Read all the way through for my current feeding plan at the bottom.
We all know how important dog food is! Just like in the human world, there is so much conflicting information in the dog world about proper nutrition and the ~best~ way to feed your dog. As I am sure y'all have learned, I like a more holistic route and value real health for a dog. My husband and I value the food we put in our bodies because that is what provides us nutrients and what we need to survive. He is a certified nutritionist (for humans though, so a little different than canines), so he has been helping me read the specific panels and has a wealth of information on nutrition. We avoid things like processed foods and seed oils because of all the studies that show how harmful they can be (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29555597/). One google search of the food pyramid says that the foundation of our meals should be breads and cereal.... soo I can take that and make the conclusion that I should live my life eating mostly Lucky Charms and that is good for me, right?? https://www.britannica.com/science/food-pyramid
Well, common sense is going to tell me that is not the best way to sustain myself and will probably lead to harmful results in the end, or maybe it won't and I will be lucky because they do put a lot of vitamins and minerals in those cereals. All that to say... just because a food has plenty of vitamins and minerals, it does not mean that it is an ideal way to fuel your body.
Now, I have had less time to research proper nutrition in dogs as this is something I have only really looked into in the past year or two. It is true that some dog foods are going to lack proper nutrients and we can see that in harmful results like DCM in dogs. DCM is also a bit more breed dependent, and sadly Danes are on that list of susceptible breeds. While parent dogs have clear echocardiograms, DCM can be environmental, just like hip dysplasia can be as well. The safest bet against DCM will be to use a diet that strictly follows WSAVA guidelines. These are the big 5: Purina, Iams, Eukanaba, Royal Canine, and Hills Science Diet. What makes them able to follow those guidelines vs other brands? They have a nutritionist who has a PhD, whereas other brands' nutritionists might have their master (yes it really can be that little of a difference just to say they meet the guidelines). Do I love all those brands? Not necessarily, they definitely have a lot more filler and cheap products in their and utilize more synthetic nutrients verses whole foods. Am I against feeding them? Nope. I think feeding Purina Pro Plan is perfectly fine. Your dog will have the proper nutrition to not have issues like kidney, liver, or heart problems. That being said, they have had recalls which again makes me trust them less. You may have seen the infographic floating around that "boutique" brands like Fromm, Acana, Ziganture have been linked to DCM. Well, what causes DCM? A taurine deficiency. The FDA has not finalized anything on their findings, but from what I can tell, it seems that they may use some pea protein and not have as much meat protein to provide the necessary building blocks to produce taurine in the body. This doesn't mean Purina Pro Plan uses more meat protein, they just add synthetic taurine instead. So, if you do feed a "boutique" brand, just make sure your dog isn't lacking the building blocks for taurine or you can supplement with taurine. Another aspect left out of the study is that it is unknown if the dogs that ended up with DCM were being fed the recommended feeding amount. That is What the nutrition labels are set to, and that is what the food is formulated to for each dog of their respective size. If a dog is on a diet, and the amount of food they are being fed is decreased, commonly they are deficient on nutrients. https://todaysveterinarypractice.com/nutrition/caloric-restriction-without-malnutrition/
Great Danes are expensive to feed, they aren't my small poodle who eats 1-2 cups a day, they eat up to 8-10 cups a day at their peak growing time. This means that I understand needing to be conciencious of price. Now that I have Meatball, I definitely won't do full raw. There is a caveat though - non-balanced blends like PMR and BARF are not sufficient. You either need to add whole foods to balance them, or buy a blend that is AAFCO approved. Ask your nutritionist about using a puppy blend or not. The 80/10/10 does not have sufficient bone content for a growing puppy, bone should be around 15-20% Please Please consult a nutritionist if you are going to DIY or start from a PMR or BARF blend that is not balanced to AAFCO standards.
My best recommendation is just to keep rotating proteins to cover all your bases. I like utilizing whole foods to help supplement a dog. I add toppings like veggies (favorites are broccoli, kale, and zucchini), probiotics (goat kefir, Bernie's Perfect Poop, kombucha), and just any nutritional food extras (raw meat scraps, eggs, canned sardines, mussels). A great way to add taurine would be to feed meats, maybe in treat form. I like single ingredient treats because they are higher value to the dog and can add more nutrients. I like supplements like Omega-3 fish oil, as well as joint supplements and multivitamins, but read the label because these are not always recommended for puppies.
