The elegant Great Dane is well known for its immense size. If you’re a Great Dane parent, you know that this trait is matched by its incredible, huge heart, making it a great family companion.
Nutrition is a vital aspect of caring for this gentle giant that’s not typically predisposed to weight gain. A high-quality diet consisting of lean meat-based proteins is ideal for keeping your sleek and sophisticated pet looking and feeling its very best.
Like other large breeds, the Great Dane is prone to health problems and can have a limited lifespan. The key to raising a healthy Great Dane is providing them nutritious food suitable for giant breeds. The right diet promotes slow growth and gives the bones and muscles enough time to grow and develop.
Free feeding is highly discouraged with Great Danes to keep them healthy and safe. You must ensure you don’t feed your Great Dane large volumes of food at once. A nutrient-dense, complete, and balanced selection of meals is best. This increases the risk of bloating, which is the #1 killer of Great Danes. Bloating is a deadly condition where the stomach fills with gas and twists on itself, causing your dog to go into shock.
To help prevent bloat, feed your Great Dane at scheduled times instead of free feeding and take steps to ensure they don’t eat too quickly or too much at once. You can feed them multiple small meals and use slow feeders or puzzle toys to prevent food gulping. Remember not to exercise your Dane immediately after feeding.
Choosing the best dog food for your Dane can be overwhelming, with so many general dog foods on the market all claiming to be the “best.” To make it easier, we’ve pieced together this excellent dog food guide so you can make an informed decision on the right dog food for your Great Dane.
Below, you’ll find three wet recipes and three dry recipes perfect for Great Dane pups and adults. If you’re unsure of your dog’s nutritional needs, we encourage you to take our personalized quiz to help you build a meal plan suitable for the needs of your dog or pup. Take the quiz now or continue reading to find out more about the best dog foods for Great Danes in 2022.
Best Dog Foods for Great Dane
To help with your selection of the best dog food for your Great Dane, here are our picks in 2022:
Our Top 3 Wet Dog Foods
- All Around Favorite: Beef & Millet
- For Allergies: Lamb & Brown Rice
- For Seniors: Turkey & Red Quinoa
Our Top 3 Dry Dog Foods
We’ve picked these food options with your Great Dane in mind. Rest assured, whether your Great Dane is a pup or senior dog, the food choices you’re about to discover will cater perfectly to their needs.
Top Wet Dog Food for Great Danes
Let’s start with our range of fresh wet dog food for Great Danes. All our ingredients are 100% human-grade and USDA-certified. Each meal is cooked to order, carefully packaged, frozen to preserve freshness, and delivered to your door within just days of being made. They’ll remain fresher and healthier for longer in your freezer without any preservatives or additives. Simply defrost them when it’s time for your pet to eat.
If you prefer the convenience of dry food, simply scroll down to our section on the best dry dog food for Great Danes, where you’ll find our top picks.
Spot & Tango Beef & Millet Wet Food
High-quality protein with no artificial preservatives, fillers, or additives. Complete and balanced with a delicious taste to match.
Ingredients: |
Beef, Millet, Cranberries, Carrots, Spinach, Parsley, Peas, Eggs, Safflower Oil, Vegetable Stock, Apple Cider Vinegar, Vitamins and Minerals. |
Why we love it:
- Great aroma and flavor that will have your dog looking forward to mealtimes
- Contains 50% USDA-approved high-quality ground beef
- Soft and easy to chew
- Gluten-free and non-GMO
Not many Great Danes can resist a bowl of Spot & Tango Beef & Millet. It’s well balanced with low fat, high-protein, plenty of fiber, and the right amount of moisture. This makes it a complete meal that meets and exceeds the standards set by AAFCO’s Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for all life stages.
Formulated by veterinary nutritionists, the Beef and Millet wet food is ideal for Great Danes at any stage of life, from puppies and adults to senior dogs.
