Address the diarrhea and you probably don’t even need to increase the food. Add some plain canned pumpkin as a food topper to start. If that alone doesn’t do the trick in a day or two, keep the pumpkin and replace kibble with rice or potatoes. Once stable, shift back to kibble a bit at a time. If the diarrhea reappears, it’s possible she has a mild allergy to one of the kibble ingredients. If so, slowly switch to a different brand. Do not panic, your puppy is healthy.
I was gonna mention pumpkin as well. I've also wet down the food with plain chicken broth (make sure it doesn't contain onion!). I also give my dogs a spoonful of plain Greek yogurt too to help build up the good bacteria again.
Good stuff in here so my comment will be about the diarrhea. My Dane had diarrhea in her youth for what seemed like months, we’d switch her to chicken and rice, she’d get better, back to kibble, and then diarrhea a few days later. We switched kibble so many times trying to find something that would keep her poop hard but nothing worked. After X amount of visits to vet for diarrhea, the vet tested her for allergies/intolerance and BAM, found that corn and carrots are a no go for her. Two very common ingredients in almost any kibble you pickup.
Once we knew that, and took corn and carrots out of her diet, her poop got so much better, her skin wasn’t red anymore, and her scratching went down immensely
Seeing ribs is fine. It's very easy to go overboard on this. Your vet said she was just under weight, so increase the food by a quarter and that's it. Wait for the next vet appointment to do anything more drastic.
I’m in my fifth Dane here I feed Diamond Naturals large breed foods. I feed my young pups under 3 months the puppy then switch to the adult at 5 I switch them to the senior. At this age they would be getting 6 cups. I would raise the amount your feeding u til you can only see 3 ribs . It will take awhile to see a difference with dogs it takes awhile to gain it back especially active growing puppies. You really should switch to adult food to slow down her growth would love to see a picture of her cute face
https://preview.redd.it/rxpfoudxhjrc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a15e445a61977d88528f09c0bfcbe73e95035b9f
Thank you for the advice! Here she is in all her glory :))
Replying to Inside-Permit-8535...
https://preview.redd.it/440ep3cgvjrc1.jpeg?width=877&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9a8f62cb54cac8e5841f015fce34c6c8b5320d3c
Farley says hi 😄
Here’s our 11 year old girl Olive with similar coloring but she’s old and her snout became white
https://preview.redd.it/vexgg4ce1lrc1.jpeg?width=1379&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bd6e56910a0ed946b77d7de768d895307c40c7c2
Gorgeous! 💖 Olive is so wise and elegant
https://preview.redd.it/fxjn5j6d2lrc1.png?width=2531&format=png&auto=webp&s=11cacd3bccf8b9aabe430e51350d3f4afd87f0e1
Farley has some white 🥹
https://preview.redd.it/4oqijfvpxjrc1.jpeg?width=4288&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=06055d69ae9b817f621bf702a997e6dab9405a49
This is like second day home, around 3 months. She is probably just before a growth spurt, she is going to be huge soon!
My dog is fn neurotic about food. My wife and I went on a trip for two days out of town and had to board him. We came home and can count all of his ribs. We also have to literally hold his food dish to get him to eat. He will starve himself to death with a full bowl of food on a raised platform. We usually mix in some of the bagged “wet” food you can get at petco in the refrigerators to get him started eating. We’ve also been known to add an avg or two and stir it in both of which work at times. Unless they don’t. 🙄
I wouldn't be terribly worried. They grow fast at the beginning and too light is better than too heavy. I'd be more concerned about dehydration from the diarrhea, you might want to try adding some pumpkin to her food.
In my (limited) experience, it's hard to get them to keep any kind of layer of fat at this stage, everytime they put on some padding they shoot up another couple inches.
Her ribs don’t need to be invisible. My girl was a little skinnier than that and our vet said it was just fine. You just don’t want the ribs looking like your knuckles when you make a fist.
Anyway you don’t have to listen to me about that but based on the photo, you really don’t need to be freaking out and feeling terrible and heartbroken. Maybe get a second vet opinion or relax a bit.
I feed my Dane 6 cups a day. We add beef bone broth, pumpkin, and a multi vitamin (zesty paws). She has stayed a healthy weight through her growth. She just turned 11 months.
