Anyone have a Cane Corso Mastiff?

[chort55]

I do have a question for ALL the big dog owners... what do you feed, and about how much a day?

We have our dogs now on science diet, the female has had stomach sensitivities/ allergies to foods in the past and they have been good with this and their poo crumbles and dissolves into the ground within a couple days especially if it rains (which is super nice lol)... but I have heard its a junk food also, although my vet has said it is pretty good (and they don't carry it so that isn't why they say its ok lol). I know there are better foods, and I have seen some people even feed their large dogs a raw diet.... So whats your preference, and where do you get it?

 

[Saltgator]

I do have a question for ALL the big dog owners... what do you feed, and about how much a day?

We have our dogs now on science diet, the female has had stomach sensitivities/ allergies to foods in the past and they have been good with this and their poo crumbles and dissolves into the ground within a couple days especially if it rains (which is super nice lol)... but I have heard its a junk food also, although my vet has said it is pretty good (and they don't carry it so that isn't why they say its ok lol). I know there are better foods, and I have seen some people even feed their large dogs a raw diet.... So whats your preference, and where do you get it?

I can send you a link later on some, not all brands and how they score. This link also shows how to grade dog food. I try to stick to this and it has helped with my second mixed breed (pound puppy of my wife's) with her sensitive stomach and minor hip issues.

Country Boy using tapatalk on his EVO

 

[Tabasco1]

I do have a question for ALL the big dog owners... what do you feed, and about how much a day?

We have our dogs now on science diet, the female has had stomach sensitivities/ allergies to foods in the past and they have been good with this and their poo crumbles and dissolves into the ground within a couple days especially if it rains (which is super nice lol)... but I have heard its a junk food also, although my vet has said it is pretty good (and they don't carry it so that isn't why they say its ok lol). I know there are better foods, and I have seen some people even feed their large dogs a raw diet.... So whats your preference, and where do you get it?

On your first question... I did not pose them. The do stupid cute stuff all the time. I almost added that to the pic, but thought it would be cheesy. But it really is the first thing people say when they see that pic. They absolutely love each other. We were a little nervous getting another male, but so glad we did. The little one (Lewis) thinks the big one (Tabasco) hung the moon. He's not so little anymore but he still curls up anywhere he can fit as close as he can get to Tabasco.

Tabasco started to make Mast cell tumers grade 2 (out of 3) when he was 6. I had lost my previous dog to a mast cell tumor so it really threw me. I did all kinds of research and found out that what you feed can help alot. There was alot of recommendations from different sources to feed a grain free diet. So we feed a mix of different grain free foods. I usually buy 3 different kinds a at a time and mix them before I feed. The brands of the 3 I feed never change, but the flavors will, there will always be one fish formula through to get those Omega 3s. I always get Wellness CORE (comes in poultry or fish), Call of the Wild (Bison, fish, upland fowl) and then one limited ingredent food such as Dick Van Pattens Duck and potato. The dogs seem to be doing very well on this regimen and I don't think they get too bored with it. Tasbasco was mast cell free until this last fall (2.5yrs) and we had a couple pop up, but since then he has not had any others and he is 9 now.

My vet always tries to get me on Science Diet. I don't know if is actually better or they are just trying to make $.

 

[JimC]

Hey Chort, glad you asked about diet. I was going to ask other large breed owners what they're doing for diet also..

I switched my 2 Wolfhounds to a homemade raw diet about 2 months ago....

My male is gettin 4lbs a day and the female is getting 3. I'm bumping the male up to 5. Want to put a bit more weight on him.

I do a hamburger mix in the morning and chicken later in the day.

The hamburger goes something like this.

15lbs burger

Then I puree the following and mix with burger.
3lbs bannana
3lb carrot
3lbs apple
1lb spinach
1lb broccoli
2lb peas
1lb squash
1lb ground pork
1lb organ meat (liver, beafheart, kidney) I rotate these
Sardines in water
Eggshells

For snacks they're getting eggs, carrot, bannana, peas, apples, pigfeet, turkey necks and backs, oxtail. Any meat I cook, I throw em some before cooking rather than after.

