Feeding your dog doesn’t have to be a big chore, but just picking up just any old dog food isn’t going to cut it. In this article, we’ll be going over what to feed a Great Dane.
It’s essential to provide your Great Dane with a balanced diet, consisting of a least some percentage of protein and fat. In addition, puppy and adult dog foods are balanced differently, so it’s essential to provide each at the correct times.
There are a lot of different answers to the best dog foods out there, but here we’re just going to answer the most essential questions to get you started on finding the best food for your Great Dane.
When should you upgrade from puppy food to adult formula?
Great Dane puppies mature more slowly than other breeds. Generally, giant breeds of dogs tend to age more slowly than smaller breeds, with Great Danes staying as a puppy until five months.
Great Danes are not considered to reach adulthood until they are 15 months old. Therefore, you should continue to feed them high-quality puppy food until then.
Puppy food usually has higher calcium, phosphorous, vitamin D, and other ingredients that a growing Great Dane needs until adulthood. Without these ingredients, their diet could harm their growth.
Why you should feed your Great Dane quality food, not just fillers like corn or soybeans?
Great Dane breeders and veterinarians recommend a diet consisting of at least 23% protein and 12% fat for adult Great Danes. Premium dog foods are usually good for having well over the recommended amounts for each of these values. However, many non-premium brands try to hide their filler and bad content, so be sure to scrutinize their content.
It’s also crucial that their protein and fat come from quality ingredients. Some good options include lamb, beef, fish, and chicken. Although dry food made from meat can look a bit dried out to us, premium quality dry food is good for dogs.
Feeding time should be twice a day – morning and evening
Great Danes are prone to bloat, so feeding them several small meals a day is generally considered safer. Bloat is the twisting of the intestines and usually occurs when they have a big meal followed by rigorous activity.
The average adult Great Dane needs around 2,500 calories per day, similar to an adult human. Male Great Danes need about 8 to 10 cups a day, while females need 6 to 8 cups.
Because of both the amount of food and their issues with bloating, the more meal times they can get, the safer it is for them. So really, the minimum should be twice a day, but three times a day is perhaps more ideal.
How often should I give my Great Dane treats?
You can follow the 10% rule in terms of calories. Since a Great Dane needs 2,500 calories a day, that gives you about 250 calories of treats to work with each day.
Some days you may need to use more for training purposes, and that’s fine as long as you try to keep the average overall around 10% per day.
Of course, this will depend a bit on whether your Great Dane is still young or eats more or less in general. Regardless, try to follow the 10% rule, and you should be ok.
Can I give my Great Dane table scraps?
You should only feed a Great Dane table scraps separately and at a different time than when you are sitting down to eat.
Most fruits and vegetables are ok, such as bananas, berries, peaches, pears, potatoes, zucchini, carrots, and broccoli. However, there are some dangerous foods, so make sure you double-check before giving any human food to your dog.
Can I feed my Great Dane meat like beef, chicken, or lamb?
Yes! These are pretty healthy for the dog. However, small bones can be risky, so be sure there’s none in the meat you give them. You can look up raw food diets to better understand what meats and in what proportions are suitable for your Great Dane.
Meat in both moist and concentrated forms in premium dog foods is healthy for dogs.
Ensure plenty of fresh water
Of course, the other side to eating is drinking. Always ensure that your Great Dane has access to fresh water to drink alongside their meals. Especially if they eat dry food, they’ll get dehydrated quickly without access to water.
You don’t have to be as vigilant with the water as putting out their food though. You can essentially always keep their water bowl full and allow them to drink water whenever they’d like.
Check ingredients when buying dog food from the store
Different dog food brands use very different ingredients to achieve their nutrition levels. Therefore, you should check the ingredients to ensure that the food has the appropriate protein and fat levels but that they are getting them from healthy ingredients.
As long as you are purchasing your premium dog kibble from a reputable brand and for the right size of dog, you are sure to be getting a good amount of healthy ingredients for them. Great Danes do need a lot of food, so why not ensure it’s healthy for them?
What types of foods are dangerous for Great Danes?
Here’s a list of some of the more dangerous foods you should not feed a Great Dane:
- Tea
- Chocolate
- Onions
- Garlic
- Raisins
- Tomatoes
- Caffeine
- Avocados
- Alcohol
The list goes on, so it’s essential to check whether a food is safe whenever you think of feeding your Great Dane something new.
Where to buy healthy dog food for my Great Dane?
You should feed a Great Dane healthy food from either a good pet food store or online. There are many options available, so be sure to explore the ingredient lists and reviews online beforehand.
There is also the option of canned food or even raw diets, each needing their own research. Given enough time, money, and effort, there are countless ways to select a diet for your dog. However, most people usually go for a high-quality kibble, and those will suit your Great Dane nicely.
What are the benefits of feeding a raw diet?
Speaking of raw food diets, the controversial yet popular new trend is also an option for Great Danes. The diet emphasizes raw meat, bones, fruits, and vegetables for a well-rounded diet for your dog, more similar to how their diet in the wild might have been.
There are some dangers to the grain-based, filler-filled cheap dog foods on the market. However, there are many healthier dog foods now that are still dry food and kibble-based.
The potential benefits of a raw dog food diet include:
- Healthier skin
- Cleaner teeth
- Higher energy
- Shinier coat
But, there are also potential risks to be made aware of:
- An unbalanced raw diet can be harmful in the long run
- Bones can choke, internally puncture, or break teeth
- There could be harmful bacteria in the raw meat
What is the ideal weight for a Great Dane for greater longevity?
Great Danes are fully grown at around two years old, although they may still fill out more between two and four years old. Their muscles can continue to grow and shrink throughout their lives, just like humans, depending on their diet and activities.
There is a difference between fat and muscle weight for Great Danes, but on average, the ideal weight for a male Great Dane is around 175 lbs (80 kg). For a Female Great Dane, it’s 140 lbs (63.5 kg).
If your Great Dane is getting well above these numbers, it is a sign of concern that their diet should change and that it may be time to consult a vet.
The frequency of exercise will impact your Great Dane’s appetite.
The amount of exercise your Great Dane gets can also affect how much food it should eat. Regular exercise will stimulate their appetite and get them to want to eat more. Plus, if they are generally low-appetite dogs, exercise can help them build an appetite.
Generally, Great Danes need to be getting up to an hour of exercise every day. This can include walks, going to the park, or any other type of physical activity.
Final thoughts
Feeding your dog properly has become a hot topic in recent years. It was found that a lot of cheap dog food was unhealthy for dogs and was causing a lot of problems. That’s why premium dog food has become more popular, as people are more interested in keeping their dogs as healthy as possible.
Learning what to feed a Great Dane is critically important for their health and wellbeing. They need a lot of calories every day and need a proper diet of proteins, fats, and vitamins.
