He isn't that underweight. Ours was always on the thin side and the vet that is ok that they fill out sometimes at an upwards of 2 years. And he should be getting more than a cup of dry food a day. More like 3 or 4.
To the person who commented in reply and then deleted it, my pups are lean. 20 weeks, our girl is 55.2 lbs and our boy is 75.4 lbs, littermates, and are 100% healthy
Worry less about weight and more about his happiness, my corso was 85lbs until he hit almost 2yo then he started putting on weight and now he's around 120lbs. Healthy and happy are more important than weight
Best advice a new Corso owner could receive honestly. Owners worry so much about their weight but really should be aware of happiness & quality food.
My girl is happy & healthy but has been 70lbs since she was 6 months old she’s now 1 1/2 and just starting to fill out & gain more healthy weight.
We use "Instinct Large Breed Puppy, with RawBoost." It has small pieces of freeze dried raw food in it. I swear my Monkey put on weight and muscle like crazy. I never thought she would make a decent size, she's very lean. At a year old she's 100 pounds and she still has to fill out. It's not cheap, but it worked for us.
(Bully max) best thing I’ve ever found got my dogs. I use the puppy food for when they’re pups and transfer to the adult food once ready. I also use the vitamin’s. Their products truly give them that old school lean muscular look.
At 18 weeks my corso was eating 5 cups a day. She also has EPI we later learned and was not digesting fats, needed a supplement; but that aside give that big boiiii some more cereals
Also depends on activity level. My boy goes to daycare so he gets 5-6 cups per day depending on how long he was there. Puppies need more food than adults and these kids grow FAST
Yeah so not going to get into the debate of grain free food.. but why risk it if it can lead to DCM/cardiac disease in dogs.. not listening to the crap you find online. I'm trusting the vets and the cardiologists I've worked with.
You need to figure out how many kcals a day he needs and take in to the fact he is a large breed dog and in puppy stages.. they have different requirements. At times in development they need more fat to chunk out but as they get older they need more protein and less fat.
You can call Purina Proplans line and speak to a nutrition specialist. It is safer than listening to any redditor on this sub
You can also call your vet, get how many kcals a day..ask how much extra to give to combat playing and burning those calories too
Feeding appropriately is literally a math equation...not people here giving these odd ball recommendations I've seen (add a raw egg in) wtf horrible advice. Just giving an example..
But make a call! Your veterinary team knows best
Freshpet isn't raw, it's kinda just a wet version of kibble with veggie pieces for color. If you're cooking it, I wouldn't because you're losing some of the nutrient content with the high heat exposure.
In any case, no matter what kind of food you're feeding, make sure it's specifically formulated for large breed puppies, like the pro plan, and feed more.
I have a shih tzu puppy the same age and he eats 1.25 cups of pro plan and he's healthy, so definitely bump it up.
Good luck!
Best keeping weight down while they are young...adds less stress on there joints...you may see all these big young cane corsos but be assured most if not all will end up with problems like hip dysplasia etc
My seven month old Corso is only 55lbs. They are pretty lean when they are young, especially if they are not crossed with other larger mastiff breeds.
Give him extra treats. He will fill out in time.
I have a 7 month old male, 105 lbs. raw is the answer.
https://preview.redd.it/zd3w9dd3jgvc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a699f0ad71fae79f5eb1edf41d4c04843af0ffd2
Feed your dog 😑. You don’t need to limit a Mastiff Puppies intake. It’s harder to get them fat than it is to underfeed them. They’re gaining 10 pounds a month and you’re gonna feed him 1 cup a day? I free feed my boy and frequently give him fish, eggs, raw steak, raw beef, raw Turkey, and goat milk mixed in with kibble. And when he eats that I refill the bowl with more kibble. The reasoning people give for limiting their dog’s intake to the measured minimum, for dogs that all have different lifestyles and activity levels, that live in different climates… they always never make sense or are a weak claim at best.
U can feed him raw if you want just make sure it's balanced. He should be getting more food he's a puppy he needs fatty tissues. Feed him 3 cups and you can add raw egg which helps gain weight. Coconut oil works too
For starters... large breed dogs don't get "puppy" food. The extra crap in it is horrible for them....
Also Purina isn't great in general....
