great dane nutrition needs.

[doechow]

I'm picking up a great dane on sunday to be fostered for the dolittle rescue. i was just wondering what their nutrition requirments were. is it much diffrent than from my ACD?

[AussiesCollies]

Well I'm guessing it will need large breed dog food and will probably need to be fed more than your ACD Other than that I have no idea.

[DaneGirl2208]

hi doechow!

is the dane an adult or a puppy? young male great danes may eat as much as 12- 14 cups per day until mature.
but i am guessing the dane is an adult im sure you will be happy to hear that they dont eat as much as they do when they are young lol. 3 to 6 cups is average for an adult great dane some may eat less.
some important thing to consider is the food type and of course bloat. Crude protein should be no less than 26 percent (for puppies, no more than 28 percent); crude fat, no less than 20 percent. this might sound overly dramatic but danes have extremly sensitive stomachs. Bloat is also somthing to keep in mind, danes should not be excersised for at LEAST 1 hour before and after eating and i reccomend feeding at an elevated dish....sounds like a lot of work but i can promise you that you'll have tons of fun fostering one of these goofy gentle giants good luck! and keep us updated on when you get him or her!!!

[doechow]

sorry it took me while to get back on. His name is shaq and he is a 5 year old harligune(sp) colored male. im picking him up tomorrow. his owners had him on purina but the rescue said it would be a good idea to switch him to a better quality food. thanks for the info. why is it better to feed from an elevated dish?

[DaneGirl2208]

Originally Posted by doechow

sorry it took me while to get back on. His name is shaq and he is a 5 year old harligune(sp) colored male. im picking him up tomorrow. his owners had him on purina but the rescue said it would be a good idea to switch him to a better quality food. thanks for the info. why is it better to feed from an elevated dish?

you can find tons of articles on the net about it,some belive that elevated bowls help prevent bloat and others say it leads to bloat. but ive never had any hardcore evidence either way so i just stick to what a few dane breeders have told me, to elevate the food dishes. its suppose to prevent them from sucling down as much air...good luck!! and please feel free to ask as much questions as you want..id love to see pics if you can take some of him!