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The Health and Diet of Your Neapolitan Mastiff Keeping your dog healthy and happy should be one of your top priorities as a pet owner. One of the most important aspects of your dog's health relates to the food it consumes. We are firm believers in a biologically appropriate diet. Some of the best reference tools to acquaint yourself with this healthier diet for your pet are: Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats by Richard H. Pitcairn & Susan Hubble Pitcairn Give Your Dog a Bone by Ian Billinghurst, D.V.M. Food Pets Die For by Ann N. Martin
The Important Stuff.... We prolly don't need to tell you- but here we go. We are in no way health experts. We do what works for us and our dogs. Do not take our advice or experience for science. This is all based on OUR experience with this breed. Ester C!! Your mastino should get Ester C everyday! Ester C not only helps the immune system. It also cushions and lubricates joints. The proper way to administer Ester C- You'll need to find your particular dog's tolerance level, or 'bowel tolerance.' To do this you'll need to start them off with 1,000mg per day. Every 3 days increase the dose by 500mg. When the dog gets a loose stool, back off 500mg. This is bowel tolerance and your dog will get the most use from the Ester C at this amount. Stay there for better overall health! For more info, check this link: http://www.workingdogs.com/doc0039.htm DIET I have had people ask about what I fed lately, a sort of diet plan. What I do is not a typical raw diet and everyone needs to base their diet on what works for them and their dogs! Take your lifestyle into account, your time, and your wallet! Your dog’s health as well is of the utmost importance. What works for mine may not work for yours. I feed a lot of chicken. Mostly backs, leg quarters and necks. I feed beef, mostly liver. Pork too, tails and neck bones. All are fed raw and bone in. This is probably fed 3 of 4 meals. I do feed pasta and/or rice. I mix it with a lot of different things, mainly whatever I have on hand. Vegetables; greens, green beans, sweet potato, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, ect. Fruits; bananas, apples, oranges. Yogurt and eggs, chicken broth, cottage cheese, all are great additives. For treats I give cheese, beef hot dogs or beef liver. Each dog here does get a snack of a peanut butter sandwich, LOL. These sandwiches do contain their vitamins or meds for the day. So they serve a purpose beyond spoiling! They do get leftovers on occasion, only if it’s not too spicy! I don’t measure anything. How much each dog eats is based on how they look and feel. A dog should have a ‘waist’ and I should feel ribs. If the dog looks fat, cut his food amounts. Basic understanding and common sense should lead the way! Don’t believe everything you hear. Do your own research! Raw fed dogs are not aggressive. Not any more so than kibble fed dogs. Raw fed dogs are not hungry all the time. I had more issues with hunger related whining and all that crap when I fed kibble. No one here has gotten salmonella or e-coli. A child participates in this feeding regiment daily. He washes his hands! Be practical with your decisions. This diet is not for everyone. Don’t take this decision lightly! Switching your dog’s food can cause problems. Be prepared. Feeding this way costs me less money than feeding kibble, but only because I have the ability to buy in bulk quantities. It does require more of my time, but to me it’s worth every minute! Common Mastini Problems Cherry Eye- A common problem best described as a prolapse of the third eyelid, cherry eye is all too common in mastini pups! One minute you are looking into those sweet perfect eyes, and the next time you look you are horrified. A red bulb has come out of the corner of your pups eye. Don't panic, it isn't painful! The best thing to do- WAIT. Put some eye ointment in that eye. A drop of mineral oil works well too, keeping that eye lubricated. Wait for the other side to come out. This may take a few days, or it may take a month. After the second comes out- call your vet. The cherry eye needs to be REMOVED. Do not let your vet tack it in. It will work it's way around those tacks and back out. Then you'll have scar tissue to deal with too! If your vet won't remove the gland, find a vet that will! Hips- Mastini hips are loose. Loose as in they have more lasticity than 'normal' breeds. We find Penn Hip as that best to evaluate neo hips as it takes the amount of lasticity into account. They give you a score vs. the OFA way of just saying a rating like 'good' or 'bad'. Penn Hip can also be done earlier than OFA's 2 yrs. Penn Hip you can view hips as young as 4 months old! We really don't recommend doing it at 4 months, but it is possible. Hip Dysplasia is an all too common problem in mastini. Clicking noises and bunny hopping around are not normal and your dog should be evaluated and NOT bred. Heart- There are different heart problems that are common in this breed. Cardio Myopathy probably being the main concern. It has been said that 80% of this breed either has heart problems of some sort, or will in their lifetime. I don't see how this number is possible, or know of how it was reached. The point is- for any sort of detection, have an EKG done on your dog. There are differing symptoms of heart disease, but by the time you are seeing them it is often too late to save your dog. Pano- Panosteitis, also called 'wandering lameness' or 'growing pans'- A self limiting condition often seen in rapidly growing pups. In x-rays, pano often looks like cloudy areas in the bone. In layman's terms- your dog is growing very quickly. The bone growth was rapid and the rest of the 'stuff' needs time to catch up. Those ligaments, muscles and tendons are being stretched. It is painful for the pup. You'll notice limping and soreness when pressure is applied. No injury or trauma, you are often at a loss as to WHY your healthy pup is suddenly lame. With a limping mastini pup, don't panic. If you can't remember or didn't observe and injury, WAIT. Give the pup healthy foods, Ester C to bowel tolerance- or a supplement that we have found helpful to ALL mastini pups is Ani Flex GL. We get it at www.horse.com It is cheap and works wonders. One large scoop daily is all you need. If limping continues for more that 14 days- take your pup in for a few x-rays. A good indicator of pano is that your pup will limp on one leg for a week or two, then switch legs and limp on the second leg. Hence the term 'wandering lameness'.
With any condition your dog may be suspected of having, do your research! Don't take someone else's word for it, even your trusted veterinarian. Look it up! Google is a wonderful tool- use it! It only takes a minute to educate yourself. |
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