Great Dane. Growth and development.
Growth and development of Great
Dane puppy
Newborn Great Dane puppy weighs around 500-800 gm and he will
hundred times increase his weight to approach the weight of adult
dog. Period of puppy’s growth and development is rather long, but
intensive. For example, being on his growth peak, Great Dane puppy
may put on 2 pounds in a week. The dog will be completely developed
by two years old.
Different external effects influence puppy’s life from second to
eights months. It should be mentioned, that during this period of
life several problems with health, e.g. neck’s rigidity, may appear.
These problems may be prevented by quality, balanced nutrition.
That’s why it’s recommended to let Great Dane puppy eat as much as
he wants. Puppies, that aren’t limited in feeding, normally grow and
develop more quickly, than others. But, be careful, because if the
puppy will have overweight, it may cause problems with his growth
and prevent from good development of bones.
For good development of your Great
Dane puppy you should:
1. Watch over your puppy’s weight (he shouldn’t put on more than
150-200 gm in a day). Otherwise, he will have problems with bones
and joints.
2. Watch over the calcium level. Oversupply may cause wrong
ossification and other problems with bones and joints. For example,
don’t feed your puppy with calcium additions, if the level of
calcium in your puppy’s ration is 1.4%.
3. Reduce fat content. If you reduce fat, the amount of proteins
will grow. Proteins level has no bad influence to puppy’s
ossification and doesn’t influence his growth or development.
Development of adult Great Dane
For normal development Great Dane needs high-calorie nutrition.
Daily rate of calories is around 50 kcal. It’s 10 % more than for
any other big-sized breed. Great Dane needs more energy if he spends
biggest part of his life in the yard.
Great Dane has smaller digestive system than other dog breeds,
that’s why he is very sensitive to overeating. If he eats in big
portions, the food digests badly. In case the dog eats very quickly,
it may cause gastric torsion. It’s a very dangerous disease, that
may cause death.
To prevent it consider the following:
1. Don’t allow your dog eat quickly. You should feed the dog alone,
in quiet place. You may place a ball or any other thing in the
center of a bowl. As a result, the dog will have to eat slowly.
2. Reduce the amount of food. In other words, choose dry feed, that
includes concentrated fats. The fats provide your dog with energy
and don’t effect his digestion. Please consider, that the easier the
feed digests, the less amount of it should be given to Great Dane.
For example, digestibility of ordinary dry feed is 85%.
3. Great Dane should rest for 2 or 3 hours after the feeding.
4. Daily ration should be divided in 2 or 3 times. The morning part
is 45%, the evening part is 55%.
