly covering her ribs (I could feel her ribs very sharply under her skin). Her viens glaring through the very thin layer of skin. She was very short, small and ex
Hello. Good care is all you can do for Kyra. At 2 months of age, she still has the potential to reach her potential maximum growth. Feed her the best large breed puppy food you can purchase. Do not supplement her with any vitamins or minerals. Deworm her based on a veterinarian's analysis of her stool & make sure she receives all appropriate vaccinations at the appropriate times. Treat her well & she will mature into a healthy, beautiful dog. Thanks for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
We have a german shepherd puppy he will be 3 months in a week! What food do you recommend for him?
Hi there and thank you for your question. Any of the premium dog foods such as Hills, Purina, Royal Canin, to name a few are excellent choices. Which ever food you choose I highly recommend getting the diet specific for large breed dogs. You also want to be diligent about being sure to weigh Zeus once a month and adjust the amount you are feeding accordingly. Following the suggested feeding amounts provided by the food is perfectly fine. Keeping on top of Zeus' weight and body condition now is important for the future health of his joints and bones since he is a breed predisposed to diseases like hip dysplasia. Keeping him leaner while his bones are still growing may not prevent him from having problems down the road, but it will give him a better chance. Unfortunately, genetics is the determining factor. This was probably way more information that you wanted, but I hope that it is helpful. Best of luck to you and Zeus.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I have a new German Shepherd puppy. 8 weeks old on monday. Was curious if I could tell me what vitamins I should give him. And how many cups to feed him.
Commercial dog foods are required to contain all necessary vitamins and minerals and Gunner should not need an additional vitamin supplement. I'd recommend purchasing a high quality puppy food intended for large breed dogs and using the feeding recommendations on the bag as a general guide for how much to feed in a day. Many dogs need less food than what is suggested on the bag, and if he doesn't finish the food offered in 15 minutes you don't need to coax him. It is important for large breed puppies to stay lean when growing for appropriate growth of the bones and joints.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
What type of food ingredients would be good for a German Shepherd? Grain free?
Great question! I personally never recommend a grain free diet for dogs unless they have a proven (i.e. diagnosed by a vet) grain allergy. Grain allergies are actually very rare in dogs. Only about 5% of dogs with allergies have a food allergies, and of that 5%, the majority of the allergies are protein. Grains are beneficial to dogs, they provide a sustained source of energy and help them keep fuller longer. When feeding a puppy like Zeus, I recommend a puppy formulated food. Puppies need higher amounts of protein, calories, and calcium than adult dogs, and a puppy formulated food will provide that. Once he's 12 months old, he can have an adult formulated food. He needs protein, fat, and carbs as well as many vitamins and minerals to have a balanced diet, which is why feeding a dog food is easier. Brands of dog food I recommend include Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. If you want to do a home cooked diet, I will put links below to two websites that
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog is a germanshepherd of almost 5 months i want to make her bone her large and want her to get a good height like a male germanshepherd help me
I would recommend feeding a high quality large breed puppy food such as Purian Pro Plan large breed puppy or Royal Canin Large Breed Puppy or Royal Canin German Sheperd Puppy. These foods will have to correct balance of protein, calcium and phosphorus to allow the correct growth of muscle and bones in a large breed dog. The rest is up to genetics, as you cannot make a dog grow larger than their genetics have determined them to grow. Female dogs are often smaller than males, and there isn't really anything you can do to increase their height other than provide good nutrition.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hello, I am about to purchase my first German Shephard puppy and was wanting to get some recommendations. For food I was looking into Blue Wilderness high protein grain free food. Also, the Blue Buffalo Bites soft chicken treats for training. I
I never recommend grain free food. Vets are seeing an increase in dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs fed a grain free food, and the FDA is investigating this link. Blue Buffalo is one of the brands named as being linked to heart disease, and it's a terrible food. I would never suggest an owner feed it. Brands of food I recommend include Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. Yes, they have grains, but not one of them has been linked to heart disease. I feed my dogs Iams, and they love it. No supplements are needed if you feed him a high quality puppy food. Flea and tick treatments can be given at six weeks of age with certain brands like Revolution. He will be old enough for his first rounds of shots at six to eight weeks of age. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
New Pet
Hello there. I just adopted an 8 month old German Shepard corgi mix and was hoping you could give me advice on what dog food would be the best for him and how much each day?
Especially for large breed puppy is fundamental to provide a complete diet. Good quality commercial diets (Hill's, Royal Canin) are definitively the best choice to make sure you provide all the nutrients Scooby needs. He need a puppy diet and you can continue with it till he is fully grown. Regarding the daily amount, it depends on the brand and type of food you get, you will find the correct dose on the back of the food package. If you would like further advices, upload a picture of the food of your choice and we will be able to let you know the exact dose. Please post again on the forum if you would like further advices. I hope this answer was helpful.
Updated on September 24th, 2025

Related Searches

Dog Food Premium Dog Food Dog Health & Wellness Dog Vitamins & Supplements Puppy Food Wet Dog Food Puppy Milk Replacers Dry Dog Food Dog Treats & Chews Weight Management Dog Food Pedigree Puppy Food Zesty Paws Puppy Milk Replacers Pedigree Dog Food Pedigree Small Breed Dog Food Prescription Diet Puppy Food ProActive Health Puppy Food MedalSeries Puppy Food Complete Essentials Puppy Food Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Puppy Food Puppy Dog Food
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored