We just got an English Mastiff...... ??

Question

We just got an English Mastiff yesterday, he has come from a home where he was not well cared for, he is thin and needs allot of beefing up. He is a super sweet dog, and HUGE! We hope to nurse him to better care immediatley but are not very knowledgeable of how to do this, we are however, giving him allot of love and attention. If you are knowledgeable about this dog please share some info about how we can give this dog the best care. He is almost 2 years old and needs to gain weight. Any sincere advice will be greatly appreciated.

Diesle is actually very well behaved already, in his very first home he was well cared for and trained very well, so he does obey and has been great with all 5 of our children so far, ages 10 months to 12 years. But, unfortunately his most recent home wasnt as caring, he was neglected and poorly fed, he is very thin and needs to gain a great deal of weight. I forgot to ask if he had been neutered but I am going to find out Monday, however he is very calm so he possibly may already be neutered if not, we will have it done soon. He is a super sweet well behaved dog it is so hard to believe that someone could have mistreated him but, those days are over he now has a caring and PERMANANT home. We have a somewhat large home that sits on an acre set out from the city so, he has plenty of room to run even though he will be kept as an inside dog. My husband often has to go away for extended periods of time for the military so he will also serve as a great dog. Thanks for all of your answers!

Meant to say he will serve as a great *guard dog!

Answer 1

I must say that you received some very good advise from the last gentleman who runs the Mastiff group in his town. I was very concerned with the exercise comment as Mastiffs do not require a lot of activity. They would much rather lay there and watch you work around them. When my Mastiff was young I fed him a mixture of boiled liver and rice with his hi-pro dog food. I know it smells bad but it helped to fill him out when I was preparing him for the show ring. If interested in a recipe feel free to contact me. I agree that overfeeding is more harmful and just produces more poop. They can only absorb so much at a time. I also sprinkled some bone meal on his food for a few months as directed by my vet. You have been warned about blout with large dogs so heed this warning as nothing is more tragic than losing a pet due to a feeding mishap. Although it would seem like larger dogs can eat big bones and large pizza crusts and such, they shouldn't . They have a tendency to chew enough to soften food and swallow it down before properly breaking it down, which is why the blout occurs. I gave my boy a large rawhide bone with the big knots on the ends and he chewed it just a bit til it was good and slimey and then proceeded to try and choke it down. I had to literally put my hand down his throat and retrive it. I was advised to feed him the chipped style rawhide as that breaks up on its own, even if swallowed whole. Other bones are somewhat risky due to the powerful jaws they tend to break them and swallow sharp pieces. instead of just gnawing the meat and licking out the marrow. Raw bones are fine, so if you choose to treat with cooked bones, just keep your eye on him. You have done a very cool thing by adopting this wonderful animal. My all time favorite pet and most loyal companion lived for 11.5 years and provided me with protection, unconditional love, appreciation and a heart full of memories that I never ever will forget. (wiping tears) I loved him like a child and miss him every day. I wish I could rescue one since I cannot afford to purchase one at this time. Be sure to have a vet look at him to rule out any worms or parasites that can depleate nutrients and cause weight loss. You may collect a stool from him and take it with you(in a ziplock) so they can check it in same visit. Saves you another trip. Also have them check his hips, as hip dysplasia is known in these larger breeds and you can take steps to guard him from future injuries. Last issue I'll address is the kids. Mastiffs are loving and sensative family members and see themselves as just that, one of the gang. They are not known to be biters unless agressively instigated. They are big on leaning up against people they love, which can sometimes topple a small child. A friendly head nudge lifted my daughter off her feet and she learned to hold on or prepare for a lift. If you are playing ball, frisbee or just playing around in the yard, remember these dogs were bred to knock down and hold prey for their owners. they guarded palaces and hunted lions and bears for capture. If rough play is initiated by you or one of his litter mates (your kids) a nip to the back of the arm is his way of getting the best of the game, and smarts. By nature your dog will obey the boys better than girls, but if menstral age will favor and protect the girls. Due to the power these dogs posess, swimming with them should be done with caution and not allowed with young ones, by no fault of his own can injure someone. they are better off in the sprinklers or play pool which mine loved with a passion. if you ever want to chat about you pet feel free to IM or e-mail me.