Immediate results:
I'd say 60% less poop in backyard. Whats there is smaller and turns white next day. No smell.
Breath. Perfect
Coat shinier and fuller
Eyes brighter
Used to fill water bowl twice a day. Now 1 bowl lasts 2 days.
They go nuts at feeding time. Absolutely love it.

This can be done for about the same price as the kibble I was feeding. Nutri-Source which was about $2 a pound. You can get chicken quarters for .59/lb. The hamburger mix is a bit expensive, you get the cheapest, fattiest burger you can find. It balances out.

The eyes of a sighthound....love the "far away" gaze.

Jack

Madeleine

 

[myzislow]

I love cane corso's, such impressive dogs. I've entertained owning one once my dogs pass on. I currently own two pitt bulls of old family rednose lines; hemphill/wilder. By far the best dogs I've ever owned; especially my male. I've had him since he was a pup and he just turned 10 this past May. He still looks not a day older than 4 years old, it's amazing. My dogs love each other but still due to the nature of the breed and their high game drive they are never left unattended alone. They absolutely LOVE and TRUST people, though. Bets dogs ever, just have to be careful because they are highly animal/dog aggressive, a common trait in the true APBT. Human aggression isn't tolerated and is completely out of character for an APBT. It's true these dogs were bred to fight...eachother. They HAD to have the upmost trust and affection towards their master/handler in the pit, that's where the loyalty in the breed comes from. Back in the day human aggression of any kind was not tolerated and if a dog was deemed a "biter" it was culled immediately. If only such strict, arduous breeding principles were adhered to today....

Bud:

Cherokee, she is much greyer now :-( :

Both:

 

[Tabasco1]

OH, I have a friend that has his boston terriers on a raw diet. I have read up on that diet as well. I think it probably is actually ideal. That said, I think that it requires a good bit of thought to be done well. My friend is lazy and he just buys chicken legs from costo. That is 99% of the dogs diet. I don't think that is cool. You need to really vary the meat type as well as body parts and provide at least some sort of roughage. Unless you are going to commit to providing a balanced diet I don't think it is a good plan. I don't have time or freezer space to provide that diet on a consistent basis to my dogs. There are brands that are manufacturing raw diet food now. You can buy frozen patties of food that you thaw out and it provides a balanced died. Instict makes some. I used these for a bit when Lewis was really young. They are not cheap though. But can fill in if you don't have time to get dinner ready. ;)

 

[Steven R]

All such beautiful dogs here are pics of my old champion breed boxers who have passed but now I got a new turd to deal with, here is a pic of his litter and him taking over my truck LOL.

 

[ermartin]

I do have a question for ALL the big dog owners... what do you feed, and about how much a day?

We have our dogs now on science diet, the female has had stomach sensitivities/ allergies to foods in the past and they have been good with this and their poo crumbles and dissolves into the ground within a couple days especially if it rains (which is super nice lol)... but I have heard its a junk food also, although my vet has said it is pretty good (and they don't carry it so that isn't why they say its ok lol). I know there are better foods, and I have seen some people even feed their large dogs a raw diet.... So whats your preference, and where do you get it?

I have 2 american bulldogs and i mix a couple different dry products. I mix "taste of the wild" and a Costco brand. straight taste of the wild is just too rich for my dogs and a lot of the AB breaders have researched the costco brand food and rate it very high. when they were puppies I feed them Diamond large breed puppy food.

the one in the middle is my son-in-law's the other 2 are mine this is a picture from at least a year ago they are MUCH MUCH bigger now

 

[myzislow]

All such beautiful dogs here are pics of my old champion breed boxers who have passed but now I got a new turd to deal with, here is a pic of his litter and him taking over my truck LOL.

Beautiful dogs! Love the long elegant show ear clip he had. Boxers are so awesome, I owned one when I was younger. Without a doubt I'd own another if they weren't so short lived.

 

[Steven R]

Beautiful dogs! Love the long elegant show ear clip he had. Boxers are so awesome, I owned one when I was younger. Without a doubt I'd own another if they weren't so short lived.

