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...food should I feed my Great Dane puppy?

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Answer by Jo Wolf
Submitted on 2/13/2004
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Loved Ones Pets and People - Non Profit http://countryroadsca.tripod.com/lovedonespetsandpeople Helping all people with pets, not to lose them in times of need. All low income people needing help with vet costs, will have that available to them. Please, join the Yahoo group in support of Loved Ones.... http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LovedOnesPetandPeople I need help with getting funding/grants and help in all other aspects. I need to find vet. techs and vets who can give some time and help. With many working on this.. no one should have too much to do. Looking for board members, a corp. lawyer, etc. to help in getting Loved Ones Pets and People recognized as a not-for-profit organization entitled to receive tax deductible contributions under the tax laws in effect for the country in which we operate. Please, forward this to whom ever you feel may have leads for me, or who can help at all. Thank you so much for helping me get the word out. Bright Blessing to you and yours, Jo Wolf, Founder-Loved Ones Pets and People jwolf@usa.com

Answer by Hollie.
Submitted on 3/21/2004
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A simple answer to a difficult question... 2 to 8 months Royal Canin GIANT BREED puppy food, Optimal energy, Acti digest, Optimum Calcium, & Chondroitine & Glucosamine. 8 to 24 month Royal Canin GIANT BREED junion food, Giant Croc (Large kibble with a shape, texture and size adapted to the puppy's mouth, which is easier to pick up and promotes oral hygiene), L-Carnitine, Acti digest,& Chondroitine & Glucosamine. Royal Canin Giant Breed adult food, Giant Croc, Chondroitine & Glucosamine, Cardio System (The exclusive combination of L-Carnitine and Taurine promotes proper functioning of the heart), Vitamins E-C. TAILOR-MADE NUTRITION FOR GIANT BREED DOGS FROM 45 TO 90 kg.

Answer by Dawn
Submitted on 5/14/2004
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I have to tell you that I am shocked at the response of what to feed your Great Dane Puppy question. Let's get a few things straight......... 1. MOST vets will tell you (they will admit) that they only had ONE semester in school about nutrition. Their main focus was on medicine! Most do not keep up on dietary issues unless Hills Science Diet sends them some new information. Also, the one semester of nutrition they DO have is sponsored by HILLS, they pass out all the literature!!!! 15 years ago it was good but for some reason they forgot to change with the times and KNOCK OFF THE BY-PRODUCTS, Chemical preservative and fillers such as PEANUT HULLS!! How nutritious is that? 2. Most people don't understand that BHT, BHT, ETHOXYQUIN are cancerous chemical preservatives. A better way to preserve is naturally (rosemary, vit c, mixed tocopherals) NOT artificially! I'll just continue here at random: Nutro is a MIDDLE of the line food, they still use inferior by-products just like IAMS, SCIENCE DIET, PURINA, NUTRO NATURAL CHOICE, NUTRO MAX, EUKANUBA (owned by Iams), DOG CHOW, PURINA ONE and all the others that come from the grocery store. HOWEVER, if you must get your food from a grocery store the best one is probably Purina One Lamb and Rice. The Iams company has a small problem with their research and development department. They are under fire for their abuseful/neglectful ways and they will admit their mistake and they are promising to correct it. Their testing is inhumane and I won't support a company who tests like that........but you would be surprised just how very big their parent company is. Proctor and Gamble is HUGE........if you use Dawn liquid soap, old spice, swiffer, pampers, crest.......you are supporting them. I'll give you the name of several great foods and you can research yourself. Eagle Pack www.eaglepack.com Solid Gold Wolf Cub www.solidgoldhealth.com Canidae www.canidae.com Back to Basics beowulfs.com Wellness Natures Variety California Natural Innova Pet Guard Artemis Spectrum Wysong Pinnacle Merrick canned foods Foods that are middle of the line Chicken Soup Newmans Diamond Euk Nutro Natural Choice NOT Maxx There are some great resources available on nutrition. Here are a few books that might be helpful Holistic Guide To A Healthy Dog Nature of Animal Healing Foods Pets Die For Dr. Pitcairns guide to homecooking Do the research yourself, chances are your vet will recommend Kills Science Diet, or PEUKANUBA because they are both foods that your dog will SURVIVE on ........usually not THRIVE on. Do you want your dog to survive or thrive? Also, supplementing with real food is fantastic!! If your dog can handle it, add fresh fruits and veggies, steamed meat (unseasoned) and very very very little dairy. Dogs are in fact lactose intolerant.......they don't produce the necessary enzyme (lacTAse) needed to break down the lactose. So easy on the cottage cheese, cheese, milk, yogurt..... When dog food wasn't around 60 years ago dogs didn't get CANCER and DIABETES like they do now.....and guess what they ate? Usually left overs, stuff from the garbage, raw meaty bones, complete with fruits and veggies. When dog food started to become popular the companies started using CRAP ingredients (all the byproducts from human consumption)........they were better off eating our leftovers! When people say that table food or people food is bad I'd like to know what they think is in the bag of garbage they are feeding to their pets??? IT'S PEOPLE FOOD that has been cooked into an oblivian and then dried and it worth next to nothing nutritionally until they spray on the vitamins and minerals at the to make it healthy. Don't forget that extra layer of sprayed animal fat to get Fido/Felix to eat it! Look into homecooking if you have the time/energy/money. Essentially you are cooking the food, not the giant company.......and in the long run it might be cheaper. Can you imagine eating the same bowl of food for the rest of your life. Imagine what you body would do if it was to only get chicken, rice and some filler and a few vitamins and minerals........think of all the key nutrients your body would be missing out on if you didn't have some variety. www.whole-dog-journal.com That is a must read for people who are concerned about their pets.

