Great Dane feeding chart: How much to feed?

Great Danes are called gentle giants as they are tall and strong but mild in nature. They are a cool pet option you can adopt but maintaining a great dane feeding chart is a must as the amount of food determines its health. As this species of dogs are large in size and comparatively stronger than other dogs, special attention should be given to their feeding. It’s quite normal to arise many questions in the conscious mind of prospective owners about how to make a budget to feed a great dane and how much it is needed to be fed over the ages of the dog. You can go through this write up to know all these. 

About the Great Dane

The great dane is a german origin powerful breed of dogs that can be as tall as 32 inches at their shoulders taller than most other species. Even they can be taller than most people if stand on their back legs. They belong to a short span of life, usually 8 – 10 years on average. The average weight a great dane can hold 100 pounds and 120 pounds for female and male dogs respectively. They are very sweet in nature and a careful home guardian as well. Their terribly imposing look will make an intruder think twice to step into a house. Great danes are so friendly, patient, and dependable to their masters. 

They are friendly, patient, and dependable. Their playful nature with the children makes them attractive to the prospective owners. Also called German Mastiffs, this breed of dogs was used for hunting bears, boar, and dear and to protect the owner from danger. They are famous for their regal appearance and bodily strength and power. Their strong galloping figure and intense expression can be intimidating at the first glance. These wonderful dogs possess a goofy personality but reserve great intelligence and courage. This is why they are not called so-so Danes but great danes. 

Why is it important to give special attention to the food of a great dane?

To get your Great Dane bodily shaped as you expect, there is no alternative to concentrate on a proper diet. Their need for nutritional items including protein varies over the life stages. As they are very prone to a number of health risks, only a proper diet can make them risk free. To be very specific, it’s important to feed the Great Danes with foods having all the nutritious values needed to prevent muscular-skeletal problems. You need to follow the recommendations of breeders and veterinarians to make a proper Great Dane feeding chart for your lovely companion. What and how you feed your Great Dane will determine its height and physiques. 

As Great Danes are one of the largest breeds of dogs in the world, you may build a wrong perception about the amount of food a Great Dane needs. Large size doesn’t mean they eat much, they take little food in contrast to what you may think of. It’s because they use less energy per pound than other dogs. You can measure the caloric intake needed for an average weighted dog with a simple calculation. Older dogs may require fewer calories but some of them may need more based on their metabolism and the level of activity. To stay fit, they require exercise along with food but in moderation. Exercise should be limited to prevent muscular-skeletal and joint problems. 

How much to feed a Great Dane?

No living creatures can survive without food, a Great Dane is no exception. If there is anything more needed for survival other than water and sleep, it’s food. A Great Dane needs balanced food with proper nutrition items when it experiences a rapid growth in their early life. This period is critical to their long-term health and longevity. Both underfeeding and overfeeding can lead to serious health issues later in life. To avoid all these, it is essential to carefully develop a feeding chart and follow it to feed the pet foods with proper nutritious values over the life o a Great Dane. If you have yet to bring your Great Dane at home, put the following feeding chart in your collection for the proper upbringing of your pet. 

Food requirements of Great Danes vary from age to age. From early life to adulthood, dogs should be fed 2 to 3 times in a day. The amount of food increases with the age of the dog. Great Danes can’t eat conventional puppy food, so they need special food produced for the large breeds at a certain frequency. For example, experts recommend 4 to 8 cups of food daily to be served in three meals at least to a Great Dane puppy aged between three to six months. But for the same-aged females, they should get a bit less, 3 to 6 cups daily. 

Meal Chart

Balanced Feeding for a Newborn Great Dane

A Great Dane opens its eyes and starts receiving the world around him in the 2nd week of its life. A newborn puppy will completely rely on its mother’s milk. Stay alert and look after if all the puppies are gaining the same amount of milk. If any of them can’t gain weight they should be supplemented with formula. It is not recommended to introduce food when the puppy is in its 3rd week although a Great Dane is more aware of the world around at this time, can move enough and get away from the litter to urinate.  Don’t try to wean your puppy, the time has yet to come. 

You can give some food to your puppy at 4 weeks of its age other than its mother’s milk but serve the food in a mixture of 25% food and 75% water. If it seems that the puppy is not interested to take the food, take it away and allow some more time. The ratio of food against water should be increased when the puppy is in its 5th week of birth. Stay alert and see if any puppy shows any unusual growth, contact your vet if you have any concern to be addressed. 

When to switch completely to dog food?

At the age of 6 weeks, your puppy is supposed to show more interest to take food in your mixture. If there arise no complexity, you can increase the amount of food gradually in your mixture while decreasing the amount of water. Once you can completely switch to dog food if everything goes well at this stage. Puppy’s mother will still be nurturing it although it is no longer feeding mother’s milk. Most of the mother dogs become bored at the 7th week of puppy’s birth and not willing to nurse the puppy anymore but likely to offer a quick drink of milk sometimes. Meanwhile, the puppy is supposed to eat dog food without any complexity. If you notice any problem, you can try water food mixture again. 

When the Great Dane puppies are in the 8th week, they will start roaming independently being separated from the parent and mates. Puppies should be weaned by 2 to 4 cups of dog food in three meals, be careful about the amount and frequency of meals you are to serve the puppy with to ensure its growth and expected strength. By this time, you will notice that the puppy started growing rapidly and needs changes in their food amount. 

