[Quincy's Slave]

We are getting our first G.D. puppy in early September and can't wait! We've done a lot of research about the breed and his care requirements but have lots of questions still!

I met one man who has a G.D and he suggested 'stomach stitching' to prevent bloat/torsion. I have tried to search for info about this procedure and have come up with nothing. Does anyone have any experience or comments?

Also, harness or collar??

Raw or commercial foods?

Would love to hear from other G.D owners!

 

[boxerlover876]

Try googling gastropexy or stomach tacking.

Depending on if he's a puller or not I think that's for you to choose. Just make sure he can't slip out of it! I'd have a backup.

I'd definitely do raw for a Great Dane as it diminishes the possibility of bloating. I personally think every GD should be raw fed, but that's just me.

I'm a Boxer owner, but hope that helped!

 

[zeronightfarm]

I wouldn't do surgery, because every time you put a larger breed under, it's a huge risk. Just read up on bloat, and know what to do to prevent it, and know the signs.

I prefer harness for pups, so I don't put pressure on the neck.

Feed is up to you, see what your breeder recomends.

 

[Loki Love]

Welcome to the Great Dane club! We have two - Loki and our newly acquired rescue, Livia

We use a collar for both Loki and Livia, but am inching towards a harness - no pressure on the neck seems to be the growing preference, but at the end of the day, whatever works best for you. We use cloth martingales

We feed Loki a raw diet, while Livia is on Taste of the Wild. Once Livia hits 1 year, I'd like to transition her over to raw as well. I know lots of people feed raw right from the get go, but I guess I'm a bit gun shy about balance when puppy is growing.

I do highly recommend getting a pexy done - do it at the same time as the spay or neuter. It won't prevent bloat, but it helps with the torsion and basically buys you time to get to a vet. That said, neither Livia nor Loki is pexied right now. Livia we will have done once she is over a year old (she had a paediatric spay through the rescue). Loki is not neutered so we have to have the conversation with his breeder to determine what direction she is going with him - if we end up with full ownership, we'll neuter and pexy at the same time to avoid having to do two surgeries. I'd talk to your breeder about it - do their lines have a history of bloat? At the end of the day, no one knows the cause of bloat.. some say genetics, some say exercise, raised feeder vs lower feeder, etc - you can do your best to prevent it, but if you don't know the root cause, it's pretty hard.

Good luck!