Your right they are short lived and run into a lot of health problems as they get old, balding, hips, my male had horrible seizures and I hated to do it but had to put him down he wouldnt eat or anything anymore. They are both buried in the mountain's in Oregon together. I said I would never do it again but I missed them so much i had to get another.

 

[chort55]

Tabasco started to make Mast cell tumers grade 2 (out of 3) when he was 6. I had lost my previous dog to a mast cell tumor so it really threw me. I did all kinds of research and found out that what you feed can help alot. There was alot of recommendations from different sources to feed a grain free diet. So we feed a mix of different grain free foods. I usually buy 3 different kinds a at a time and mix them before I feed. The brands of the 3 I feed never change, but the flavors will, there will always be one fish formula through to get those Omega 3s. I always get Wellness CORE (comes in poultry or fish), Call of the Wild (Bison, fish, upland fowl) and then one limited ingredent food such as Dick Van Pattens Duck and potato. The dogs seem to be doing very well on this regimen and I don't think they get too bored with it. Tasbasco was mast cell free until this last fall (2.5yrs) and we had a couple pop up, but since then he has not had any others and he is 9 now.

My vet always tries to get me on Science Diet. I don't know if is actually better or they are just trying to make $.

Sounds like they get a real good mix in their diet, and the changing it up idea is a good one, sometimes I wonder if my dogs get bored eating the same thing all the time... besides the extras our son throws them when he eats anyways lol. I've never thought about mixing foods together really, I think I will definitely look into it though especially if we don't decide to do a raw diet.

OH, I have a friend that has his boston terriers on a raw diet. I have read up on that diet as well. I think it probably is actually ideal. That said, I think that it requires a good bit of thought to be done well. My friend is lazy and he just buys chicken legs from costo. That is 99% of the dogs diet. I don't think that is cool. You need to really vary the meat type as well as body parts and provide at least some sort of roughage. Unless you are going to commit to providing a balanced diet I don't think it is a good plan. I don't have time or freezer space to provide that diet on a consistent basis to my dogs. There are brands that are manufacturing raw diet food now. You can buy frozen patties of food that you thaw out and it provides a balanced died. Instict makes some. I used these for a bit when Lewis was really young. They are not cheap though. But can fill in if you don't have time to get dinner ready. ;)

Yeah I don't think "going cheap" and "lazy" would be any better then feeding a moderate dry food really. Luckily I have an deep freezer sitting in the basement (that works lol), but not being used so I have some free space to do larger preparations so it wouldn't have to be to time consuming daily atleast. Maybe even do one meal of the raw foods, and any other meals be dry foods to ensure they are getting a good mix of everything.... definitely something to consider anyways. And quite honestly with what looks to be about a $1500+ minimum investment for a solid companion I don't want to skimp on its diet and create problems that could be avoided by feeding it properly and a good balanced diet :)

All such beautiful dogs here are pics of my old champion breed boxers who have passed but now I got a new turd to deal with, here is a pic of his litter and him taking over my truck LOL.

Very beautiful Boxers! I definitely love our mix, and have considered them several times and could ultimately even go that route.... but the list of health issues seems to be quite long on them, and we have had many issues with our girls health which kind of keeps us from just instantly going that route to begin with in the search for a new companion... but like I said not 100% ruled out ;)

I have 2 american bulldogs and i mix a couple different dry products. I mix "taste of the wild" and a Costco brand. straight taste of the wild is just too rich for my dogs and a lot of the AB breaders have researched the costco brand food and rate it very high. when they were puppies I feed them Diamond large breed puppy food.

Very good looking bulldogs! Really costco makes their own dog food as well? We don't have one thats real local but if its good and the price is right I could see swinging out and grabbing a couple big bags, I know with 3 dogs I would go through it lol. Right now we go through a 38.5lb bag ever 2 weeks average, and I am sure the mastiff alone would eat about that or more lol.

