Welcome Eastwood Great Danes

[IRescue452]

Beautiful dogs. I like that I see some natural eared dogs on the website. You obviously aren't too afraid to keep a few natural dogs dispite cropping being preferred in the show dog world. Do you show any natural danes? I have to say that the page on feeding turned me further off BARF diets. I'll cook my dog's meat thank you. What would be your take on feeding cooked meat as compared to raw?

[ramanth]

Welcome Kim from another Kim.
Great Danes are so adorable. Looking forward to seeing more pictures of your crew.

[Lobodeb]

Welcome to PT!

My Dane experience is very limited, but as long as its a dog, I'm in love.

Here is a pic of my co-workers Dane, Gannon

[Eastwood Great Danes]

Thanks for sharing the picture of Gannon. That is really cute!

My take on feeding cooked meat over raw food is that you cook many of the nutrients out. The nutrients are cooked completely out of the meat when it goes into kibble. Cooked and cooked, then the moisture squeezed out and turned into powder so that it will go through the extruder machines that make the little crunchy balls. But that is a whole nuther subject...
Anyway, dogs are meant to eat raw meaty bones from a variety of animals. You can not feed a dog cooked bones because they change density and can splinter. Raw bones do not. Feeding a cooked meat diet would be very lacking in essential vitamins and minerals. Where would the calcium, phosphorus, manganese and other stuff come from? Those things are in the bone and in the best form available.
What exactly on my site turned you off raw food? Was it the picture of Stoli eating the piglet? Many people are offended by that photo. That is not a normal part of our dogs diet. It was a bonus we got from the butcher and the dogs loved it! lol
The diet I feed my dogs is not BARF. We prefer to just call it raw feeding. We don't do veggies and fruits and all that stuff that is in the so called barf diet as written by Ian Billinghurst. He is a whack job if you ask me!
Anyway, the raw diet is easy to feed. The poop turns to powder and blows away in a few days Fleas and ticks are no longer interested in our dogs so I don't have to put chemicals on them every month. We just love it and I could never go back to kibble.
We have been discussing this 'bird flu' that has been on the news a lot lately and I am not sure how I will feed if I have to take chicken out of the diet. I use that at least 3 times a week because it is easy to get and its cheap! But going back to kibble still wouldn't be an option for me if I could no longer feed 'bird'. And I am pretty sure all the killed sick chickens would end up in pet food anyway.

[.sarah]

Fleas and ticks are no longer interested in our dogs so I don't have to put chemicals on them every month. We just love it and I could never go back to kibble.

Wow, I've never heard that! Is there something in kibble that attracts fleas?

I've been wanting to switch to raw, although I have a few worries. I read on a few different websites that if there are problems that arise from it it is usually something underlying that was there before you started feeding raw. Mandy is nearly 8 years old, and although she's very healthy (except for 4 extra lbs) I'm extremely worried about switching her in case there is an underlying problem. I know it's probably rare, but she is just getting old and I don't want to risk anything.

Also, Nova and Mandy have allergies. When we took them off of kibble with red meat & birds they got better. They are now on fish. I don't know if it's actually the meat or if it was the food we were feeding before. They still get ear infections every now and then, though, and so I'm starting to wonder if they're allergic to a grain in their food (although they're on a premium food so it doesn't have much grain. Luka's has no grain and I've thought about trying them on that to see if it is in fact a grain allergy). Annnyways, have you ever heard of anyone feeding only fish? Do you ever feed fish?

[IRescue452]

I think its the messiness and blood that gets to me. Having to feed the dogs outside so they don't make a mess. I'm sure with enough variety that a diet with cooked meat could still have plenty of nutrients. Steaming the meat keeps the nutrients in too. Plain yogurt provides enzymes and phosphorus. Egg yolks and kelp, rice and cranberries, provide manganese. I'm going to be getting Autumn into more of a working dog's meal. She loves carrots, too. I don't think its crazy to add those into the meals if the dogs like the stuff. Carrots provide plenty in nutrients. They help keep the teeth clean too. I wouldn't worry much about this bird flu. The regular flu kills 36,000 people a year in America alone and since 2001 the bird flu has only killed 56 altogether. Not much of a threat if you ask me.
-Sarah-Only fish, what the working dogs of the northern coast were fed on most of the year before kibble came along-fish pieces.

[.sarah]

-Sarah-Only fish, what the working dogs of the northern coast were fed on most of the year before kibble came along-fish pieces.

Thanks I know they'd enjoy it -- fish is their favorite!

[AllAmericanPUP]

I dont see any health testing on your website..or maybe i missed it
Do you health test your dogs for hips, elbows, patellas, thyroid, etc. ?

[anna_66]

My name is Anna and I'm owned by these three sweeties
(L-R:Huney-Chow, Bon-Mastiff and Roxey-Siberian Husky).

I've been looking over your site tonight and what beauties you have.
I've always loved Danes, they are such regal creatures.
I hope more to see more pictures from you sometime

[AllAmericanPUP]

maybe you can help me with my black lab/great pyrenees mix.
her coat is dry yet greasy and her skin is dry and itchy.....i dont know if she has allergies(dont have the money to test right now but when i give her benadryl it doesnt really help her so i dont think its allergies), she's been on a raw diet for like 2 weeks and her coat hasnt gotten any better like I hoped it would..but maybe she is going through detox?? how long does that usually take?
the last thing i can think of is maybe she has a thryoid problem..if her coat doesnt improve within a couple more weeks then i'm going to have to have her tested...

[Eastwood Great Danes]

I dont see any health testing on your website..or maybe i missed it
Do you health test your dogs for hips, elbows, patellas, thyroid, etc. ?

Are you interested in one of my pups or just looking for a debate? I am not much into playing games online. I don't know any Dane breeders who test patellas and very few do elbows. I do what I feel is necessary.

As for an all fish diet. Bad idea. A dog can not get everything they need from fish alone.
Carrots do not provide any nutrition what so ever to a dog unless they are ground to a pulp to break open the cells that hold the nutrients. Canine teeth are not designed to nor can they break open the cells to release the nutrients. That goes for all vegatables. Totally useless unless pulped or juiced.
My dogs like them to, but I am aware they get nothing from them. Dogs are carnivores and their teeth are designed to eat raw meaty bones. This is why you never see a dog raiding a garden or grazing a corn field.
It can take awhile with detox, but you might look into other reasons for the oily skin. Thyroid testing is a good place to start.

[.sarah]

As for an all fish diet. Bad idea. A dog can not get everything they need from fish alone.

Okay, I guess kibble will be the way to go for them, then. Unless if I find out it's a grain allergy. Thanks

[CagneyDog]

Gorgeous dogs

I don't know any Dane breeders who test patellas and very few do elbows. I do what I feel is necessary.

Just curious, what health tests are neccesary for Danes?

Is there waiting lists for your puppies ?

[Eastwood Great Danes]

The main 4 are hips, eyes, heart and thyroid.
I always have a waiting list when I do a breeding.

[Uabassoon]

Hi and welcome to PT! I'm mostly owned by two cats, Corkscrew and Tibby you can see them in my signature. I'm also a stepmom to my girlfriends JRT mix Payson.