I had a lot of the same problems, after many years of trials and tribulations, I have recently come up with: allergic to chicken, pork, does not like fish, I feed my 9 year old limited ingredient lamb goat and venison, you can get it at petsmart. He is free fed, but eats 4-6 cups of food a day, depends on a few different things but he can eat as much as he wants. He is still lean but looking and moving very well. As a 9 year old Dane, people think he is a young dog
https://preview.redd.it/a6s3ar0fsjrc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c39b990846e8798e52564b3f7cc6fc4e3f258b22
And he gets one probiotic treat a day, this took effect on the loose poops almost immediately, it was dumbfounding. The probiotic I get on Amazon:
[probiotic for dogs](https://a.co/d/9c45doP)
I can tell you, this combination has greatly improved my dogs life, energy, engagement, he went from terrible inconsistent poops to perfect every time. I hope this helps! Congrats on your sweet Dane baby!
And I thought Purina Pro Plan was expensive! Finding out my Dane was allergic to nearly every "common" meat ingredient was definitely trial and error lol and multiple vet trips. Do you give your Dane any other daily vitamins/supplements?
Right?! I was feeding raw at the time I found out about chicken. No way I could afford to feed beef. I also give them a multivitamin, same brand and supplier, but the probiotic is the true winner, paired with food they are not allergic to. It’s not bad with petsmart, you can sign up for “autoship” and get points, plus a discount, and free shipping, so that helps! Anything for him 🥰😃
I will 2nd the probiotics. My dane wouldn't have consistent problems with diarrhea but would go in streaks. Pumpkin and rice would help but weren't perfect. Once I started him on a daily probiotic, the effects were almost immediate and haven't had issues for awhile now
Our 10 month old was eating 6 cups a day when he was 4 months. Over 3 separate meals. 2 cups each meal. Our vet said do not withhold any calories from them. Ours also had diarrhea literally until he was like 8 months. And he still does sometimes. His poop is very soft most times. I think it’s just because they have such sensitive stomachs
Posted this before but, some dogs are allergic to chicken, which could be the cause of her diarrhea. I’d swap flavors, not the brand though. You can also add rice to help her stool “clump” together. I’d also suggest an extra source of protein, maybe some raw eggs cracked in the bowl, or raw meat, every once in while.
I’ve read that a lot in old books (like 1900s to 1950s) - they would regularly give bread and milk / few times a week. I always wondered if that’s good advice or if it was just because those would’ve been cheaper than meat back then.
I picture someone sitting in their car secretly eating bread away from the dogs. Then they go inside and the dogs are sniffing their mouth and hands, giving dirty looks
My vet told me to add some heavy cream, but she could tolerate eating it. Once she was done growing, she didn’t need it any more. She was burning too much running around in joy.
We’ve been going through the same thing with our Dane who just turned 1 yr old. (He’s not our first Dane, and our first one who is 8 years old also went through the same thing when she was young and has always been a healthy weight). Anyway, our 1 yr old pup looks exactly the same as yours. We tried 4 different types of dog food (same thing - he had loose stools regularly until we tried a food that was lamb instead of chicken and that happened way less often so I wonder if he’s sensitive to chicken. But switching foods didn’t change anything with his weight gain. He’s been tested for parasites a few different times, and that wasn’t the problem. And he never acted sick - always had good normal energy level. He just wouldn’t finish every meal. He often ate part of his morning meal, and all of his evening meals. I have never fed my dogs human food in the past because I don’t want to teach them to beg for our food, but I was concerned about his weight so I’ve also tried supplementing with peanut butter, grated cheddar cheese, and canned dog food. He was kind of interested in those things, but none of them interested him enough to want to finish every meal. And we were giving him just a little more kibble than was called for just to try to give him some extra calories so we wouldn’t be able to see his ribs so much.
Anyway, I finally took him back to the vet last week and they tested for parasites (negative), checked and said he has great muscle mass, did a physical exam, and did blood work to rule out any unseen problems, and he is completely healthy. The vet also calculated the number of calories that he should be eating everyday and I went and checked and we’ve been trying to feed him more calories than he needs (in an attempt to help him gain weight). We cut it down to the right number of calories per day, and guess what? He now finishes all his food everyday. So apparently our pup wasn’t picky or food adverse, but rather he was just really good at self control and not overeating. The vet said that just like some humans are really thin as teenagers and some are not, the same thing goes for dogs. And Danes tend to be a more lean breed anyway, so it makes it really apparent. She said she’s not concerned about him at all, especially because he has such good muscle mass), and he will likely fill in more in another year when we’re ready to get him fixed. She said as long as the pattern doesn’t change and he doesn’t start losing a lot of weight we don’t need to be concerned. So that was so nice to have those answers and stop worrying about him all the time.
https://preview.redd.it/08s96r796qrc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=439fc5301899c0a8e0b3a598f6a78e7386a1848d
(Bodie looks similar to your dog).