Thats funny I don't hear alot of people talk about diamond foods, I used to feed them all the time with great results.... until one of their recalls knocked the flavor we used most out and my female had a reaction to another flavor we substituted instead. Then we switched to SD and have had good results as well. My dogs never even had fleas when my old neighborhood was infested while I was feeding diamond (many years ago, different neighborhood now lol).

Your right they are short lived and run into a lot of health problems as they get old, balding, hips, my male had horrible seizures and I hated to do it but had to put him down he wouldnt eat or anything anymore. They are both buried in the mountain's in Oregon together. I said I would never do it again but I missed them so much i had to get another.

Yeah, my female has unexplained seizures from time to time, and the docs have never been able to figure it out exactly as she doesn't have any of the "diseases" that are prone to have them, thankfully they aren't often, and don't last long... along with her joints swelling if we play to much especially. But I know alot of the bigger breed dogs have alot of these same issues, especially the joint and hip problems. Hopefully your new little one will be issue free and live a good long healthy life, definitely a good lookin pup!

 

[racerw]

Mine to came down with a mast cell tumor I had removed. I had lost another dog due to cancer so I became a little neurotic when Akai was diagnosed. After doing some reading I found eating a high protein diet can be a way to help minimize having a re occurrence. So I now feed a chicken formula by Nature called Organics made in the good old USA. It has no wheat, corn or soy. She loves it and it gives me a piece of mind knowing I have her on a good diet.

 

[chort55]

I love cane corso's, such impressive dogs. I've entertained owning one once my dogs pass on. I currently own two pitt bulls of old family rednose lines; hemphill/wilder. By far the best dogs I've ever owned; especially my male. I've had him since he was a pup and he just turned 10 this past May. He still looks not a day older than 4 years old, it's amazing. My dogs love each other but still due to the nature of the breed and their high game drive they are never left unattended alone. They absolutely LOVE and TRUST people, though. Bets dogs ever, just have to be careful because they are highly animal/dog aggressive, a common trait in the true APBT. Human aggression isn't tolerated and is completely out of character for an APBT. It's true these dogs were bred to fight...eachother. They HAD to have the upmost trust and affection towards their master/handler in the pit, that's where the loyalty in the breed comes from. Back in the day human aggression of any kind was not tolerated and if a dog was deemed a "biter" it was culled immediately. If only such strict, arduous breeding principles were adhered to today....

Very nice looking pitts!!! I totally agree their aggression when present isn't against humans but rather other animals, its what they were designed for, and unfortunately still used for in many areas.... And when they do go after people it is because thats what they were trained to do, and are loyal to their owners and trying to make them happy, not because they are human hating vicious beasts, they really are quite loyal lovable creatures naturally... towards humans anyway :) I do love this breed, and my wife was actually surprised when I said I didn't want to go with another one.... I just want something different and the ones around here are so diluted and bred for the wrong reasons (and cross bred, inbred...) you really just don't know what your getting. :(

 

[chort55]

Hey Chort, glad you asked about diet. I was going to ask other large breed owners what they're doing for diet also..

I switched my 2 Wolfhounds to a homemade raw diet about 2 months ago....

My male is gettin 4lbs a day and the female is getting 3. I'm bumping the male up to 5. Want to put a bit more weight on him.

I do a hamburger mix in the morning and chicken later in the day.

The hamburger goes something like this.

15lbs burger

Then I puree the following and mix with burger.
3lbs bannana
3lb carrot
3lbs apple
1lb spinach
1lb broccoli
2lb peas
1lb squash
1lb ground pork
1lb organ meat (liver, beafheart, kidney) I rotate these
Sardines in water
Eggshells

For snacks they're getting eggs, carrot, bannana, peas, apples, pigfeet, turkey necks and backs, oxtail. Any meat I cook, I throw em some before cooking rather than after.

Immediate results:
I'd say 60% less poop in backyard. Whats there is smaller and turns white next day. No smell.
Breath. Perfect
Coat shinier and fuller
Eyes brighter
Used to fill water bowl twice a day. Now 1 bowl lasts 2 days.
They go nuts at feeding time. Absolutely love it.

