The right food for my Great Danes?

Question

I have 2 Graet danes,7 month old Harlequin male and 6 month old black female,I have been feeding them Pedigree puppy dog food but recently read an article which says that commercial dog food contains low quality or diseased meat and byproducts
I have not had any problem with my dogs so far but would like to know if this is true and if so what should i feed them

Answer 1

Dear Friend,
A Great Dane (Deutsch Dogge) is a mastiff, consequently it has a very delicate intestinal apparatus.
Moreover your dogs are basically pets and you have to feed them properly in order to make them growing and becoming real Danes.
I suggest a base of rice every day two times a day but changing what you mix with it.
It can be meat (never raw) twice a week; fish (twice a week); eggs (once a week): vegetables twice a week.
Quantity: try first 400 grams per meal, than check how much they eat and reduce or increase the daily intake accordingly.
I suggest you to ask your vet before giving your dogs calcium (I suggest trough injections), whatever your vet will say do not forget your pet friends are in need for calcium and for sunshine, because the sun light produces vitamin D that will fix the calcium to the bones.
Anyhow never give them bones but knee bones and nevere ever sweeties.
Again, watch what your pets are actually eating and never leave the food that they do not eat in the open, either you throw it or fridge it.
Artificial food has no real value for young dogs.
Follow my instruction and your dogs will grow beautiful.
Ciao

Answer 2

Those danes are still puppies even though big puppies, they should be on a good food that is for large breeds, you can also supplement with the BARF diet which is a raw based diet that some breeders use. I personally don't like Pedigree or Puppy Chow I have had bad experiences with that and I usually feed Science Diet, Eukanuba, there are some more Natural diets available now in kibble and just be careful, they can put to much weight on to fast and that is not good for their joints, also be careful when exercising them.

Answer 3

The Great Dane is a Very Large Breed and hence their requirement is also very High,Even smallest deviation of growth can be magnified to notable level.Already you have good Idea of giving a commercial balanced diet,in that case go for a premium quality Dog Food for superb result at least during the growing stage of your puppies.A best result can be achieved with EUKANUBA Large Breed Puppy food,@450-550g/day/dog in 2-3 divided doses.II option can be EAGLE PACK and last can be PROPAC/ ROYAL CANIN all too expensive.

Answer 4

You might consider adding a good, dog multi-vitamin to their daily diet.
Danes grow so fast! Especially the first 10 months. They'll benefit from the extra calcium, etc. during this "rapid growth" period.

Also, check for internal parasites twice a year - spring, after the thaw, and in the fall, after the first freeze.
They can play havoc on a Dane's development.

Best to you, and your Danes!

Answer 5

As your Great Danes need excellent nutrition to deveop . the all -natural kibbles such as adult formulas of Canidae, Innova, Wellness, Natural Balance, or Solid Gold, will pay off in a longer, healthier life..These brands are available at your local pet supplies..
there are no brands found at your grocer's that are worth feeding.
Your dogs are now eating at the peak of their appetites! ( 8 months is the peak for large breeds) but, take heart..the amount will decrease over the next few months..

The premium kibbles will cost more per bag, but less per month.as they eat less and waste (poop) less... I feed large dogs and have saved a considerable amount by feeding Canidae..as well as having very healthy older dogs..

.Note: Do NOT add calcium supplement!

this may be a helpful site> http://www.ces.clemson.edu/~jshea/feeding.html
and here> http://www.hoflin.com/BR/Great%20Danes
I t is never a bad thing to become knowledgeable about anything that affects or can affect your dog(or you for that matter).Keep reading and researching, as the more knowledge you gain, the better informed your decision will be, no matter what it is.

this person is a Dane breeder of great reputation, and a canine nutrtionist. I'm betting you will learn all that you need from her website! Here is her page on GD nutrition for pups > http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/puppy_feed_program_and_guidelines.htm

Here is her list of kibbles that are best for Great Danes> http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/criteria_list_of_better_foods.htm

Answer 6

First of all, you really need to stop feeding your dogs with commercial dog food brands, such as Pedigree. I was in your same position about 3 weeks ago doing research and asking people that own dogs about the dog food brands they would use for the dogs, as well as the results. I was feeding my 3 month old pit bull puppy with Purina Beneful, and to me it seemed good but I noticed that the puppy was not gaining enough weight and he was hardly eating. The best choice I ever made was when I went to petsmart and petco (and also talked to my vet) about top of the line dog food and that would give me the best results for my puppy as far as in nutrition 'n health. They all recommend using Royal Canin. Royal Canin is one of the most nutritional premium dog food brands, and I am really happy with the results it has given my dog. In only a week and a half, I was able to notice an increase in weight, muscle tone, and is also more active. His coat looks perfectly smooth and shiny, plus now he actually eats his 3 meals a day without any hassle because he loves the taste of the food. I changed from Purina from one day to another, and he didn't go through any digestional problems. Trust me, Royal Canin is the most expensive premium dog food found on pet stores, but it's really worth the extra money you spend if you really want to take good care of your canine friends.

Answer 7

I have 3 mix breed dogs and have fed them pedigree for years I would not switch to anything else. If you are very concerned about it you may wish to consult your vet but if you are not having any problems then I would just keep feeding them what you have. I love great danes and if I had the room I would have them too. I hope you have stock in pedigree because with big dogs like that you are gonna need it. My dogs go through a 50 lb bag in about 2 weeks, I have a rott mix, a pit mix, and a beagle mix.

Answer 8

I also have 2 Danes, 14 months old, both brindles. We've fed them NutroMax Large breed puppy food (light purple bag) from the time we got them, as thats what the people we got them from recommended. Their coats are shiny, energy levels are perfect, the vet says they're extremely healthy and their breath doesn't reek!! Plus at Petco for every 10 bags of food you buy you get a coupon for one free!!! :O)

Answer 9

The best food for Danes is Jowar.or Jowari as its normally called. Mix Jowar with Beef - thats if you are a Non-veg person, or Jowar with Soya - if you are a veggie .

The Jowar should be crushed, not cooked as it is fully.
Supplements of milk with calcium daily - if possible twice.
Eggs in the milk thrice a week, should see them grow proper,

Answer 10

had the same problem as you, i have three dogs! 70 pounds, 8 pounds and 15 pounds! i wanted to feed them good food but i couldnt afford it! raw feeding was out of the question it seemed to complicated and my freezer wasn't big enough for all the meat, and the time! i researched and researched to try to find the best inexpensive food out there and what i found was Kirkland signature dog food, its great, 25 dollars for a 40lb bad :) the ingredients are great,you could find it at Costco. my dogs poop doesnt stain the grass anymore, my 70 pound dog (pitbull/lab mix) has reduced in his shedding, their hairs is great, and the best part= they love it! try it. i hope it works. im so glad i found it. i also give them salmon oil, in their dog food, it helps keep their coats shiny and healthy and it will help your great danes stomach. read on about salmon oil. hope i helped. good luck.