I have a 4 year old 95 lb bloodhound. We feed him 1 1/2 cups of Beneful (SP?) healthy weight 3x a day. He has some stomach issues and we've found that this has worked best for him so far. Good Luck :)

Every dog is different and that is the major reason that the bag guidelines don't always work.  It is important not to go to far *below* the guidelines or you are at risk for being deficient in nutrients for your pup.   

 

I recommend  evaluating the Purina BCS chart and then comparing your dog to that. A 5 is ideal with an easily defined waste and ribs not visible but easily felt when petting him.  For the large dogs I tend to recommend staying on the light side of normal.  Every pound adds 4lbs of force on the joints and since that is a major issue with big dogs every pound can make a huge difference.  Even as a puppy he can be evaluated with this scale effectively.  

Not seeing your dog and knowing how much you feed it is hard to say whether you are feeding appropriately for your pup.  I hope these guidelines help.

here is the link to the BCS chart.

http://www.myk9kingdom.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/10.13.fatpets.BCS_Chart_dogs.jpg 

aggiebug:

Every dog is different and that is the major reason that the bag guidelines don't always work.  It is important not to go to far *below* the guidelines or you are at risk for being deficient in nutrients for your pup.   

 

I recommend  evaluating the Purina BCS chart and then comparing your dog to that. A 5 is ideal with an easily defined waste and ribs not visible but easily felt when petting him.  For the large dogs I tend to recommend staying on the light side of normal.  Every pound adds 4lbs of force on the joints and since that is a major issue with big dogs every pound can make a huge difference.  Even as a puppy he can be evaluated with this scale effectively.  

Not seeing your dog and knowing how much you feed it is hard to say whether you are feeding appropriately for your pup.  I hope these guidelines help.

here is the link to the BCS chart.

http://www.myk9kingdom.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/10.13.fatpets.BCS_Chart_dogs.jpg 

I'm aware of basic guidelines for keeping my dog at a healthy weight and am more than capable of accomplishing that.  I'm just curious to hear from other giant breed owners what they feed and how much because we are considering switching foods.  But thanks.  

 

i have an italian mastiff (cane corso). He is only 7.5 months old right now so still lots of growing to do.  We currently feed him 2 cups in the morning and about 3 cups at night.  The vet said its really hard to judge the amount of food. He just said to watch and if he appears too thin, feed him more by adding small increments to it and if he isnt finishing his food or starts to look to heavy to cut back.  He said it is really a guessing game.  Ive had him on these cup amounts about 3 months so far and im thinking about increasing it slightly as he is getting taller and thinning out.

aggiebug:

Every dog is different and that is the major reason that the bag guidelines don't always work.  It is important not to go to far *below* the guidelines or you are at risk for being deficient in nutrients for your pup.   

I recommend  evaluating the Purina BCS chart and then comparing your dog to that. A 5 is ideal with an easily defined waste and ribs not visible but easily felt when petting him.  For the large dogs I tend to recommend staying on the light side of normal.  Every pound adds 4lbs of force on the joints and since that is a major issue with big dogs every pound can make a huge difference.  Even as a puppy he can be evaluated with this scale effectively.  

Not seeing your dog and knowing how much you feed it is hard to say whether you are feeding appropriately for your pup.  I hope these guidelines help.

here is the link to the BCS chart.

http://www.myk9kingdom.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/10.13.fatpets.BCS_Chart_dogs.jpg 

O.M.G! Please. Just go away! You give awful advice.

River Pestie:

aggiebug:

Every dog is different and that is the major reason that the bag guidelines don't always work.  It is important not to go to far *below* the guidelines or you are at risk for being deficient in nutrients for your pup.   

I recommend  evaluating the Purina BCS chart and then comparing your dog to that. A 5 is ideal with an easily defined waste and ribs not visible but easily felt when petting him.  For the large dogs I tend to recommend staying on the light side of normal.  Every pound adds 4lbs of force on the joints and since that is a major issue with big dogs every pound can make a huge difference.  Even as a puppy he can be evaluated with this scale effectively.  