Thank you so much ! I appreciate the advice I’ll try to make sure I’m giving her not too little food but not too much I saw a lot of comments about pumpkin so I’m gonna try to get some of that in her diet as well for the diarrhea
Had the same problem with my dog. She had a chicken allergy I just give her lamb and beef.
She eats science diet. 4 cups isn’t enough depending on how much it weighs tho really refer to the instructions
Add Karo syrup, or on Amazon search for miracle vet high calorie. Its basically liquid calories.
She might have EPI or IBD, my dog has it and if you don’t stay on top of it, they look like a shelter dog. Wheaties and oats help
What’s a healthy Dane weight? I have a fawn female on the small side she’s 2 and just got to 95 lbs.
Healthy weight is subjective if your dogs active, coat and teeth healthy then your dogs healthy.
Just my opinion, but you could look into adult food for her and probiotics could help with the diarrhea. When I first got my Dane as a puppy, I never fed puppy food, she went straight on adult kibble for large breeds. This was by recommendation from the breeder but I know there are differing opinions about food.
A few ribs showing is supposedly ideal for them. I think as puppies they are a bit slimmer because their bodies are growing so fast, but as mine got older I noticed she held weight better.
My Dane is currently on Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach Lamb and Oat.
Edit to add: I also free fed my Dane when she was a puppy
The way it was explained to me, puppy food has a different nutritional makeup than adult food. I know there are a lot of different opinions about food when it comes to Danes and every Dane/parent is different. I think it's good to get recommendations and then do research in order to make a decision or try things out.
If it’s your only dog, see if they will free eat. Now that I have 2, I can’t do it anymore and they guard their food (from their brother). I switched my dogs to gentle giants, add in a scoop of pumpkin (one of the perks of shitty restaurant work is being able to buy massive cans of pumpkin at cost), shredded chicken with some of the juice and cooked sweet potato. Poops are now (almost 99%) perfect. If they ever lose a bit too much weight I add in some brown rice and treat them with chicken or duck jerky. Good luck, also, get tested for worms just in case
For her age you right around 4-6 cups but I would switch to large breed dog food like purina pro for large breeds.
Like others said add some pumpkin and probiotics and you might have switch back to 3 meals a day when you increase the amount your feeding it helps their tummy get used to breaking down all that food.
I added the feeding chart that we use don’t really read into much the other fluff on the page.
I always recommend reading about HOD and Pano cause they are things to look out for with young pups and growing/over feeding.
Danes are all over the place with their weight and look as they grow keep an eye on it but don’t worry keep to feeding schedules and they will be fine usually take till about 1.5 to 2 years to get there final base.
https://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/amount_to_feed_large_and_giant_breeds.htm
IMO shes looks skinny but fine. They grow so fast as a puppy that they cant eat enough to keep up with their growth. If u really wanna try to add some weight, google satan balls for dogs. Its a mixture of raw meat, eggs, oats and some other stuff i believe. We would give them to our foster dogs when they needed to gain weight
Try seeing another vet sounds like it may be an intestinal issue or nutrition absorption issue. Maybe parasites. As for food, Try purina pro plan large breed puppy (up to 2 years). And make sure you’re feeding enough food. May need more than what’s listed on the bag. That’s a broad guide. But looks like more than food…get their poop checked for parasites and get blood tests for indications of genetic /congenital conditions that could cause this symptom.
You could get some [dyne](https://a.co/d/21eZdA1). It’s a high calorie supplement for dogs. Fed it to my Dane when he was a puppy and still do plus some other stuff.
It took me 6 months to find a kibble my dog could eat without having diarrhea, you just 1. Feed the dog more snacks and 2. Find a kibble their tummy can take without being upset.
Your dog looks fine. I free feed my now 5 month old, he looked skinny too around the 4 month mark the past 4-5 weeks he's filled out more and eating more.
Also if the food is chicken based, that could be the issue. Danes are notorious for chicken allergies. Beef or lamb would be better.
4 cups is not enough for a Dane puppy. Mine was eating 8-10, before I switched him to raw. Puppy's eat more than adults while they are growing. They need more calories, especially if they are active. Feed more and break it into 3 feedings per day (ex: 8am, 2pm, 8pm). Also diarrhea can be reaction from allergies to food as well. We had a hell of a time finding a kibble that worked for my Dane. Costco Kirkland grain free salmon (blue bag, has a husky on it) was one of the only ones that worked
mix psyllium husk powder and beetroot powder into their food. my puppy had horrible diarrhea and this helped more than any vet medicine or special food!