The ingredients are sourced locally from farms and human food suppliers who share our values. If we can’t feed it to humans, we won’t feed it to your pets. Our recipe provides an excellent overall nutritional profile with a finely tuned balance of ingredients necessary for a Great Dane.
A generous portion of beef makes the meal enjoyable and nutritious for your dog. Millet is gluten-free and excellent for your Great Dane’s heart, while eggs are a very digestible source of proteins and fat.
The meal is perfect for managing weight, improving digestion, and preventing bloating and heart conditions highly prevalent in Great Danes. The best part is that every ingredient is cooked separately then combined to ensure the flavor isn’t lost.
Try the Beef & Millet wet food today. It’s so good that we’ll give you a full refund if your Great Dane doesn’t like it.
Best Wet Dog Food for Great Dane with Allergies
Spot & Tango – Lamb & Brown Rice
Excellent source of delicious allergy-friendly protein, ideal for Great Danes with skin and food allergies.
Ingredients: |
Lamb, Brown Rice, Blueberries, Carrots, Spinach, Eggs, Peas, Parsley, Safflower Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Vegetable Stock, Vitamins and Minerals. |
Why we love it:
- Gluten-free brown rice is recommended for dogs with environmental allergies
- Soft and easy to digest
- Real human-grade lamb meat and ingredients with no additives to cause allergic reactions
- Distinctive lamb flavor that all dogs enjoy and respond well to
The last thing you want to see is your Dane suffering from itchy rashes and skin or stomach upsets from allergies. A simple diet change can make the world of difference, by eliminating food sources that cause allergic reactions. However, it doesn’t mean that your Great Dane must eat a bland diet. You can still give your dog delicious meals by choosing the best foods for Great Danes, carefully made with the right ingredients.
The Great Dane has higher chances of developing food intolerances that can appear on your dog as chronic skin inflammations. A food allergy may be the culprit for your Dane’s excessive rubbing, scratching, itching, or biting on areas of the body.
The cause of allergy is often an animal protein, with beef and chicken being the most common offenders. Trying a single source of fresh protein like lamb or eggs can eliminate or reduce allergies. The Spot & Tango Lamb and Brown Rice wet dog food contains natural fresh ingredients with antioxidants like cranberries that are great for muscles and reducing inflammation.
Our lamb is sourced ethically and combined with ingredients without any additives that can cause reactions. This produces a hypoallergenic meal suitable for Great Dane pups, adults, and seniors.
Try out our Lamb & Brown Rice wet food today, and if your Great Dane doesn’t love it, we’ll give you your money back!
Best Wet Dog Food for Great Dane Seniors
Spot & Tango – Turkey & Red Quinoa
A complete and balanced food source ideal for older Great Danes
Ingredients: |
Turkey, Red Quinoa, Spinach, Apple, Eggs, Peas, Parsley, Carrots, Safflower Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Vegetable Stock, Vitamins and Minerals. |
Why we love it:
- The ingredients contain antioxidants
- Turkey is an excellent option for older dogs as hypoallergenic poultry meat
- The superfood red quinoa is a healthy carbohydrate that is also gluten-free
- It’s easy to chew and digest, making it suitable for older dogs
The Great Dane is a royal and luxurious breed, and although they were initially bred for hunting, they haven’t had to hunt for food in a very long time. It has spent much of its history enjoying the fine dining of human-prepared food.
The Great Dane breed is naturally predisposed to different health conditions that limited its life span in the past. However, it’s important to note that your Great Dane can live as long as ten years or more today. How? The key to helping your senior Great Dane live a long life lies in selecting the best dog food for its age and making sure it gets proper exercise.
Spot & Tango’s Turkey & Red Quinoa meal provides all the necessary nutrients for older dogs with a careful balance of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals.
Food insensitivities are also common among older dogs, so you should consider allergens in your Dane’s diet. Turkey is a great alternative to chicken which can upset older stomachs in dogs, and it’s also delicious and healthy. Spot and Tango prepare the Turkey & Red Quinoa meal with senior dogs in mind.
