If you were to type Great Dane Feeding into any search engine you would be overwhelmed at the number of differing opinions on the subject. I'm going to add another!
We have been through just about all of the most talked about brands of foods with our dogs and have finally settled on one that we are completely comfortable with, both in the company and the changes we have seen in the dogs.
Our trials in order : Pedigree Large Breed, Diamond Puppy, Diamond, 4Health, Blue Buffalo, Red Flannel, Victor Performance, Orijen, Fromm Gold Large Breed Adult, Fromm Classic Adult, Purina Pro Plan Sport, and finally Purina Large Breed.
We must always remember that every dog is different and they may not do as well on a food as another does. Many people feed a food for years without any problems whereas another person feeding the same food has nothing but problems.
Be sure to check out the files at the bottom of the page!
Protein levels must be at or under 24% to avoid growth issues like Panosteitis and HOD
FALSE - Research has shown that it is not the percentage of protein in a food that causes the most common growth problems. The true culprits are the minerals within the foods and overfeeding. Protein can, however, cause increased urination in a puppy or dog if all of the protein is not being utilized. The body cannot store excess protein so it is excreted in the urine. A quality protein source that is bioavailable to the dog is of more importance than the percentage on the bag.
https://www.msu.edu/~silvar/hips.htm
http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/developmental-orthopedic-disease-large-breed-puppies?rel=canonical
Puppy foods are ok to feed to a Great Dane puppy.
IT DEPENDS- If you feed a quality LARGE or GIANT BREED puppy food to your puppy you should be ok. I do not suggest feeding a regular puppy food. It is most likely not going to meet the requirements for your pup due to excessive amounts of minerals within the food. I would suggest Precise Holistic or Eagle Pack if you must feed a puppy food.
The percentages listed on the bag are all I need to look at when buying for my puppy.
FALSE - The percentages listed on dog food bags are usually listed as minimums and are the 'as fed' percentages. The most accurate percentages are those that have been converted to a 'Dry Matter Basis' which is what the food contains once the moisture has been removed from the food. I strongly urge people to do their research and look up the food(s) being considered prior to purchase. Just because the numbers look good on the bag in the store does not mean, once converted, the minerals will not exceed the maximum allowed for your growing puppy.
Great Danes must eat a lot of food.
IT DEPENDS - Your Dane will not eat as much as you think if the food meets the resting energy requirements (RER) needed for the age and activity level of your individual dog. There is a calculator available online that will give you a pretty good estimate of your dog's energy needs. As an easy to live by rule of thumb: the higher the number of Kilocalories per cup (kcal/cup) the less Volume you will need to feed your dog.
http://vet.osu.edu/vmc/companion/our-services/nutrition-support-service/basic-calorie-calculator
http://www.mycockerspaniel.com/mer.htm
How do you convert 'as fed' to 'dry matter'?
Take whichever percentage you wish to convert and divide it by the dry matter content of the food then multiply by 100.
Examples:
A dog food has a protein percentage of 18% and the moisture content is 10% making the dry matter 90%.
18% / 90% = 0.2 * 100 = 20% protein
Calcium percentage of 1.12% with 10% moisture.
1.12% / 90% = 0.0124 * 100 = 1.24% calcium.
What is the recommended percentage of Calcium and Phosphorus for a Great Dane?
Percentages are hard to go by when looking at the mineral content of a food. The correct ratio is 1.1/1 to 1.5/1 and NO MORE. There is a calculator available online at http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/ to make it easier
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8404228&fileId=S0007114511002959 (To view this article in its entirety click on the PDF link at the top of the page)
What else should I look for on the bag when comparing foods?
Not all foods are the same and vary greatly in the number of calories. I suggest looking to see what the kilocalories per kilogram (Kcal/kg) or kilocalories per cup (Kcal/C) are on the bag. The higher the number of calories per cup the less food your dog will need to consume to maintain adequate body condition and energy.
We have been through just about all of the most talked about brands of foods with our dogs and have finally settled on one that we are completely comfortable with, both in the company and the changes we have seen in the dogs.
Our trials in order : Pedigree Large Breed, Diamond Puppy, Diamond, 4Health, Blue Buffalo, Red Flannel, Victor Performance, Orijen, Fromm Gold Large Breed Adult, Fromm Classic Adult, Purina Pro Plan Sport, and finally Purina Large Breed.
We must always remember that every dog is different and they may not do as well on a food as another does. Many people feed a food for years without any problems whereas another person feeding the same food has nothing but problems.
Be sure to check out the files at the bottom of the page!
Protein levels must be at or under 24% to avoid growth issues like Panosteitis and HOD
FALSE - Research has shown that it is not the percentage of protein in a food that causes the most common growth problems. The true culprits are the minerals within the foods and overfeeding. Protein can, however, cause increased urination in a puppy or dog if all of the protein is not being utilized. The body cannot store excess protein so it is excreted in the urine. A quality protein source that is bioavailable to the dog is of more importance than the percentage on the bag.
https://www.msu.edu/~silvar/hips.htm
http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/developmental-orthopedic-disease-large-breed-puppies?rel=canonical
Puppy foods are ok to feed to a Great Dane puppy.
IT DEPENDS- If you feed a quality LARGE or GIANT BREED puppy food to your puppy you should be ok. I do not suggest feeding a regular puppy food. It is most likely not going to meet the requirements for your pup due to excessive amounts of minerals within the food. I would suggest Precise Holistic or Eagle Pack if you must feed a puppy food.
The percentages listed on the bag are all I need to look at when buying for my puppy.
FALSE - The percentages listed on dog food bags are usually listed as minimums and are the 'as fed' percentages. The most accurate percentages are those that have been converted to a 'Dry Matter Basis' which is what the food contains once the moisture has been removed from the food. I strongly urge people to do their research and look up the food(s) being considered prior to purchase. Just because the numbers look good on the bag in the store does not mean, once converted, the minerals will not exceed the maximum allowed for your growing puppy.
Great Danes must eat a lot of food.
IT DEPENDS - Your Dane will not eat as much as you think if the food meets the resting energy requirements (RER) needed for the age and activity level of your individual dog. There is a calculator available online that will give you a pretty good estimate of your dog's energy needs. As an easy to live by rule of thumb: the higher the number of Kilocalories per cup (kcal/cup) the less Volume you will need to feed your dog.
http://vet.osu.edu/vmc/companion/our-services/nutrition-support-service/basic-calorie-calculator
http://www.mycockerspaniel.com/mer.htm
How do you convert 'as fed' to 'dry matter'?
Take whichever percentage you wish to convert and divide it by the dry matter content of the food then multiply by 100.
Examples:
A dog food has a protein percentage of 18% and the moisture content is 10% making the dry matter 90%.
18% / 90% = 0.2 * 100 = 20% protein
Calcium percentage of 1.12% with 10% moisture.
1.12% / 90% = 0.0124 * 100 = 1.24% calcium.
What is the recommended percentage of Calcium and Phosphorus for a Great Dane?
Percentages are hard to go by when looking at the mineral content of a food. The correct ratio is 1.1/1 to 1.5/1 and NO MORE. There is a calculator available online at http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/ to make it easier
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8404228&fileId=S0007114511002959 (To view this article in its entirety click on the PDF link at the top of the page)
What else should I look for on the bag when comparing foods?
Not all foods are the same and vary greatly in the number of calories. I suggest looking to see what the kilocalories per kilogram (Kcal/kg) or kilocalories per cup (Kcal/C) are on the bag. The higher the number of calories per cup the less food your dog will need to consume to maintain adequate body condition and energy.
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