Great Danes are very susceptible to bloat and torsion, so the less stress on the gastrointestinal tract the better. Good highly digestible diets are a MUST for this breed, and many even recommend a RAW food diet, aka BARF. (For more info on RAW or BARF diet, visit www.barfdiet.com, or www.barfers.com/barf.html.)  Great Danes should never be “free fed”.  They should have 2 small meals per day. You should never soak kibble as a means of preventing bloat.  Great Danes should be fed 3-4 times daily as pups, decreasing to 2-3 times a day at around age 6 months.  It can be dangerous to feed a Dane only once a day, due to the increased chance of bloat and stomach torsion. You can also decrease the chance of this by limiting activity at least 60-90 minutes following a meal and 30-60 minutes prior.  Great Danes should be fed with their food raised off of the floor. There are commercially made raised feeding tables that can be purchased at pet supply stores.  Or you can feed them on a kitchen chair, stool, etc. This helps lessen the air intake during feeding and will prevent the dog from straining his back at mealtime.

RAW Suppliers and Products

Farmore frozen RAW diet - Avail @ T-Bone’s Legacy for Canines (817-361-9855), & Canine Commissary

NOTE:  many of the above quality foods can be found at Canine Commissary 1-972-985-3900

Just what constitutes the most appropriate diet is quite a controversial subject and there are as many opinions as there are brands on the market.  The following information is important to understanding what you are feeding and is compiled from “The Nature of Animal Healing” by Dr. Martin Goldstein, DVM, and “Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats” by Dr. Shawn Messonnier, DVM.

There are at least three classifications of pet food:

Generic Diets - the least expensive and also the least healthful for your dog. These are made with the cheapest ingredients and fillers, such as animal and plant by-products.  They are likely to contain numerous chemical preservatives and additives.  Owners should steer away from this type of food because health problems, due to nutritional deficiencies, may result.

Premium Foods - available at most pet stores and vet. clinics.  They usually have higher quality ingredients, however, you must read the labels! Many contain animal and plant products raised with chemicals and hormones. For many of these diets, the only premium thing about them is their price!

Natural Diets - the most premium of foods. These diets usually contain nothing artificial. They use natural preservatives. Instead of by-products, they use more expensive quality products. Depending on the brand, these products are raised naturally, with no chemicals or hormones. However, some of these diets can also rely heavily on grains.  Be wary! Many companies are seeing the potential for financial benefits creating their own “natural diet”, often leaving the consumer to pick which food is better.  The term “natural” is open to interpretation and can be very misleading.

Learn to read the labels and know what the ingredients are!

What are “by-products” in protein?  It is impossible to know what exactly makes up by-products because no law governs what can and can’t be used.  As a rule, meat “by products” includes heads, feet, viscera (internal organs such as heart, lungs, thorax, abdomen), beaks, feet, hooves hair, mammary glands, connective tissue and feathers. Unless stated as “Human Grade Meat” most meats come from rendered animal substances such as dead animals, dying animals, diseased animals disabled animals and drugged animals. Meat does not refer to choice human grade cuts, unless otherwise stated on the packaging. While organ meats (kidneys, liver) have high protein value, the high amino acid content of hooves, hair and connective tissue can’t possibly meet the minimum needs of your pets.

What are the carbohydrates in pet food?  As is the case with proteins, some carbohydrates are better than others. Rice is an easily digested starch, brown being preferred to white. Potato or macaroni are 2^nd and 3^rd choices for carbohydrates.  Soybeans are not easily digested by dogs.  Certain breeds such as Akita, Doberman, German Shepherd and Labs tend to be allergic to soybean. Soybean meal does not refer to the soybeans but to the husks left on the ground.  Beans, wheat and oats are not easily digested either. Ground corn or corn meal is regarded by many as the worst carbohydrate. It is not easily digested and some dogs exhibit many different reactions to corn.

Common chemical preservatives

    Sugar, sorbitol - used as a sweetener. May relate to diabetes and is an empty source of calories.

Natural preservatives

    Ascorbic Acid - Natural source of preservative made from Vitamin C.

Are any chemicals safe? A number of chronic disorders, such as various cancers, immune diseases, arthritis and allergies, are blamed on the use of chemical preservatives in pet food. Although direct proof of this is lacking, these chemicals are not inert and can be metabolized in the intestines and absorbed by our pets.

To summarize, when selecting a commercially prepared dog food, chose one with the least number of by-products, fillers and chemical preservatives. Processed foods purport to be complete and balanced. Consumers feed them because they are convenient and easy. Yet processing removes many of the ingredients that are not added back to the diet after high heat processing. For this reason, a baked food is preferred to any other. While cost of the ingredients in a natural diet is higher than generic or premium foods, the health benefits and lesser amount of food needed at each feeding compensates for the higher price.

“Ultimate Diet, Natural Nutrition for Dogs” by Kymythy Schultze