We have a female Mastiff puppy and we feed her Innova Large Breed Puppy she seems to like it but I don't know how much to give her. She is 18 weeks & weighs 53.5 lbs. The bag says 3-4 months 40lbs 5 3/8 cups a day & then jumps to 60lbs 7 cups a day. How much should I give her I don't want to under or over feed her ? She looks very slender to me . What are signs of being over & under fed for Mastiffs? Also what do you think abot Innove Large Breed Puppy Food ? Is there any breeders that gives this to their Mastiffs ? We love her lots & want to give her the best !!! Thanks Heidi
I feed my Mastiff Innova Large Breed and I love it he does very well on it. I free fed him for a couple of reasons, I would feel bad if he was hungry and obviously he cant tell me that, also because it helps prevent bloat because they are not in such a hurry to eat when they have food all the time. My Mastiff does very well he does not eat all the time I go through a 33 lb bag of Innova about every 2.5 weeks, I think that is pretty good. I think it is how you feel about it and thier is not a right or wrong way.................this is just what I do and it works great!
Hi, and welcome!
Giant breed puppies almost always look thin while growing. General rule of thumb is you should be able to see the outline of the last rib or two and feel the other ribs easily on a giant breed pup. The bags are usually pretty accurate as far as amounts (so somewhere in the 6 - 6 1/2 cup range based on what you're saying) but you can also ask your vet to calculate how many calories your puppy needs based on age and weight, and then calculate how many cups of food are needed from there.
Bloat is an issue with mastiffs, but is more of a concern with adults and seniors than puppies. I would be more worried about being careful not to drastically overfeed a mastiff pup as this can cause HOD, OCD, Pano, and potentially contribute to hip dysplasia. So even if you're free-feeding, it's probably a good idea to measure out the food so you know how much your pup is getting each day and try to limit the amount to the general range that's on the bag. Getting them used to measured free-feeding is a good idea though - it seems they are less likely to gulp down food and may help to establish good eating habbits for when they are older.
Each puppy has a different metabolism and will require more or less calories depending on their activity level too, so the bag is just a guide. I think I had to give Peabody an extra 1/2 to 1 cup a day when he was around 4-6 months because he was so active and thin, and he turned out OK
I think Lisa is right - just pay attention to your pup's condition,
watch for signs of bone disease, and use your judgement. If you're unsure, call your vet and ask for some help - most are willing to chat about nutrition over the phone, especially if you've been bringing your pup in frequently for vaccinations.
I really like Innova for adults, but have not fed the giant breed puppy. When comparing giant breed puppy foods, I usually use
Eagle Pack Holistic Giant Breed Puppy as a baseline as I know they've done research regarding giant breed nutritional needs vs. large breeds.
Innova is pretty close to that. It looks like it is missing glucosamine, which I think may help with growing pains.
Hi again !!! Thanks so much !!! It is so nice to be able to talk to other Mastiff Moms & Dads ( Owners) & get great advice. One reason I did not go with Eagle Pack is because of what I read about Beet Pulp on Dog Food Analysis .com & its health concerns. Also my vet told me to go with Innvova because it was AAFCO tested & she said Eagle Pack was not. Do you know if that is correct ? I just want what is best for her !! Thanks Heidi
Not sure about AAFCO. I keep dog food in a bin, so the bag has already been tossed. I'll check the bag when I get another but I didn't see anything about it on their website, so I'm guessing you're right. There are a ton of foods that
are AAFCO approved that I would never even consider feeding my dogs, so I'm not sure what exactly those standards are.
Anyways, it sounds like your vet knows what she's talking about (the fact that she recommended something other than sciencediet impresses me!) and sounds like she's done some research on the two brands, which is great.
As far as beet pulp, check this out:
http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/be...p_myth.htm
(02-20-2009 06:32 PM)mydog8it Wrote: [ -> ]Not sure about AAFCO. I keep dog food in a bin, so the bag has already been tossed. I'll check the bag when I get another but I didn't see anything about it on their website, so I'm guessing you're right. There are a ton of foods that are AAFCO approved that I would never even consider feeding my dogs, so I'm not sure what exactly those standards are.
Anyways, it sounds like your vet knows what she's talking about (the fact that she recommended something other than sciencediet impresses me!) and sounds like she's done some research on the two brands, which is great.
As far as beet pulp, check this out: http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/be...p_myth.htm
Thank you for website I will check it out !! This is not about overfeeding but I was wondering if you could suggest some good Mastiff Toys for Dakoda ? Also we have a 7.5 year old yellow lab named Titus he is great & plays well with Dakoda but Im wondering how much I should allow them to play. When they play they jump,run , play tug of war & wrestle each other. Is that ok to allow because I know that she is growing fast & I don't want her to get hurt but again I want to have some puppy fun.Thanks so much !!! Heidi
Is Sciencediet a bad choice? Our little guy was a rescue, we started him out on Diamond, he did not do very well with that, he is now on Science Diet and doing much better. We live in NW Iowa on a farm and there is not a lot of choices around here for pick of dog food, I could have something shipped if there is something better out there! Thanks
We have the same problem here with not alot of choices for large breed dog foods. And some we cant get here at all. It is a shame. I feed Pedigree large breed puppy it is one of a few that our mastiff will eat at all and now she is getting picky about it too. so i stir in a can of wet food with it and she is happy. We have tried them all it seems like I started her on a natural diet but was afraid she wasnt getting what she needed in nutrients. She hates little bits so we have to look for chunky stuff with big bits in it and thats another problem with the food. As far as sciencediet I have read some stuff online about it and it has some ingredients I dont want to feed her. I did get a sample of it once and she didnt like it anyway. Good Luck.
My simple solution for quickly eliminating dog food brands as an option:
If it has the word "by-product" or "by-products" in the ingredients, I won't buy it.
It it contains corn, I won't buy it.
If it has sugar in it, I won't buy it.
If it has any preservatives, dyes, food colorings, or chemicals in it, I won't buy it.
There are other things you should look for, like probiotics, omega-3, human grade meats, proper nutrient balance, etc. View our section on nutrition for more detailed information.