Living with a Mastiff: part 4 Food

Mastiffs require a good quality food that is not too high in protein. They should be fed adult food — even as puppies. They eat much more food than smaller breeds making them more expensive to keep.

• A growing Mastiff will eat 8-12 cups of dry dog food a day. A full grown adult will eat 6-8.
  
  
• One Mastiff can easily go through a 33 lb bag of food in a 20 days.
  
  
• Do not underestimate cleanup! Remember 33 lbs in is 33lbs out!
  
  
• Never be give cooked meat bones, rawhides, or anything else that could easily be lodged in the throat or cause an obstruction.
  
  
• If supplements are given (eg. to support joint health) dosage is determined by weight. So again the cost here is greater than that of a small dog.
  
  
• Be prepared to change the water bowl often. Mastiffs are not neat drinkers
  and many do not like to drink slobbery water. Towels around the bowls can help reduce the number of times you slip walking thru the area!
  

Living with a Mastiff: part 3 The Vet

Expect your vet bills to be large. Most vets have a set office fee. The amount of medication your dog may receive however, is determined by weight. The cost of medicating a 200 lb mastiff is much greater than that of an 8 lb Yorkie.

• Find a vet with giant breed experience. Giant breeds do not have the same issues as smaller breeds!
  
  
• Find who is willing to follow your breeder's vaccine protocols and is willing to talk to your breeder if needed.
  
  
• Find a vet whose office can accommodate a Mastiff. Some exam rooms can be too small to do a proper exam and after 4 months no mastiff is going up on the table!

Living with a Mastiff: part 2 Toys

It is always important to be sure that any toys given are appropriate for your dog. Not many toys can hold up to the Mastiff. By the time a Mastiff is six months old most toys present a serious choking hazard.

• No balls smaller than a soccer ball should be played with. And realize that no soccer ball or basketball can hold up to a Mastiff’s canines.
  
  
• Mastiffs can easily break pieces of rubber and plastic toys. This can cause serious internal problems and result in surgery. The black Kong is one of the few toys that can hold up to Mastiff chewing.
  
  
• An empty plastic liter soda bottle with the label removed can be a fun, cheap toy and it is interesting to see inside your mastiff’s mouth through the bottle. Once the bottle is finally defeated and begins breaking it must be taken away as the plastic can be sharp. Freezing water in the bottle can make it last a bit longer for supervised summer fun.
  
  
• Not all Mastiffs are shredders so large stuffed toys may be fine. Some of the new heavy canvas toys with heavily serged seams can hold up much longer but they can be expensive.
  
  
• You must supervise all toys and remove any loose stuffing or squeakers. Also once pieces start coming off plastic or rubber toys they must be removed.