What is the Best Food for my English Mastiff Puppy?

Meghan: What is the best dog food to feed my English Mastiff puppy?
I have been doing a lot of research on what to feed my English Mastiff puppy. I am hoping for suggestions from others with mastiffs or giant breeds. I want to feed him really good quality food at a somewhat reasonable price.

Also, I have heard that they only need puppy food until they are 4 months, is this true? I would really appreciate some advice on this issue! Thanks!

Answers and Views:

Answer by Dianne
I feed my 6-month-old puppy Diamond Naturals lamb and rice for large breed puppies. He weighs in at 100lbs, the coat looks great. The vet said to keep on until 1 yr old. Can be food at serval places nearby.

Photo Credit: Valerie Everett/Flickr CC

Watch the Protein and Calcium Percentage

Answer by Mark
You have to watch the protein and calcium percentage when it comes to giant breed. Puppy food has too much protein.

6 months is a good time to switch from large breed puppy food to adult food.
DO NOT give him a calcium supplement.

Answer by Jasmine
I have 2 Bullmastiffs. I've done extensive research.

My girls were on Solid Gold Wolf Cub (large breed pup) until they were 6 months old. Now they're on Solid Gold Wolf King (large breed adult). Great quality food and reasonable price ($ 50 for 33lbs). You can get it on Amazon.

You have to watch the protein and calcium percentage when it comes to giant breed. Puppy food has too much protein. 6 months is a good time to switch to large breed adult food.
DO NOT give him a calcium supplement.

P.S. Don't take nutrition advice from anyone who knows nothing about the giant breed. Do your own research.

Answer by Tasha
I have an English mastiff puppy myself, and it's bliss. We have tried a few, and the one she seems to love is Hills – it is a vet brand made for LARGE BREED puppies. Make sure you always feed them large breed puppy food – as they need different nutrients than other puppies.

My vet also recommends Nutri-Source. It is the BEST brand for the English Mastiff puppy. It is also a bit cheaper than the Hills brand.

Answer by JAMIE D
Feed a good quality food I prefer no corn period. Diamond chicken and rice is affordable at $ 20 for $ 50# bag, Costco- Kirkland brand adult veggies chicken and rice it really is good food for about $ 18 50# bag. Most important is to keep your pup lean in his weight, large breed dogs can develop issues later on if they are overweight as pups.

Answer by BB
My two mastiffs lived to be ten years old. They were on Purina One. I also have two ancient cats–20 and 18-years old. People are always knocking Purina, but my pets have done very well on it.

Should Giant Breed Puppies Eat Puppy Food?

Answer by luv big dogs
I have always been told (by vets, breeders, etc.) that giant breeds should never have puppy food. It doesn't meet the nutritional needs of giant breed puppies. My Mastiff female is currently 6 months and 80 lbs, so she is right on track for the breed. She was started on Nature's Recipe Adult Lamb & Rice because that's what I was feeding my other dog. However, it made her very gassy, which didn't seem to bother her but wasn't all too pleasant for me!

They are now both on Purina Pro Plan Adult Lamb & Rice. Gas has been reduced by about 90%, the stool is firm, and I have not had any problems with either dog. I know that it is not Solid Gold, King, Royal Canin, or any of the many 'top-quality' foods that you will hear recommended, but it is fairly easy to find, reasonably priced, and seems to work well for my dogs.

Mind you, I would never feed Purina Dog Chow, but the Pro Plan seems to have comparable ingredients to Nutro, Nature's Recipe, and many other higher-quality foods. Good luck!

Answer by ABC123
Giant breeds have different needs than large breeds. Our vet and breeder both said do NOT feed puppy food (ever). Mastiffs need to grow really slow and keep their protein levels low while a puppy. Puppy food (even high quality) has way too much protein for mastiffs.

In all honesty, any "reasonably" priced food is not of high enough quality for them. Iams, Science diet, etc has too many fillers.
We buy a brand of food only available at small pet stores that specialize in nutrition. It costs about $ 50 for a 30 lb bag and lasts us about 3 weeks.

It seems "over the top" to many but you get what you pay for. I have seen people cut corners on nutrition with their mastiffs and they tend to have more health problems down the road.

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• What is a Good Low-Price Dog Food for a Mastiff?
• Why is my English Mastiff Drinking a Lot of Water?

I Prefer a Raw Diet for my English Mastiff

Answer by Mary Lewis
Ever since weaning and solids were introduced, my 5 1/2 old female English Mastiff has been on a raw diet ONLY. She is growing well and is in excellent health! The breeder I bought her from feeds all of his dogs and puppies a raw diet. Why to feed processed dog food ever??

Years ago I would feed “the best” kibble out there… Evo, Orijen, etc., but then I did some research and switched my 18-month-old boxer to homemade raw and never looked back. Expensive? Nah…I actually spend less now than I did when I fed high-quality kibble.

Answer by AAA
I have never owned a Mastiff however I babysat one for a week he was a big boy over 100 pounds. He was fed Kirkland he looks great, his coat was great, nice-looking dog.
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