A. Protein Levels
Usually a good quality Adult dog food that is 22-25% protein and 15-19% fat is recommended. In recent years, protein requirements have turned into a numbers game. Research has shown that 21% to 24% protein is optimum for various life stages. It's not just the quantity but the quality of your dog's protein source that is vital. For example, a 32% content of a poor quality protein source could give your dog too little protein.
The reasoning for lower protein, is that higher protein results in more rapid growth, and thus more developmental problems, such as Canine Hip Displaysia (CHD), Panosteitis (pano), Hypertrophic Osetodystrophy (HOD) Osteochondrosis Dessicans, and Wobblers Syndrome. Some believe that even 25% is too high, feeding 23% or 20% protein. Note that these numbers are for dry kibble, not for canned food.
Practical experience has shown fewer developmental problems, and the dogs on these low protein diets still achieve their full expected growth potential, some even more so.
B. Feeding Schedules
It is very important that Danes be fed multiple daily feedings, as constant eating will not allow us to measure the volume of who is eating what, and when. Also, it is thought that the incidence of bloat may be reduced by measured feedings at regular intervals. This allows us to keep something in the stomach most of the day.
Puppies are generally fed three or four times per day until they are about 4-6months old. Once a dog is ready to move down to less feedings, it will stop being interested in its noon meal. Never feed less than twice per day.
Free feeding is an alternative that some folks choose, but can result in myriad problems. Some dogs will eat whatever you leave out immediately, and be hungry later on. Other dogs in the home will share dishes, so you don’t have a true picture of HOW MUCH any one dog eats. This is something EVERY dog owner should be able to tell a vet IMMEDIATELY upon any Emergency or regular visit. Dogs like to be on a schedule, and feeding your dog at certain times of the day will help maintain discipline and pack order in your home.
Also, be sure that the dog has not exercised for at least 30 minutes beforeeating and do not exercise him for one and one-half to two hours aftereating. This will make sure his stomach is settled during the critical timearound his meal during which he is very susceptible to bloat.
C. Supplements
Supplementation of Danes' food is discouraged, although there areexceptions.
Calcium supplementation is too be avoided, along with most otherminerals. It can cause growth problems, and as you read further you will see the importance of balancing the Calcium/Phosphorous level of Dog Foods.
Some breeders believe that high doses of Vitamin C may prevent theincidence of growth problems. Given at 1000 milligrams a day it seems to certainly help the immune system. Please use SODIUM ASCORBATE as the Vitamin C source, rather than Ascorbic Acid, which can cause stomach irritation and ulcers in some dogs.
Vitamin E (Tocopherols) is often used as a preservative now, and is considered safer than other chemical preservatives, such as Ethoxyquin, BHA and BHT which are also being pointed out as carcinogens.
Nutritional
supplements, other than Glucosamine, Chondroitin and N’zymes
Antioxidant, are not recommended for growing pups..
D.
RAW FOOD DIETS/BARF
Another "bone" of contention is the popular BARF (Bones and Raw Foods) diet. While that method of feeding has a growing body of supporters, it is important to be aware that BALANCE is of utmost importance if you choose to feed that way. I suggest stronghly buying ALL of the books listed below and READING them thoroughly before ever attempting to feed this way.
GIVE
YOUR DOG A BONE By Ian Billinghurst
DR.
PITCAIRN'S COMPLETE GUIDE TO NATURAL HEALTH FOR DOGS &
CATS Richard H. Pitcairn
The
Ultimate Diet : Natural Nutrition
by Kymythy Schultze
MORE
BOOKS CAN BE FOUND HERE: http://doglogic.com/books3.htm
E. Dog Food Ingredients
It's
helpful to learn a LOT about how to read and interpret
the labels on dog foods.
Meals and By-product meals are most definitely not the
same ingredient. Any ingredient which is designated as
"by-products" are basically very low quality
protein sources for dogs. A definition from this EXCELLENT
site suits best:
WOLFEPACK http://www.doberdogs.com/menu.html
Poultry by-product meal: Made up of ground, rendered, and clean parts of slaughtered poultry, such as undeveloped eggs, necks, feet, and intestines. It does not contain feathers except those which are unavoidable during processing.
Meat Meal: Rendered meal made from animal tissue. It cannot contain hair, hoof, blood, horn, hide trimmings, stomach or rumen (the first stomach) contents, or manure except for amounts that may not be avoided during processing. It cannot contain any added foreign matter and may not contain more than 14% indigestible materials. Indigestible crude protein in the meal cannot be more than 11%. Meals are also used after processing so the true weight and placement on the ingredients list is reflected in that kibble.
Also, protein levels can be misleading depending on the source of the protein. A dog food label can list 28% protein but if it's derived from chicken feathers, the dog will never be able to utilize it. The first ingredient listed on the label must be the highest percentage of the food. Therefore if you see "beef meal" or "pork meal" as the first ingredient, the chances are that it's a high quality food.
