The Great Dane - Breed Nutrition - Royal Canin

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Breeding of the Terres axonaises © J.-M. Labat Wobbler syndrome Also known as “cervical spondylomyelopathy” and “cervical vertebral instability and deformity”, this syndrome sees the degeneration of the intervertebral discs; the fibrous outer part of the disc (annulus fibrosus) hypertrophies and herniates into the medullary cavity of the spinal canal. Dobermans and Great Danes are said to account for 80% of all cases (Seim & Withrow, 1982). Osteosarcoma These are malignant tumours of the long bones of the limbs, which mainly appear after the age of three years. Metastases are usually already present at the time of diagnosis, which worsens the prognosis. Wobbler Syndrome The compression of the spinal cord can cause movement difficulties of varying intensity, including paralysis. Dilated cardiomyopathy and giant-breed dogs The risk of developing heart disease is 3.7 times higher among giant breeds aged 4-7 years than among other breeds of the same age (Deeb & Wolf, 1996). While it accounts for only 5-10% of all cases of canine cardiology, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is most often observed in Great Danes, Saint Bernards, Irish Wolfhounds, Boxers and Dobermans. In a retrospective German study encompassing 91 canine DCM patients, 14 were Saint Bernards (15%) and 12 were Great Danes (13%) (Hanichen, 1986). DCM is a deficiency of the heart muscle, leading to thinning of the muscle wall and dilatation of the ventricles. The myocardium does not contract sufficiently to pump blood effectively around the body. Echocardiography (ECG) enables a precise and early diagnosis of the disease, even before the appearance of clinical signs. DCM is more prevalent in males than females and the average age at which the first signs are observed is five years, by which time the prognosis is poor. The genetic aetiology of DCM is not in doubt, although the disease is often associated with a low plasma taurine and/or L-carnitine concentration (Costa & Labuc, 1994). Studies are ongoing into the genetic cause of the disease (Meurs et al, 1999). 18 19 LV Echocardiograph of a case of dilated cardiomyopathy in a large-breed dog A lengthwise section of the right parasternum showing dilatation of the left atrium (LA) and the typical spherical shape of the left ventricle (LV). LA © Bussadori
2 BEST BALANCE NUTRITION FOR GREAT DANES A food to improve digestive security Bearing in mind the low digestive tolerance of Great Danes, it is important to feed them a food specially formulated to avoid the risk of digestive problems. Limiting fermentation: the benefits of low indigestible protein The highest quality of protein is needed to reduce the fermentation process in the colon, which affects the quality of faeces. This ensures the minimum quantity of undigested protein reaches the colon, reducing the substrate available for bacterial populations in the colon and preventing undesirable putrefaction reactions. Improving digestibility to limit fermentation in the colon Non-LIP protein Digested protein: 88 g Undigested protein: 12 g 100 g of ingested protein Digested protein: 95 g 7% increase in digestibility Undigested protein: 5 g Indigestible protein reduced by 58% > Significant effect in the colon LIP protein The digestibility of protein used in the formulation of dry food for dogs can vary from 87% to 99%, which translates as a protein indigestibility of 1-13%. Setting a maximum indigestibility threshold of 10% (or digestibility > 90%) achieves immediately visible results with respect to faecal quality. The use of such low-indigestible proteins (LIP) as animal protein hydrolysate or vegetable protein isolate (wheat gluten) helps further raise the bar. Influence on faecal moisture of reducing indigestible protein in the food (Internal Royal Canin data, 2005) The label on a bag of dry food only gives a more or less precise list of ingredients and a concise nutritional analysis. There is no information on the indigestibility of the protein sources in the food. The LIP label fills this void by providing clear, good quality information. The term LIP may refer to a raw ingredient or a mixture of raw ingredients prepared in such a way as to guarantee less than 10% indigestible protein. Regularising digestive transit: the role of vegetable fibre The goals of the quantity and choice of fibre are: • facilitating optimal digestive transit • producing firm faeces • contributing to the good health of the digestive mucosa - Non-fermentable fibre (containing cellulose and lignin) remains almost totally intact in the faeces: it plays a role in digestive hygiene by facilitating regular transit. - fermentable fibre (e.g. fructo-oligosaccharides) is broken down by the colon microflora to provide the necessary energy for the cells of the digestive mucosa to ensure their regeneration. 20 21 Faecal moisture (%) 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 2.3 76 2.0 68 1.1 Decreasing indigestible protein (3 levels) 61 5 4 3 2 1 0 Quantity of indigestible protein (g) A very low level of indigestible protein (IP) limits bowel fermentation and so the presence of substances that can attract water into the colon. In this trial, faecal moisture falls by 20% when indigestible matter is halved. The consistency of faeces is thus visibly improved. Quantity of protein reaching the colon (g) Faecal moisture
Page 1 and 2: Great Dane Best balance nutrition f
Page 3 and 4: © P. Psaila The history of the Gre
Page 5 and 6: 1KEY POINTS OF THE GREAT DANE, AN E
Page 7 and 8: Importance of chest measurements to
Page 9: Hypertrophic osteodystrophy This di
Page 13 and 14: Synovial fluid Synovial membrane Ca
Page 15 and 16: Scientific glossary Colon: one of t
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