Great Danes are an easy breed to deal with from a behavioral standpoint, but their most unique aspect, which is their size, can make them tricky to raise.
There are a lot of things that an owner has to do to cope with their Great Dane’s huge size. One such thing is making sure that their dog receives the best nutrition possible. As a result, buying food for a Great Dane can be one of the more difficult parts of raising this breed.
Thankfully, we are here to help you out by making the whole process a lot simpler. In this article, we are going to be reviewing some great dog food options and we will let you pick the one that you think that your dog will like best.
If you want our take on the best dog food for Great Danes, we would recommend the Blue Buffalo Life Protection Large Breed Dog Food.
A Spotlight On Some of The Best Dog Food for Great Danes 2021:
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Large Breed Dog Food
We are big believers in cutting right to the chase and so we want to begin our review list by looking at the food that we deemed as the best dog food for Great Danes in our introduction, which is the Blue Buffalo Life Protection Large Breed Dog Food. Experienced dog owners will not be surprised by this choice at all since Blue Buffalo is one of the most well-respected brands out there when it comes to pet foods of all different kinds.
A great aspect of this food is the extremely high-quality ingredients that it uses. Every single part of this food is “real,” which means that it uses the same quality of ingredients that one would expect to find in human food. This also means that you won’t be finding any artificial fillers or other fake ingredients.
Blue Buffalo also understands the importance of nutrition, which is why their dog foods tend to be loaded with their own unique mixture of vitamins and nutrients. This food is no exception to that rule, as it is equipped with Blue Buffalo’s unique “life protection” mixture, which has basically every type of nutrient and vitamin that a dog like a Great Dane could need.
But without a doubt the best thing about this food, and what really makes it good for Great Danes is its low-fat content. This is an extremely high protein food. Great Danes as a breed can’t have too much strain put on their joints, so it is essential that they get a lot of protein (to build muscle) and only a little bit of fat (to prevent excess weight gain).
Is everything about this food perfect? Sadly, the answer is no, although thankfully, the only issue with this food has absolutely nothing to do with the actual quality of the food. Blue Buffalo is easily one of the best examples of getting what you pay for.
You get a great food so naturally, you have to pay a premium. If you want to give your valued dog the best food that money can buy, this is the option for you, but we also understand that not everyone is on an unlimited budget, and so they may wish to seek out a cheaper food.
- Uses only real ingredients.
- Lean, high protein food.
- Great vitamin mixture in food.
- Nutritious and appealing.
- The price matches the quality.
Royal Canin Great Dane Dry Dog Food
Whenever you are trying to buy dog food for a specific breed, it is hard to turn down a food that is specifically made for that breed. After all, why waste time trying to determine whether a specific dog food is good for your Great Dane when you can just buy a food that is specifically meant for that breed?
Thankfully, there is a dog food brand out there that specializes in making breed-specific foods, and it is called Royal Canin. Naturally, they have made a food for Great Danes as well and the Royal Canin Great Dane Dry Dog Food is going to be the next option that we look at.
As you would imagine, given that this food is specifically designed for Great Danes, it is great for the breed from a purely nutritional standpoint. It manages to deliver a lot of energy, without overloading them with fats and calories. The kibble has also been designed to ensure that the dog doesn’t wolf down the food too quickly, which should also help to prevent overeating.
The biggest issue with this food from Royal Canin has nothing to do with the quality of the food itself, instead it has to do with how difficult it can be to find this food. Due to the nature of the food (it is made only for a specific breed) it often goes out of stock.
One of the worst things that an owner can do is try to change their dog’s food suddenly, so if it goes out of stock and you don’t have any, you could be left in quite the jam. This is why we would recommend that if you do go with this food that you ensure that you buy a lot of it at once.
- Specially designed kibble slows overeating.
- Good nutritional value.
- Delivers lots of energy with minimal calories.
- Designed to aid both digestive and bone health.
- Regularly goes out of stock.
Taste of the Wild Dry Dog Food
One thing that we have consistently emphasized over and over again during our best dog food for Great Danes review list is just how important it is to find a food that is extremely high in protein.
So, when we discovered a food that was over 32% protein, you just know that we had to take a look at it. If you want to really give your dog a hardy, protein-rich food, then you should consider the Taste of the Wild Dry Dog Food.
As you can probably guess from the name alone, Taste of the Wild places a big emphasis on using wild, gamey ingredients, as well forsaking any sort of artificial ingredients.
For example, this food’s main flavor is Bison, which is obviously quite different from the usual beef and chicken that you see in most dog food options. This use of high-quality pieces of gamey meat results in a protein content that is noticeably higher than any of the other options that you are going to encounter on our list.
Over 32% of this food is pure protein, which is amazing for a dog breed like Great Danes. The use of flavors like Bison may also help to make Taste of the Wild Dry Dog Food more appealing to otherwise picky eaters.
As a note of caution, we would warn you that the only flavor that this food comes in is Bison. As we discussed earlier on in the review, this has some advantages to it as the unique flavor can be very appealing to some dogs who might otherwise be quite picky when it comes to eating. At the same time, things like Bison and other “gamey” flavors can cause problems for certain dogs.
They are very rich flavors that can be a bit difficult for some dogs to digest and the flavor might act as a turn-off to some other dogs. So, if you notice that your Great Dane isn’t taking to this food all that well, you know the reason why.
