Great Dane Food and Health
Your Great Dane is going to eat a lot. You probably know that going into owning one. However, they are well worth the extra calories. You should feed your Great Dane about three times per day, and the total calories that they should be consuming is somewhere between 2500 and 3500 calories per day. That means that you should be feeding them around 1000 calories per meal if you feed them three times per day. This will depend upon your Great Dane’s activity level though, so if they exercise regularly then budget for about 3000 and if they spend several hours a day expending energy then expect to feed them a lot more.
Like many dogs, Great Danes can experience bloat, a condition that can not only be very uncomfortable for your dog; it could actually turn deadly very quickly. One of the ways that you can combat this condition is by making sure that you feed them several times a day. But you should also ensure that whatever dog food as premium dry dog food you choose has high protein meat sources as the number one ingredient. For Great Danes, the ideal protein content should be somewhere between 23% and 30%. It should also contain between 5% and 8% fat as well as all of the other nutrients that your dog requires.
Something else to keep in mind is that you want to have dog food that is completely free of any fillers or artificial products. For example, many dog foods like grain free dry dog food try to make up the bulk of their product with cheaper fillers like grain, corn, wheat or other materials. You want to avoid these dog foods completely because they are not good for your dog. You also want to make sure that your dog food as Taste of the Wild Grain Free dog food contains glucosamine and chondroitin as well as a blend of omega fatty acids. Many experts also recommend that you feed your Great Dane raw food.
Great Danes do have health problems like many of the giant dogs out there. For one thing, they have a slow metabolism. That means that they actually eat a lot less than they should because they have less food consumption per pound than other dogs. Great Danes can also suffer from bloat, as previously mentioned, which is why you should feed smaller meals with plenty of protein, mix in wet food with every meal and wait until at least 40 minutes after consuming a meal before your Great Dane participates in exercise. Some of the other medical conditions that Great Danes can suffer from include congenital heart disease and Wobbler’s Disease, a condition that affects the spinal column.
The best thing that you can do for your dog is to make sure that you have dog insurance. Pet insurance is one of the smartest decisions that you can make for your Great Dane, and it is available in Arkansas, Florida, West Virginia and just about every other state out there. Pet insurance comes in many different forms, allowing you to take out a policy against a specific disease, against accidents or a general policy that protects your pet no matter what and makes sure that they can get treatment from the vet without you having to pay for it out of your pocket.