If you see just "pork" or "beef" or "chicken" listed as the first ingredient DO NOT be fooled! After processing, these meats can loose up to 80% of their weight. Thus when looking at the ingredients list you might find it as number one but in reality after processing it will fall between 4, 5 or even 6 on a true ingredients list, NOT the first.
If grains make up the bulk of the first ingredients, beware. Meat protein based food tend to be of higher quality than grain based diets, because dogs are carnivores.
Soy should be avoided in foods for Danes, as it may cause gas in dogs. In Danes, gas may contribute to bloat, so foods high in soy should not be used. Beet pulp is also another favorite additive in Dog foods, beware of a food that uses it as one of the 6 or 7 primary ingredients. At the very least, you are paying for nutritionless filler. At best, beet pulp is used as a pre-biotic, but there needn’t be much of it to serve that purpose. Tomato Pomace is a very GOOD prebiotic (it is used by Back to Basics food) and has nutritional purpose for the dog as WELL as being aprebiotic, so none is wasted by the dog.
F. Weight Control and Feeding Amounts
Danes and all breeds of dogs should be kept "lean" as they grow, ribs should be plainly visible, but not protruding. During the winter, a bit of extra fat is acceptable, especially if the dog spends much time out of doors. If he's roly-poly, and has stretched skin, he's too fat. See my Attached list of recommended Quality Foods.
At 7-8 weeks of age, most Dane pups are consuming around 1 to 2 cups of kibbled feed 3 times a day (depending on quality of food). This will increase as the puppy grows. This means if you are feeding a Pet Store or Grocery Store purchased food your quantity of food used will be ¾ to 1 times MORE than if you were feeding a Super Premium food like the ones listed below! And the prices per pound of either are about the same! Why waste your money on a lower quality food, which most likely will end up as piles of poop?
Most pups top out at around 2-4 cups of QUALITY FOODS, twice daily by the time they're 4-6 months. However, males will often eat more than females.
G. What CAN I Safely Add to My Dog's Food
Some people add a little canned food, lean hamburger, cooked WHOLE ground egg, or yogurt occasionally. The key is to keep the calcium / phosphorous balanced 6/5 in your dogs diet. Since a high quality kibble IS balanced, just adding scraps willy-nilly will UNBALANCE it. Also, adding table scraps or other food which changes from day to day will probably tend to cause the dog more digestive problems (gas, loose stool) than feeding the same diet each day. Below is a list of "some" Calcium/Phosphorous Balance foods which you can use to spice up your dogs’ diet a bit, without causing nutritional havoc, for a more complete list and nutritional info, please read this website: http://www.greatdanelady.com/lecture
FOOD Calcium Phosphorous
Yogurt 1/2 cup 123 mg 107mg
Broccoli 1/4 cup 42mg 18mg
Carrots 1/4 cup 7mg 6 mg
Orange
1 52 mg 18 mg
Apples 1/2 med. 6mg 5mg
Buttermilk - 1/4 cup 71 mg 54 mg
Green Beans 1 cup 49 mg 26 mg
H. Fruits and Veggies ARE good!
Fruits and Veggies can be very good for dogs. Most fruits and vegetables
are
very high in moisture, and are harder for dogs to digest
due to their shorter digestive tract. Did you know that
a dogs Digestive tract is about ½ that of a humans
if compared weight for weight with a human? Fruits and
Veggies are good sources of fiber and vitamins, if digested
properly. Dane owners have used apples, orange slices
carrots, broccoli, and other fruits and vegetables as
treats.
There are some food items which can be bad for your Dane though. Onions have a blood thinner which make them poisonous to dogs.
Chocolate
is poisonous to dogs as well, as well. Chocolate contains
theobromine (a compound similar to caffeine) which is
poisonous to dogs. A dose of 50 mg/lb can be fatal to
a dog. Milk chocolate contains 45 mg of theobromine per
ounce and unsweetened baking chocolate contains 400 mg
per ounce. That's enough to kill a small breed dog.
Raisins
& Grapes have been found to cause liver failure in
SOME dogs! DON'T feed them!
Also, acorns have a high tannic acid content which make them poisionous to dogs.
It is generally suggested to avoid giving your dog raw foods that you would not eat raw, for instance, raw eggs can contain salmonella, some salmon contains a type of parasite that will make dogs sick.
I. Cookies & Treats
Many dog owners use dog biscuits as treats, because they are considered good for tooth cleaning and breath. While these cookies or bones are ok for occasional treats, remember that those are also calories and contribute to overweight problems.
I
suggest LARGE raw meaty beef thigh/ knuckle bones,
once a week. They are useful for cleaning the teeth, and
are high in natural enzymes which your dog requires to
digest his food. Avoid smoked and cooked bones, as they
are more likely to splinter than the raw bones. Also do
not feed lamb, or pork bones, they are too small and may
splinter or choke your dog, or cause intestinal obstructions
or even death. So can rawhide, cow hoovesand pigs ears,
AVOID THEM!
Training Treats:
Commercially prepared freeze dried liver is the best choice. You can use low sodium turkey hot dogs sliced thin and microwaved to cook and remove the moisture. Most dogs love them, and you won't mind keeping them in your mouth as much as most other treats!
