He is currently on Nutro Max Large Breed Puppy food. That's what the breeder had him on, But I think the protein is too high, But I want to make sure I put him on the right thing, so if someone could help that would be great, Thanks!!
2006-12-10 11:38:14 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Dogs
You're right the protein is too high. Some breeders sometimes don't know best when it comes to feeding their dogs. First of all considering a great dane is classified as a giant breed, you shouldn't be feeding any type of food that says it's large breed food.
For giant breeds this is what you should look for in foods: protein (20-25%), mid range for fat (12-18%) and is well balanced for calcium and phosphorus and high in iodine (3-5%).
If you have high protein this will cause your dane to grow faster and to bulk up. As the dane is a giant breed it's important to let them grow at a fairly slow pace. If they grow fast you can easily do damage to growing bones and joints. Hip Dysplasia and Elbow Dysplasia have a much higher chance of occurring.
Giant breeds are different to other breeds where sometimes high protein is an important part of the diet. Always avoid high protein food for the sake of your dogs health.
I'm sure you already know about avoiding corn, by-products, soy etc. If not do a bit of research online
As for recommended food I would suggest:
http://www.eaglepack.com/Pages/HS_LGPuppy.html
http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dogformulas/UltDog.html#Product
Also have a look at this site it has a list of fantastic dog food for giant breeds and links to their websites: http://mastiffonline.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=10029
-Elise
Just adding I also wouldn't suggest going to see a vet about their recommendations for pet food. Many vets will be the first to admit that the only training they received as far as dog nutrition was having pet food company reps come to their uni and talk about their food.
Most vets will recommend Purina, Science Diet or similar which are absolutely dreadful foods to feed your dog- they are filled with corn which is a filler that can't be easily digested by your dog. and packed with by-products (which is animal hair, hooves, etc) They are far from premium foods and I wouldn't recommend them to anyone.
If you are after a second opinion. Ask other breeders, visit online Great Dane forums, contact other owners who would be in the know.
2006-12-10 13:21:04 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Nutro is a better petfood store brand, but you could do even better! High protein really doesn't mean much because is it digestable protein? You never want to feed your dog by-products, high grain, BHA, BHT, or other additives, preservatives or anything else you wouldn't put in your body.
Go to www.naturapet.com and see the food comparison wizard. It will show you the ingredients and also where to buy the food you choose.
The best dog/puppy formulas cost more, but your dog will eat less, poop less, shed less, have fewer medical issues or allergies. So in the long run you really save money.
I personally like Naure's Variety, Wellness, Wysong, Azmira, California Natural and Merrick the best! These are consistantly voted as the top foods by Whole Dog Journal!
2006-12-10 11:51:09 · answer #2 · answered by doggie_poopie 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Scoring Your Dog Food *Please note that the following is for entertainment purposes only and has not been researched by DAN and may not be a "true" grading of food. If you have any questions regarding the food you are feeding your dog consult your veternarian. This is a very interesting way to check out the quality of the dog food that you are feeding. It's interesting, because sometimes paying more, does not get you more and vice versa. The scores are rather interesting. How to grade your dog's food: (Some brand reviews already calculated here) Start with a grade of 100: 1.For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points 2.For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points 3.If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points 4.For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source, subtract 5 points 5.If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewer rice", "rice flour" are all the same grain), subtract 5 points 6.If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points 7.If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points 8.If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points 9.If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points 10.If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2 points 11.If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points 12.If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points 13.If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points 14.If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to beef), subtract 1 point 15.If it contains salt, subtract 1 point Extra Credit: 1.If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points 2.If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points 3.If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points 4.If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points 5.If the food contains fruit, add 3 points 6.If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points 7.If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points 8.If the food contains barley, add 2 points 9.If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points 10.If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point 11.If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point 12.For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first one; count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein