What's new
Mastiff Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • Welcome back!

    We decided to spruce things up and fix some things under the hood. If you notice any issues, feel free to contact us as we're sure there are a few things here or there that we might have missed in our upgrade.

Puppy food / portions

Jakob

Member
So this is my fourth fila pup and I'm right back to forgetting everything about a puppy lol.

Our last fila died last month of bloat at 6 years old! It was horrible. He didn't eat any more than any other time and he was eating Fromm the foods more expensive than the food I eat.
So I'm trying to do everything in our power to keep this little guy healthy.

Curious what you veterans feed and also how much I should feed him. He's about 9 weeks old and weights 28.9 pounds. I've been feeding him 4 times a day and not giving water at the same time. He still seems hungry. Before I would feed him what he wanted but now I'm so terrified of this bloat that I'm unsure of myself. Any help would be great.

He's a Brazilian cafib type fila not the massive American ones.

Also would any supplements be beneficial at this age?
 

Sheila Braund

Well-Known Member
So this is my fourth fila pup and I'm right back to forgetting everything about a puppy lol.

Our last fila died last month of bloat at 6 years old! It was horrible. He didn't eat any more than any other time and he was eating Fromm the foods more expensive than the food I eat.
So I'm trying to do everything in our power to keep this little guy healthy.

Curious what you veterans feed and also how much I should feed him. He's about 9 weeks old and weights 28.9 pounds. I've been feeding him 4 times a day and not giving water at the same time. He still seems hungry. Before I would feed him what he wanted but now I'm so terrified of this bloat that I'm unsure of myself. Any help would be great.

He's a Brazilian cafib type fila not the massive American ones.

Also would any supplements be beneficial at this age?

Welcome to the forum!

Sorry you lost your boy ....and bloat is awful... Sometimes you do everything right and there's nothing you could have done differently.... and it still happens.

I am happy to hear you're able to get another.
I feed my dogs raw. I buy it right from the girl that makes it. No grains. Mostly meat and bones with a little squash and greens. I fed my girl 4% of her body weight when she was a pup.... 3 times a day. Now she is over 3 yrs old and not very active at the moment I feed her between 2 .5% and 3% of her body weight. My little 6lb poodle get a 2oz meatball 2xs per day.

When Bella my EM was still growing I more or less fed her on demand.... she wasn't an over eater so if I had given her 4% and she was looking for more I would five it to her..... some days while she was going threw a growth spurt I would end up feeding her 5% of her weight threw the day.....then she would only eat bets here and there the next couple days.

She is 3 almost 4 years old and I still feed her what she wants.... some days she will eat a little less of 2% of her weight and other days when she's more active she wants 2.5 to 3%
 

Jakob

Member
Thank you very much. That's really helpful. I fed raw to my first dog and he was very healthy. Im looking into it again for this one. I never even thought of percentage of bodyweight as a reference.

Bloat is horrible it was such a traumatic experience. He was fine one minute then his stomach was enormous and I knew :(

Rushed him to the animal hospital at midnight and 30 minutes later he was gone! Ugh makes me sick just thinking about it
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
I'm so sorry you lost your boy to bloat. There are recent studies showing that there's likely a genetic component to GDV. Honestly? There doesn't seem to be concrete scientific proof that any of the things we do to prevent bloat actually make much of a difference. My first breed is boxers, and with their body type they're at greater risk for bloat and torsion. I have the chart up in the kitchen with stages and what to do. I feed multiple meals. I don't allow a lot of exercise before or after eating. I don't allow free access to water after eating. I have to feed from a raised dish for my boy because he has megaesophagus, but that's disputed too. My mastiff eats from the floor.

Quality of food doesn't seem to play much of an issue, from my research. It's still advised to feed small meals multiple times a day and limit activity. Raised bowls are out and floor feeding is in. It's important to note that not all dogs that bloat will torsion. Bloat by itself isn't a killer, it's the torsion. Anxiety and stress levels also seem to play some role. Gulping food seems to be a risk. That may be a reason to consider raw feeding as long as you don't have a gulper. My raw fed dogs took much longer to eat than my kibble fed dogs do.

There's also an accupressure point for bloat. Is it effective? I don't really know. I know that the vet that published the article about it was my daughter's instructor in school and I thought she was very knowledgeable about her breed (Irish Wolfhounds) and in her profession. I also figure it doesn't hurt to try, right?

Most important is knowing what GDV looks like so it can be addressed as quickly as possible. And it doesn't look like much in the early stages, and often not much more than discomfort in the later stages.

There are several threads on bloat with videos and links that you may find interesting. And painful since you lost a dog to bloat, so fair warning. There's also a video floating around on youtube where a guy shows how to roll your dog (his is a mastiff) around to untwist the stomach. That, in my opinion, is highly dangerous advice.

Have you considered having his stomach tacked? It won't stop bloat, but it does prevent torsion. Sorry for the really long post full of stuff you probably know already. I figure we have lurkers that can benefit from the information. If there's anything you'd like to have links for I'd be happy to find them for you.
 

Vicki

Administrator
I'm sorry you llost your boy, my condolances to you and your family.

I feed Muenster. It's made in Texas by a family, is locally sourced and is priced fairly decent. I rotate formulas and flavors.

https://muenstermilling.com/