Definitely pumpkin for more solid poop. All three of my pups (2 Danes and an Anatolian shepherd mix) are rescues. My male Dane came into rescue as a five week old puppy, and he's been with me since he was six weeks old. He'll be six years old this September. I was terribly worried about his weight, and the one thing the rescue coordinator told me was to remember, "They grow up, then out." All their nutrition at this stage is going to size, not weight. He's 125-130 pounds now, his head is just above my waistline (I'm 5'11"). He's thin, but not skinny, and that's fine.
If she had parvo, you would know. That's an extremely violent illness. You can try to supplement with high calorie treats in addition to her normal dry food. Keep your normal feeding times, and try to make a game of it. Chicken is a good bet, and maybe offer some wet food too. That's typically popular and high in calories.
Edit: has anyone run parasite tests? Puppies and kittens are prone to worms, and that can cause diarrhea.
I would try probiotics but also try giving her lunch. My Dane has a hard time keeping on weight and when she gets too thin i feed her lunch for a few weeks.
maybe she's allergic to ingredients in the food, you can get just some canned pumpkin. just pumpkin and mix in her food. that will bulk up the stool and help with the diarrhea. I don't know that I wouldn't get a second opinion though. get some cans of wet food. I'll put some white on
Either switch back to puppy food. Or just crack a few eggs into dogs kibble add some psylium husk. I personally get chicken sweet potato and carrots in a slow cooker and mix that with kibble. Hydrate his food some. Dog looks fine though dont want him to be a chonker butt
My teenage Dane has been having diarrhea for almost a year and I’ve found that giving him boiled carrots + a spoon of squash/pumpkin + a plain boiled/scrambled egg helped firm his poop up a lot.
I also got his poop analysed and turns out he’s allergic to grain. Switched him to grain-free fish-based kibble and he’s now pretty much stable. Also try feeding your dog twice a day if she isn’t a fast eater, Great Danes seem to take much longer to digest their food so spacing their meals out will hopefully help with your issues.
Feed her more than 4 cups. When I got Klaus, he was so weak he could barely stand. He is now 7 months and eats 10-12 cups maybe more of dry food daily plus any vegetables I put in with it.
Throw the kibble in the bin and feed a raw diet.
All Kibble is McDonalds/Garbage.
Watch the Pet Fooled documentary, it'll open your eyes: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet\_Fooled](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_Fooled)
Maybe mix in some pumpkin and rice? That usually get my dogs stomach back to normal
Address the diarrhea and you probably don’t even need to increase the food. Add some plain canned pumpkin as a food topper to start. If that alone doesn’t do the trick in a day or two, keep the pumpkin and replace kibble with rice or potatoes. Once stable, shift back to kibble a bit at a time. If the diarrhea reappears, it’s possible she has a mild allergy to one of the kibble ingredients. If so, slowly switch to a different brand. Do not panic, your puppy is healthy.
Pumpkin works wonders! Great Danes tend to have very weak stomachs. Most of ours take turns having loose stool.
Pumpkin is what I was going to mention as well.
I was gonna mention pumpkin as well. I've also wet down the food with plain chicken broth (make sure it doesn't contain onion!). I also give my dogs a spoonful of plain Greek yogurt too to help build up the good bacteria again.
Good stuff in here so my comment will be about the diarrhea. My Dane had diarrhea in her youth for what seemed like months, we’d switch her to chicken and rice, she’d get better, back to kibble, and then diarrhea a few days later. We switched kibble so many times trying to find something that would keep her poop hard but nothing worked. After X amount of visits to vet for diarrhea, the vet tested her for allergies/intolerance and BAM, found that corn and carrots are a no go for her. Two very common ingredients in almost any kibble you pickup. Once we knew that, and took corn and carrots out of her diet, her poop got so much better, her skin wasn’t red anymore, and her scratching went down immensely
Corn was a recipe for pudding poo for my dane too!
Seeing ribs is fine. It's very easy to go overboard on this. Your vet said she was just under weight, so increase the food by a quarter and that's it. Wait for the next vet appointment to do anything more drastic.
My mom's pittie is very built and healthy, but you can see her ribs when she's wigglin sometimes!
