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BREED · DOGS

Great Dane: health and what the tests show

The Great Dane is one of the tallest dog breeds, and its size shapes its health. Bloat (gastric dilatation-volvulus) is far more common than in other dogs, dilated cardiomyopathy affects a large share of the breed, and bone cancer is frequent. In UK practices, Great Danes that died did so at a median age of under 9 years.

A harlequin Great Dane with natural ears standing outdoors
Photo: Viborg · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

Written by the AI DiagAnimals editorial teamReviewed by the AI DiagAnimals TeamUpdated Our editorial policy

The essentials

Great Danes had 114 times the odds of crossbreeds of a bloat (GDV) diagnosis in UK emergency clinics, and their estimated lifetime risk of GDV is about 37%. In a UK screening study, 35.6% of Great Danes had dilated cardiomyopathy; a high troponin I in the blood was linked to shorter survival and sudden cardiac death. The breed also has 34 times the odds of osteosarcoma. In UK practices, Great Danes that died did so at a median of 8.9 years.

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At a glance

TraitDetail
OriginGermany [1]
Breed groupFCI group 2, section 2.1 (Molossoid breeds, Mastiff type) [1]; AKC Working Group [2]
WeightMedian adult weight in UK practices 133 lb (60.5 kg): females 123 lb (56.0 kg), males 143 lb (64.9 kg) [3]
HeightMales at least 31.5 in (80 cm), not over 35.5 in (90 cm); females at least 28.5 in (72 cm), not over 33 in (84 cm) [1]
Life expectancyMedian age at death 8.9 years in UK veterinary records [3]; median 10.6 years in a large UK study [4]
CoatVery short, dense, smooth and glossy; fawn and brindle, harlequin, merle and black, or blue [1]

Origin

The forerunners of the Great Dane were the old “Bullenbeisser” and the hunting and wild boar hounds, midway between the English-type Mastiff and the Greyhound. In 1878 a committee of breeders and judges in Berlin decided to group these varieties as “Deutsche Doggen”, laying the foundation of a German breed [1].

The first standard was laid down at a show in Berlin in 1880, and it has been looked after since 1888 by the German Great Dane club, the Deutsche Doggen Club 1888 [1].

Common health problems

  • Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV, bloat): the stomach fills with gas and can twist. In UK emergency clinics, Great Danes had 114.3 times the odds of crossbreeds of a GDV diagnosis, the highest of all breeds. About 80% of dogs treated surgically survived to discharge [5]. The estimated lifetime risk of GDV in Great Danes is 36.7% [6].
  • Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM): in 107 UK Great Danes screened with heart ultrasound and ECG, 35.6% were affected, and 47% with revised breed reference values. Irregular ventricular beats were common, in 54% of affected dogs, and the pedigrees suggested dominant inheritance [7]. See heart failure in dogs.
  • Osteosarcoma (bone cancer): 0.87% of Great Danes in UK practices had osteosarcoma in one year, with 34.24 times the odds of crossbreeds [9].
  • Wobbler syndrome (cervical spondylomyelopathy): a compression of the spinal cord in the neck that mainly affects large and giant breeds. It is often studied in Great Danes and Dobermans, and the disc-associated form is more common in Dobermans than in Great Danes [10].
  • Short life: across 29 giant breeds in UK practices, the median age at death was 8.94 years, and neoplasia, collapse and heart disorders were the most common causes of death [3].

What is special in the Great Dane’s blood work

We found no published Great Dane-specific reference intervals for routine blood tests. The tests that matter most in the breed are linked to the heart and to emergencies such as bloat.

Troponin I. Troponin I is a blood marker of heart muscle damage. In 124 Great Danes screened for DCM, it was higher in dogs with clinical DCM and in dogs with irregular ventricular beats. A value above 0.199 ng/mL was linked to shorter survival and a higher risk of sudden cardiac death, and the authors see it as a useful extra screening tool [8].

Heart screening. Screening for hidden DCM is advised from 3 years of age, repeated every year, with heart ultrasound and a 24-hour ECG (Holter), which may be useful in breeds other than Dobermans and Boxers [11]. Great Danes need sex- or weight-based ultrasound reference values [7].

Lactate in bloat. In dogs with GDV, a lower blood lactate, or one that falls after fluids, is linked to a better outlook. Values overlap a lot between dogs that survive and those that do not, so lactate should not be used alone to give a prognosis or to decide against surgery [12].

