Nutrition is a huge factor in raising healthy puppies, as well as maintaining the health of your working dog at all stages of its life. Because puppies reach more than 80% of their adult height by the time they are a year old, there is no time to waste when addressing proper nutrition, especially with a giant breed like the Spanish Mastiff.
We have worked together with our veterinarian and our friends at stores.excelpetpantry.com to develop the best possible diet for our Spanish Mastiffs. We currently feed both adult dogs and puppies a predominantly raw diet consisting raw meaty bones (primarily chicken and lamb). We also add approximately 10% organ meat, raw eggs, and fresh goat’s milk. In addition, we supplement with a high quality, large breed kibble, in very small quantities.
When feeding our Spanish Mastiff puppies, it is essential to keep calories and minerals at appropriate levels in order to prevent accelerated growth, and/or obesity. Remember, size is dictated by genetics. Your puppy will attain optimal growth and avoid many health issues if he or she is kept a bit on the lean side. This will aid in the formation of healthy hips and joints.
The following is a link to a video shared by Dr. Karen Becker addressing puppy nutrition and growth
We have also included a raw diet “cheat sheet” for those interested in pursuing a raw diet for their dogs. We also have several links at the bottom of this page for suggested reading and to several sites that reflect our views on the care and feeding of our Spanish Mastiffs.
Website Links~
b-naturals.com/index.php?main_page=index&main_page=newsletters
drjeandoddspethealthresource.tumblr.com/dodds-nutrition
njboxers.com/top-50-barf-faqs-for-beginners.html
Books~
amazon.com/Natural-Nutrition-Dogs-Cats-Ultimate/dp/1561706361
amazon.com/Spot-Live-Longer-Steve-Brown/dp/0975530607/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1462637186&sr=1-1&keywords=see+spot+live+longer
amazon.com/Raw-Dog-Food-Make-Easy/dp/1929242093/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1462637224&sr=1-1&keywords=raw+feeding
amazon.com/Pitcairns-Complete-Guide-Natural-Health/dp/157954973X/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1462637279&sr=1-6&keywords=raw+dog+food
amazon.com/Raw-Natural-Nutrition-Dogs-Definitive/dp/1556439032/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1462637326&sr=1-11&keywords=raw+dog+food
amazon.com/Complete-Herbal-Handbook-Dog-Cat/dp/0571161154/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1462637372&sr=1-5&keywords=dog+herbs
