Grand Champion Heidelberg’s “Kodi” Exploring the vastness of Washita National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma
Hi Everyone,
Today, I am going to recommend that you add to your dog’s diet one tablespoon of plain white yogurt to every meal. Yogurt contains the essential calcium in a highly digestible form that is needed for maintenance and growth. Once puppies are weened they become lactose intolerant, which means they no longer are able to produce the enzyme lactase in sufficient quantities to digest most milk products. Certain cheeses and cottage cheese in small quantity and yogurt are digestible by your German Shepherd Dog.
Dogs love the taste of yogurt. Yogurt may help dog with a finicky appetite to eat their food.
Yogurt is especially good for your growing puppiesy by promoting and supporting proper bone and joint growth. Most all dry-food companies that sell puppy formulas, advertise their kibble as being fortified with calcium, but if you read the label the form of calcium added to the kibble is calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is ground up limestone and is not a readily digestible form of calcium. Therefore, the limestone powder passes through your puppy’s digestive system unabsorbed and may even be detrimental by adding undo stress to your puppy’s digestive system.
We start our puppies on yogurt when we begin to wean them
One heaping table spoon of a high quality Yogurt such as Dannon provides your German Shepherd Dog’s daily requirement for calcium, as well as probiotics such as acidophilus. Acidophilus will help your German Shepherd Dog digest their food more efficiently by assisting the breakdown of nutrients into a digestible form. This is one supplement for your German Shepherd Dog that may pay for itself by assisting in the more efficient digestion of your dog’s food. Thus, better absorption and less poop.
In addition, yogurt can help with diarrhea by replenishing the flora that is lost in your dog’s digestive system during a bout of diarrhea. When one of our German Shepherd Dogs has an upset stomach, we give them 5 to 6 heaping tablespoons of yogurt added to their dinner and in most cases this settles their stomach and reduces or ends their bout of diarrhea.
A good source of yogurt is as close as your local food store. We recommend a high quality yogurt because the cheaper brands may not have live acidophilus cultures.
Include yogurt in your diet regime for your dog, and your dog will love you the more for it. You will not be disappointed, and will love purchasing less dog food and picking up less poop.
Dean Heckathorn is a professional breeder and trainer of some of the top German Shepherd Dogs in the country in Mannford, OK. He and his wife Patty have produced over 25 Champions and Grand Champions as well as a Best in Show Winner. For more helpful tips on diet and training visit http://keystonegermanshepherds.com/ .
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