Answer by Michael
Submitted on 5/12/2005
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I am shocked that people with no nutritional training would criticize veterinarians for the shortfalls in nutritional training offered during their education. Offering quips like "Kills Science Diet" and "Peukanuba" doesn't do anything to answer the question. (However, if anyone can offer any evidence to support these claims, I am all ears, though I doubt they are rooted in fact) I offer the following commentary in response to the postings on this board: First - EVERYTHING is a carcinogen - cooking your food generates carcinogens. Preservatives are used in the foods most people consume every day. Does that make it right? No. But it is a fact of life. Second - If you buy cheap food - you are getting exactly that. Cheap food. It is clearly going to be lesser quality, so you should be aware that you (almost) always get what you pay for. So keep that in mind when you pick up the cheapest bag of food at the grocery store. Third - Every veterinarian in the world is not corrupt and uneducated. The huge following behind the Science Diet products can not be entirely the product of clever marketing. That said, everyone has their favorite brands of EVERYTHING. You could talk to a hundred different breeders about the best food, and get a hundred different answers. The fact of the matter is that these individuals probably received a recommendation of a product long ago, tried it, were satisfied, and thus consider it the best alternative. There opinion is not based upon an objective study of all of the different brands of food that exist. That goes for anyone who is on this board touting a particular brand as far better than any other. Fourth - Large Breed dog foods are not called large breed for nothing. These companies have researched the needs of large breed dogs in developing their formulas (certainly a lot more than any of us posting on this forum), and that thought has resulted in a better food for your Dane because of it. Fifth - Natural is of course always better. Food free of preservatives is better than food with preservatives. Keep in mind, however, that if you are cooking your food at home, unless you use organic meets and vegetables, you are still giving your pet the hormones and steroids in the meat and the pesticides used in the vegetables. Additionally, if you do elect to cook your own food, ensure that you are utilizing the appropriate macro-nutrient (i.e. protein, etc.) ratios for your pet. I apologize for a painfully length response, however the point I am ultimately making is that, so long as you are feeding your dog a premium large breed dog food, you are probably doing well by your dog. If you elect to feed a natural food, more power to you. I personally can't see enormous benefit from preparing your food at home, but if you do so, do it in an educated fashion, and learn the appropriate recipes to prepare for your Dane.

