Despite her size, your Great Dane is gentle like a lamb.
I’m sure she’s great with kids and strangers, and probably forgets just how big she really is (especially when she joins you on the couch or bed for a cuddle).
Unfortunately, I’m sure you know that Great Danes have short lifespans and have health problems due to their size.
But I have some good news:
There’s a simple supplement that could help protect your Great Dane from many of the conditions that commonly affect this breed…
If someone recommended that you look into CBD oil for dogs, I think you’ll be thanking them in the near future.
Over the next few minutes I’m going to teach you about CBD, a supplement made from cannabis and hemp, and highlight some of the many health benefits of this tiny compound.
Plus, I’ll also share my personal story of how I used CBD to help my dog Rosie.
Our Pick:
One brand I love to recommend for very large dogs is HempMy Pet. Their oils have amazing ingredients and get great customer reviews.
Free Bonus: Download my free checklist which covers the 7 most common benefits CBD. Discover if your giant dog really needs CBD. Great Dane owners can see it here.
The Gentle Giant of Dogs
The Great Dane is a majestic hunting breed originating from Germany.
It was bred in the 14th century as a cross between Irish Wolfhounds, Mastiffs, and Greyhounds.
The result was a big, muscly, yet agile dog used to hunt boar, deer, and bears, as well as guard royalty at night.
Eventually, some of the more aggressive hunting characteristics were bred out of the Great Dane to give us the gentle, loving breed we know today.
Common Great Dane Health Problems
Due to their size, Great Danes tend to live shorter lives than other breeds, generally reaching ages of between 6 -10 years-old.
They can suffer from a variety of health problems, including developmental issues, bone cancers, dysplasias, and more.
Below is a list of common ailments affecting Great Danes:
- Bloat/Gastric Torsion: Bloat is the #1 cause of death of Great Danes. It tends to affect larger breeds, but the Great Dane is especially susceptible to dealing with bloat. Bloat happens when the stomach fills with air, gases, and food, causing it to dilate and possibly twist and cut of blood supply.
- Bone Cancer: Large dog breeds like the Great Dane are more susceptible to developing bone cancer than smaller breeds. The most common type of bone cancer affecting Great Danes is osteosarcoma, which is a very aggressive, fast-spreading cancer.
- Developmental Issues: Great Danes can suffer from a variety of developmental issues. Owners should pay special attention to their dogs diet, as high amounts of protein, calcium, or other supplements can negatively affect a dog’s growth.
- Heart Disease: Unfortunately, heart diseases are very common among Great Danes. Some common forms of heart disease affecting Great Danes include dilated cardiomyopathy, as well as defects of the mitral valve, tricuspid valve dysplasia, aortic/subaortic stenosis, and more.
- Hip Dysplasia: All big dog breeds are susceptible to developing hip dysplasias, and the Great Dane is no exception.
- Osteochondritis Dissecans: Osteochondritis dissecans (or OCD) is a type of inflammation affecting the joints. It happens when cartilage in the joints becomes diseased and separates from the underlying bones. OCD tends to affect Great Danes between 6-9 months old.
- Separation Anxiety: Leaving your dog home alone is inevitable. Great Danes, with their loving personalities, might suffer from separation anxiety when you leave, which will put them under a whole lot of stress and usually cause them to act out.
How Can CBD Help My Great Dane?
If you’re worried about your Great Dane’s health, you may have already heard about CBD.
I first heard about it when my dog Rosie (Golden Retriever) got sick.
Due to a genetic malformation in her hip, Rosie also suffered from hip dysplasia most of her life.
As she got older, her dysplasia eventually developed into arthritis.
Together with her cancer diagnosis, Rosie’s prognosis wasn’t good and my vet made it clear that it was time to focus on palliative care for her.
So, I started researching supplements, medicines, and other products which could help improve Rosie’s condition.
It wasn’t long before I heard about CBD, which at the time was already being used by people all across the world to manage a variety of health conditions.
I talked to my vet about CBD, but she wasn’t all too familiar with it either.
So, we decided to research it further before trying it on Rosie.
Then, once I learned about the many potential health benefits of CBD and the fact that it’s a completely safe supplement with no side effects, I decided to give it a go.
And I’m so glad I did, because the results were unbelievable.
Rosie was always an energetic, well-spirited dog that loved to play and exercise.
But due to her condition, she’d become tired, fatigued, and lazy.
However, as soon as we started using CBD with Rosie, her condition changed.
First of all, she seemed in a lot less pain and my vet noted that the inflammation in her hip had been reduced dramatically.
Next, her attitude did a complete 360.
Within her first week of using CBD products, Rosie seemed more energetic and happy, wagging her tail constantly and even joining us for walks in the park again.
Finally, thanks to her treatment with CBD, Rosie far outlived the original prognosis of my vet.
That meant my family and I had more time to spend with our beloved Rosie before we finally had to say goodbye.
Given my positive experience with CBD, I decided to share my articles online and educate pet owners like you about the benefits of CBD pet supplements.
Below I’ll show you exactly how CBD supplements just like the ones I used with Rosie can help Great Danes with osteochondritis dissecans and heart disease.
But remember:
If your gentle giant is uncomfortable because of something else, I got you covered.
CBD has many positive health benefits. I have outlined the 7 most common benefits for dogs here.
CBD for Great Danes With Osteochondritis Dissecans
Osteochondritis dissecans, sometimes simply called OCD, is a kind of joint disease that regularly affects large and giant dog breeds.
Due to their size, Great Danes regularly suffer from this condition.
Unlike other joint diseases which tend to affect older dogs, OCD tends to affect puppies.
It is caused by an abnormal development of the joint, usually the shoulder.