Bone cancer. What a raised ALP means in dogs with osteosarcoma is explained on our Rottweiler page; see also high ALP in dogs.

Other values. Our CBC guide explains the blood count line by line.

Related articles

Heart failure in dogs

NT-proBNP, kidney values and the ACVIM stages.

Read the article

CBC blood test for dogs

Red cells, white cells and platelets line by line.

Read the article

En français : Dogue allemand.

Questions to ask your veterinarian

  1. What are the signs of bloat, and what should I do if I see them?
  2. Would a preventive gastropexy make sense for my Great Dane?
  3. When should my dog start heart screening with ultrasound and Holter?
  4. Would a troponin I test add useful information?
  5. If my dog starts limping or walks unsteadily, which tests come first?
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Frequently asked questions

How long do Great Danes live?

In UK veterinary records, Great Danes that died did so at a median age of 8.9 years [3]. A larger UK study found a median lifespan of 10.6 years [4].

Are Great Danes prone to bloat?

Yes. They had 114.3 times the odds of crossbreeds of a GDV diagnosis in UK emergency clinics [5], and their estimated lifetime risk is 36.7% [6].

Do Great Danes get heart disease?

Dilated cardiomyopathy is common: 35.6% of UK Great Danes screened were affected, up to 47% with revised reference values [7].

Can a blood test help detect heart disease in Great Danes?

Troponin I is higher in Great Danes with DCM or irregular heartbeats, and a high value predicts shorter survival [8]. It adds to ultrasound and Holter screening rather than replacing them [11].

What health problems do Great Danes have?

Bloat [5], dilated cardiomyopathy [7], bone cancer [9] and wobbler syndrome [10] are the best-documented, and giant breeds have a short life overall [3].

Sources

  1. FCI. Standard No. 235: Deutsche Dogge (Great Dane). 2024. fci.be/Nomenclature/Standards/235g02-en.pdf
  2. American Kennel Club. Great Dane: dog breed information. akc.org/dog-breeds/great-dane
  3. O’Neill DG et al. Giant dog breeds under primary veterinary care in the UK: demography, common disorders and mortality. Companion Anim Health Genet. 2026;13:4. doi.org/10.1186/s40575-026-00152-7
  4. McMillan KM et al. Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death. Sci Rep. 2024;14:531 (supplementary table S3). doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-50458-w
  5. O’Neill DG et al. Gastric dilation-volvulus in dogs attending UK emergency-care veterinary practices: prevalence, risk factors and survival. J Small Anim Pract. 2017;58(11):629-638. doi.org/10.1111/jsap.12723
  6. Ward MP, Patronek GJ, Glickman LT. Benefits of prophylactic gastropexy for dogs at risk of gastric dilatation-volvulus. Prev Vet Med. 2003;60(4):319-329. doi.org/10.1016/s0167-5877(03)00142-9
  7. Stephenson HM et al. Screening for dilated cardiomyopathy in Great Danes in the United Kingdom. J Vet Intern Med. 2012;26(5):1140-1147. doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-1676.2012.00987.x
  8. El Sharkawy S et al. Long-term outcome and troponin I concentrations in Great Danes screened for dilated cardiomyopathy: an observational retrospective epidemiological study. J Vet Cardiol. 2023;47:1-13. doi.org/10.1016/j.jvc.2023.03.003
  9. O’Neill DG et al. Dog breeds and conformations predisposed to osteosarcoma in the UK: a VetCompass study. Canine Med Genet. 2023;10:8. doi.org/10.1186/s40575-023-00131-2
  10. Bonelli MA et al. Comparison of angle, shape, and position of articular processes in Dobermans and Great Danes with and without cervical spondylomyelopathy. BMC Vet Res. 2017;13:77. doi.org/10.1186/s12917-017-0997-4
  11. Wess G. Screening for dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs. J Vet Cardiol. 2022;40:51-68. doi.org/10.1016/j.jvc.2021.09.004
  12. Mackenzie D. Gastric dilatation volvulus in dogs: utility of lactate as a predictor of survival. Vet Evid. 2022;7(4). doi.org/10.18849/ve.v7i4.537

Laboratory methods and reference intervals vary. This article explains; it does not diagnose. For a decision about your pet, use the original report and talk to your veterinarian. Our editorial policy.

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