Answer by tammy
Submitted on 5/15/2005
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i bought my Great DAane puppy from a crufts breeder she reccommended raw minced tripe mixed with samll bite mix ( sometimes 3 raw chicken wings which he loves) he went to the vets for his vaccines and sure enough the vet reccommended the large puppy breed feed and gave me a free sample the dog hated it.the reason the breeder reccommended trip is that the protein level needs watching by using what the breeder said we only need to add a chewable vitamin c tablet daily no other additives needed. when he gets to about 2 year old we can give him evening primrose and a gucose tablet to aid his joints i cannot remember the exact name of the glucose but will find it for you if you like. Apparently the vets get some kind of commission for each sack of giant puppy feed sold. the only problem i am having at the moment is just how much feed do i give this ever growing giant lovable pup

Answer by Kristen
Submitted on 1/19/2006
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My Vet has bred Great Danes for 20 years and she told me that Pedigree Large Breed is perfectly fine for a Dane and there is no need to spend so much money on any dog food. There are benefitial things in more expensive foods such as Science Diet and Iams, etc...., but most things a dogs body produces naturally with a dog food such as Pedigree. After all, it wasn't until recent years that the whole "dog food" contoversery came along. When she began breeding, the best thing for a dog was table food, so go figure.....The only thing she told me was to stay away from Ol' Roy and really cheap generics because the preservatives and fillers can be bad for a Dane's health in the long run. But pretty much she/he will be fine with almost any food, it is the amount and consistency with which any dog is fed and plenty of clean water and exersize. Sorry it was so long. Hope I've helped.

Answer by Kris
Submitted on 3/19/2006
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As far as food goes, it's dog specific. I have a Dane pup now and have had Danes in the past. In my experience the only dog food they tolerated and not to mention did extremely well on was Pedigree Healthy Vitality and Purina Dog Chow or the Purina Lamb and Rice. I tried both pup and adults on 2 holistic brands, Eagle Pack and Canidae and my Danes almost died. They all got diarrhea so bad there was blood in their stool(this was toward the end of the month and by then, I was fed up and not wanting to hurt my animals anymore) and over the course of the month (the recommended time by food manufacturer to adjust to food, and even when I called them with my concerns, they said to keep it up, the dogs would adjust) they lost so much weight I thought I'd lose them. After being back on Pedigree Healthy Vitality for 3 days, their stools were solid and they began to gain back the hoards of weight they had lost. Again, this is just my experience. I know that Pedigree and Purina are NOT top of the line brands, but my dogs have thrived on it living LONG, HEALTHY lives (11 and 12 years). The pup's still young

Answer by redgirl9
Submitted on 5/3/2006
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THANK YOU!!!! I would like to thank all the well informed dog owners out there. I recently adopted a Great Dane a breed I have wanted to own since I was 7. I wanted the best for him and knew that being a giant breed dog with all the health concerns I needed to be very careful and do my research. What I discover stunned me. I have always thought myself to be a great pet owner. I never scrimped on the dog foods I used. I knew better than to feed any of my dogs a grocery store brand. I have fed 4 dogs and three cats nothing but Science Diet there whole lives, believing that it was the very best money could buy for them. I mean my vet recommended it, who else would I trust more. I feel duped. Here I am thinking all these years that I was taking care of them the very best way I could only to find out I was wrong. I have lost three dogs to cancer and I wonder now if I was responsible. It has only gone to show me you cant trust your health or the health of your loved ones to one persons advice. Do the research yourself. I am feeding my new baby Chicken soup for the dog lovers soul mixed with 1/2 a can of Eagle Pack canned twice a day and he is doing great. If it wasn'tfor all of you I might still be making the same mistakes with him. THANK YOU!

