My GSD pup is 4 months old now and seems to be growing very slowly. She had a very sensitive tummy when I first got her and couldnt take puppy food without getting bad diarrohea, she was permanantly on fish and rice. So I started feeding her Redcastle Premium chicken and rice ( 24% )
with cooked white fish, she loves this and has never had diarrohea since. My other dogs are on it too and its the same. Problem is, I am worried about her growth rate as she still seems so small for her age, especially compared to how my other two were at that age, I am worried her growth might have been stunted because of her bad start. I don't want her to be a tiny adult, especially as I am hoping to breed from her one day. Does anyone know if 24% protein with plenty of fish thrown in is enough for a GSD pup? The Beta puppy is 30% but some say that is far too high for a large breed.

Would have thought 24% would be ok, what sort of size are her dam & sire and have you seen any of the other siblings. Have a word with the vet it could be she is not absorbing the food you are giving her, but at four months she may be a late starter. Some dogs do their growing early on whilst other will continue growing at a slow rate until they are about 18 months and IMO later is better, you get less of the growing problems with the slow growing dog. jackie

She comes from big lines, its not that I want her to shoot up super fast, just a bit quicker!
They achieve most of their growth in the first six months don't they?

Pretty much in small-medium breeds, six months is about the halfway point for size. Year old, they're usually at full growth, but will fill out in the next year.

I don't think it's the same for the other size groups. The larger the breed, the longer it can take. Sometimes if the growth is too fast, bones are soft and it can actually hurt :( "Growing pains" isn't just an old wives tale :(

Some do some dont - have a word with your vet and seek his opinion - after all what you want is a health happy pet and it will not matter if she is a bit on the small size. She is not likley to finish up much different to her parents if she remains fit, dont try to over do the feeding as that can lead to other problems. Jackie