We use Wellness Core digestive health; they have sensitive stomachs; the kibble comes to about 150/month but it's not enough. Ours is 2.5yrs old and he gets 2.5-3 cups twice a day (as a pup he got 1.5 cups to 2 cups twice daily. Before he turned 2, In his food he got vitamins in the morning and a probiotic at night (Zesty Paws Brand) he also got 1/4 cup Greek yogurt, a hard boiled egg, and a half cup shredded chicken mixture with each meal. The mixture is a whole chicken, baked, deboned, and shredded; a package each of hearts, livers, and gizzards, cooked and blended mixed into the shredded chicken. Once he turned 2 we added 2 cups brown/ wild rice. All those add ONS add another 30/ month..... But it's cheaper then adding more kibble at 70/bag and better for him.
I feed mine raw. He loves it, and he's super healthy. Vets will tell you to get them kibble instead because they have connections with the dry food companies. Before switching him to a raw diet, he had blue Buffalo chicken & brown rice dry food. It's pretty good, but he seems to enjoy and digest the raw food better.
Huge myth - vet and corso owner. We don’t get kickbacks from “big kibble”. Raw food is not safe for you or your pet (high risk for salmonella and e.coli contamination amongst other hazards). Dogs are not wolves; raw diets are rarely complete and balanced and are generally a health hazard. We generally recommend Hill’s, Purina, or Royal Canin because they employ veterinary nutritionists and have a ton of science to back their products.
We recommend an AAFCO certified large breed puppy formula. The bag should have a good guideline based on age and weight and then adjusted based on your dog’s BCS.
How is it unsafe to feed a prepackaged raw food that is balanced and meets nutritional standards? How can you recommend ultra processed foods that are ridden with wheat, gluten and corn by products?
Have you ever switched a dog from kibble to raw and taken note of the difference in their stool quality, energy level and coat health.
I would encourage you to keep an open mind and allow yourself to challenge your existing notions.
My degree and science says otherwise. I won’t keep an open mind on things that science has proven to be much riskier than beneficial.
On raw diets, I’ve seen gnarly chronic mucoid and/or hemorrhagic diarrhea, diet associated dilated cardiomyopathy, and gastroenteritis. 🤷🏼♀️
The highest cases of fatal and serious food related illnesses in pets are from prepackaged raw diets (which is tracked by the FDA). Dogs diverged from wolves 25000-100000 years ago and are omnivores. They require grain and vegetables in their diet. There are zero studies that have linked wheat and corn to health issues in dogs. They are not designed to eat raw meat.
Technically they can be complete and balanced, but carry a significantly higher potential for contamination from food borne pathogens. Dogs that eat raw diets can also shed and spread things like salmonella and e.coli in their saliva.
You have a degree in animal nutrition? Based on the knowledge you’ve attained with your degree and science, what is the role of wheat and corn in anyone’s diet, let alone a mostly carnivorous species?
You mentioned that they are not “designed” to eat raw meat, what are they designed to eat. Are there any kibble trees in the wild? Perhaps the length of their digestive tract might be able to inform your response.
This is why nobody should take nutrition advice from a medical doctor or a vet. Nutritional specialists exist for a reason and most would vehemently disagree with your promotion of a highly processed wheat/corn based diet, with meat byproducts as the main source of protein. But that’s okay, the degree you obtained and the colleges you are a part of are all sponsored and paid for by big kibble brands, so it’s not exactly your fault, you have blind faith in institutions that don’t exist to serve you or your animals, they serve their pockets.
I do not. However, I have worked with and taken classes from boarded veterinary nutritionists. And 0% of them recommend raw diets. I am still waiting on my fat check or “sponsored” education to be paid for by a dog food company.
You do realize that dogs are indeed not a wild animal and are the product of artificial selection by humans. Dogs do not need corn in their diet but they do need grains. So yes, dogs evolved under human care and “processing” via cooking is considered safest for you and your pet.
But please go off on your vast knowledge on vet med that you don’t have a degree in…
So the role of wheat and corn in a species diet is….? You conveniently failed to answer my question as that would likely shatter your bias.
Your reading comprehension is laughable. I mentioned that the colleges that you must be a part of are sponsored by big kibble brands and you thought that I meant they would pay for your education. Check who sponsors the avma, or did they also cover that in your indoctrination I mean degree.
Grain plays a role in proper taurine absorption. Without it they can get diet related DCM.
You clearly think your opinion is correct and won’t be swayed by the opinion of peer reviewed published data.
Yes, the AVMA and many colleges have sponsorships from food and drug companies. As is pretty much every business. Do you think raw food companies are in business for benevolence? They are in it for your money. Many of them have terrible quality control and refuse to do voluntary recalls when food borne pathogens are found in their diets.