Try out the Turkey & Req Quinoa wet food with your Great Dane today. We guarantee a full refund if your dog doesn’t like it.
Best Dry Dog Food for Great Danes
Our UnKibble range is an excellent choice if you prefer to feed your Great Dane dry dog food or a combination of wet and dry food.
Unlike other kinds of food, UnKibble is not extruded and it doesn’t contain any powdered ‘mystery meats’. We make all our UnKibble meals from 100% fresh, human-grade ingredients without fillers, artificial preservatives, or additives. Through a unique Fresh Dry™ process, nutritional integrity is maximized to ensure your Great Dane gets nutritional value with every crunchy bite.
The best part about dry dog food is that it’s much easier to serve. You can also store it almost anywhere that’s clean and dry, including your closet, garage, or pantry. It’s also easier to integrate into fun food puzzles that stimulate your Dane’s cognitive senses to improve their quality of life.
All our food is made to order in a certified facilities just days before we deliver it to your house.
Top Dog Food for Great Dane on a High Protein Diet
Spot & Tango – Beef & Barley
High-quality, delicious, and healthy protein suitable for Great Danes
Ingredients: |
Beef, Barley, Beef Liver and Heart, Beets, Green Beans, Carrots, Cranberries, Green Beans, Rosemary, Kelp, Mix Tocopherols, Salt, Vitamins, and Minerals. |
Why we love it:
- Your dog is guaranteed a protein boost from the high-quality organ meat
- Iron and vitamin-rich green beans increase the healing, energy, and overall health of your pet
- Unlike other dry dog foods of inferior quality, it actually smells and tastes as good as it looks
- Low cholesterol, high fiber barley is excellent for your Dane’s weight and heart
The Great Dane is considered an energetic dog and is technically related to the wild wolf. Protein is the foundation of a healthy diet for all dogs. It helps build muscle and supports the energy levels of your Great Dane. Great Danes are wildly energetic as pups, and they need high-protein dog food for development. Puppies need a higher protein concentration than older dogs. High-protein dog food can also help adult Great Danes maintain lean mass once they reach full size. Dogs that don’t get enough protein may experience muscle loss and reduced energy levels. The best high-protein dog food is low in carbohydrates. Most dogs have no nutritional requirement for carbohydrates, so you should prioritize high-protein dog food for your Great Dane.
Spot & Tango’s Beef & Barley UnKibble is formulated by veterinary nutritionists to ensure your Great Dane gets the recommended nutritional intake established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for All Life Stages. It’s guaranteed to boost the energy of your Great Dane while strengthening its muscles to prevent muscle loss.
The meal is low in carbohydrates, and the liver and heart additions are delicious sources of nutrients for your pet. Paired with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, this UnKibble delivers a tremendous nutritional boost to a healthy Dane. Plus, your dog is guaranteed the taste and aroma of a fresh meal.
Try the Beef and Barley UnKibble today if you’re looking for a high-protein, nutrient-rich meal for your Great Dane. We’ll give you a refund if your dog doesn’t like it.
Best Dog Food for Great Dane with a Sensitive Stomachs
Spot & Tango – Chicken & Brown Rice
The tastiest “bland diet” your Great Dane will ever eat
Ingredients: |
Chicken, Brown Rice, Apples, Chicken Liver and Gizzard, Carrots, Ginger Root, Sweet Potatoes, Sunflower Seeds, Mixed Tocopherols, Kale, Kelp, Salt, Vitamins, and Minerals. |
Why we love it:
- Complimentary ingredients make the meal tasty while ensuring it’s gentle on your pet’s stomach
- The primary protein source is chicken which is high quality and nutrient-rich
- It includes ginger to boost your pet’s digestion and reduce nausea
- Healthy brown rice grains are contained in each piece of the food
Dogs with sensitive stomachs need to be given bland diets with consistency to eliminate their discomfort. Our Chicken & Brown Rice UnKibble is designed to be “bland” without compromising on flavor, and that’s something your Great Dane will appreciate!
