How Much Should You Feed A Great Dane
May 31, 2024 10:14 pmGreat Danes can eat up to about 30 to 40 pounds of food every week. However, the amount varies based on factors such as age, activity levels, and weight. For example, adult Great Danes will need to eat 6 to 10 cups every day while puppies will require 4 to 9 cups. The amount of food will also differ based on the dog’s gender, as well as type and quality of the food.
In this blog, we’ll provide you with some great insights into Great Dane feeding so you have a general idea of what is involved when feeding your gentle giant.
Puppies
As a Great Dane puppy, your furry friend will have a big appetite and grow quickly. It is recommended to feed them with high-quality puppy food containing a protein level around 25%, divided into three to four meals a day. You don’t want them to grow too quickly. Start feeding a small puppy 1 ½ cups, increasing to 3 ½ cups as they grow. They should be fed 3 to 4 feedings per day. If they seem overly hungry freed them a little more, if they don’t eat all of their food feed them a little less. You don’t want them to be chubby or fat, even though it looks cute, it is not good for their health. They will let you know what they need if you watch them. At one year old, you can switch to a high-quality adult food, but keep 3 meals a day.
Adults
Once your Great Dane reaches adulthood, which is usually around 2 years old, you can switch to feeding them two meals a day, at this point they don’t need to eat as much to stay a healthy weight. Make sure to choose a diet that is specially formulated for large breeds and adjust portion sizes based on their weight and activity level. Keep portion sizes small to moderate to help prevent Bloat, and to help maintain a healthy weight. If they seem hungry or are getting thin go back to smaller meals 3 times a day instead of two bigger meals. Remember, moderation is crucial to prevent obesity in these gentle giants.
Seniors
As your Great Dane grows older, their metabolism might slow down, which means they need fewer calories. Therefore, you should consider changing their diet to a senior-specific one, which can support their aging digestive system. Keep a close eye on their weight and consult with your veterinarian to adjust their diet as needed.
What Should I Feed My Great Dane?
Great Danes are a large and active breed of dogs and therefore require high-quality, large-breed dog food to keep them healthy. The easiest way to ensure that your Great Dane is getting the best nutrition is by providing them with high-quality, dog food that is vet-recommended. Great Danes should be fed food that is formulated for large-breed puppies until they reach 12 – 18 months of age. Provide the best food that you can afford, there are many excellent foods for feeding your giant breed dog.
Due to their size, and rapid growth rate, we recommend supplementing your Great Danes regular diet. Our recommendation of supplements is NuVet Plus, an immune system support and NuJoint D.S. a hip and joint support. We have used these two products for many years with our Danes and love the results. We start all of our puppies at 4 weeks old when we wean them from their mother. These NuVet supplements are all natural, cold processed in an FDA registered, human grade pharmaceutical lab in the United States. We also add a good quality probiotic to our dog’s breakfast every morning. Antry Danes does have a marketing relationship with NuVet Labs. Visit NuVet Labs website at: http://www.nuvet.com/630213 for more information.
When Should You Feed Your Great Dane?
When it comes to feeding your Great Dane, you need to follow a consistent feeding schedule. This will be beneficial for both you and your dog. In fact, when your Great Dane is at a younger age, a proper routine can help with potty training since they usually need to go potty about 20 minutes after eating. Ideally, the daily food intake should be divided into 3 to 4 meals a day for puppies and young dogs. At a year to 18 months, they can start to be fed 2 meals a day – breakfast and dinner.
How to Feed a Great Dane?
We recommend using stainless steel bowls for feed and water.
When feeding a Great Dane, it’s essential to reduce the risk of GDV or bloat. To protect your dog during feeding, follow these tips:
– Use a stainless-steel slow feeder to prevent your dog from eating too quickly. They come in different patterns and act like a maze for your dog’s tongue.
– Avoid feeding your dog only one meal a day. Instead, feed 2 – 3 smaller meals.
– Prevent your dog from vigorous exercise for one to two hours after a meal to improve digestion.
What’s the Best Dog Food for Great Dane?
Many claim to be the “best,” that doesn’t mean you should trust all of them. As a responsible pet parent, you’re going to want to take some time to figure out which is truly the best when it comes to Great Dane feeding.
Based on nutritional needs, all dogs are similar. However, in the case of the Great Dane, you want to go for foods formulated specifically for large or giant breed dogs.
We advise our fellow Great Dane owners to prioritize foods with calories between 350 – 450 calories per cup and around 25-28% protein. We also encourage foods with controlled calcium levels along with the NuVet supplements mentioned previously and a good quality probiotic daily.
Let yourself be guided by the experience of living and playing alongside our own much-loved and strongly opinionated Danes, who are never stingy with their feedback. That’s our advice for what to look for when it’s time to choose the right food for your Great Dane.
Get in Touch
As responsible European Great Dane breeders, we not only offer a 2-year Health Guarantee on our AKC-registered, vet-checked, and microchipped puppies but also provide you with support throughout your puppy’s life! If you’re ready to find your next European Great Dane puppy, contact us by calling or texting us at 918-760-3104!
For more information on NuVet Lab products visit their website using the QR code below:
Categorised in: Uncategorized
This post was written by admin
Comments are closed here.