What Is The Best, Most Healthy Dog Food For My Mastiff?

Mastiff-type dog breeds are characterized by their large size, athletic built, and active lifestyles; although different Mastiff-type breeds vary in certain features and inherent personalities, these cited characteristics are universal to them. Although various Mastiff-type breeds got displaced all around the world by travelling with human families and on their own, they all share the same history of being human companions in battles, wars, shepherding, and guarding homes. This shared history allowed all Mastiff-type breeds to develop agility, strength, and strong senses even though they evolved into different breeds that look very different from each other.

Similarities of various Mastiff-type breeds in their size, built, and even impulses may prove that even though they lived all their lives in different locations and cultures, they still had similar activities that involved lots of physical and mental exercises. For example, we can look at Tibetan Mastiffs as versions of Turkish Mastiffs that have thicker coats to survive the weather 8 kilometers above sea level because essentially, the inherent strengths and sizes of both Mastiff-type breeds have historically been used to ward off enemies. The strength and size that Turkish Mastiffs share with Tibetan Mastiffs may even be the reasons why both dog breeds were popular from the ancient civilizations up until today. Unfortunately, among these shared characteristics are the probable illnesses. Healthy Mastiff-type dog breeds are born without health complications, but usually develop some that are inherent to their type as they age. These probable complications make diet control for mastiff-types a big responsibility to the owners. The three most common health complications in mastiffs-type dogs that can be prevented by good diet and physical exercise are heart diseases and arthritis.

Physical characteristics of Mastiff-type breeds shaped by their genes, daily activities, and history make them use up nutrients like fats, protein, carbohydrate, vitamins, and fiber. The ways these nutrients are used up are more universal across various Mastiff-type breeds than with the rest of the other breeds. This means that the probability that both Spanish Bulldogs and Bullmastiffs need 2 slices of pork for every 5 spoons of brown rice is greater than the probability that Bichon Frises would need the same nutritional percentage.

Assuming that all Mastiff-type dog owners have access to the same ingredients, and that dogs don’t have allergies or preferences, they can all share the recipe for the best and most healthy dog food for their big furry friend. A high-quality diet is especially important to huge types of dogs like Mastiffs because they have bigger organs and bodies that need constant but regulated nourishment. Their bodies wouldn’t be able to function properly if our dogs do not get the nutrients they need. A high-quality diet for Mastiff-types all boils down to including ingredients that contain key nutrients needed by mastiff dogs. For example, salmon is a good ingredient to include in mastiffs’ diet because it contains fatty acids that are good for the heart. Yogurt is also a good ingredient to include in mastiffs’ diet because not only will it add flavor to the food, but the vitamins and probiotics it contains can strengthen the joints and promote effective absorption of nutrients.

A balanced diet for dogs should have the three main nutrients namely fat, protein, and carbohydrate, as their bases. Fat and protein should be sourced from human food grade animals to ensure maximum and effective absorption. Although it may be tempting to put our mastiffs in a vegan diet, this is not the best and healthiest diet as they naturally eat animal meat. Because of their genetic limitations, dogs cannot digest plant products and absorb plant-based nutrients as much; however, since dogs also naturally eat some plant products, we should include some in their diet. We should make sure that the plant-based components we incorporate in our Mastiff’s diet are highly digestible and unlikely to cause allergic reactions. It will also be good if we limit the plant-based components on our dogs’ diets to carbohydrates and fibers. Even then, dogs’ diets consisting of fibers that go beyond 5% could cause digestive problems.

a. Protein

Since protein is the key nutrient in maintaining muscle mass, it is considered the most important component in the diet of dogs of any type. Veterinarians recommend a minimum protein content of 20% for adult dogs and 25% for puppies. Huge and athletic types of dogs like Mastiffs will be better off if more portions of protein-rich ingredients can be included in their diet.