Dr. Karen Becker (Drkarenbecker.com) has a book called The Forever Dog. I follow her Facebook page and like to learn what she has researched. She is a big proponent of avoiding processed foods and using real, whole foods is what helps to prevent issues like cancer, which greatly affects our breed. Cancer is a whole other subject, yet can tie into what your dog eats. The rise in cancer in dogs in recent years is connected to the processed foods we feed our dogs. https://journal.lyka.com.au/feed-the-dog-not-the-dog-cancer-the-danger-of-processed-dog-food/ https://hollingscancercenter.musc.edu/news/archive/2021/10/08/hollings-researchers-studying-whether-popular-dog-foods-are-causing-cancer
Even I have always been saying that Giant Breed puppies should be on diets with less than 25% protein but that is an outdated belief. This seems to have been debunked in 1991 by Nap et al. that found dry matter protein from 23% to 31% did not have an adverse effect on skeletal growth and just happened to stick around in the giant breed community. Most commercial puppy foods contain more protein than is thought necessary, but studies have shown that protein contents of 23% to 31% (dry matter) do not have a deleterious effect on growth. This does seem to go against what other breeders and people in the giant breed community observe though, lots of people find that their giant breed on puppy food does get issues like knuckling... which makes making a decision even harder. I am going to emphasize that you continue to rotate diets and proteins to get all your bases covered and consult with your vet. If you frequently check and adjust as needed, you should be able to prevent any long-term issues. AAFCO now requires dog foods formulated for growth and reproduction or all life stages to specify whether they include or exclude growth of large-breed dogs with one of the following statements:
[Pet Food Name] is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for growth/all life stages including growth of large-size dogs (70 lbs or more as an adult).
OR
[Pet Food Name] is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for growth/all life stages except for growth of large-size dogs (70 lbs or more as an adult).
Of course you want the first one!!
Giant breed puppy foods should be lower in fat, have a good calcium content, an appropriate Ca: P ratio, and provide high-quality protein. The recommended range for dietary calcium in large-breed puppies is 0.8% to 1.2% on a dry matter basis. Until 6 months of age, the small intestinal tract passively absorbs 70% of total dietary calcium. Additional supplementation of calcium to a balanced diet (eg, dairy, bone meal, over-the-counter supplements) is therefore contraindicated for puppies during this period, as excess calcium will be absorbed. Excess calcium adversely affects growth and skeletal formation and is associated with developmental orthopedic diseases that include osteochondrosis, pansteatitis, wobbler syndrome (cervical spondylomyelopathy), and radius curvus syndrome.
There is a great resource called the Giantdogfoodproject.com that has a Puppy Food Search Tool to find dog foods that meet the correct calculations. https://thegiantdogfoodproject.com/giant-dog-puppy-food/
I also like to pair this with this search tool: https://petnutritionalliance.org/resources/pet-food-manufacturer-evaluation-report/
because when Puppy Foods Search Tool has NO for qualified nutritionist, remember they are discounting anybody with less than a PhD... including people who have their MS.
At the end of the day, we do not have all the answers and probably never will. Consult with your veterinarian about your dog's diet. I am starting to look into doing yearly blood panels on my dogs just to verify that I have all my bases covered. I also encourage you do to do your own research. This is beyond just googling and reading websites like Dog Food Advisor, but actually read published studies directly.
https://thegiantdogfoodproject.com/
What I feed:
My growing Great Dane puppy (considered puppy until he is 2 years old): Farmina Med & Maxi Puppy Food. It is calorie dense so I don't have to feed him as many cups of food a day as well. He is doing phenomenal on it!
What I feed my adult dogs: Jake and Blue's Raw Dog Food (with added supplements and whole foods to make it nutritionally balanced). I also keep Farmina Adult Food on hand to feed when traveling or when I am out of town and the dog's are being boarded. Lu gets Farmina puppy food when she is pregnant and nursing to help give her all the additional nutrients she needs!
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