Young puppies will naturally undergo a process known as endochondral ossification.
This is a natural process in which the cartilage in limbs and joints is gradually replaced with bone.
Dogs with OCD, however, weren’t able to undergo this process properly.
As a result, they tend to have abnormally thick regions of cartilage in their shoulder joints which are much more fragile than they should be.
This cartilage tends to break off from the joint as a result of mechanical stress.
The loose bit of cartilage then grinds and rubs against surrounding areas, causing lameness, swelling, inflammation, and constant pain in the joint.
If your Great Dane puppy suffers from this condition, you’ll likely have noticed them limping and suffering from stiff or lame front legs.
You may also notice your pup struggling to put weight on the affected limb and therefore struggle to lay down or stand up off the ground.
In severe cases, chronic lameness may also lead to muscle wasting.
If your Great Dane suffers from osteochondritis dissecans, they will likely undergo corrective surgery in order to remove the excess cartilage causing the irritation.
Prior to the surgery, however, you’ll want to use medicine to control the inflammation, swelling, and pain in the affected joint.
That’s where CBD comes in.
CBD is renowned as a powerful painkiller and anti-inflammatory.
By activating the endocannabinoid system, CBD can naturally help fight inflammation around the body and suppress pain signals in the brain.
Best of all, it’s completely safe, and produces no nasty side effects (unlike some other pain medications).
You can read more about the safety of CBD here.
I used CBD with Rosie to manage the pain, swelling, and inflammation of her hip joint, and I was very impressed by the results.
Even my vet was impressed by how much CBD products like oil, treats, and balms helped control the inflammation of Rosie’s hip.
From my personal experience, I recommend using CBD oil for fast relief of acute symptoms.
CBD treats or other edible products, on the other hand, are not absorbed right away and hence take longer to take effect.
If your Great Dane suffers from osteochondritis dissecans, I highly recommend trying CBD to help them manage the swelling, inflammation, and pain caused by the condition.
After surgery, I recommend continuing your CBD treatment for extra relief while your puppy heals.
View my full ailment guide on CBD and inflammation here.
CBD for Great Danes With Heart Disease
Unfortunately, Great Danes are known to suffer from a variety of heart diseases.
One of the most common heart conditions affecting Great Danes is dilated cardiomyopathy, which causes the walls of the heart to grow thin while the chambers enlarge and struggle to adequately pump blood around the body.
This leads to a progressive deterioration of the heart and causes other complications.
Unfortunately, most dogs with this condition won’t show any noticeable signs or symptoms, and may die suddenly one day from heart failure.
Other heart conditions/defects that regularly affect Great Danes include:
- Mitral valve defects
- Tricuspid valve dysplasia
- Aortic and/or subaortic stenosis
- Patent ductus arteriosus
- Persistent right aortic arch
If you have a Great Dane, you may want to consider giving them CBD regardless of whether they currently suffer from one of these conditions.
Research suggests that CBD may promote heart health in a number of ways.
A study published in the British Journal Of Pharmacology in 2010 showed that CBD helped reduce arrhythmias in rats with ischemia.
It also helped reduce infarct size, which is a determinant used to assess the risk of heart failure and death.
The authors concluded that, based on these results, CBD has clear cardioprotective effects.
Studies show it reduces tension of blood vessel walls (also known as vasorelaxation) as well as protect the heart and body from the impact of high-glucose diets.
Finally, the anti-inflammatory properties of CBD may also help manage heart conditions by reducing arterial inflammation.
This is a fairly new area of research, and there is still a lot we do not know about how CBD may benefit animals and humans dealing with heart disease.
However, the results from research so far have been promising.
Any Other Giant Dogs Taking CBD?
I’ve spoken a lot about my personal experience with CBD and how it helped my dog deal with pain, inflammation, and cancer.
But I’m not the only one who’s experienced positive results using CBD.
CBD and other cannabinoids have attracted a ton of attention lately, and people all around the world are using cannabis and hemp supplements for all kinds of health purposes.
And, since dogs, cats, and other mammals all process CBD the same way humans do, pet owners have also caught on.
Olive, for example, is a 13 year-old Great Dane - German Shepherd mix suffering from anxiety and arthritis in her back.
After trying a variety of pain medications (all with different side effects), Olive’s owner discovered CBD.
“We noticed effects within a week; with steady use, the results have steadily increased. Olive has returned to her happy, elegant, active, wonderful self.... The MAX liquid has opened up Olive’s life again—and mine too,” wrote her owner.
Bella Blue is another success story. She had anxiety issues.
Her owners report that after using CBD, she became much less anxious and nervous around loud noises. The family is also happy to use CBD as a natural alternative to other medicine like Xanax.
Lastly, I wanted to mention Mr. Sixx, an older Great Dane.
His owners have reported the positive pain relief, and anxiety relief from using CBD. Mr. Sixx suffers from arthritis and joint pain, and CBD has helped him be much more comfortable and mobile.
His owners say he has not had an anxiety attack since starting on CBD!
Which Products are Best for Great Danes?
In this article, I’ve hopefully helped you learn about some of the health benefits of CBD and how this new supplement can help your dog.
Because this breed is so big, you will want to get a high quality CBD product in the right size. Great Danes require more CBD than say Yorkies, because they weigh so much more.
So for larger dogs, I like to recommend King Kalm CBD 300mg RX.
This offers a good serving size, and comes with easy to follow dosage instructions. If you want to save 23%, you can order from this link. Click here.
I like recommending this brand because our family has used it with our dogs successfully, and they get a ton of positive reviews. All their products are design specifically for dogs.
For more info about my experience with this brand and others, check out my reviews and list of the top CBD pet supplements.
