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When should I stop feeding my English Mastiff puppy food?

Katemday

New Member
Hi,

My English Mastiff, Max, is 10 weeks old today. At what age should I switch him off the puppy food to adult dog food?

We had an English Mastiff before (Samson, rest his soul), but he's been gone a little over a year now, and I honestly can't remember when we switched him as a puppy because it was so long ago.

Appreciate any good advice!

Thanks,

Katie
 

Smart_Family

Dog Food Guru
Technically they don't need puppy foods period. Mastiffs ideally should be fed a grain free, chicken free all life stages or adult food with the proper levels of calcium and ratio of calcium to phosphorus until at least 2 years of age.
 

lisettej

Member
ive got the same question. we are feeding our 5 month old OEM pup wellness super 5 mix for large breed puppy food. He does well on it. but we were wondering if that is really a good choice and how long he should be on a puppy food. you hear conflicting advise, one says OEM should be on adult foods and another says keep them on puppy food for 1-2 years.
 

lisettej

Member
so you suggest we slowly switch to adult food for our maximus. how do you feel about the brand we are using. His weight is real good.
 

Smart_Family

Dog Food Guru
Wellness is okay. Many mastiffs have issues with chicken and/or grains so I usually recommend avoiding them but if he's doing well on it that's fine too. As long as he's having solid stools, his coat is good and he's gaining weight there's no real reason to avoid chicken and grains. The adult large breed is a little low in calcium but still ok. I will mention though that because of the grains, you'll end up feeding more than you would with a grain free in most cases.
 

Robtouw

Well-Known Member
I've kept all of my English Mastiff Boys on a premium large breed puppy food until about 3 months old then transitioned them over to an adult feed. My choice--All of my boys have grown up beautifully over the years with no problems. Wellness has a good reputation, I tried it on my current pup when he was very young, but his stomach said no! If its working for you and his weight gain is slow and steady, healthy coat, solid stool, little or no gas, stick with it. Every dog has a different need, every person a different opinion.
 

alwcm4

Well-Known Member
no need for puppy food, but yes, anytime you switch foods a slow transition is best.
 

Kevin&Kujo

New Member
Technically they don't need puppy foods period. Mastiffs ideally should be fed a grain free, chicken free all life stages or adult food with the proper levels of calcium and ratio of calcium to phosphorus until at least 2 years of age.
Why chicken free? Is that just in the food or chicken all together? And is that just puppies or into adulthood as well? TIA
 

Loverboy Skyline

Well-Known Member
Why chicken free? Is that just in the food or chicken all together? And is that just puppies or into adulthood as well? TIA
Wow! Thread revival after 7 years!

Chicken and beef are the 2 meats most commonly associated with dog allergies. I personally think that's because of the unnatural and inhumane practices involved in mass producing chicken and beef. If your dog has those allergies, then it's best to avoid them. If your dog doesn't have those allergies then it's no worse than you or me eating mass produced chicken and beef, which some orthorexic people would say is still bad.
 
Being in the same boat. Would you guys recommend Canidae’s all stages multi protein for the pup? Or specifically large breed because even some large breed foods don’t meet an EM puppy’s diet needs
 
I’m curious.., I see lots of people saying puppy food isn’t necessary. Previously I had read to keep them on puppy food for nearly two years. My Neo mastiffs are 4, 14 & 18 months. I had read it’s necessary to provide slow steady growth while the plates are still forming. Is that just a sales tactic ?
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
I’m curious.., I see lots of people saying puppy food isn’t necessary. Previously I had read to keep them on puppy food for nearly two years. My Neo mastiffs are 4, 14 & 18 months. I had read it’s necessary to provide slow steady growth while the plates are still forming. Is that just a sales tactic ?

Puppy food isn't necessary for our giant breeds. Some of them don't have the correct calcium to phosphorus ratio for the slow growth necessary for our big dogs. There are puppy foods that do have the correct ratios and those would be fine to feed.
 

yomo

Member
In our case we stopped it for 3 months butthe only difference from what I know with adult vs puppy is the size of the kibble.
 

Loverboy Skyline

Well-Known Member
In our case we stopped it for 3 months butthe only difference from what I know with adult vs puppy is the size of the kibble.
Technically, large breed puppy food has to meet the AAFCO requirements for the right calcium and phosphorus ratios and quantities for growing puppies over 70 pounds as adults. That's what the "science" says. So if you buy into the science, that's what you should do. To me personally, that's the science of keeping your dog alive on the cheapest ingredients possible. I prefer to feed higher quality ingredients regardless of whether it is large breed puppy or adult food. The Grey Wolf is a giant dog that is free of bone and joint disorders and they don't follow that diet, although I'll concede survival of the fittest also has a lot to do with it.
 

yomo

Member
Technically, large breed puppy food has to meet the AAFCO requirements for the right calcium and phosphorus ratios and quantities for growing puppies over 70 pounds as adults. That's what the "science" says. So if you buy into the science, that's what you should do. To me personally, that's the science of keeping your dog alive on the cheapest ingredients possible. I prefer to feed higher quality ingredients regardless of whether it is large breed puppy or adult food. The Grey Wolf is a giant dog that is free of bone and joint disorders and they don't follow that diet, although I'll concede survival of the fittest also has a lot to do with it.

Got it! Should'nt have listen to my friend. But yup, I use puppy food when our dog was still a pup.
 

usmcgrl69

New Member
I have an English Mastiff that struggles with Allergies. May I ask what Dog Foods seem to work for those of you that have Mastiffs with the same issues?
 

Joao M

Well-Known Member
I have an English Mastiff that struggles with Allergies. May I ask what Dog Foods seem to work for those of you that have Mastiffs with the same issues?
My bullmastiff is exactly the same.
I feed Royal Canin Anallergenic and it works very well. It has been THE solution for its problems