Answer 2

I would have to say, we LOVE our english mastiff! So much we are taking on another in just a few days. Our current female is just over 100lbs and about 1.5yrs she is as sweet as can be. This has to be the easiest dog we have ever trained and easy going. She gets along with anyone and everyone! Although protective of the house, as soon as she knows its ok she loves on you. We also have a small dog 7 lbs and they are a pact! They do not fight, if anything the little one humps the mastiff! It is quite a sight! We are taking on our second mastiff which is 200 lbs at the moment, we decided to rescue him from the conditions he was living in. Pretty sad :( But I am 120lbs, female, and have no problem with either of the mastiffs. Good training is key though, we have been lucky and she has not been stubborn. The male is set in his ways but luckily the conditions he has suffered have not made him sour :) Hopefully you find this helpful, they are wonderful pets with great personalities! VERY LOYAL!!!

Answer 3

We have had several emaciated dogs come into our rescues and although we fed them larger than normal amounts of a high quality food none gained weight. After the first one I asked mymain rescue person and she told me it takes about 2 mos for the dog's system to adjust from crappy food to great food, that feeding alot just wasted it and after a couple of months they would gain weight. Sure enough one dog put on about 20lbs in 1 month. So feed a high quality food and a normal amount then increase in a month or 2. Mastiffs are prone to bloat so several small meals are much safer than 1 huge meal. Hopefully he is neutered if not get it done as soon as the vet Oks it. Neutering slows down their metabolism a tad and helps them gain weight too.

Answer 4

Hi. I own a ten month old English Mastiff and I run a mastiff group here in my town with over 50 members. You are great to adopt him and as the other poster said, just be careful in feeing small meals a day to help against bloat. They are prone to that condition and the best you can do is keep a good eye and dont feed too much at a time. It is hot here in dc so we do give a lot of water and especially when we have him outside. They are also prone to heat stroke so just keep water on hand. We let our mastiff walk through sprinklers if he is good and even get up on hind legs to splash in a fountain or two in town when allowed. All of those things help cool them off on hot days. One of the posters said they were concerned about the neighbor not giving their mastiff enough exercise. Mastiffs dont need a lot of exercise. They are low energy and very laid back. Most breeders instruct you to guard against over exercising int he first year because of hip problems linked to how fast they grow and how big they get. I personally take Monty for a few walks a day and every other day he gets a dog park visit or a longer excursion to a creek or something to run him around. We have a dog park five minutes from our house so this is easy. I would be vigilant about helping him socialize with other dogs because if he hasnt done this already or ou dont continue it, you will have a situation on your hands every time he sees another dog and they are strong. They can also be very well trained but sometimes instincts override that training if you arent careful.
I feed Monty Blue Buffalo which has been good for us. Many of our members in the group do the raw food diet. We only feed treats on rare occasion. I give other things as a reward instead and everything he wants he needs to do something for which has helped with him knowing who is in charge. So just as an example, to get near the fountain yesterday, he had to do a few tricks and lie down for me first.
English Mastiffs are sweet though and very loyal. I love them and you will be very happy with yours if you devote your time and heart to him.
Good luck!

Answer 5

Talk to a vet, or the SPCA/RSPCA. They'll probably recommend a high fat dog food and lots of small feeds through the day (4 or 5), so that you can expand his stomach to the normal size. But the best thing is still to talk to a vet, who can best judge his condition. Also check if he has worms.

Answer 6

Care should be given to not feed him too much at a time.I'd add some small amounts of fat to his meals as well as carbs like pasta....be watchful of his behavior at 2 yrs.....sometimes dogs try to assert leadership as the mature into adulthood....good luck and thanks so much for caring...

Answer 7

feed him puppy chow for large breed dogs, nutro has a great one . puppy chow is higher in calories and this one has additives to help maintain healthy joints in the larger breeds

Answer 8

Get advise from your vet

Answer 9

www.mastiff.org this site should help you