Essential Tips You Need to Know About Feeding a Great Dane

You can't feed a Great Dane just any dog food. If you do, chances are you're headed for trouble. As a giant breed dog, Great Danes have unique needs and if you don't provide the correct diet and the correct portions, your vet bills are likely to be a good deal more than the money you might save by feeding supermarket brand garbage.

Great Dane dog food has to be quality stuff. Don't get a Dane if you're not willing to provide that quality. Here are a couple of pointers to make sure you're feeding your Dane properly.

Don't ever feed puppy food - even when your Dane is a puppy. Great Dane puppy food has to be an adult formula. Puppy formulas are much higher in protein and support rapid growth. You don't want that - you want your Dane to grow slow and stay slim. This is so important - too many Dane lovers allow their animals to grow quickly which can cause all kinds of medical problems later on. Humans get 18 years to reach 150 pounds. Your Great Dane gets a little over 2!

Use an adult formula right from the get go and make sure it's never more than 23% protein. There are several quality brands of processed dog food that will do the trick but you need to be able to identify those that will keep your Dane healthy from those that won't.

You won't find a suitable brand of processed food in a supermarket. They just don't carry acceptable brands - only garbage. You need a formula that isn't grain based, has no soy and has good protein. Packing regulations require companies to list the ingredients in the order of quantity. If you see by products as one of the first ingredients, it has no nutritional value at all. A good dog food will contain real meat and this will be one of the first ingredients listed.

Again, there are numerous brands available that your giant will thrive on - but you need to get to a specialty pet store and choose. Remember, good ingredients, less than 23% protein and a fat content between 10 and 14%.

We would recommend using a quality processed food at least for the first year to ensure the right ratio of ingredients (which is so essential during this rapid growth stage) but a raw food diet is another choice available to feed a Great Dane. A raw food diet isn't that hard to provide once you get the hang of it and it isn't any more expensive than a premium processed food. Many Great Dane owners swear by it.

There are all kinds of raw food recipes you can follow as long as the ratio of major ingredients is followed over time. The ratio between bone and meat is of particular importance and the easiest way to make sure you get this right is to use raw meaty chicken bones as a base for all meals. Necks, backs, breasts are the best. A Great Dane diet should also include vegetables and offal in appropriate amounts to ensure overall nutrition.

We feed 75% ground meaty chicken bones, 10% offal and 15% vegetables. In addition, we sprinkle a bit of kelp into the mix (the most single beneficial supplement) and once a week, fish is on the menu. Sometimes ground beef is also served.

The amount of food you serve depends on your dog, how active she might be, and of course, her age. If you're using a processed food diet, follow the recommended quantities on the packaging for the weight of your dog until you get a feel for what is right. You should be able to see the outline of your Danes ribs. If you can't, you're feeding too much.

If you're using a raw diet, the recommended quantity is 2% to 3% of your Dane's weight. But again, every dog is different so you need to watch your Dane to ensure she's getting enough, but not too much. If you can just see the ribs, you're maintaining your dog properly.

Feeding a Great Dane isn't as simple as feeding other breeds. A giant dog has unique needs. Great Dane dog food has to be quality stuff. But as long as you provide quality ingredients, keep the protein levels below 23% and the fat content between 10 and 14%, you're doing everything you can to support a healthy life for your Dane.