Danois

A $130 bag of Eagle Pack lasts my 18 month old male dane (around 55-60kg) a month. Add to that all the other things fed - fresh mince, Tuckertime dog roll, carcasses, sardine etc etc and then the supplements like fish oil etc So reasonable to say about $50 a week? He will still eat around 8 cups of dry a day and is lean. He probably ate 10 cups a day at eating peak. Many people also overlook the higher costs of drugs etc - a course of ABs as SwaY said is around $100, things like Revolution/ Sentinel - you need to use 2 tubes at a time so a packet only lasts 1/2 the time.

No no no! Do not give a giant breed calcium supplements! The decent dry food has the appropriate ratios of calcium already in it. If you add a supplement then you are throwing the balance out and risking issues with growth.

ooooh squishy dogs! If only I didn't have such an aversion to drool. You could use the poodies as drool rags

Elsewhere it says the dog's mother was DDB x Ridgeback - still does not explain the coat pattern LOL

you shouldnt aspire to this. A dog grows to what it grows, if you want guarentees then purchase a pedigree. Grow giant breeds slowly and better to be a bit undersized then grow them huge and suffer the consequences of bad legs and joints later. This is a really good point Nekhbet. You need to read up a lot about feeding large breed puppies such as using only a large/ giant breed specific food, maintaining a steady diet for the first 12 months at least (ie not switching around), no calcium supplements etc etc. You also need to be aware of the appropriate exercise for a growing large breed puppy. i am very aware to let her grow slowly and always monitor the amount of protein she eats. That's great! However its not just the protein - its the protein to fat ratio as well as the calcium to phosphorus ratios

you shouldnt aspire to this. A dog grows to what it grows, if you want guarentees then purchase a pedigree. Grow giant breeds slowly and better to be a bit undersized then grow them huge and suffer the consequences of bad legs and joints later. This is a really good point Nekhbet. You need to read up a lot about feeding large breed puppies such as using only a large/ giant breed specific food, maintaining a steady diet for the first 12 months at least (ie not switching around), no calcium supplements etc etc. You also need to be aware of the appropriate exercise for a growing large breed puppy.

Interesting markings on the dane x DDB - is there rotty or something in there too? Cute puppy too - obviously used a merle dane but you had her at 6 weeks

Agree re Sydney Uni and they now have 24 hour emergency service.

doesn't sound particularly big for a cross of giant breeds? Granted, I am used to heavier-set giant breeds so happy to be corrected. From memory my dane was around 14kg at 10 weeks.

Ummm good point - where is he?? Ah! laying with his back against the back of the couch sprawled out (catching the breeze from the side door). He's usually somewhere on the lounge floor or on his (or my) bed in the bedroom. Sometimes in his crate out that back. The cat is usually stretched out on the coffee table.

Why feed the rice? I feed a tin of sardines in tomato sauce or oil or tuna in springwater mixed in with 3-4 cup of dry food for dinner 3-4 times a week. When he boards he gets whole mackeral on a regular basis. I don't feed salmon as it makes me ill so want to avoid coming into contact with it.

If those other trainers are too far away then I recommend Trudi and Julie at dogLogic (in the Inner West).

Is Orijen still available in NZ? I had great results with it for my last dane who had frequent colitis. What was not so good was the fact the cat food poisoned my cat but thankfully he was one of the lucky ones who survived.

http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=188608 - here is the link. Just click reply. Watch that she does not get too much of the marrow from the centre (especially if they are split bones) as it can give them the runs!

Spreadable tuna or meat paste.

One very good idea - get her off the Hills! It is full of fillers and I do not think I know of any dane owners who feed it. Look at Nutrience, Pro Plan and Eagle Pack. At 8 months I was feeding about 8 cups a day. At 18 months I am feeding 6 cups of Eagle Pack a day. I would give her whole chicken carcasses not minced ones. Marrow bones are good for chewing. Lamp flaps can be a good too. Who is your dane from?

This isn't necessarily a bad starting point if you were interested in ditching the dry and feeding raw. I would be very hesitant about feeding a raw diet to a growing dane unless you can get the ratios needed for slow steady growth spot on. A giant (or large) breed specific dry food is the safest option until growth is finished. As stormie said - please come into the dane thread: http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=188608 - we have a range of dane people in there - breeders, show people, pet owners and among them a heck of a lot of knowledge.

Boo's stash arrived today and his bomb proof stay training was put to use! Have to admit I did expect a little better packing for post - some of the stuff was broken up but otherwise impressed.

Sydney's event is on the 13th of March (10-2pm). Hosted by Steve Jacobs. http://www.beneful.com.au/events.html

Possibly know the breeding you are referring to. If you are interested in danes then please come into the dane thread and ask questions as it is a pretty active thread and there is a great knowledge there re which breeders to stay away from and what sort of things to look for in a litter. The first post in the thread has a great summary.

I am glad you guys have been successful with this boy.

Have a search in this health forum as I previously had a thread here about it. My boy was diagnosed with this. His main external sign was a swollen hock. We did cortisone and then imuran in conjunction as the cortisone did not do as was hoped and force it into remission. We managed it for 8 months on those 2 drugs - varying doses depending on how he was going. There were some minor side effects from the drugs such as muscle wastage). It never really improved as such, I think it was just managed. He just seemed to crash and he was diagnosed with pancreatitis which was from the drugs. To treat this we had to stop the cortisone. Blood tests showed that he had also developed (or drugs had disguised) IMHA. He had too many battles to fight and I did the kindest thing I could for him - he was 22 months. Your friends have my sympathies that they have a pup with this - immune mediated diseases are not straight forward and can be quite draining for the owners - my life revolved around my boy, making sure he got his medication, monitoring his hock etc. I recommend a Yahoo group called CIMDA - its a UK group but has good support and information.

I went last year (Sydney) and stayed about 20 mins. Huge queues for the dog baths, stalls too close together and not interesting and too many dogs who needed a few more manners.

Just in case you missed my question the first time. just in case you missed post 13 http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?s=&a...t&p=4331619 just in case you missed post 39 http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?s=&a...t&p=4332226

What's that - a week's worth for a Great Dane? Combined with hot dogs, BBQ chicken and cheese spread it should last 2 maybe Damn sas and her dane challenges!