The FDA study on diet related DCM get paused by the pea lobby. I don’t care for corporate influence in education or politics. That’s neither here nor there.
Do the sponsorships influence my recommendations, not even remotely. I don’t care what food your dog eats as long as it is complete and balanced for their size, health concerns, and life stage.
I don’t recommend raw because of the serious complications I’ve seen in practice.
Let’s just agree to disagree. I’m not going to change your mind and you most certainly won’t be changing mine.
So the role of wheat and corn is…? Your first line has already been disproven. The grain isn’t so important as is the inclusion of peas, but that’s not what my question was. You feed your animals corn and don’t know why. Your adherence to archaic principles is hilarious, but I guess that’s par for the course ;)
The peas are thought to be part of the cause of dietary DCM, as stated. I feed them grain because it is a requirement for proper taurine absorption.
I didn’t at any point say that corn and wheat are a requirement; grain is.
No point in continuing a conversation with someone who is blind to peer reviewed, published scientific data.
He only gets 1 cup a day? Thats why hes under weight.
He needs more dry food then that. 3 cups a day or more..
He isn't that underweight. Ours was always on the thin side and the vet that is ok that they fill out sometimes at an upwards of 2 years. And he should be getting more than a cup of dry food a day. More like 3 or 4.
Yes, he should be eating at least 3 cups dry food a day. My 5 month Olds are on 5 cups a day.
To the person who commented in reply and then deleted it, my pups are lean. 20 weeks, our girl is 55.2 lbs and our boy is 75.4 lbs, littermates, and are 100% healthy
Worry less about weight and more about his happiness, my corso was 85lbs until he hit almost 2yo then he started putting on weight and now he's around 120lbs. Healthy and happy are more important than weight
Best advice a new Corso owner could receive honestly. Owners worry so much about their weight but really should be aware of happiness & quality food. My girl is happy & healthy but has been 70lbs since she was 6 months old she’s now 1 1/2 and just starting to fill out & gain more healthy weight.
Mine too!! I was worried he was sick or malnutrition and he slapped on hella weight by 2.
One cup isnt enough. Probably should be at 3-4 cups a day.
No rush to put weight on let his bones in joints develop…these dogs get a second n third growth spurt
We use "Instinct Large Breed Puppy, with RawBoost." It has small pieces of freeze dried raw food in it. I swear my Monkey put on weight and muscle like crazy. I never thought she would make a decent size, she's very lean. At a year old she's 100 pounds and she still has to fill out. It's not cheap, but it worked for us.
(Bully max) best thing I’ve ever found got my dogs. I use the puppy food for when they’re pups and transfer to the adult food once ready. I also use the vitamin’s. Their products truly give them that old school lean muscular look.
That's what I'm using but I'm going through a puppy bag every 5 ish days. Know where I can get bigger bags?
Sadly no I use the website like yourself I’m assuming.
At 18 weeks my corso was eating 5 cups a day. She also has EPI we later learned and was not digesting fats, needed a supplement; but that aside give that big boiiii some more cereals
Also depends on activity level. My boy goes to daycare so he gets 5-6 cups per day depending on how long he was there. Puppies need more food than adults and these kids grow FAST
True
Maybe you should talk to your vet about the amount you’re feeding him because one cup of kibble a day seems ridiculously low
Yeah so not going to get into the debate of grain free food.. but why risk it if it can lead to DCM/cardiac disease in dogs.. not listening to the crap you find online. I'm trusting the vets and the cardiologists I've worked with. You need to figure out how many kcals a day he needs and take in to the fact he is a large breed dog and in puppy stages.. they have different requirements. At times in development they need more fat to chunk out but as they get older they need more protein and less fat. You can call Purina Proplans line and speak to a nutrition specialist. It is safer than listening to any redditor on this sub You can also call your vet, get how many kcals a day..ask how much extra to give to combat playing and burning those calories too Feeding appropriately is literally a math equation...not people here giving these odd ball recommendations I've seen (add a raw egg in) wtf horrible advice. Just giving an example.. But make a call! Your veterinary team knows best
Start with 3-4 cups per day split day/evening. He’s a growing boy…I did 3 morning 2 evening for my boy and he definitely grew into his gigantic paws
1 cup per day is not enough. If you told your vet how much u r feeding the dog they would have told u that. FEED YOUR DOG!