This can be done for about the same price as the kibble I was feeding. Nutri-Source which was about $2 a pound. You can get chicken quarters for .59/lb. The hamburger mix is a bit expensive, you get the cheapest, fattiest burger you can find. It balances out.

Wow!!!! Thank you so much for the run down there of what your feeding, looks like a VERY balanced nutritious diet (for anyone really)! I assume all the veggies are fresh, not frozen or canned (atleast before you mix them), correct? I would think that would somewhat defeat the purpose. As far as the chicken goes do you need to remove bones at all, or do you buy a boneless variety? I love the idea of better breath, our dogs will clear a room and all they are doing is panting after a good romp outside! How about gas with this mix, I have heard some of those foods (especially eggs) make them quite gassy, and smell real bad, have you noticed this to be worse, better or not really changed?

Also, what is your storage method? It looks like at the amounts you feed it lasts you a few days so I would imagine you don't just mix it up and toss it in the fridge.

How old are your dogs, their eyes seem very vibrant and full of youth!

Again thank you so much for sharing all that, definitely obvious you have a strong passion for your dogs and their well being!

 

[kevinf]

Just bumping into this thread because I saw "mastiff".
We have a 8yrs old 130lb bull mastiff.. he's the biggest baby you'll ever meet

 

[chort55]

I can send you a link later on some, not all brands and how they score. This link also shows how to grade dog food. I try to stick to this and it has helped with my second mixed breed (pound puppy of my wife's) with her sensitive stomach and minor hip issues.

Country Boy using tapatalk on his EVO

Yes please send that to me I would love to see how they rank and how to grade them as well! Glad to hear it has helped with your pup as well :)

Mine to came down with a mast cell tumor I had removed. I had lost another dog due to cancer so I became a little neurotic when Akai was diagnosed. After doing some reading I found eating a high protein diet can be a way to help minimize having a re occurrence. So I now feed a chicken formula by Nature called Organics made in the good old USA. It has no wheat, corn or soy. She loves it and it gives me a piece of mind knowing I have her on a good diet.

Yeah I have heard that the diet plays a large role in this, and many of the breeders I have looked at will void the health guarantee if you don't feed atleast 21-23% protein diet!


Many of the breeders also recommend or require a product called Nu-Vet, they seem to be a dietary supplement/ vitamin, anyone use this or have any experience with it?

 

[chort55]

Just bumping into this thread because I saw "mastiff".
We have a 8yrs old 130lb bull mastiff.. he's the biggest baby you'll ever meet

Beautiful big ol boy!! :) I think alot of the big dogs really are gentle giants!

 

[JimC]

Hey Chort, no probs. You are correct, all fruits and veggies are fresh. Bones are an important part of the raw diet. When I say their breath is perfect, it's perfect. No smell at all. No gas whatsoever either. Seriously.

I make up the beef mix 30lbs at a time and freeze it in 1lb bags. Put what I need thawed out the day before. I buy the chicken quarters 10lbs at a time. Same routine. The day I mix it can be time consuming. I compare that to picking up dog droppings and its all a wash!!

You asked for some updated pics, got some today walking in the rain.

Also, I know your in Mi so your free to stop by whenever you'd like.

Jack is the wheaton male. He's at the year and a half mark. He will go another inch or two taller. Most of his growing for the next 6mo's will now be putting on weight. Madeleine is the brindle female. She's almost 2. At this point I don't think she will get much taller, all her growth is putting on weight. She's actually small side of breed standard.

Try dog proofing your kitchen with these two around....

To keep in the spirit....watching the reef tank.

 

[chort55]

Wow, I've always thought the bones would pose a choke risk or possibly cause internal damage poking around in there until they get broken down... good to know, but I still kinda think I would be more inclined to remove them then leave them in there :squigglemouth: I know you said Jack gets 4 lbs and the female 3lbs (for now), does that include the chicken weight or is that just of the hamburger mix?

Dog proofing? whats that when they can flatfooted look at the top of the counter... and you say the male will grow another inch or so huh, better lock the top cabinets too lol

Beautiful dogs, they certainly look like they enjoy their walks :)

 

[Saltgator]

YGPM. LMK how it goes.