Answer by Trinity
Submitted on 5/24/2006
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Way to go bassie and Dawn!!! I'm young and my passion in pet food research. About a year ago I worked in a local pet store in my area. I read those books Dawn suggested plus some! If you read "Food Pets Die For" you'll be amazed. It's only through knowledge and understanding that we can help others help their beloved pets. I would also like to offer a few helpful suggestions on food. I used to have a Rottweiler. She came to me at the age of nine months out of an abusive situation and left this earth at four years of age. She had horrendous hot spots and they would appear all over her body whenever. It was at this point I chose to begin my "quest". Vets told me food wasn't likely a cause because that would be rare (more than three actually told me this!) and prescribed anti-biotics. They would go away and come back. Her energy became so low she seemed ancient and she became much more irritable. Then I got my job at the pet store and when customers came in for advice I learned fast and hard what I was feeding was all wrong. She had been on everything from Pedigree to Purina to Old Roy. The vet had me try Science Diet (of course!) I used Wellness, Canidae, Chicken Soup, and several other better foods but she did the very best with Timberwolf Organics (they also offer a food-brand new-for cats called Serengeti). It's pricy but wow did it make a difference. I also tried Great Life and Fromm. She did just excellent on all three and I rotated foods as well. Good luck!

Answer by Tracey
Submitted on 8/14/2006
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I guess everyone has there own opinion in how and what to feed there Danes. Just like people are different with their children. What is good for one may not be so good for another. So here is my little blurt! I have a 3 year old dane (my first Dane ever) Dixie had REALLY bad joint pain associated with too much protein in her diet. I was using Purina puppy food. I changed to PRO PLAN large breed and everything turned out O.K. with NEVER any more problems. She is healthy and active and today I have her on PEDIGREE high energy food and she is great. My two new pups again are very different I just had my 6 month old imported from Russia so I named her RUSSIA. I use EAGLEPACK large/Giant breed holistic food for her. She is very sensitive to different feeds and is a VERY large pup weighing 85 pounds at 5 months old. Her sire is 219 and Dame 169 so a good well balanced diet and slow growth is doing her well. Dozer is the youngest at 4.5 months and what a cutie. He was a bit thin when I got him and using EAGLE PACK large/Giant breed. I had amazing results in such a short time. Now he is a little holy terror! But he looks GREAT. EAGLE PACK is not as expencive as you think. I have 2 of the 3 dogs on it and I use both wet and dry but I find they eat less and their poop is smaller and easy to clean so I will assume they are getting all the benefits of the feed and not wasting it! Therefore it is actually cheaper than Pro Plan and Eukanuba.

Answer by Alison
Submitted on 9/15/2006
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I recently got a great dane puppy. My breeder recommended Eagle Natural for Adults. A lot of dane breeders recommend this product. I told me new vet that was what I was feeding her and the vet freaked out. She wanted me to he on the Hills p/d for large breed puppies. She convinced me this was the best... but after more research, its clearly not. There is a difference b/w large and giant. the 'large breed' (according to Hills Diet pamphlets) matures at 55lbs. A dane is twice that! You want a dog (or puppy) food that is less than 23% protein (and about 12% fat). I'm sure there are lots of good products out there as suggested above. Do your research... and don't take your vets word for it.. they are trained in medecine... not very many of them are trained in nutrition. My vet was very mad that I challenged her on the dog food... (especially cause she has a Dane), but in the end, it's my pets health and growing I am concerned with, and I don't think she was giving me the right advice. I then called around and asked other vets... most of them said that Eagle was a good product. I am not sure if I will switch to Eagle Large and Giant Puppy formula or stay with the natural. Do your research and see what your puppy likes.

Answer by mrskavs
Submitted on 9/16/2006
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I have a 2 1/2 year old female and a 4 1/2 month old male dane. They eat Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach with Salmon. We had tried nutro and wellness at different times with our female on the advice of several breeders, books and breed columns like this and an obedience trainer (who was a dealer for the wellness and several others listed in some of these answers) who claimed it made a difference to her training. What she got was growing pains (pano) so bad she had to quit training. We switched to the purina sensitive skin and stomach and all has been very well ever since. Healthy, shiny coats on both, moderate weights and athletic build; only side effect is the fishy smell to thier breath from the salmon.

