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Low Weight Cane Corso Pup

Neala'sPride

New Member
Hi everyone! I'm new here and just want to thank you in advance for any advice that you can share. I am a new mom to a beautiful 8 week old Cane Corso female pup. I just brought her home yesterday. She eats/drinks well and very playful. However she is 6.2 lbs. Compared to the other female litter mate she was taller but leaner. I understand that the breed needs to stay on the leaner side to avoid potential health problems. I am just not sure if I should be concerned. You can see last couple of ribs, but hip bones seem more prominent. Is 6 lbs at this age something I should be concerned with?
 

Bailey's Mom

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
"Concern" wouldn't be a word that I'd choose, but I'd be cautious. Set up an intake appointment with the vet of your choice and follow the guidelines that he/she gives you. Your pup is very young and the weight will be low. Within a litter you'll always see size difference, some due to sex, some are just smaller, there will always be a runt. I didn't get my girl until she was three months old and she was the last one to go (they kept a girl and a boy), she was the runt for sure, but at three months she had some weight to her. Get your pup on a good dog food. If you need assistance, go to the Dog Food Advisor for info. Large dogs have different needs than smaller dogs and there is a correlation between the food and whether they will have certain joint issues. Most of that site is open for review, only one part is a paid area. https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com

I am so glad, personally that I used their advice. And being in Canada I have access to some products with higher ratings.

So glad that you took the time to join with us. You'll get great advice here, and you'll need it. Life with a Mastiff will always have questions. Oh, and we will want to see lots of pictures. Just love those puppy pics. Add as many as you like. We'll drool over them. Welcome!:)
 

Neala'sPride

New Member
IMG_0242.JPG IMG_0246.JPG
"Concern" wouldn't be a word that I'd choose, but I'd be cautious. Set up an intake appointment with the vet of your choice and follow the guidelines that he/she gives you. Your pup is very young and the weight will be low. Within a litter you'll always see size difference, some due to sex, some are just smaller, there will always be a runt. I didn't get my girl until she was three months old and she was the last one to go (they kept a girl and a boy), she was the runt for sure, but at three months she had some weight to her. Get your pup on a good dog food. If you need assistance, go to the Dog Food Advisor for info. Large dogs have different needs than smaller dogs and there is a correlation between the food and whether they will have certain joint issues. Most of that site is open for review, only one part is a paid area. https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com

I am so glad, personally that I used their advice. And being in Canada I have access to some products with higher ratings.

So glad that you took the time to join with us. You'll get great advice here, and you'll need it. Life with a Mastiff will always have questions. Oh, and we will want to see lots of pictures. Just love those puppy pics. Add as many as you like. We'll drool over them. Welcome!:)

Thank you so much!!! I appreciate the advice, info, and reassurance. I will absolutely go to that page and research further. I'm already learning life with her is definitely going to be different than with our other dog lol. Thank you for the warm welcome. Here she is with our youngest. :)
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
My EM was 6lbs at 6 weeks. She's now around 127 at 5 years old. Not huge, but certainly not tiny. As long as body condition is good then the numbers don't really matter.

I know everyone recommends dog food advisor, but I only use it as a starting point for further research of my own. I do think it's good for keeping updated about recalls and such. The man that runs the site is a retired human dentist. He doesn't have any training in pet nutrition, so that's something I do consider. I think the breakdown of the foods is helpful and the ratings give me a place to start. I have never seen recommendations for special needs diets - like giant breeds. Giant breed dogs should have a balanced ratio of calcium and phosphorus. I like to keep calcium at 1-1.5% and phosphorus at .08-1%. There are some posts discussing choosing dog food for our big guys that go into some depth. Hopefully they made the switch to the new platform.

I should also add that I do have, and have had in the past, dogs that did not do well at all on a grain free diet. Grain inclusive foods tend to get low ratings, but they aren't all bad.

Your two babies are beautiful, Neala'sPride. I look forward to watching them grow up together.