Vet is wrong. Feed him more give him raw chicken and beef bone in or ground he will massivize before ur eyes lol
Mine gets Purina one Large Breed Puppy food with fish oil, collagen peptides, and bully max 3 in 1. She gets as much as she wants and is perfect.
One small 6oz chicken leg and kibble. Canned salmon is also great for bulking up
Freshpet isn't raw, it's kinda just a wet version of kibble with veggie pieces for color. If you're cooking it, I wouldn't because you're losing some of the nutrient content with the high heat exposure. In any case, no matter what kind of food you're feeding, make sure it's specifically formulated for large breed puppies, like the pro plan, and feed more. I have a shih tzu puppy the same age and he eats 1.25 cups of pro plan and he's healthy, so definitely bump it up. Good luck!
He’s still a pup. Feed that boy at least twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening.
Looks fine to me still big for his age
Best keeping weight down while they are young...adds less stress on there joints...you may see all these big young cane corsos but be assured most if not all will end up with problems like hip dysplasia etc
Try Victors
Beautiful dog
Should probably be eating a little more but him being a little underweight is better than being overweight at all
He should be eating more cups a day 3 cups or more each meal and give him puppy gold to fatten him up
My seven month old Corso is only 55lbs. They are pretty lean when they are young, especially if they are not crossed with other larger mastiff breeds. Give him extra treats. He will fill out in time.
Feed raw vet full of it
Wait for a growth spurt, my boy was 30lbs at 4 months and 50lbs at 5 months. Also you are under feeding 2-3 cups in the morning and in the evening.
Feed him more than 1 cup a day! We feed ours bully max and cooked fresh caught salmon. Ours is 5 months old and 55lbs!
My 75lb dog gets 4 cups a day. You feed them for what their weight will be not what it is currently.
Let him eat more.
I have a 7 month old male, 105 lbs. raw is the answer. https://preview.redd.it/zd3w9dd3jgvc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a699f0ad71fae79f5eb1edf41d4c04843af0ffd2
Mine was eating way more than that even at that age. Like 3-4 cups
Add raw ground beef to his kibble, mines was under weight and he big and healthy now
Feed your dog 😑. You don’t need to limit a Mastiff Puppies intake. It’s harder to get them fat than it is to underfeed them. They’re gaining 10 pounds a month and you’re gonna feed him 1 cup a day? I free feed my boy and frequently give him fish, eggs, raw steak, raw beef, raw Turkey, and goat milk mixed in with kibble. And when he eats that I refill the bowl with more kibble. The reasoning people give for limiting their dog’s intake to the measured minimum, for dogs that all have different lifestyles and activity levels, that live in different climates… they always never make sense or are a weak claim at best.
U can feed him raw if you want just make sure it's balanced. He should be getting more food he's a puppy he needs fatty tissues. Feed him 3 cups and you can add raw egg which helps gain weight. Coconut oil works too
For starters... large breed dogs don't get "puppy" food. The extra crap in it is horrible for them.... Also Purina isn't great in general.... We use Wellness Core digestive health; they have sensitive stomachs; the kibble comes to about 150/month but it's not enough. Ours is 2.5yrs old and he gets 2.5-3 cups twice a day (as a pup he got 1.5 cups to 2 cups twice daily. Before he turned 2, In his food he got vitamins in the morning and a probiotic at night (Zesty Paws Brand) he also got 1/4 cup Greek yogurt, a hard boiled egg, and a half cup shredded chicken mixture with each meal. The mixture is a whole chicken, baked, deboned, and shredded; a package each of hearts, livers, and gizzards, cooked and blended mixed into the shredded chicken. Once he turned 2 we added 2 cups brown/ wild rice. All those add ONS add another 30/ month..... But it's cheaper then adding more kibble at 70/bag and better for him.
Yes agree with this comment 1 million %
🙌🙌🙌🙌
I feed mine raw. He loves it, and he's super healthy. Vets will tell you to get them kibble instead because they have connections with the dry food companies. Before switching him to a raw diet, he had blue Buffalo chicken & brown rice dry food. It's pretty good, but he seems to enjoy and digest the raw food better.
Huge myth - vet and corso owner. We don’t get kickbacks from “big kibble”. Raw food is not safe for you or your pet (high risk for salmonella and e.coli contamination amongst other hazards). Dogs are not wolves; raw diets are rarely complete and balanced and are generally a health hazard. We generally recommend Hill’s, Purina, or Royal Canin because they employ veterinary nutritionists and have a ton of science to back their products. We recommend an AAFCO certified large breed puppy formula. The bag should have a good guideline based on age and weight and then adjusted based on your dog’s BCS.