Answer by Baldy!
Submitted on 2/20/2007
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I'm going bald from pulling my hair out trying to find the best food for my puppy & adult Great Dane. Spent 6 months researching nutrition before even considering getting a Dane. Working in Animal Rescue, I've seen the obvious link between infectious disease, chronic illness, general poor health and Nutrition. "Good" food just doesn't cut it, our Danes need Complete/Preventative nutrition. Just when I think I've found it my dogs show me I'm wrong. So far, I've found there is no such thing as the "best" food. Here's why: -Eukanuba Giant Breed...despite the marketing hype- poor immune support. First swim of the year and my Dane got Giardia and was sick for a month. -Nutro Large/Giant Breed...protein level okay but calium 3 times acceptable levels. Poor boy started losing weight and joints stiffened up. Too much calcium won't allow nutrients to be completely absorbed and deposits around bones and joints. -Eagle Pac Holistic Select Giant Breed...diarrhea, thinning coat, low energy. Oops, allergic to the protein source in this food. -Wellness Simple Solutions...finally, good coat and weight, easily digestible, but.....sore joints. Doesn't say on bag it has 1.56% calcium, you have to contact the company. Great Danes Must have no more than .6% calcium or your asking for joint problems and Adults 20-23% protein Puppies 24-27% or they grow to fast for their bones to support. I'm learning the hard way (at the expense of my dogs). At 3 months old my puppy dane was already showing signs of enlarged joints and the only food I can find to address this problem is Hills Science Diet P/D. Only because it has the correct calcium/phosphate ratio and is not too high in protein and I'm almost afraid to look at what else is in it. If anyone thinks their dog will do just fine on cheaper grocery store foods, think about just this one fact: 60% of grocery store pet foods contain euthanized pets (and what killed them). No point in detailing the other gross stuff, if that doesn't affect you, nothing will. If anyone knows of a "real" Great Dane food, I'd sure like to hear about it. Already researched the best of the best and most would be fine for a non-giant breed dog.

Answer by MaryMo
Submitted on 3/6/2007
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Great dane puppies will actually need more protein than most puppies because they grow much faster. So go with a large breed puppy food, until it stops growing (between 2-3 years for a dane). It is also a good idea to give them a supplement with plenty of calcium to prevent joint and bone density problems. I gave my dane puppy twice the amount of "doggie vitamins" it recommended because he weighed 95 lbs by the time he had reached 5 months. I also mix a little Beneful in with his food just to make sure he gets a little extra vitamins. Fresh steamed veggies like broccoli, spinach, carrots, and fruit (in small amounts) are also great for providing those extra B vitamins. Science Diet is definitely not a high quality food. Purina One is actually a better product. Just look at the number one ingredient in Science Diet: Wheat or Corn. A good rule of thumb is to make sure the first ingredient is Lamb, chicken or any other meat high in protein. It also helps with dry skin and shiny coat! If your puppy is having trouble gaining weight, try feeding him less amounts more often. Puppies can be fed 4-5 times a day. Feed a little more than the daily recommended amount and split it up to 4-5 rather than 3. And try to keep them on a regular schedule to prevent them from becomming finicky eaters. It is very important for them to be fed on a regular schedule. It will be good for their digestive tract and also better their bond with you, the owner! (because it will help develop trust) Hope this helps!! Good luck with your dane!

Answer by mia
Submitted on 4/25/2007
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I feed merrick to my dane. It is so far the only food she is not allergic to, and doesn't have any other issues with. Science diet is crap food. Expensive and crap. If you are looking for a good food to feed, go to jbpet.com and you can find all sorts of great foods on there along with the ingredients. I feed the wellness puppy to my dane puppy and he loves it. I have worked with a great dane rescue group and have seen the results of feeding crap food like dog chow and old roy vs a good quality food. you feed less with a better food because it has less fillers, and you get less poop, a healthier dog, and less vet bills. the better food costs more initially, but since you feed less of it, it does balance out in the long run. as for the question on tripe....tripe is great to add to food. I give my danes tripe every day, but it is not recommended for the only food. you add it to the food...Solid Gold makes a great canned green tripe. also the merrick working dog stew canned food has green tripe in it, and my dogs come RUNNING for that. when thinking on what to feed your dog, think on this: when you go to the grocery store...what do you buy? do you make a meal with byproducts and tendons and meal? or do you buy the meat-steak, chicken, roast, pork chops, fish? if you do the first, then you might be ok with feeding cheap foods you can find in grocery stores and the local pharmacy...if you say the later, then look for a good food for your dog that is just as healthy as yours. and add veggies and fruits to the diet.

