How much should I expect to pay to feed a Great Dane?
A good quality adult food, that is no more than 23% protein and no less than 12% fat, should be fed to Danes of ALL ages. Puppy food or growth formula foods should never be fed to Great Dane puppies. They grow fast enough without the encouragement that growth and puppy formulas provide. hey should have 2 small meals per day. You should never soak kibble as a means of preventing bloat. Great Danes should be fed 3-4 times daily as pups, decreasing to 2-3 times a day at around age 6 months. It can be dangerous to feed a Dane only once a day, due to the increased chance of bloat and stomach torsion. You can also decrease the chance of this by limiting activity at least 60-90 minutes following a meal and 30-60 minutes prior. Great Danes should be fed with their food raised off of the floor. There are commercially made raised feeding tables that can be purchased at pet supply stores. Or you can feed them on a kitchen chair, stool, etc.
Umm.. About a 50lb bag will least about 9-12 days… My great dane ate a 50lb bag in 9-10 days.. (he weighted 210 lbs, and got a ice cream bucket in morning and 3/4 at night) Although they will not eat that much when they are little, it gives you an idea of when he or she is bigger… You have to be extremely careful on over feeding them as they grow up due to their bones growing to fast…
It does depend on where you live, or where you can purchase the food. I get Eagle Pack Holistic at a local feed store and I pay $45 (plus tax) for a 33lb bag. My dane is 10 months old and eats around 8 cups of kibble a day, but we do feed a few spoonfuls of Eagle Pack Select Canned as well. If this is your only dog in the household, then you can estimate about 3-4 bags a month…but that truly depends on how much your Dane is eating, and how large he will become. But as they age, the amount of food they require will decrease or slow down vs. how steadily the rations increase when they are a puppy. I spend around $250 a month but I have 2 other dogs as well. The other two barely eat 3-4 cups a day so the above is truly just an estimation for you. 🙂 And EP Holistic does not have corn. The EP (regular kind) does.
Congrats Bean!! You have the best answer! Sorry, If you are worried about the price of food for a Great Dane, a Great Dane is probably not for you. If getting a puppy, you will need to factor in a crate, possibly two as they will out grow a small one, at least one couch, possibly a remote control or two, dog collars, as they will out grow several, leashes, toys, and hopefully, they will not be really bad chewers, if so, double or even triple all. Some club members claim from puppy to death, expect your Great Dane to cost minimum $10,000, not including his/her original purchase. We have 5 of them. I think that amount is about right. I would recommend the book: ‘The Great Dane, Model of Nobility’ by Jill Swedlow. Jill offers her book as a free download from her website. If you are lucky enough to find a hard copy, I would grab it.