Most commercial dog foods contain grain and potato ingredients that can upset your dog’s stomach. Boiled chicken and plain rice are recommended as bland diets for dogs with sensitive stomachs, and this forms the basis of our recipe. The meal is easily digestible, and the ginger will ensure your Great Dane can enjoy mealtimes without nausea, diarrhea, or vomiting.
Our vet nutritionists have formulated the Chicken & Brown Rice UnKibble with sensitive dog stomachs in mind. Using only fresh ingredients and a unique drying process ensures every bite bursts with flavor and is far from bland.
If your Great Dane has a sensitive stomach, try Spot and Tango’s Chicken & Brown Rice Unkibble. It’s so good we guarantee to give your money back if your dog doesn’t like it.
Top Dry Dog Food for Overweight Great Dane
Spot & Tango – Duck & Salmon
Lean protein and tapioca fiber can help your overweight Great Dane slim down
Ingredients: |
Duck, Salmon, Apples, Carrots, Spinach, Flax, Sweet Potatoes, Parsley, Chia Seeds, Kelp, Salt, Tapioca, Mixed Tocopherols, Vitamins, and Minerals. |
Why we love it:
- Your dog gets high-quality protein from two different sources
- Tapioca and flax are excellent sources of grain-free carbohydrates
- The flavor and aroma are irresistible to any dog
- Has a good amount of fiber, which is calorie-free and promotes a fuller stomach on fewer calories
Although they’re not typically predisposed to weight gain, an increasingly sedentary lifestyle common in modern times can lead to an overweight Dane. Although original Danes were hunters, they have long shifted from swift predators to family pets that enjoy the fine dining of human-prepared food. After all, the Great Dane has often been associated with royalty and luxury.
Great Danes are protective and gentle, which makes them perfect dogs to have around children. They’ve also enjoyed excellent celebrity ownership from big names like Adam West, Cameron Diaz, and many others. Overfeeding and lack of exercise can lead to obese and overweight dogs with limited health and quality of life.
Most Great Danes naturally have a lean and muscular build. They mustn’t get overweight for long-term health and prevention of orthopedic issues. As a giant breed, carrying the extra weight creates unnecessary wear and tear on your Great Dane’s body and compromises their health.
Overweight dogs are more susceptible to issues like diabetes, heart disease, joint problems, and arthritis. If your Great Dane is overweight or obese, it may have a shorter life span and a range of other health problems that you’ll have to deal with. You should therefore identify and address their weight now before it becomes a more significant issue.
Commercial dog food, filled with questionable additives and preservatives, has long been recognized as a significant contributor to increasing rates of obesity among modern dogs. At Spot and Tango, we provide a novel solution to this problem; vet nutritionist-formulated dog food rich in nutrients and low in grain fillers and potatoes.
For your Great Dane to remain active and healthy, it must get a balanced and complete diet. This should include fresh fruit and vegetables, lean meat, and healthy, low fats, and this is what Duck & Salmon UnKibble offers! Duck and salmon are excellent protein sources that will give your dog iron and omega 3 vitamins. A grain-free recipe also makes it suitable for dogs with sensitive stomachs and food allergies. The carb sources also make the weight loss process a little easier for your Dane by making them feel fuller for longer on fewer calories.
You’ll also get a custom-molded scoop you can use to measure just the right amount of food for your Great Dane based on their age, weight, and activity levels.
Try our Duck and Salmon UnKibble if you’re trying to get your Great Dane to slim down, and if they don’t like it, we guarantee to refund your money.
Final Thoughts
At Spot and Tango, our range of wet and dry fresh meal choices are designed to suit your Great Dane at all stages of their life.
Whether you have a pup, adult, or senior Dane with a sensitive stomach or high-protein needs, Spot and Tango has everything you need.
Visit our website now to explore all our wet and dry recipes.