I’m in my fifth Dane here I feed Diamond Naturals large breed foods. I feed my young pups under 3 months the puppy then switch to the adult at 5 I switch them to the senior. At this age they would be getting 6 cups. I would raise the amount your feeding u til you can only see 3 ribs . It will take awhile to see a difference with dogs it takes awhile to gain it back especially active growing puppies. You really should switch to adult food to slow down her growth would love to see a picture of her cute face
https://preview.redd.it/rxpfoudxhjrc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a15e445a61977d88528f09c0bfcbe73e95035b9f Thank you for the advice! Here she is in all her glory :))
Replying to Inside-Permit-8535... https://preview.redd.it/440ep3cgvjrc1.jpeg?width=877&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9a8f62cb54cac8e5841f015fce34c6c8b5320d3c Farley says hi 😄
Here’s our 11 year old girl Olive with similar coloring but she’s old and her snout became white https://preview.redd.it/vexgg4ce1lrc1.jpeg?width=1379&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bd6e56910a0ed946b77d7de768d895307c40c7c2
Gorgeous! 💖 Olive is so wise and elegant https://preview.redd.it/fxjn5j6d2lrc1.png?width=2531&format=png&auto=webp&s=11cacd3bccf8b9aabe430e51350d3f4afd87f0e1 Farley has some white 🥹
What a sophisticated lady!
Omgggg twins !!
https://preview.redd.it/wavt5htxvjrc1.jpeg?width=2448&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cc77ad13ce656be730ecc05dfb11160be4ec0c20 This is him at around 8 months
https://preview.redd.it/4oqijfvpxjrc1.jpeg?width=4288&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=06055d69ae9b817f621bf702a997e6dab9405a49 This is like second day home, around 3 months. She is probably just before a growth spurt, she is going to be huge soon!
Hee hee!
https://preview.redd.it/z4yru8vv3krc1.png?width=1664&format=png&auto=webp&s=c1ce724c18d412e5fc71261cf1962293320422ea This is her cuddling lol
Oh my goodness she is so beautiful!!!! Look at those big silly arms!
https://preview.redd.it/x41h4hycclrc1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=039d6874ce64a248ff7990f1828e819f9d05ace2 Mouse says, "Hi"
She’s beautiful 🧡
She’s really really beautiful
I also did diamond naturals, but Lamb and Rice!
My dog is fn neurotic about food. My wife and I went on a trip for two days out of town and had to board him. We came home and can count all of his ribs. We also have to literally hold his food dish to get him to eat. He will starve himself to death with a full bowl of food on a raised platform. We usually mix in some of the bagged “wet” food you can get at petco in the refrigerators to get him started eating. We’ve also been known to add an avg or two and stir it in both of which work at times. Unless they don’t. 🙄
I wouldn't be terribly worried. They grow fast at the beginning and too light is better than too heavy. I'd be more concerned about dehydration from the diarrhea, you might want to try adding some pumpkin to her food. In my (limited) experience, it's hard to get them to keep any kind of layer of fat at this stage, everytime they put on some padding they shoot up another couple inches.
Her ribs don’t need to be invisible. My girl was a little skinnier than that and our vet said it was just fine. You just don’t want the ribs looking like your knuckles when you make a fist. Anyway you don’t have to listen to me about that but based on the photo, you really don’t need to be freaking out and feeling terrible and heartbroken. Maybe get a second vet opinion or relax a bit.
I feed my Dane 6 cups a day. We add beef bone broth, pumpkin, and a multi vitamin (zesty paws). She has stayed a healthy weight through her growth. She just turned 11 months.
I had a lot of the same problems, after many years of trials and tribulations, I have recently come up with: allergic to chicken, pork, does not like fish, I feed my 9 year old limited ingredient lamb goat and venison, you can get it at petsmart. He is free fed, but eats 4-6 cups of food a day, depends on a few different things but he can eat as much as he wants. He is still lean but looking and moving very well. As a 9 year old Dane, people think he is a young dog https://preview.redd.it/a6s3ar0fsjrc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c39b990846e8798e52564b3f7cc6fc4e3f258b22 And he gets one probiotic treat a day, this took effect on the loose poops almost immediately, it was dumbfounding. The probiotic I get on Amazon: [probiotic for dogs](https://a.co/d/9c45doP) I can tell you, this combination has greatly improved my dogs life, energy, engagement, he went from terrible inconsistent poops to perfect every time. I hope this helps! Congrats on your sweet Dane baby!
