We just got Samson this weekend. He is a 13 weeks old English Mastiff. The lady that we got him from says to always add water to his food to moisten and expand it before he eats. She says that it will help with bloat because the food has already expanded before he eats it. She also said that you should never feed a Mastiff high end food like Science Diet or any others. She was feeding him Atta Boy, which is one of the cheapest you can get at the grocery store. She seemed a little crazy.....She had 3 mastiff's two of which were over 200 lbs. I feed my other dog Nutro natural choice Venison and whole brown rice. He isn't a large breed though. I've started to mix his Atta Boy with my Nutro to change him over slowly.
I guess I just wanted to know about the moistening of the food. Is it really necessary? Any comments are very appreciated.
Thanks
You really do not want to feed cheap food, I am not sure why she told you that, Mastiffs can grow way to fast and it will affect their bones and you will start getting deformation. You will also have alot to clean up outside if you feed them cheap food.
You really need to feed them a large or giant breed food like Innova, large breed or Eagle pack holistic large breed. Read the ingrediants on those and what you are feed Samson now. Cheap food for Mastiffs is a bad idea, research it online you really will learn alot.
I have two Mastiffs and have never moistened there food, it is good for their teeth to eat the food. What causes bloat is eating to fast, or playing hard just before or just after eating or drinking but moistening there food will not do anything.
Hope this helps and really you should not be feeding your Mastiff cheap food unless you do not want him to live long. Just reply if you have any questions.
(01-11-2010 11:20 AM)Little boy Samson Wrote: [ -> ]We just got Samson this weekend. He is a 13 weeks old English Mastiff. The lady that we got him from says to always add water to his food to moisten and expand it before he eats. She says that it will help with bloat because the food has already expanded before he eats it. She also said that you should never feed a Mastiff high end food like Science Diet or any others. She was feeding him Atta Boy, which is one of the cheapest you can get at the grocery store. She seemed a little crazy.....She had 3 mastiff's two of which were over 200 lbs. I feed my other dog Nutro natural choice Venison and whole brown rice. He isn't a large breed though. I've started to mix his Atta Boy with my Nutro to change him over slowly.
I guess I just wanted to know about the moistening of the food. Is it really necessary? Any comments are very appreciated.
Thanks
That's what I figured. That's why I started weaning him off the stuff they were feeding him. The food I feed my other dog is not cheap, it's very good natural food. Until I find out where they have the holistic stuff around here, I'm going to give him that. Thanks for the imput on moistening it. I haven't read anything about that anywhere....I think they were just crazy old ladies....
Moistening the food can actually make things worse when it comes to bloat, too, and so can feeding cheap food. (And in my opinion, Science Diet is one of the furthest from "high end" so I can't even imagine what's in the cheap stuff she suggested!)
Recommendations to avoid Bloat:
- Do not allow your dog to exercise or play roughly for 1 hour before or after meals
- Do not allow your dog to gulp down his food rapidly. Feed smaller meals 3-4 times per day rather than one or two big meals.
- Do not allow your dog to gulp water in excess near meal times. If your dog tends to drink a lot right after you refill his bowl, wait an hour afterwards to feed him.
- Do not feed your dog when he is stressed. Try to avoid stressful situations entirely. Socialization is a key to accomplishing this.
- Avoid foods that cause gas. Pre-biotics and pro-biotics can help to create a healthy digestive environment which can eliminate or reduce gassiness in some dogs. Some people suggest feeding fresh raw vegetables to reduce the risk of bloat.
- Avoid foods with high levels of vitamin C as recent reports show there may be a link between foods high in vitamin C and an increased risk of bloat.
- Know the relative's history. Dogs with a parent, grandparent, child or sibling that has bloated are more likely to bloat themselves.
- Discuss preventative "tacking" with your vet, especially if you feel your dog is at high risk of bloat due to heredity.
- Discuss the use of Gas X® or tubing in an emergency with your vet. Keep the phone number of a 24-hour vet on hand and discuss an emergency plan with your vet so you know exactly what to do if you see signs your dog may be bloating.
- If you think your dog may be bloating, do not wait - go to the vet immediately.
Here is an excellent article on bloat:
http://www.ginnie.com/gdv.htm that also contains links to several other articles and studies on bloat.
We feed him eagle holistic large breed puppy food. He is growing just fine. He is averaging between 3-5 lbs a week. He's 5 months and weighs 62 lbs. He's perfect in every way. Love him to death.