BC English Mastiffs - Nutrition and Health

Our Goal is a higher quality of life for your mastiff by offering you, the care giver, a basic understanding of holistic practices. My hope is to share with you the need, importance and benefit of a proper diet. It will bring your mastiff to a higher level of health.

We will present our philosophy, our purpose and the benefits of the natural diet . This common sense approach to greater wellness will enable you, through new understanding and involvement, to become a proactive care giver. The commitment to take nutritional responsibility, once made, will actually create a closer bond between you and your mastiff.
Information explaining this synergy of "greater wellness" is provided by High N Mighty English Mastiffs.

Natural health has helped many mastiffs, especially those who have suffered with all types of chronic illnesses.

We have seen profound changes in mastiff whose care givers followed natural health. These changes include greater energy, No fleas, Healthy coats, vitality, responsiveness and an unmistakable sense that the animals are more aware of themselves. This has been a truly wonderful and rewarding experience.

High N Mighty English Mastiffs ultimate goal is to bring ease where there once was disease.

As High N Mighty English Mastiffs grow, it is becoming evident that we are here to provide a place for those searching for answers and seeking help to bring their mastiffs back to a more natural state through better nutritional management.

The total process results in what we call a "self-evident wellness".

What is a Holistic Diet?

A truly "complete and balanced diet" for our Mastiff is one which include a variety of fresh, whole, chemical free, unprocessed food. Mastiffs carnivores. In the wild, the undomesticated Mastiff on raw meats and predigested vegetables and grains. As long as these natural foods are plentiful, the mastiff usually enjoys a long and disease free life. This is because the natural diet contains live amino acids, lives enzymes and live probiotics; the food embodies a living energy of its own. These are the components missing from commercial pet foods. The food loses its life (life force) once it is cooked.
There are hundreds of pet foods on the U.S. and Canadian Market today. Each has a marketing strategy designed to convince you that its product is superior. Each assures you that they are providing your animal with "all the necessary vitamins and minerals" that comprise a "complete and balanced diet." What they fail to tell you is that merely including vitamins and minerals into a blend of over cooked grain does not constitute an appropriate diet.
A holistic diet, (Greek holos; holistic-entire) therefore, is one that supports the entire animal by providing every natural component needed to nurture each internal biological system. The whole organism maintains a greater state of health when it is properly supported and balanced.

In Praise of Vitamin "C"

Vitamin C is very important to a dog that is under stress some dogs do not produce adequate amounts of vitamin C when stressed.Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin used to promote for healthy teeth gums and bone development also Vitamin C strengthens all organic tissues.PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL Vitamin C should always be used in the form of sodium or potassium ascorbate buffered with calcium because it is the most gentle form of vitamin C and produces less of an allergic reaction in dogs".Vitamin C also speeds the healing process provides immunity to disease and helps bring down temperatures in a sick animal. Vitamin C Should always be used when on steroids and other medications Also Vitamin C helps the pH balance of the urinary tract which reduces the symptoms of cystitis and other bladder infections Vitamin C keeps the digestive system acidic and is a very potent blood detoxifier and diuretic and anti-fatigue vitamin and anti-oxidant.Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that is absorbed completely through the body in about 8 to 12 hours. Over doing vitamin C may cause diarrhea. Vitamin C helps in the digestion of other vitamins and minerals as well.

Written by Don J Russell
© copyrights 1999-2001 High N Mighty Mastiffs

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Why it is important not to over feed a Mastiff puppy

Dogs do better with Beef and or Chicken. You only need to feed lamb and rice if your dog has allergies to Chicken or Beef.
Also never ever free feed and don't over feed a young mastiff.
What I mean by that is don't have food out constantly for them to eat and don't feed a young dog any more then 2-3 cups per feeding.

Why: What happens is the dogs digestive system is always digesting food and it doesn't give enough time for the animal to eliminate toxins and waste build up in the digestive track.

Feed two small meals a day i.e. 2-3 cups per meal one in the morning and one a dinner time instead of one large meal and do not add real food to a puppies diet.

Why: You have less chance of getting bloat, your mastiff will digest the food easier and by not over feeding you reduce the chances of getting H.O.D. or rapid growth syndrome

One of the biggest mistakes a newbies makes with a mastiff puppy is over feeding with a kibble to high in protein and that’s fastest way to cripple your puppy.