source, but "chicken" and "" as 2 different sources), add 1 point 13.If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point 14.If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point 94-100+ = A 86-93 = B 78-85 = C 70-77 = D 69 = F Here are some foods that have already been scored. If you don't see your dog's food here, ask and someone will score it for you. Brand Dog Food scores: •Authority Harvest Baked: 116 A+ •Bil-Jac Select: 68 F •Canidae: 112 A+ •Chicken Soup Senior: 115 A+ •Diamond Maintenance: 64 F •Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice: 92 B •Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula: 99 A •Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium: 122 A+ •Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato: 106 A+ •Foundations: 106 A+ •Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold: 93 D •Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium: 73 D •Innova Dog: 114 A+ •Innova Evo: 114 A+ •Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables: 110 A+ •Nutrisource Lamb and Rice: 87 B •Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy: 87 B •Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice: 23 F •ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley: 103 A+ •Purina Beneful: 17 F •Purina Dog: 62 F •Purina Come-n-Get It: 16 F •Royal Canin Bulldog: 100 A+ •Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult: 106 A+ •Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice: 97 A •Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+: 63 F •Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies: 69 F •Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken: 110 A+ •Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold: 97 A
2016-03-13 05:31:05 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
That is not a bad food. Remember that dogs are not people and the diet is much different then us. Puppies need a good amount of protein and fat for growing. I personally use Solid Gold dog food. Be careful not to over feed or under feed or it will mess with growth. The better the food the less he will need. Read the back of the bag for feeding amounts and check with your vet the next time you are there.
2006-12-10 11:47:39 · answer #4 · answered by doxidaddy 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would look into a high quality all-life stages food. The large breed puppy foods are okay, but they're not guaranteed to help with possible joint issues as your dog gets older. For larger breed dogs, it's better to suppliment them with human grade glucoasmine, fish oil and vitamin E.
Our dogs, large or small, are fed that along with cottage cheese and raw bones like chicken backs. This helps make sure that they're getting ample calcium without supplimenting since it's easier on their body when it comes to calcium.
Merrick and Canidae (my personal favorite) make wonderful all-life stages dog foods that are appropriate for all breeds of dogs.
2006-12-10 11:48:57 · answer #5 · answered by ShadowWolf 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nutro is what i was going to say when I read the very first part of your question. Nutro makes all kinds of tastes, and size bites, and for certain ages. The amount of protein is probably just right because that brand has the reputation of having such outstanding research put into their recipes. Also, Nutro dog foods all have less of the cereals and bi-procts that are like us eating a bunch of fiber. If we eat cereals and fibers we go potty in large amounts. Nutro has less wasteful, cheap fiber (fillers). That means it will make less waste material when it goes do-do. Not only is that less for you to clean up, it means more was actually used in the body before just passin' through like a sailor on Base-Lib./ The second-best brand is often thought to be Eukanuba. Both brands cost a lot because the creators know these dogs foods are seriously the best in every way. Purina rates much lower. Show dogs eat the two I named, the most, by far.
2006-12-10 11:48:33 · answer #6 · answered by campin/dogs 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Discuss with your vet. Also, consult with a reputable pet boutique (NOT a pet store!!) owner. They generally carry only premium dog food and will be able to help you pick the best kind of food for your dane. It is important that you buy your dog the best quality dog food you can afford. Anything you get at a grocery story is all filler and will do nothing good for your growing puppy.
2006-12-10 11:44:03 · answer #7 · answered by mlle-fantine 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
make sure it's giant puppy food and doesn't have chicken by-products or corn in it. i use eagle pack. it's expensive. but diet is important esp. for danes.
2006-12-10 13:48:27 · answer #8 · answered by raedae 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Nutro is one of the best dog foods. That's what I feed my dog. I would keep him on that. If you do decide to change his food you must do it gradually. Mix the new brand with the Nutro at least for the first week. Congrats on your new puppy!
2006-12-10 12:08:37 · answer #9 · answered by Maggie 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
High protein is important for the development of organ and muscle tissue. Remember- the largest muscle is the body is the heart- and one of the leading causes of death in large dogs is heart failure. Nutro is a good food- I personally like Royal Canin's MAXI large breed puppy food myself, but just don't buy into a lot of these companies that drop the protein level/ meat content to slow their growth. It will hurt your dog in the long run.
2006-12-10 11:44:24 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