Answer by Ashbieee
Submitted on 7/12/2007
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I would like to know if feeding a great dane cooked chicken and rice with veggies is appropriate or enough. We just adopted a dane and I have no idea what to feed him other than I know too much protein is not in his best interest. The people that I got him from were feeding him two cans of Ole Roy and a cup of catfood daily, which I know is not good for him!! He won't eat dry dogfood at this time because he is spoiled to canned, so I would like to start by supplementing with real chicken until he will eat nothing but dry. Basically, how much chicken is too much chicken for one day, and then what kind of food is best for him once we start working in dry?? I would ask my vet, but they just say "Science Diet," and honestly, I'd rather cook for the guy then spend $20 a day feeding him crap.

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Question by Terre
Submitted on 9/20/2003
Related FAQ: rec.pets.dogs: Great Danes Breed-FAQ
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What kind of food should I feed my Great Dane puppy?

Answer by Annie
Submitted on 11/2/2003
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Are there any health problems you need to take into consideration? There is such a wide variety of foods and diets that you can put your animal on, best bet is to ask your referring vet.

Answer by Dubber
Submitted on 11/26/2003
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Hi there,I recommend Pedigree Digestive Care. It's for dog breeds which are more at risk of having digestive & stomach problems such as Danes. That's what i've been feeding my one year old Dane, and he likes it a lot.

Answer by Char
Submitted on 12/1/2003
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I have had wonderful results with Purina Dog Chow. I always start them out on Purina Lg Breed puppy chow then at 12-16wks put them on the dog chow. I have 5 adults and 8 puppies at the time. Plus all the ones that have came through our lives over the years. I hope this helps you some

Answer by Brookie
Submitted on 12/3/2003
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DO NOT put your dane on purina pedigree or any of that garbage food... go with a high quality (preferably holistic) food such as nutro natural choice... i have grown up around danes and they dont live very long as is so the better you feed the longer their life should be... also never ever ever feed a dane puppy food you never want the protien levels to be above 22% here is why you dont want to feed puppy foods to danes... http://www.daneangelnetwork.org/puppyfood.htm Brooke

Answer by Kathryn
Submitted on 12/17/2003
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When purchasing dog food, do not buy anything from the local grocery store. These foods contain mostly fillers and by products. Be especially aware of "basement bargain" foods like Ole Roy, which could kill your dog. Nutro is an excellent choice, it is easily digestable and is great for their coats. Above all, ask your vet. They will be able to recommend a food based on your dog's unique needs.

Answer by Jake
Submitted on 1/11/2004
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I have a 2 year old Dane, and I am firmly against feeding any puppy adult food. Feed your Dane puppy a large breed puppy food, such as Iams . I fed this to mine until he was 18 months old (his breeder recommended it) and he has had absolutely NO health problems (knock on wood). I am now feeding him Pro-Pac large breed adult, which is a good food, reasonably priced. I also mix in different vegetables-sweet potatoes, green beans, spinach, etc. just to make sure he gets any extra nutrients that the food may be lacking, instead of any supplements. Hope this can help you.

Answer by Lauren
Submitted on 1/27/2004
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With any large breed dog a premium puppy food for large dogs should be given. Such as Science Diet due to their rapid growth. There is also no need to supplement their diet. Supplementing your puppies diet may cause problems down the road. Science Diet is also recommended by many veterinarians. From experience, It's worth the extra cost.