- 32% protein content.
- Unique, rich flavor.
- Very high ingredient standards.
- No artificial fillers or wheat products.
- Bison is an extremely rich flavor that might not appeal to every dog.
Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Adult Dry Dog Food
You may have noticed that so far on our best dog food for Great Danes review list we have mostly reviewed foods that are on the pricier side of things, as well as also being very difficult to find.
To help balance this list out a bit, we wanted to take a look at a food that is both relatively inexpensive and also widely available. So, for our next food review, we will be looking at the Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Adult Dry Dog Food.
As far as pet food brands go, you probably don’t need an introduction to this one. Purina is easily one of the most, if not the most, famous dog food brands out there. One of the best things about these more famous brands is that they are found basically everywhere.
With some of the other brands on our list, you are somewhat restricted to finding them in specialty stores or online, but brands like Purina can be found in abundance just about everywhere, including your local grocery store. Trust us when we say that the added convenience is well worth it.
There is also the issue of price to consider. Because of how big they are, Purina is able to get away with charging a lot less for their dog food. As a result, those of you on a budget will probably find something like the Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Adult Dry Dog Food to be a lot more palatable than something like a Blue Buffalo.
Despite all of this, this is still a decent food all things considered. It has a good protein content and the flavors are mild, so it is a good option for any dogs suffering from digestion problems.
Before you fully commit to this food, we want to tell you that this food does contain both wheat and corn products. This is an issue for two reasons.
Firstly, these products can cause allergies in some dogs. The second issue is that these ingredients are what are known as “filler ingredients,” which means that they don’t contain much actual nutritional value, they just end up being useless calories for your dog.
Normally, this isn’t a big deal, but given that weight management is extremely important for Great Danes, it does end up being a big strike against this food. Still, the affordable price, wide availability, and good protein content of this food do make it worth considering.
- Inexpensive food.
- Very easy to find.
- Great for Great Danes with digestion issues.
- Good protein content for the price.
- Does contain corn and wheat ingredients.
Diamond Naturals Premium Large Breed Dog Food
For the final review on our best dog food for Great Danes list, we are once again going to be looking at a fine example of a very high-end dog food (similar to Blue Buffalo and Taste of the Wild). The Diamond Naturals Premium Large Breed Dog Food costs a pretty penny, but it is undeniably worth the price if you want your dog to get the best nutrition possible.
By now, you are very familiar with what goes into a high-end dog food like this, and you don’t need to be told too much about this food, so we will keep this review short. It has both the high protein content and great ingredient quality that you need to look for. Perhaps the most unique aspect of this food is its rich antioxidant content.
- Loaded with helpful antioxidants.
- Great flavor.
- Helps develop the immune system.
- Massive amount of protein.
- Like all high-end brands, can be quite pricey.
Great Dane Dog Food Buying Guide
As far as dog breeds go, Great Danes are not a particularly high maintenance one. They have a nice temperament, they take to training quite well, and they are good family dogs.
However, they do have one particular issue, which is their large size. At any single time, the largest dog in the world is almost certain to be a Great Dane, they are just that big.
As a result, a good owner has to centre their approach to their dog’s health entirely around the dog’s immense size. This means that everything you do for your dog should be done to help the breed cope with its size.
One of the best ways that an owner can help their Great Dane to live a more comfortable life is through good nutrition (it is just about as important as getting your dog regular exercise). In this buying guide, we are going to do our best to walk you through the process of getting your Great Dane the right food.
Avoiding High Fat Foods
One of the most important things that you can do for your Great Dane is to avoid buying high fat foods (or foods with a high calorie count for that matter).
As any Great Dane owner can tell you, despite their large, imposing size, these are not extremely strong dogs. They have fairy slender frames, and they need to ensure that they aren’t putting too much pressure or weight on their slender frames.
If you give them high-calorie foods, you risk them gaining weight. Great Danes simply can’t afford to have more weight put on their frames. If done to an older dog, it can cause immediate joint and muscle pain. If done to a younger dog, the problems may not be as immediate, but you are risking your dog’s long-term joint health.
Avoiding High-Calorie Density
As we stated multiple times during our review list, one of the worst things that you can do for your Great Dane is to feed them a high calorie food.
Great Danes need a lot of energy to function, but you also need to ensure that they aren’t getting excess calories. The breed’s frame just can’t handle any excess strain or weight, so you don’t want to start feeding them a food that is full of filler ingredients like rice or grain. These ingredients add excess calories without adding much nutritional value.
The Importance Of Calcium
One of the main issues that people with Great Danes encounter is that as the Great Dane ages, its bones and joints start to really struggle. Because of this, it is absolutely essential that the dog gets a good supply of calcium.
Obviously, the calcium is important at the start of their life, but it retains its importance even as the dog ages (some would say that it becomes even more important). So, any food that you buy for your Great Dane should have an adequate amount of calcium in it.
Extremely High Protein Content
Easily the most important thing to look for in a food that is meant for Great Danes is the protein content of the food. The reason why this is the case is that protein gives your Great Dane the energy it needs to support its massive frame while at the same time not overloading the dog with fat or calories, which can be good for reducing joint pain.
Conclusion
We would love to take any questions that you may have about what you need to know to find the best dog food for Great Danes, so leave them down below.
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