I have a one year old great dane who is thin, we have even tried leaving food out for her all the time?

Question

She never gains weight. (you can see her ribs) She is very hyper and loves to run and play so she burns lots of energy. She has been to the vet and they could not find anything wrong. Any ideas? Are danes just thin at that age? How can we get her to gain weight? Good stuff to feed her? Thank you!

Answer 1

As long as the vet says shes not underweight she should be fine. Its actually better on a large frame dog to be a bit thin it reduces the stress on hips and joints and danes are prone to hip problems because of their size. If the vet is concerned and as active as she is I would use canidae ALS or even go to a puppy food. Are her parents thin? A lot has to do with her activity level and the amount of nutrients her body can get out of the food she is given in the quantity that she can eat, but some is simply genetics. Everyone knows one of those people who can eat everything and not gain an ounce! I would ask your vet before swapping to a puppy food but it is something you can bring up and discuss on your next visit. Danes should be fed a low protien food to avoid problems with pano, many breeders never feed them a puppy food at all you want slow steady growth. Never feed a large dog puppy food without asking your breeder or vet, it is good short term if the vet feels they are underweight but not something they should be kept on. She is also at the age where she has most of her height and is just now starting to fill out her body so time may help. Most dogs also gain weight during winter and are at the slimmist during warm weather.

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/index.php
is a good website to compare foods

Answer 2

A Dane at this age should be lean.You should be able to see the last 2 ribs. You don't want a big weight gain at this age.

Do NOT leave food out for her all the time!! A Dane should not be free fed. Feed her two scheduled feedings per day. Make sure you are feeding her a good quality food..one that does not contain corn, wheat or soy. Some good choices are Canidae All Life Stages, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul Adult Large Breed or Adult regular formula, Wellness Super 5 Mix Chicken just to name a few. Make sure what ever food you choose has 24% or less protein level.
In addition to feeding a good quality dry food try mixing in a good quality wet food as well (the foods I mentioned above also make excellant wet foods and another good one is Merrick.)
Whatever you do ..do NOT feed her puppy food of any kind...Dane puppies should NEVER be fed puppy food of any kind not even large breed..the protein & calcium levels are way to high for a giant breed.

Your puppy (yes even at a year she is still a puppy) still has at least another 6 months to a year to grow in height and then fill out. Some Danes, depending on lines don't reach full growth unti lthey are 3.

Answer 3

I agree with Great Dane Lover. My dane pup is 7 months old this week. He's 31" at the shoulder, and about 88 lbs. He eats 8cups per day of ChickenSoup for the dog lovers soul broken into 3 meals and is skinny as a whip. But his breeder and the vet say that's exactly where he should be.

He's got OCD and Pano (surgery next week), so extra weight is not a good thing for him. His brother is about 12-15 lbs heavier, and it's causing his same health issues to be worse than ours.

Unless your vet is saying she's too thin, there's no need to try to "plump" her up. Grow her slow, with the right food and she'll be healthier in the long run.

Answer 4

I would take her to another vet for a second opinion. At 6 years old she should not be peeing the bed something else is going on. If the hair loss and peeing started at the same time your vet is missing something. The only other thing that it may be is how long has the puppy been there? Is the great dane stressed over the puppy? One of my clients is a great dane and she has been having skin issues for a few weeks now. She has hair loss but it almost looks like circles. It is not ring worm but their vet is saying it is allergies mixed with a fungus of the skin. She is on antibiotics.

Answer 5

One Year Old Great Dane

Answer 6

I have been involved in Great Dane rescue for several years, and this is a common problem with Danes.

You have to be careful about feeding a food with too high of a protein content (over 22%) to a growing Dane, as it could cause them to grow too fast and develop growth plate issues.

However, for a skinny dog, it is fine to supplement higher-protein food for a short period of time to help the dog gain weight. Solid Gold Barking at the Moon is an excellent high-protein food (44% protein) you could try for a few weeks.

Also, dogs can get bored with their food, just like humans, and Danes are notorious for being picky. You can entice your Dane to eat its kibble by adding healthy mix-ins. Plain yogurt, cottage cheese, gravy, broth or garlic powder- in small amounts- can all be mixed in with food to make it more appealling.

If your Dane's weight problem continues after the age of two, though (when the dog has reached it's adult size), consult a vet.

Answer 7

At 1 year old, your dane is done growing in height, but she has all her filling out to do. In my opinion, you should quiet worrying and let her mature as nature intended.

You've had her to the vet and found nothing wrong, so why not just let her be. She's much healthier being a little thin than if she were overweight. That's especially true for one of the giant breeds. Her weight will come gradually and that's healthier for her heart as well as joints.

Answer 8

She is thin because she is free fed. Dogs that are free fed never really get hungry, they just nibble a lot.
My Jacob is the same way. There are suppliments that you can get at the pet stores. There is also a recipe on the net for Satin Balls. They are fattening. Just don't put weight on the dog very fast. It could cause problems .
Jacob is healthy (and 3 yrs old as of Dec 6) so I don't worry too much about his weight.

Answer 9

I think Danes are just thin by nature--my cousin has one and she is thin too--she has a shiny coat and is healthy overall-but that is just the way she is--just like some people. Don't worry about it at this point-especially if the vet is not concerned.

Answer 10

What most people dont realize is many dogs (especially working dogs) their ideal weight is a weight where you can see their ribs...
Look up the way a body type for a great dane should be and compare yours with that.
Many dogs are actually over weight when you can not see their ribs.