Answer by jessie's mommy
Submitted on 1/28/2004
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Hello, I have a 9 month old great dane / sheppard mix puppy, and i have been feeding her Nutram large breed dog food since i brought her home from the humane shelter. I have had no problems(knock wood). Vets,and other people I have talked to, have told me that this was the way to go.

Answer by Brittney
Submitted on 1/31/2004
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The best dog food that I've found is the kind where you can just add water & it soffens & it's a gravy mixture it works great!

Answer by Jake
Submitted on 2/11/2004
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The reason that Science diet is reccommended by vets is because they SELL it. It contains BHA and BHT which are known carcinogens in humans.

Answer by Michelle
Submitted on 2/18/2004
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I never gave my Dane any dog food that had any corn "ingredient" within the first four ingredients. As ingredients are listed in order of what it has the the most of first, then descending, corn is a filler that does not get digested therefore useless for the dog. Watch your protein levels as you want your dog to grow, but not to quickly.

Answer by bassie
Submitted on 2/26/2004
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corn,wheat,soy, salt, dried beet pulp, by-products. brewers rice,animal digest, etc,etc all bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! a good dog food never has to be supplemnted with other veggies or fruits as far as the the list if corn is the fifth on the list it still is bad. and nutro uses dried beet pulp, wheat,salt its not as healthy as you think

Answer by Diesel
Submitted on 3/9/2004
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I can not believe there are still people who buys supermarket dog and cat food. Food such as Hills Science Diet (or other vet choices) is still better then supermarket food. (not perfect but if you are not planning to cook for your dogs, then AT LEAST BUY SOMETHING BETTER THAN SUPERMARKET FOOD. The very best available (according to me) Innova and Eagle are good products (using Holistic approaches)

Answer by Char
Submitted on 4/13/2004
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I was on here and wrote a response to your Question Before and I see you have got A LOT of replys. I hope you are still checking them because I have learned of something even better. Visit: www.eaglepack.com and read up on the Large/Giant Breed puppy food and I would say to put her on this. Good Luck!!!

Answer by Chrissy
Submitted on 5/25/2004
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Dawn had the correct answer to all the foods above for Danes. Go to A good dog food store and read the ingreidents , and you will see no corn, beet pulp (thats sugar) or fillers, only natural good food, would you want to eat junk?

Answer by Karrie
Submitted on 6/10/2004
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I've recently purchased a Dane puppy and am currently feeding it tripe mixed with Skinners complete puppy food as recommended by the breeder. After recently visiting the vets he has recommended that we feed her purely a large breed complete dog food as he feels that tripe doesn't add much to the dogs diet. After reading the comments above this seems to be the most popular choice. Can anyone give me any advice??

Answer by tucker
Submitted on 8/14/2004
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Do any of you who're pitching holistic/etc dog food have any statistical evidence that it is any better, or is it only your own beliefs/experience?

Answer by James
Submitted on 8/20/2004
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I have talked to my vet and the lady I bought my Dane from and she feeds her dogs Buddy Boy once they are adults. It keeps them nice and 'fat' and her dogs are very healthy.

Answer by Cait
Submitted on 9/10/2004
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Life's Abundance, or Flint River Farms Food. Both are Human Grade and have no by-products, hormones, or any filler of any sort. Supermarket food, even the supposed "natural choice" is horrible. Although they are a bit costly, you will save money in the long run, and if money is your first priority anyway, you should not have considered a precious Dane.

Answer by yvonne lawrence
Submitted on 10/28/2004
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guys you are to long questions

Answer by Dane lover
Submitted on 11/4/2004
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I have found with my Dane (2 years old) that feeding him smaller dogs has been great for his health and he loves catching them. This has all the benefits of a diet that a wild dog would recieve.

Answer by Adam
Submitted on 11/8/2004
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What about trying to put some weight on my 8 month old dane male pup. He is about 80 lbs. but his ribs show a lot and he just looks skinny. hes on eukanuba right now but im about to switch him to the solid gold heath food. should i just gets his the adult chow or the puppy chow? and i also heard giving your dog cooked pasta (like boiled noodles) will put weight on them. or is he normal for an 8 month old pup? any advice would be greatly appreciated! thanks!

