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My pup is only 1/4 Fila, but after reading a ton of "what do I feed my pup" posts on this forum, I chose to go with Earthborn Holistics Coastal Catch, as recommended. A little expensive, but making sure Mira grows up healthy and at the right rate is worth it.
My pup is only 1/4 Fila, but after reading a ton of "what do I feed my pup" posts on this forum, I chose to go with Earthborn Holistics Coastal Catch, as recommended. A little expensive, but making sure Mira grows up healthy and at the right rate is worth it.
Raw, my two Filas are doing great. My female I don't think it would matter what you fed her. My male who has skin problems is doing much better on raw. My ACD who fought constant UTI's has not had one since we went raw. Also, it keeps their teeth very clean. NO dentals and for a Fila or any deep chested animal, I think that it is important to try and keep from putting your dog under anesthesia.
Raw, my two Filas are doing great. My female I don't think it would matter what you fed her. My male who has skin problems is doing much better on raw. My ACD who fought constant UTI's has not had one since we went raw. Also, it keeps their teeth very clean. NO dentals and for a Fila or any deep chested animal, I think that it is important to try and keep from putting your dog under anesthesia.
Never a good idea to feed Filas puppy food, ever. Also never exceed 25% protein, and keep phosphorus and calcium levels low. Diet can directly affect the puppies joints and put them in severe pain, not every pup but many. I would recommend either going top shelf if you feed kibble, or stay with a decent cheap kibble and supplement with cooked chicken and rice and occasional raw beef scraps(natural creatine). Middle of the road kibble tends to be junk and sometimes toxic. I recommend no vitamins except a Vit C and glucosamine/chondroitin combo and I give an amino acid pill after a hard workout for recovery. These guys can be very sensitive to diet so when you find what works stick with it.
Ideally you want an all life stages or adult food that has the proper levels of calcium, and ratios of calcium to phosphorus. Many mastiffs have issues with grains and chicken so I usually recommend avoiding both just to have one less thing to worry about. I also feed Earthborn which is an all life stages food and there are three appropriate formulas for mastiff puppies that once you transition onto the food and go through a couple bags you can rotate the formulas for variety. Coastal Catch, Meadow Feast and Great Plains Feast are the formulas that are perfect for mastiff pups.
Smart Family I have owned several Mastiff breeds and can see you are knowledgeable about diets. However Filas are very different from every other Mastiff breed in regards to reaction to diet. Too much protein(especially processed protein), calcium or phosphorus can literally cripple some Fila pups. Filas are different and should NEVER be fed puppy food and NEVER given vitamins except Vit C and joint supps. Trust me on this one.
NO, only because Cane has never been under anesthesia, and Ziva was fixed before we got her. If they had to go under I would have it done at that time. The tacking will not prevent them from bloating but should prevent torsion which is what causes death in most cases.
Just clarifying to save owners some possible heartache. I have seen pups barely able to stand, directly diet related. Filas are so different emotionally, physically and medically. Most vets have never even cared for one much less understand the abnormalities compared to other giants and Mastiffs. Several every year never wake up from anesthesia, because no one knew how sensitive SOME Filas are to it. Point being they are very different in most aspects, and if you don't understand it you can damage them, mind and body.
Never a good idea to feed Filas puppy food, ever. Also never exceed 25% protein, and keep phosphorus and calcium levels low. Diet can directly affect the puppies joints and put them in severe pain, not every pup but many. I would recommend either going top shelf if you feed kibble, or stay with a decent cheap kibble and supplement with cooked chicken and rice and occasional raw beef scraps(natural creatine). Middle of the road kibble tends to be junk and sometimes toxic. I recommend no vitamins except a Vit C and glucosamine/chondroitin combo and I give an amino acid pill after a hard workout for recovery. These guys can be very sensitive to diet so when you find what works stick with it.
I am assuming - no to puppy food due to the extra calcium/phos?
My Vet who has never worked with a Fila suggested we do, and when I brought up the fact Fila's are Molosser's and supposed to have loose/fluid joints he pretty much backed off. We feed Taste of the Wild to our other dogs, and have started our Fila Pup of Taste of the Wild High Prarie (Bison, Venison, etc...) we also mix in some cooked meat for now, but are going to try raw meat once he gets all of his shots.
We also add a supplement to our food, called NuPro, which includes
Dessicated Liver, Kelp, Yeast, Flaxseed, Lechtin, Acidophilus, Lactobacillus, Calcium Citrate, Glucosamine Complex (from shark fin), MSM, Ester C, Their own Special Joint Support Formular
Nupro is what I had Cane on as a pup. I was told with a fila it is the protein level that you have to be concerned with. If you are going to go raw why wait? What the shots protect against is not found in raw meat. The earlier the transition the better/easier, at least that is what I have been told. If you have a vet unfamiliar with Filas make sure he understands how sensitive they are to anesthesia, can't stress that enough. Because Filas are big they want to use to much. Ace can tell you more about how they should administer it.
My pup is on a mix of raw and cooked food. I prefer raw, but am easing him in to the (almost) fully raw foods.
Glucosamine...I use glucosamine sulfate as the uptake is more complete, at least in terms of human physiology.
One should also consider using a glucosamine product which has lower levels of typical filler products, such as sodium. While those won't hurt your dogs, they also won't be as efficient for your $$.
Nupro is what I had Cane on as a pup. I was told with a fila it is the protein level that you have to be concerned with. If you are going to go raw why wait? What the shots protect against is not found in raw meat. The earlier the transition the better/easier, at least that is what I have been told. If you have a vet unfamiliar with Filas make sure he understands how sensitive they are to anesthesia, can't stress that enough. Because Filas are big they want to use to much. Ace can tell you more about how they should administer it.
Even with Raw, they can still get Ecoli and other diseases found in raw meat. Not that the shots will help prevent those, but I would rather introduce those possibilities after he has had all of his puppy shots. If people say keep protein levels low, how is raw meat accomplishing that? Wouldn't that generally be higher protein levels than the mid 20%?
How much poundage/cups are you feeding of raw food per day to your adults? My pup just went for his 10 week shots, and weighed in at 31 pounds.
Actually fresh meat is 75 to 80% water. So the levels are fine. Plus 10% of what you feed should be bone.
Cane is about 165pounds and he gets 1 1/2 pounds of meat (duck hearts and venison) in the morning and he gets another 1 1/2 pounds for dinner (bone in chicken quarters). Types of meats are always changing, that is just what they had this morning.
Ziva weighs about 115 and is on a diet, she gets 14 1/2 ounces at both meals.
Cane had a lot of stomach/poop issues until we went raw.
Actually fresh meat is 75 to 80% water. So the levels are fine. Plus 10% of what you feed should be bone. Cane is about 165pounds and he gets 1 1/2 pounds of meat (duck hearts and venison) in the morning and he gets another 1 1/2 pounds for dinner (bone in chicken quarters).