Food for the Rapid Growth Stage of Great Dane

At ninth week, a Great Dane will cope up in a new home and steadily feed separated from its parents and littermates. It will have grown big and therefore a big appetite. You need to allot at least 4 cups of food for a day divided equally in 3 meals. The dog will be growing and gaining weight quickly. Now it has a lot of energy and needs a lot of calories to tackle its rapid growth. Now at the age of 10 month, you need to feed the Dane with 5 cups, the amount may fluctuate depending on the appetite. If you find the puppy overly thin than expected, just give it a rise in the food amount. 

Put it on a strict schedule when your puppy reaches 11th week. Teach the puppy to stick to the schedule by taking it away if not eaten after 10 to 15 minutes. Be careful about bloating, getting the food divided into meals is a nice way to prevent overeating and bloating issues. It also facilitates food digestion. Your puppy becomes a voracious eater at 12 week, you may need to provide 6 cups of food to keep pace with the rapid growth. 

Great Dane Growth chart

How Much Food to Allow for a Great Dane Puppy

Everyday, a Great Dane needs 4-6 cups of food divided equally into two meals and served after a specific time interval. Food for a female Great Dane increases at a slower rate starting from the bottom of the range but the starting point for male dogs is at the mid of the range. 

Remember that Great Danes puppies are prone to develop diseases in between 2 months to 4 months of their age and the initial 11 to 16 weeks are the most sensitive period for a Great Dane. The Dane parent needs to provide special attention to the proper feeding during this time to save it from health issues later in life. You may find it difficult to decide the feeding schedule for your pet canine, just follow the Great Dane feeding chart where experts opined when and how to feed your dog. The recommendation considers when a Great Dane needs the most energy and how it should be fed. 

Food for an Adult Great Dane 

Normally an adult Great Dane requires at least 2500 calories daily but the number rises to three thousand calories at least when the dog is more active and needs more energy. The older a Great Dane grows, the less his demand of calories becomes. The food you are feeding your dogs with should contain at least 23% protein and 12% fat. Before actually buying food for your puppy, examine it carefully to be sure that it has the required nutritional values as mentioned.  The amount of food for an adult male Great Dane should be 8 to 10 cups to be served in 2 meals at least, for their female counterparts, the amount should be lessened to 6 to 8 cups. 

Larger breeds often experience joint problems. To avoid the issues, you need to bring premium food for your adult Great Dane. As the puppy has grown and is heading towards maturity, you don’t need to feed it as frequently as you did in its early life but still need to feed frequently, three times in a day preferably. Don’t allow the dog to have free access to food all the time because it can lead to obesity. Place the great dane feeding bowl at the shoulder height of your dog, it will help to limit digestive issues. Maintain zero diet before and after an hour of exercise to prevent odds of bloat that often proved fatal to the affected canines.

What about the Water Need of a Great Dane? 

Great Danes can consume a lot of water. As an owner you may find it difficult to know how much they should or if you should restrict your puppy’s access to water. There is no reason to restrict. You should allow a Great Dane to drink as much as they want. You must monitor the water intake. The younger Danes need more water proportionately than an adult one. A full-grown dog may require water the same amount as a human. 

A Dane puppy aged around 6 weeks will require half of a cup of water in every two hours. Whereas a full-grown 2 years old dog consumes half to 1 ounce of water per pound of body weight everyday. Give as much water as needed to prevent dehydration. But limit the amount in times when needed like in the evening. A Great Dane dehydrates after not having enough water especially when it is active. Supply enough water when the dog is suffering from vomiting or fever that can cause dehydration. 

Conclusion

Food entails a great importance to all the animals not only for survival but for proper growth and staying fit always. When it comes to Great Danes, having a proper diet becomes more important as the breed is prone to various health risks if underfed or overfed. A feeding chart for your great dane is a must to maintain for a great upbringing of your loyal companion. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Q. How much should I be feeding my Great Dane?

1. It depends on the age, bodily growth, energy consumption, need for calories. And so many other factors to keep pace with the growth of the dog and preventing the health issues a Great Dane can be encountered with. In the aforementioned discussion, we have clearly identified the amount of food needed at various life stages of a Dane. Yet, their needs can be varied case by case. Examine individually and make modifications if needed for a certain puppy. 

Q. How many times should I feed my Great Dane puppy?

1. At ages, the number of meals a Great Dane needs varies. When they are young, they need food frequently and comparatively more than what a full-aged dog needs. Generally, a young puppy should have meals 3 times in a day but frequency lessens as the dog grows. Overfeeding causes health issues and complexities later in life, a Great Dane should have limited access to food but feeding twice in a day with a certain amount of food. 

Q. What is the best food to feed a Great Dane puppy? 

1. Not only dogs but all mammals need to be fed with mother’s milk in the early stage of life. This is the best food for them at that period but as time flies animals habituate with wean. There are various brands of dog food available in the market for larger breeds. The food should be a complete package of nutrition values and features like easy to chew and digest. Choose a food that ensures a balanced level of protein, calcium, and so on. 

Q. How much should a 6 week old Great Dane eat?

1. At the 6th week of birth, a Great Dane actually starts accustomed with food other than its mother’s milk. Feeding them with dry food might cause serious health issues, so feed your Great Dane with a mixture of food and water at a 30:70 ratio. 

Q. Should you euthanize a dog with bad arthritis?

1. Euthanizing means putting an animal to death humanly. When your pet dog reaches a condition that it can’t get up or move and there is little chance of recovery, you can euthanize it with arthritis. Rather than having the pet suffering from intense pain, you can let them rest in peace. Many dog parents and animal shelters choose this option when the suffering becomes too much.