Author Topic: Food Choices  (Read 7083 times)

Offline stpetebeachmastiff

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Food Choices
« on: October 12, 2005, 01:08:12 am »
I was wondering if anybody could recommend the best feed for a mastiff.  He has been eating Nutro, which he seem's to like, but wasn't sure if there is a great brand for Mastiff's.  Thanks for the help!


Offline shangrila

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Re: Food Choices
« Reply #1 on: October 12, 2005, 03:38:30 am »
Hi stpetebeachmas tiff, Welcome to BPO! :)

There is no one best brand, but there are many great brands. We could reccomend many brands to you, but only you can make the decision on what is best for your dog. For a starting point, you should look through the bpo food forum ( http://www.bigpawsonly.com/index.php/board,193.0.html ). You might also want to read the animal protection institute's article called 'selecting a good commercial food' that gives you some helpful tips on what to look for in a food ( http://www.api4animals.org/689.htm ). Another great resource is the whole dog journal. They put out a list of their top 10 dog foods every year (you have to pay for it, but you should be able to find the information free by googling it).

Good luck! And it would be great if you could post some pics of your dog. We love pics  :)
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Offline sarnewfie

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Re: Food Choices
« Reply #2 on: October 12, 2005, 03:45:09 am »
http://www.greatdanelady.com/
Becouse you have a mastiff, i would highly recommend anyone with a giant breed dog to go thru this website and educate themselves on diet and the important role it plays in the development of the skeletal structure etc....
i do believe she recomends specific diets.
i do not believe the dog foods with added gluc chond, really are giving you the gluc chond in the form you need.
it has got to be processed and heated, and really is it really even effective?
many good articles here to help you out, to decide what is best for your giant.
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ann

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Re: Food Choices
« Reply #3 on: October 12, 2005, 04:59:10 am »


      i get the WHOLE DOG JOURNAL but i left it at work i'll grab it tomarow and let ya know what some of the foods are and fyi nutro is on the not recomened list of foods the reason is lamb is the first meat listed ,but after that its all grains which means it has more grian than meat..what i do is rotate between 3-4 foods on the list right now my dogs are on merrick ,i also use canidae, pre.edge and wellness,
    good luck

ann

Offline JaxandLivi

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Re: Food Choices
« Reply #4 on: October 19, 2005, 07:38:20 am »
I have mastiffs and I have always feed them Nutro brands!  I started when they both were puppies and I never switched brands.  I did my research, read the ingredients of all dog foods, and thought I made the right decision...  Now I am thinking I may need to switch or use an added supplement of gluco & condr. (spelling?)  Anyway, I would interested to know that that magazine lists as preferred foods for large breeds.  Thanks for the advice!

I do have to say that their coats are so soft and smooth, their teeth are strong, and they smell great. 
Michelle

Offline Winstons parents

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Re: Food Choices
« Reply #5 on: November 30, 2005, 10:15:57 pm »
hey nutro is a good good but not great for a mastiff. we were feeding it to Winston. we did some research but not enough. he developed ocd  and had to have surgery. not just the foods fault but it didn't help. off the top of my head (it has been a year) i think it was to high in calcium(seams strange to have to much calcium but it speeds growth which is bad) and to much protein(bad for same reason). you can do research and find the right food for your dog. don't just look for ingredients look into the #s. find specific numbers of daily values for a MASTIFF. then do heavy research and see if the food you like or are recommended falls into the daily values(fat , calcium, and protein are crucial). do not use any supplements unless fully grown or vet recommended. there would be no point to look for a good low calcium food then supplement more calcium. I do have recommended supplements but thats another discussion. do not ask your vet(usually) about food for mastiffs. Ive asked at least 20 vet on what to feed Winston and when i looked up the numbers most food is not right for our special dogs. I just listened to the vet and feed the food she recommended and that ended up leading to surgery. In case you don't feel like doing that much research we use diamond brand 60+ . Its a good brand at a fair price. Also don't just pick a brand. each brand has different product some of which may be OK for your big fella but most product will not be. sorry for writing a book. just my 2 cents.

Offline sblanks67

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Re: Food Choices
« Reply #6 on: January 06, 2006, 12:34:39 pm »
www.mastiff.or g has the diet requirments.

My breeder said that she uses Pro Plan giant breed because it is and was specially designed for the mastiff breed. Not sure how true that is but that is what we are using.