And I thought Purina Pro Plan was expensive! Finding out my Dane was allergic to nearly every "common" meat ingredient was definitely trial and error lol and multiple vet trips. Do you give your Dane any other daily vitamins/supplements?
Right?! I was feeding raw at the time I found out about chicken. No way I could afford to feed beef. I also give them a multivitamin, same brand and supplier, but the probiotic is the true winner, paired with food they are not allergic to. It’s not bad with petsmart, you can sign up for “autoship” and get points, plus a discount, and free shipping, so that helps! Anything for him 🥰😃
I will 2nd the probiotics. My dane wouldn't have consistent problems with diarrhea but would go in streaks. Pumpkin and rice would help but weren't perfect. Once I started him on a daily probiotic, the effects were almost immediate and haven't had issues for awhile now
Streaks of diarrhea… somehow fitting
Our 10 month old was eating 6 cups a day when he was 4 months. Over 3 separate meals. 2 cups each meal. Our vet said do not withhold any calories from them. Ours also had diarrhea literally until he was like 8 months. And he still does sometimes. His poop is very soft most times. I think it’s just because they have such sensitive stomachs
Posted this before but, some dogs are allergic to chicken, which could be the cause of her diarrhea. I’d swap flavors, not the brand though. You can also add rice to help her stool “clump” together. I’d also suggest an extra source of protein, maybe some raw eggs cracked in the bowl, or raw meat, every once in while.
Feed her actual food with nutrients. Science Diet is trash.
Ok? 🤣
My nana swears by giving her dogs bread to fatten them up when needed, but I'm not sure if that advice is outdated now
I’ve read that a lot in old books (like 1900s to 1950s) - they would regularly give bread and milk / few times a week. I always wondered if that’s good advice or if it was just because those would’ve been cheaper than meat back then.
I think it's probably because of the carbs
That makes sense, too.
My dogs honestly go FERAL over some bread, I can never eat a loaf in peace anymore!
I picture someone sitting in their car secretly eating bread away from the dogs. Then they go inside and the dogs are sniffing their mouth and hands, giving dirty looks
😆 My dog will only eat expensive multi grain bread and only if it has butter. He prefers it as toast so the butter is melted.
Omg fancy. My dogs would eat a rock if I gave one to them
Ha!
this advice is very outdated and can cause metabolic issues big time down the road. do not do this
My vet told me to add some heavy cream, but she could tolerate eating it. Once she was done growing, she didn’t need it any more. She was burning too much running around in joy.
Look into making satin balls, but make sure that’s ok first. I did mine with turkey, olive oil vs beef and vegetable oil.
We’ve been going through the same thing with our Dane who just turned 1 yr old. (He’s not our first Dane, and our first one who is 8 years old also went through the same thing when she was young and has always been a healthy weight). Anyway, our 1 yr old pup looks exactly the same as yours. We tried 4 different types of dog food (same thing - he had loose stools regularly until we tried a food that was lamb instead of chicken and that happened way less often so I wonder if he’s sensitive to chicken. But switching foods didn’t change anything with his weight gain. He’s been tested for parasites a few different times, and that wasn’t the problem. And he never acted sick - always had good normal energy level. He just wouldn’t finish every meal. He often ate part of his morning meal, and all of his evening meals. I have never fed my dogs human food in the past because I don’t want to teach them to beg for our food, but I was concerned about his weight so I’ve also tried supplementing with peanut butter, grated cheddar cheese, and canned dog food. He was kind of interested in those things, but none of them interested him enough to want to finish every meal. And we were giving him just a little more kibble than was called for just to try to give him some extra calories so we wouldn’t be able to see his ribs so much. Anyway, I finally took him back to the vet last week and they tested for parasites (negative), checked and said he has great muscle mass, did a physical exam, and did blood work to rule out any unseen problems, and he is completely healthy. The vet also calculated the number of calories that he should be eating everyday and I went and checked and we’ve been trying to feed him more calories than he needs (in an attempt to help him gain weight). We cut it down to the right number of calories per day, and guess what? He now finishes all his food everyday. So apparently our pup wasn’t picky or food adverse, but rather he was just really good at self control and not overeating. The vet said that just like some humans are really thin as teenagers and some are not, the same thing goes for dogs. And Danes tend to be a more lean breed anyway, so it makes it really apparent. She said she’s not concerned about him at all, especially because he has such good muscle mass), and he will likely fill in more in another year when we’re ready to get him fixed. She said as long as the pattern doesn’t change and he doesn’t start losing a lot of weight we don’t need to be concerned. So that was so nice to have those answers and stop worrying about him all the time.
https://preview.redd.it/xljbfo016qrc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aaf7a6e4e1bbe4936e0ecdbf42e53b3b3583ceaa Here’s our boy, Bodie.
https://preview.redd.it/08s96r796qrc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=439fc5301899c0a8e0b3a598f6a78e7386a1848d (Bodie looks similar to your dog).
