Years ago had a female Great Dane (Luca Bratzi), about 125-130 pounds, and fairly lean. Great dog, but ate regular old dog food. Been a while so I can't recall what.
More recently had a big mutt (possibly Saint Bernard/rotty/shepherd-ish) - he was a Humane Society rescue who turned out to be the best dude, all-time. Adopted him at 90 pounds at 1.5 years. Fluctuated between 100-110 as a grown fella. He developed seizures around age 4, then we switched to an all-natural diet (loved chicken, eggs, potatoes, carrots, that sorta thing). He lived to 10, and passed 2.5 years ago.
Ready to adopt again. Reaching out about a little fella who is a 2-year-old Spanish mastiff. They say he's 170 pounds - looks a little sedentary in pics - doesn't look active, even for the larger breed. Thinking 150-160 once he's up to speed, active, etc.
Anyhow, I'm starting to read about food options for the best health for guys like this, cost factors of all natural, etc. Not cheap, of course, Any hybrid diets. Wondering if any BBIers navigate this path with bigger pups who typically eat, eat, then eat some more.
Thanks!
-If you feed kibble, always mix with some water. Something about dry kibble absorbing moisture in the dog's stomach and bloating.
-Get a slow feed dog bowl to prevent wolfing down the food.
-Follow the weight to food volume ratio on the bag. It'll feel like your under-feeding him, but it's a good guideline.
-We do give bits of bits of vegetables & raw diet as in-between snacks / training rewards.
Good luck, would love to hear more about how it goes with your new family member. :D
Guessing this guy (waiting to hear back about him), at a current 170, will take roughly 3-ish pounds of food a day. So with sales on chicken, it's not as daunting as it might initially seem. And the difference (coat, smell, demeanor, hip health) seemed to be very good with Archie.
Appreciate the input.
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I will preference my comments by acknowledging that Bruce is extremely active and he is very lean. He needs a lot of protein and calories to maintain his weight.
I feed him raw chicken turkey duck with vegetables that is supplemented with vitamins
I get frozen patties from Goffle Road Poultry Farm in Wyckoff
After exploring many options Goffle offers frozen patties at a reasonable price.
They have a variety of mixes
Three large dogs produce a lot of poop, I feels ya : )
It's called GDV and broad-chested dogs are at risk for it. They recommend that you feed them smaller portions throughout the day and no playing for 1 hour after eating. Also do not feed them from an elevated bowl.
Love the Giant Breeds and it's a good thing you are rescuing