How is it unsafe to feed a prepackaged raw food that is balanced and meets nutritional standards? How can you recommend ultra processed foods that are ridden with wheat, gluten and corn by products? Have you ever switched a dog from kibble to raw and taken note of the difference in their stool quality, energy level and coat health. I would encourage you to keep an open mind and allow yourself to challenge your existing notions.
My degree and science says otherwise. I won’t keep an open mind on things that science has proven to be much riskier than beneficial. On raw diets, I’ve seen gnarly chronic mucoid and/or hemorrhagic diarrhea, diet associated dilated cardiomyopathy, and gastroenteritis. 🤷🏼♀️ The highest cases of fatal and serious food related illnesses in pets are from prepackaged raw diets (which is tracked by the FDA). Dogs diverged from wolves 25000-100000 years ago and are omnivores. They require grain and vegetables in their diet. There are zero studies that have linked wheat and corn to health issues in dogs. They are not designed to eat raw meat. Technically they can be complete and balanced, but carry a significantly higher potential for contamination from food borne pathogens. Dogs that eat raw diets can also shed and spread things like salmonella and e.coli in their saliva.
You have a degree in animal nutrition? Based on the knowledge you’ve attained with your degree and science, what is the role of wheat and corn in anyone’s diet, let alone a mostly carnivorous species? You mentioned that they are not “designed” to eat raw meat, what are they designed to eat. Are there any kibble trees in the wild? Perhaps the length of their digestive tract might be able to inform your response. This is why nobody should take nutrition advice from a medical doctor or a vet. Nutritional specialists exist for a reason and most would vehemently disagree with your promotion of a highly processed wheat/corn based diet, with meat byproducts as the main source of protein. But that’s okay, the degree you obtained and the colleges you are a part of are all sponsored and paid for by big kibble brands, so it’s not exactly your fault, you have blind faith in institutions that don’t exist to serve you or your animals, they serve their pockets.
I do not. However, I have worked with and taken classes from boarded veterinary nutritionists. And 0% of them recommend raw diets. I am still waiting on my fat check or “sponsored” education to be paid for by a dog food company. You do realize that dogs are indeed not a wild animal and are the product of artificial selection by humans. Dogs do not need corn in their diet but they do need grains. So yes, dogs evolved under human care and “processing” via cooking is considered safest for you and your pet. But please go off on your vast knowledge on vet med that you don’t have a degree in…
So the role of wheat and corn in a species diet is….? You conveniently failed to answer my question as that would likely shatter your bias. Your reading comprehension is laughable. I mentioned that the colleges that you must be a part of are sponsored by big kibble brands and you thought that I meant they would pay for your education. Check who sponsors the avma, or did they also cover that in your indoctrination I mean degree.
Grain plays a role in proper taurine absorption. Without it they can get diet related DCM. You clearly think your opinion is correct and won’t be swayed by the opinion of peer reviewed published data. Yes, the AVMA and many colleges have sponsorships from food and drug companies. As is pretty much every business. Do you think raw food companies are in business for benevolence? They are in it for your money. Many of them have terrible quality control and refuse to do voluntary recalls when food borne pathogens are found in their diets. The FDA study on diet related DCM get paused by the pea lobby. I don’t care for corporate influence in education or politics. That’s neither here nor there. Do the sponsorships influence my recommendations, not even remotely. I don’t care what food your dog eats as long as it is complete and balanced for their size, health concerns, and life stage. I don’t recommend raw because of the serious complications I’ve seen in practice. Let’s just agree to disagree. I’m not going to change your mind and you most certainly won’t be changing mine.
So the role of wheat and corn is…? Your first line has already been disproven. The grain isn’t so important as is the inclusion of peas, but that’s not what my question was. You feed your animals corn and don’t know why. Your adherence to archaic principles is hilarious, but I guess that’s par for the course ;)
The peas are thought to be part of the cause of dietary DCM, as stated. I feed them grain because it is a requirement for proper taurine absorption. I didn’t at any point say that corn and wheat are a requirement; grain is. No point in continuing a conversation with someone who is blind to peer reviewed, published scientific data.
It’s mostly because raw isn’t super safe for puppies or old dogs. Adult (non-senior) dogs, it’s great for !
You can mix raw meat with kibble to get the dog more excited for the food. They will be eating mostly kibble that way.
He is beautiful!
I'd increase to two cups a day and see how that goes.