Answer by Liz
Submitted on 1/29/2005
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I have a year old Great Dane. When i first got him I put my puppy on some supermarket food. His knees got really weak and he could barely walk. I switched him to Eagle Pack and they immediately got better. I payed $30 for a bag. I am considering changing his food to something else because he is too skinny. I have been researching and credible sites say the diet should be 22-25% protein and 15-18% fat. Eagle Pack has 12% fat and I think that is why my baby is so thin. Buy the food from a pet store or feed store...stay away from the cheap stuff!

Answer by Scott
Submitted on 1/31/2005
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In reading Dawns answer, my research has found a food not listed in her list for a great food to feed your dane. Premium Edge is very well blended with no ground corn, by-products, wheat, soy or beat pulp. Many of the foods on the "great list" contain some or all of these in the ingredient list. Go to premiumedgepetfood.com to see for yourself. An added bonus is that this food is not 40.00-50.00 a bag. A 40lb bag of large breed puppy will run you around 30.00 or less.

Answer by Jessmarie Martinez
Submitted on 2/19/2005
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You should feed your puppy whatever his veterinarian recommends. It always works for me and my dog Pokey and my fish Bob and all of the animals I used to have. It's very good for their health so they live a long and happy life!! :-D :-)

Answer by Treasure
Submitted on 2/21/2005
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I just got a Dane Puppy 2 days ago, he was 7 weeks on the day I got him. Do they have a loss of appetite while they are getting accustomed to their new surroundings? I would say he didn't like the food, but the breeder changed his food all the time.

Answer by great dane lover
Submitted on 2/28/2005
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how could anyone get an answer out of this selection. There are way to many contradictions, and just when you thought you've finaly found your answer,the very next answer is saying that it is wrong ,so in my answer i say this forum is by far the worst informative i have ever read, but probably the most confusing,and if you were'nt confused before, you will be when your done.

Answer by Joe
Submitted on 5/13/2005
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Large Breed Food

Answer by Darcy
Submitted on 6/16/2005
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I would just like to so THANK YOU to DAWN. I'm picking up my new baby, a 9-week old black Great Dane on Saturday and I was totally confused regarding the correct food choice. Now I know, and I'm more informed about the different types of food that are available. Your post will save many Danes out there, I'm sure! Thank you so much!!

Answer by Dean
Submitted on 6/24/2005
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Innova Large Breed Puppy Food. I feed this to my 4 month old German Shepherd Dog. It has better ingredients in it then the food I eat on a daily basis. It also helps large breeds bone development.

Answer by samson
Submitted on 6/28/2005
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i feed my dane worms.

Answer by Christena
Submitted on 7/7/2005
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Visit www.greatdanelady.com, She is extremely experienced with Danes. I have 2 Danes and I follow her feeding plan. They couldn't be healthier!!! Also, I use fresh minced garlic 3x a week in their food for fleas. My vet says that will not work, but I have yet to pick off any fleas from my dogs. I also put Flax seed oil in their food once a day, it makes their coats very soft and shiny. Please look into the vaccinations recommended by your vet. Some are not necessary and never do multiple vaccines at one time.

Answer by Kim
Submitted on 7/29/2005
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I have two Great Danes and I have been feeding them Premium Edge Adult Dog which has all natural ingredients and no fillers nor bi products, you can compare it to many of the Premium foods. The only difference is you don't have to pay as much.

Answer by Blades_Mommy
Submitted on 1/18/2006
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Ive had excellent experience with the dog food Blue ( sorry cant remember full name ) BUT I'm also trying to find a place where i can get recipes to make my OWN food for my puppy. Anyone have any suggestions i feel as blessed as i was when i had my kids to be getting my Dane puppy ( his father was stolen from me 3 yrs ago and recently neutered my pup is out of an accident wasn't supposed to breed to that female litter i feel he was meant to be ) So i want ONLY the very best for Blade when he comes home i have 4 weeks to find the perfect solution. Any help???