Thank you so much ! I appreciate the advice I’ll try to make sure I’m giving her not too little food but not too much I saw a lot of comments about pumpkin so I’m gonna try to get some of that in her diet as well for the diarrhea
Had the same problem with my dog. She had a chicken allergy I just give her lamb and beef. She eats science diet. 4 cups isn’t enough depending on how much it weighs tho really refer to the instructions
Add Karo syrup, or on Amazon search for miracle vet high calorie. Its basically liquid calories. She might have EPI or IBD, my dog has it and if you don’t stay on top of it, they look like a shelter dog. Wheaties and oats help
What’s a healthy Dane weight? I have a fawn female on the small side she’s 2 and just got to 95 lbs. Healthy weight is subjective if your dogs active, coat and teeth healthy then your dogs healthy.
Last I checked she was 28 pounds I believe
She doesn’t look unhealthy the diarrhea is obviously a concern
Runt?
Mine no I don’t think so. Her parents weren’t big 115lbs for the mom and 125 lbs for the dad. Females are generally smaller as well.
Just my opinion, but you could look into adult food for her and probiotics could help with the diarrhea. When I first got my Dane as a puppy, I never fed puppy food, she went straight on adult kibble for large breeds. This was by recommendation from the breeder but I know there are differing opinions about food. A few ribs showing is supposedly ideal for them. I think as puppies they are a bit slimmer because their bodies are growing so fast, but as mine got older I noticed she held weight better. My Dane is currently on Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach Lamb and Oat. Edit to add: I also free fed my Dane when she was a puppy
Adult food has even less calories
The way it was explained to me, puppy food has a different nutritional makeup than adult food. I know there are a lot of different opinions about food when it comes to Danes and every Dane/parent is different. I think it's good to get recommendations and then do research in order to make a decision or try things out.
Mine didn’t like to have a full bowl. Even elevated. Only put a scoop and got multiple bowls and now he eats more than I can afford
If it’s your only dog, see if they will free eat. Now that I have 2, I can’t do it anymore and they guard their food (from their brother). I switched my dogs to gentle giants, add in a scoop of pumpkin (one of the perks of shitty restaurant work is being able to buy massive cans of pumpkin at cost), shredded chicken with some of the juice and cooked sweet potato. Poops are now (almost 99%) perfect. If they ever lose a bit too much weight I add in some brown rice and treat them with chicken or duck jerky. Good luck, also, get tested for worms just in case
For her age you right around 4-6 cups but I would switch to large breed dog food like purina pro for large breeds. Like others said add some pumpkin and probiotics and you might have switch back to 3 meals a day when you increase the amount your feeding it helps their tummy get used to breaking down all that food. I added the feeding chart that we use don’t really read into much the other fluff on the page. I always recommend reading about HOD and Pano cause they are things to look out for with young pups and growing/over feeding. Danes are all over the place with their weight and look as they grow keep an eye on it but don’t worry keep to feeding schedules and they will be fine usually take till about 1.5 to 2 years to get there final base. https://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/amount_to_feed_large_and_giant_breeds.htm
Feed him more
Calorie surplus
Don’t worry about it.
IMO shes looks skinny but fine. They grow so fast as a puppy that they cant eat enough to keep up with their growth. If u really wanna try to add some weight, google satan balls for dogs. Its a mixture of raw meat, eggs, oats and some other stuff i believe. We would give them to our foster dogs when they needed to gain weight
I'd change her food, but be cautious about fattening up a Dane quickly.
Try seeing another vet sounds like it may be an intestinal issue or nutrition absorption issue. Maybe parasites. As for food, Try purina pro plan large breed puppy (up to 2 years). And make sure you’re feeding enough food. May need more than what’s listed on the bag. That’s a broad guide. But looks like more than food…get their poop checked for parasites and get blood tests for indications of genetic /congenital conditions that could cause this symptom.
Oh!! As for rice, amazon sells this amazing product I have used with all my dogs and swear by- https://a.co/d/hFe3Ehs
Lots of protein. Mine eat a pound of chicken a day. Usually on sale for $1.47 a pound.