For dry dog kibble I like to use any of the Natural dibbles that have a shelf life of 6 months with an expire date stamped on the bag.

Some of the better dibbles is Bill Jac, Innova, California natural, Solid Gold, and personal favorite is Candidate which has four different sources of protein and is made for all stages of life.

Why: kibble manufactures that have an expire date stamped on the bag don't use all the harmful preservatives.

I also add real food i.e. boiled down chicken, or beef, or deer, veggies, garlic, Yucca, sea meal and a small amount of bone meal to my kibble but I do not recommend adding anything to a mastiffs kibble until the age of at least ten months.

Why: You could end up with your puppy getting rapid growth syndrome or even H.O.D and seriously crippling your puppy.

So bottom line it is very important not to over feed a puppy between the ages of 2 months to ten months.

Boxer Puppy with Rapid growth syndrome

Below is a picture of a boxer puppy that was free feeding with puppy kibble.This puppy has rapid growth syndrome and the bones are growing to fast for the muscle tissue to keep up with which resulted in his bones curving. Recommendation was to restrict the diet with a low protein kibble twice a day.

Second picture is the same boxer puppy one month later. The boxer puppies diet was restricted to a low protein kibble twice a day.

Vitamin / Mineral Supplements for adult mastiffs only

These dosages are recommended by Wendell Belfield, DVM, in "How to Have a Healthier Dog", Doubleday, 198

Dog's Weight 20 to 50, 50 to 100 pounds, 100+ pounds

Vitamin A 1500 IU /3000 IU /5000 IU/ 7500 IU
Vitamin B1 0.5 mg/ 1 mg /2 mg/ 4 mg
Vitamin B2 0.5 mg /1 mg/ 2 mg /4 mg
Vitamin B3 15 mg/ 30 mg /50 mg/ 75 mg
Vitamin B6 0.75 mg /1.5 mg/ 3 mg/ 6 mg
Vitamin B12 6 mcg /15 mcg/ 30 mcg /45 mcg
Vitamin C 500 - 1500 mg 1500 - 3000 mg
Vitamin D 100 IU/ 200 IU /400 IU /400 IU
Vitamin E 100 IU/ 200 IU /200 IU /400 IU
Biotin 12 mcg/ 24 mcg/ 42 mcg /60 mcg
Calcium 15 mg /30 mg/ 50 mg/ 75 mg

Copper 1 mg/ 2 mg /3.5 mg/ 5 mg
Folic Acid 33 mvg/ 66 mcg /112 mcg /170 mcg
Iodine 0.2 mg/ 0.4 mg /0.7 mg/ 1 mg
Iron 9 mg /18 mg/ 30 mg /40 mg
Magnesium 10 mg /20 mg/ 50 mg/ 75 mg
Manganese 0.75 mg /1.5 mg/ 2.6 mg /3.75 mg
Pantothenic Acid 3 mg/ 6 mg /10 mg/ 15 mg
Phosphorus 11.5 mg/ 23 mg/ 40 mg /57 mg
Potassium 50 mg /100 mg/ 150 mg/ 200 mg
Selenium 12 mcg /25 mcg/ 50 mcg /50 mcg
Zinc 10 mg /10 mg /30 mg/ 30 mg

Real Food Diet for adult mastiffs only

Adult Mastiff Growth Diet A

18 cups cooked oats
12 cups (5 pounds) regular hamburger
5 teaspoons egg shell powder
1 cup olive oil
2 cups kale fine chopped
2 cups carrots fine chopped
4 cloves garlic fine chopped
15 milligrams iron
1500 mg vitamin C
20,000 IU vitamin A
400 IU vitamin D
30 mg vitamin iron
1200 IU vitamin E

Yields: 3-4 feedings

This nutritional diet provides 25% protein,45% fat and a calcium ratio of 1.28:1

Directions:

Boil about 26 cups of water in a large cooking pot
Add oats, cover pot , turn down heat and let simmer for 20 minutes.
Stir in all other ingredients and let it cool down then serve.

