Two and A Half Year Old Male GSD’s Diet

August 21, 2009

Julie has a question about her 2 and a half year old male GSD having really dry itchy skin related to diet:

Q: My 2.5 year old male GSD has been having really dry itchy skin for the last month or so. I spoke to my vet yesterday and he suggests trying oatmeal shampoo and giving him Omega 3 fish oil once a day.

I started feeding him Purina One large breed dog food 2 weeks ago to see if that would help but it hasn’t. Before that I was feeding him Beneful. Should I change his food diet again and also try giving him fish oil? Is there an ingredient in these dog food brands that would be giving him this problem? If so, what brands do you recommend?

photo credit: shredpet501

A: Hello Julie,

I definitely recommend Omega 3 fish oil – just make sure you are giving the “human grade” stuff, like you would get for yourself in your pharmacy. I share – I am not kidding – the Omega 3 fish oil pills I personally take with my German Shepherds.

I know that price is a huge factor in buying dog food, but since you asked… This is one of the best – by far – kibbles on the market for our dogs, and I recommend this one for your boy (click on the link below):

Natural Balance® L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets® Potato & Duck Dry Formula

You see, commercial dog food contains wheat/grain proteins that would be great if you were feeding it to a cow, but not to dogs…

Now, I want to see pictures !