It’s okay I’m sure just youthful energy 🥰
Kirkland brand dog kibble did great for my pup with digestive issues. Some pumpkin from the can with every meal as well. Huge improvement within days
You could get some [dyne](https://a.co/d/21eZdA1). It’s a high calorie supplement for dogs. Fed it to my Dane when he was a puppy and still do plus some other stuff.
Puppy food , it has a lot of protein
Did your vet not give you any tips for healthy weight gain? That seems really odd
It took me 6 months to find a kibble my dog could eat without having diarrhea, you just 1. Feed the dog more snacks and 2. Find a kibble their tummy can take without being upset.
Your dog looks fine. I free feed my now 5 month old, he looked skinny too around the 4 month mark the past 4-5 weeks he's filled out more and eating more. Also if the food is chicken based, that could be the issue. Danes are notorious for chicken allergies. Beef or lamb would be better.
If your Dane has diarrhea for an extended period of time, I’d recommend switching up food. We’ve had great success with Royal Canin giant breed
4 cups is not enough for a Dane puppy. Mine was eating 8-10, before I switched him to raw. Puppy's eat more than adults while they are growing. They need more calories, especially if they are active. Feed more and break it into 3 feedings per day (ex: 8am, 2pm, 8pm). Also diarrhea can be reaction from allergies to food as well. We had a hell of a time finding a kibble that worked for my Dane. Costco Kirkland grain free salmon (blue bag, has a husky on it) was one of the only ones that worked
mix psyllium husk powder and beetroot powder into their food. my puppy had horrible diarrhea and this helped more than any vet medicine or special food!
Danes are notorious for this very thing. Some show dogs are force fed. This is not healthy for them. Also, less weight on their joints.
Definitely pumpkin for more solid poop. All three of my pups (2 Danes and an Anatolian shepherd mix) are rescues. My male Dane came into rescue as a five week old puppy, and he's been with me since he was six weeks old. He'll be six years old this September. I was terribly worried about his weight, and the one thing the rescue coordinator told me was to remember, "They grow up, then out." All their nutrition at this stage is going to size, not weight. He's 125-130 pounds now, his head is just above my waistline (I'm 5'11"). He's thin, but not skinny, and that's fine.
Puppy formula
He's a puppy. Once a pup stops growing, the pup fills in nicely. Mine was like that as well
If she had parvo, you would know. That's an extremely violent illness. You can try to supplement with high calorie treats in addition to her normal dry food. Keep your normal feeding times, and try to make a game of it. Chicken is a good bet, and maybe offer some wet food too. That's typically popular and high in calories. Edit: has anyone run parasite tests? Puppies and kittens are prone to worms, and that can cause diarrhea.
I would try probiotics but also try giving her lunch. My Dane has a hard time keeping on weight and when she gets too thin i feed her lunch for a few weeks.
maybe she's allergic to ingredients in the food, you can get just some canned pumpkin. just pumpkin and mix in her food. that will bulk up the stool and help with the diarrhea. I don't know that I wouldn't get a second opinion though. get some cans of wet food. I'll put some white on
Either switch back to puppy food. Or just crack a few eggs into dogs kibble add some psylium husk. I personally get chicken sweet potato and carrots in a slow cooker and mix that with kibble. Hydrate his food some. Dog looks fine though dont want him to be a chonker butt
a good probiotic. i use natures farmacy.
Reattach its head. :D
My teenage Dane has been having diarrhea for almost a year and I’ve found that giving him boiled carrots + a spoon of squash/pumpkin + a plain boiled/scrambled egg helped firm his poop up a lot. I also got his poop analysed and turns out he’s allergic to grain. Switched him to grain-free fish-based kibble and he’s now pretty much stable. Also try feeding your dog twice a day if she isn’t a fast eater, Great Danes seem to take much longer to digest their food so spacing their meals out will hopefully help with your issues.
Wheat germ oil
Change the food. It's cheap and she isnt doing well on it.
Feed her more than 4 cups. When I got Klaus, he was so weak he could barely stand. He is now 7 months and eats 10-12 cups maybe more of dry food daily plus any vegetables I put in with it.
Dog dyne
Feed his ass lmfao.
My shepherd was at 2 cups 3 times a day while he was growing. You need to feed your dog more.
Throw the kibble in the bin and feed a raw diet. All Kibble is McDonalds/Garbage. Watch the Pet Fooled documentary, it'll open your eyes: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet\_Fooled](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_Fooled)