Mastiff Growth Diet B for adult mastiffs

18 cups rolled oats (cooked)
12 cups ground turkey or chicken
1 cup olive oil
8 cups beef liver
6 slices of 12 grain bread
5 teaspoons egg shell powder
2 cups carrots fine chopped
2 cups kale fine chopped
8 cloves garlic fine chopped
2500 mg vitamin C
20,000 IU vitamin A
400 IU vitamin D
30 mg vitamin iron
1200 IU vitamin E

Yields: 3-4 feedings

Directions:

Boil about 26 cups of water in a large cooking pot
Add 6 cups raw oats, cover pot, turn down heat and let simmer for 20 minutes.
Stir in all other ingredients and let it cool down then serve.
This nutritional diet provides a higher amount of protein.
25% protein 40% fat and a calcium ratio of 1.30:1

Mastiff Growth Diet C for adult mastiffs

16 cups cooked oat meal
12 cups (5 pounds) fatty chuck Beef
8 cloves garlic
6 slices 12 grain bread
1 cup of olive oil
5 teaspoons egg shell powder
4 cups pureed carrots
30 milligrams iron
1500 mg vitamin C
20,000 IU vitamin A
400 IU vitamin D
1200 IU vitamin E

Yields: 3-4 feedings

Directions:

Bring 12 cups of water to a boil and add 5 cups oat meal
Cover and turn down heat to simmer till oats are like mush.
Stir in all other ingredients and serve when cooled.
This provides 25% protein, 35.3% fat.
Mix each meal with 3 cups of a good quality dry kibble

English Mastiff Power Balls for adult mastiffs

5 lbs. regular hamburger (RAW)
1 box Total cereal (or similar type)
2 cups Wheat Germ
3 cups oatmeal
12 eggs (I use shell as well)
1 small jar Molasses (unsweetened)
2-3 cups of corn oil

Mix all ingredients, adding more oatmeal if necessary for a drier texture.
Roll into balls, the approximate size of a half a tennis ball.
Place on cookie sheet and freeze.
Place in individual baggies for each days meal.

Poultry and Brown Rice for adult mastiffs

10 pounds of boiled down Chicken
8 large eggs
8 liters of (over cooked to mush) brown Rice
6 cups of purateed carrots
15 tablespoons of bone meal
6,000 milligrams of Vitamin C
4 cups of olive oil
1/2 pound of melted butter
2 fists of purateed Garlic

In a large stockpot boil down the chicken until all the meat is off the bones.
Remove all chicken bones and let cool.
Bring 6 liters of water to a boil and add 1 liter of Brown rice.
Turn the heat down and let simmer until rice is cooked to mush.
Cool the rice and add in the remainder of the ingredients.

Salmon and Oats for adult mastiffs

1 boiled down (6-7 pounds) Chum or Pink Salmon
8 liters cooked oatmeal
5 cups purateed Kale
15 tablespoons of Bone meal
6,000 mgs Vitamin C

In a large stockpot boil down the salmon and remove all the bones.
Place the salmon to one side and let cool.
Bring 6 liters of water to a boil and add 2 liters of oatmeal. Turn the heat down and simmer for 1/2 hour or until the oats become mush.
Cool the oats and add all the ingredients.
Divide food in freezer bags.
Add two-four cups of Kibble to each meal.
Yields About 8 feedings

Beef and Oats for adult mastiffs

8 liters cooked oatmeal
10 pounds regular hamburger
5 tins Salmon or mackerel packed in oil
5 cups carrots purateed in water
4 cups Pure Olive Oil
2 fists of garlic purateed in water
3,000 mgs vitamin C
15 tablespoons of Bone meal

Bring 6 liters of water to a boil in a large
cooking pot. Add the oatmeal and turn down to simmer for 1/2 hour or until it becomes mush.
Add the hamburger to the hot mush if you want to slow cook the hamburger.
Stir in the rest of the ingredients.
Divide 12 meals into freezer bags and freeze right away.
I like to add two cups of High Quality Dog kibble to each serving.
I like to feed twice a day. Fruit can be giving through out the day for snacks.
Yields about 12 servings use two servings per day.

Happy Health! More recipes to come.

Written by Don J Russell
© copyrights 1999-2001 High N Mighty Mastiffs