11 week old male GSD feeding habits

Question
Hi,

  I am from India & I have a 11 week old GSD. I needed some advice on his diet. So you were referred by the other expert (http://www.allexperts.com/user.cgi?m=6&catID=3799&qID=4824356). So I am repeating my query again.
 
  My 11 week old male GSD has the following diet:

Morning - 120 grams of cerelac and lactogen mixture
Afternoon - 30 grams rice, 50 grams papaya, 20 grams pulses, 40 grams curd (similar to yogurt) and 200 grams chicken
Night - 70 grams milk with rotis made from 100 grams of wheat and 200 grams chicken

In total, he is eating about 830 grams of food daily. According to most opinions, he should be eating 450-500 grams of food. But he is not fat & sometimes I feel he is too lean (maybe my personal opinion) - weighs about 11 kg, has a height of about 12 inch at the shoulder & is very playful. Does not vomit, & his faecating & peeing is also ok.  Another problem is he does not like rice at all - we have to feed him by hand. Rest of the food he eats on his own.

  I need to know whether:
  1) The quantity he is eating is right;
  2) The amount of chicken eaten by him is ok;
  3) I can give him something else instead of rice.

  Thank you for your time & looking forward to your valuable advice.

Answer
Hi Shuvajyoti
Thanks for your question, and may I congratulate you on giving your boy the best start to a long and healthy life.
I am not a huge expert on puppy formulas, but he is now nearing the 3 month mark, and so is rapidly growing up.  
The amount of food is fine as he is using so much energy in growing and no doubt - playing.  A dog should have a distinct waist-line and you should be able to easily feel the last few ribs.  You will be the best judge of his weight by looking at him.  Every dog is different as food intake requirements are dependent on growth, size, age, mobility and activity - all of which vary considerably.

Here is a link to a free pdf booklet on raw foods for dogs:
http://leerburg.com/pdf/feedingrawdiet.pdf

The diet you have him on seems great.  The only things I would be careful about are grains (breads, cereals, pasta etc..) as these can cause bloating and allergies in dogs.  I would also not be too fussed about the rice as, unless you are feeding him well-cooked brown rice, then he really does not need the rice.  All grains, generally, are not necessary to a dog's health and diet.  People generally use them in pet food just to bulk up the meal - mostly to the dog's detriment.

The main foods they need for good health are proteins (red meats, chicken, turkey etc..) raw grated or pureed vegetables, some fruits, some plain yogurt is ok too, and a good meaty bone once or twice per week (such as a beef marrow bone cut lengthwise in half) or a whole or half lambs neck.  He may be a little small for these just yet though.  Also some fish is good (bones removed) - they love sardines.  But probably not more than once per week with the fish.

Milk is also not recommended for dogs as they can not tolerate lactose.  Yogurt is fine for them generally, and especially goat's milk yogurt is fabulous.  Milk will often upset their tummies and their systems just don't tolerate it well.
Make sure to add some flax seed oil or fish oil to his diet a couple of times per week.

I hope this has been helpful and please do not hesitate to get back in touch if you want any other questions answered.
All the best,
Silva.
www.roxysworld.com.au