not one of my pups, but reminded me too much of BB to pass up!

Building on the recent theme of puppies (reason: a friend has a new Dane pup)…This time the subject is their physical development. What you feed your Great Dane pup is terribly important.

The old myth is that too much protien is bad, the culprit of growth deformities like hip dysplasia, growing pains, PANO, and HOD. I gotta say

NO NO NO NO NO…

Seriously, there are nutritional studies on giant breeds like Great Danes going back to the 70′s dispelling the myth of protien is bad. The cause of bone problems is mineral malabsorption. Too much calcium and phosphorus causes bone growth deformities.

Even common sense tells you protien is responsible for muscle growth, minerals for bone growth, same as it is for humans. Who takes protien supplements to help with osteoporosis? Nobody. People take calcium to have strong bones, right? No different for dogs.

There’s a page over yonder with links to the studies and details if you want to learn more.The long story shortened is your Dane pup needs a limited mineral intake to lessen the growth problems giants are prone to.

That means you have to check the food bags, and keep the calcium at or below 1.2%, and phosphorus at or below 0.9%. Then the pup will grow more evenly and have fewer risks of bone and joint issues.

If you feed raw, I strongly suggest limiting the amount of bones your giant breed puppy gets with their meals, compared to a smaller breed. And keep in mind red meats tend to have higher phosphorus levels than white meats; a chicken meal can get away with more bone in it than a beef meal.

Some research suggests wild game has a lower potential for causing inflammatory responses such as in arthritis or tummy troubles. Wish I’d kept the link to post here, but maybe a google will turn it up again. The cost of raw for a giant is substantial, so having a hunter in the family/friend list can be a godsend!

And for males, neutering early can result in much faster growth in the long bones than waiting until 12-18 months old. Not sure why, but testosterone seems to be involved in how the skeleton develops.

If you can and will contend with potential marking or guarding in an intact adolescent male, I would suggest waiting to neuter. Particularly if your Dane boy seems to be growing a bit too fast naturally.

Dane pups grow in gigantic spurts, often as much as 1/2″ taller and 5 pounds in a single week. Their bodies sorta see saw, with the butt growing higher than the shoulders, then the shoulders growing higher than the butt…they are in general bony, lanky, clumsy, and silly-cute looking until around 8-12 mo old!

They wake up in a new body after every nap! Sometimes getting the backend and front end to go in the same direction can be a challenge (grin). I kinda know what it feels like (grin again).

Giant breeds are like toy breeds in that they are a specialty in the dog world, and have considerations that other average breeds won’t. But if ya ask me, there is nothing like a Dane to satisfy the dog lover in you. They are frighteningly smart, above average sensitive, and always pure in love with you.

***

Back at the construction site we call our new bathroom…scaredy pup has had a weekend to recover himself before the kitchen remodel begins. This time there’ll be a whole crew here. Maybe more scary but over faster?

The boys are still loose together again, with only some minor “uh-uh boys” when K gets the hump little bro urge or BB gets too carried away with playtime. I’ve been extra careful not to be irritable, since I’m feeling poorly this week (fibro pain, CFS/ME weakness, migraines).

Mom’s off the steriods now too, so the ‘roidy crank is toning down, to the boy’s relief. BB has made a permanent indentation next to MY chair to give ya some idea. He’d be in trouble if we’re both cranky…

They’ve had lots of sleep, but not much outside time to speak of with my parts not doing well. Maybe today. I’ve had no ambition at all this weekend, not to go get gas for the mower, not even to go to the grocery. Maybe today. Or maybe not…grin.