b. Fats

While dogs need fats in their diet to power their bodies, dog owners need to be careful in feeding them excessive portions of fats. Since fats contain more than twice as much calorie per gram as carbohydrates and protein, dog owners should not go far beyond the recommended 5% minimum of fats for adults dogs and 8% for puppies. Mastiffs who consume too much fat can gain so much weight gain to the point of obesity, which eventually increases the risks of ailments such as heart diseases and arthritis in Mastiff-type breeds.

c. Carbohydrates

Like protein, carbohydrates are some of the most important components in the diets of our Mastiff-types because they carry important vitamins and provide fiber that aid in the digestion. Digestible carbohydrates from whole grains like oatmeal and brown rice are great ingredients for the best and most healthy dog food because they carry vitamins that aid in the bodies’ usage of absorbed fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. For Mastiff-type breeds that are allergic to grains, the best alternatives are starchy vegetables like peas, and sweet potatoes.

Even as puppies, Mastiff will eat more than 4 cups of food per day and about thrice as adults. Because of the how big our Mastiff-type breeds are, we need to make sure that the amount of food we give them is enough to support their mass. Like humans, it will be unhealthy for them if we just fill their food bowls with 4 cups of pre-proportioned food. Their meals should be evenly distributed throughout the day as overfeeding them can drastically increase their weight and damage their developing bones.

For owners who feed their dogs with factory produced dog food while crossing their fingers that the nutrients needed by their mastiff-type dogs can be found in them, may find it easier to proportion the food they serve by calories rather than by cups of food. Obviously, dog owners who are lax on their furry friends’ diets will not give them long, happy, and quality lives. The problem with factory produced dog food is that this assumes that the diet for dogs is one size fits all, when in fact, similar to humans, dogs’ diet should be tailored according to their breed, age, traits, activities, allergies, and medical conditions. This means that owners must determine from time to time our dogs’ calorie needs based on their weight. We can use this to compute how much to feed them on a daily basis and per meal. For huge breeds like Mastiff-types, they need to eat 4 balanced meals in a day with 600 calories each. Mastiff-type breeds who are on the heavier side need 4 meals with 1,000 calories each. For Mastiff-type owners who prefer to feed their dogs with personally prepared healthy food may still use these recommendations on calorie intake as guides.

Because our Mastiffs grow to an average size over 150 pounds, we need food that will provide enough nutrients to their bones and joints, probiotics for healthy digestion and nutrient absorption, and calories that will provide their energy needs. Balanced nutrition from high-quality dog food will not only provide the nutrients needed for the day to day lives of Mastiff-type dogs, but can also prevent illnesses from striking our dogs as they age. The key to nourishing our dogs with food of the highest quality is attention to the ingredients, minimal heat source exposure, and personal preparation.

• Fiber and Probiotic Beef Steak Bowl

a.k.a. The Best and Most Healthy Food For Mastiffs Ever!

A fresh, allergen-free, and healthy alternative to wet dog food, this high calorie recipe is loaded with carbohydrates, protein, probiotics, and vitamins and can be stored for your Mastiffs’ consumption within the day.

Ingredients

• -4 pounds of flat iron beef
• -1 small sweet potato
• -1 cup of brown rice
• -1 cup of carrots, diced
• -1 cup of green beans, diced
• -1 cup of Greek yogurt
• -1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• Total: Makes approx. 4 cups

Nutritional Info (per 1 cup serving):

• -Calories: 692
• -Protein: 95.6 g
• -Fat: 20.6 g
• -Carbohydrates: 59.4 g
• -Minerals & Vitamins: Calcium, Potassium, Protein, Zinc, and Vitamins B6 and B12

Directions

• -Cook brown rice in a rice cooker then set aside.
• -Microwave sweet potato for 5 minutes then set aside.
• -Slice the beef into small cubes.
• -Sear beef pieces in a tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium heat for 5 minutes or until medium well
• -Remove the beef cubes from the pan
• -Dice the microwaved sweet potato
• -Boil the carrots for 10 minutes.
• -Add the rice, meat, sweet potato, carrots and green beans into the Greek yogurt and stir.
• -Serve in a shallow food bowl.