Proper feeding for Great Dane
The dog should eat from the ware, settled on a stand, otherwise he
will have incorrect posture. The height of the stand should be
gradually changing according to the dog’s height. The ware should be
at the dog’s chest level or a little higher for the dog only to
lower his snout. It’s recommended for the owner to have two wares,
one for the food and another for water. The food should be neither
cold nor hot, it should be warm. Please, don’t forget that your dog
also needs mineral feeding. Ask professional breeder or vet to
recommend you appropriate feeding.
What kind of feeding is
appropriate?
To answer in one word - high quality. Mouldy and spoiled products should
never be given to the dog! Don’t feed your Dane with meat of sick
animals. You can be sure that the meat is quality if the broth, it
was boiled in, is limpid.
How many times should the dog eat
in a day?
If you Dane is active and fattened he should be fed twice in a day.
Smaller part of the daily rate (40%) is given in the morning (or
afternoon), bigger part (60%) - in the evening. In case your dog
often participates in hunting, dogs’ shows, guard your cottage or
has other activities, it should be fed three times in a day. The
same applies to pregnant and suckling bitches as well as to male
dogs, when they are used in mating. It’s recommended to feed the dog
three times if he isn’t fully recovered from illness or is aged.
What food products are recommended
to be given to the dog?
1. Meat and by-products.
a) Beef with veins and films, but without big parts of fat (more
than 1 cm), suits perfectly for feeding. The fat will be present in
meat as small inclusions, that should not be dismissed.
Meat should be cut in pieces (2-3 cm) and is given in the
rough. If your dog has problems with digestion the meat should
be boiled a little.
b) Meat trimmings (without fat parts) in the rough.
c) By-products. Liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, udder should be given
only boiled. Tripe should be cut and given to the dog in the rough.
Pay special attention to the tribe’s freshness, because this product
is perishable. You may also feed your dog with ears, lips, tracheae
and beef tails.
Meat and by-products may be given every day.
2. Saltwater fish.
a) Boiled, boned in a mixture with vegetables and cereals (such
kinds of fish as hake, cod, haddock, pollack, navaga).
b) Uncooked, cut in pieces (2-3 cm). Fish is given without
vegetables and cereals, but it may be soaked with seed oil.
You may feed your Dane with fish 1-3 times in a week.
3. Boid.
You may give hen or turkey. Goose and duck have too much fat. Boid
is fed boiled and fleshy. It’s recommended to mix boid with
vegetables and cereals. The caloric value of boid is two times
higher than the value of meat.
Boid is fed 1-3 times in a week.
4. Dairy and cultured milk foods.
a) Milk and milk porridge are especially useful for puppies,
pregnant and nursing bitches. If adult Great Dane digests milk well,
it should be given in any age.
b) Curds, kefir, thick sour milk and buttermilk may be added to food
every day.
5. Fruits and vegetables.
These products are healthy because consist vitamin and dietary
fiber. They improve intestinal peristalsis and may be given to the
dog every day. Their part in the everyday meal should be 5-15 %. You
may also give lettuce, spinach, parsley, carrot, cabbage, pumpkin,
vegetable marrow, cymbling. Potatoes digest badly, but rarely one
slice of uncooked potato is healthy for the stomach. From time to
time you may give uncooked beet, cut in small pieces. It’s good for
dog’s liver, but has aperient effect. Legumes aren’t recommended
because they cause strong bloating.
In spring you may feed your Dane with glague, nettle (coddled in
advance) and leaves of dandelion (water-soaked in salt water in
advance to remove bitter taste).
You may feed the dog with apples, pears, apricots, melons and
watermelons. Strawberries and citrus plants should be
given carefully, because of possible allergic reactions.
6. Cereals.
Rice, buckwheat, oat and wheat flakes are very popular cereals.
Other, like maize, millet and pearl barley are digested badly.
Please remember, that your dog may easily grow weight if he is fed
with cereals every day!
7. Besides, you may fed the dog with soft-boiled eggs (one or two in
a week), cheese (small pieces as delicacy), bread rings, rusks and
different mineral additives.
What is prohibited to Great Dane?
Sweet, spicy, fatty, fried, bloated food is prohibited. Be careful
with liver, milk and veal because these products often cause liquid
stool.
Hen, buckwheat, carrot, broth may cause allergic reactions. If you
dog is aged give fish and meat in limited portions.