Not seeing your dog and knowing how much you feed it is hard to say whether you are feeding appropriately for your pup.  I hope these guidelines help.

here is the link to the BCS chart.

http://www.myk9kingdom.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/10.13.fatpets.BCS_Chart_dogs.jpg 

O.M.G! Please. Just go away! You give awful advice.

ha! everything I say is quite true. I am curious what you think is so horrid about this advice. was it the statement about going below bag guidelines? Ask the nutritionist at the companies they say the same thing. or was it because of the use of a Purina chart? because I was NOT recommending the food but the chart quite helpful for visualizing what is a good BCS.

sorry DP

SparrowGreen:

aggiebug:

Every dog is different and that is the major reason that the bag guidelines don't always work.  It is important not to go to far *below* the guidelines or you are at risk for being deficient in nutrients for your pup.   

 

I recommend  evaluating the Purina BCS chart and then comparing your dog to that. A 5 is ideal with an easily defined waste and ribs not visible but easily felt when petting him.  For the large dogs I tend to recommend staying on the light side of normal.  Every pound adds 4lbs of force on the joints and since that is a major issue with big dogs every pound can make a huge difference.  Even as a puppy he can be evaluated with this scale effectively.  

Not seeing your dog and knowing how much you feed it is hard to say whether you are feeding appropriately for your pup.  I hope these guidelines help.

here is the link to the BCS chart.

http://www.myk9kingdom.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/10.13.fatpets.BCS_Chart_dogs.jpg 

I'm aware of basic guidelines for keeping my dog at a healthy weight and am more than capable of accomplishing that.  I'm just curious to hear from other giant breed owners what they feed and how much because we are considering switching foods.  But thanks.  

 

I am sorry I guess I am really confused as to what you are looking for. I am now guessing you are trying to compare foods based on volumes fed? It varies so much its hard to compare from dog to dog and food to food. Good luck finding what works for you and your big guy :)

I forgot to add we feed him blue buffalo large breed puppy food and he is currently about 75lbs

Thanks chrisnjay!  I love cane corsos :-).  

I don't have a large breed, I have a greyhound mix though and I can never stick with what the bag says to feed him or he looks too thin. My vet explained to me that you don't want to be able to see his ribs, but feel them if you rub his sides. You also want the defined hips as another PP mentioned, kind of like an hourglass shape. It seems like it's gonna be up to y'all to figure out the best amount, and with him still being a puppy it's likely to change a lot in the coming months until he's full grown.

 Good luck with your big boy!

At that age, duke was eating 3.5 to 4 cups of Canidae a day.  He's a Dane mix though, and was only 75 lbs.

Lago ate 5 cups a day to maintain his weight, but he was BSC.  And only 60 lbs. 

I currently have two (Just lost one in November due to health issues) 

Eisenhower is the oldest at 5. He is 260lbs and has epilepsy. Ellie is my other, she is about 120lbs, and just over a year old. She was a rescue so I am unsure of her actual age. She may also be part Great Dane.

I have a 3 year old 140 lb St Bernard. We're feeding him 3 cups a day of Purina Salmon and Rice. He's slightly underweight but the vet told us to keep him at that weight due to his joint problems. You can't see his ribs or anything but he doesn't have alot of extra weight to carry around.

We have a 125 American Bulldog. We feed TOTW Southwest Canyon (red bag, wild boar protein). He gets 2 cups in the morning and 2 cups at dinner. I have fed him this way for the last 2 years (we got him when he was 7ish). We learned with our lab, (who is 14 y/o & 90 lbs, gets 3 cups a day) it is better to keep them thin. We have had no issues, so I guess it worked. 

I have an 18mo. old Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. He's currently about 95 pounds. Right now we're feeding Nutrisca. He gets 4 cups a day, plus half a can of Tripette. He's unneutered, though, so his metabolism is probably a bit faster than a neutered dog. He's also really lean.

When I switch foods, I generally decide what to feed based on how many calories per cup. I just compare to what I'm already feeding and adjust accordingly. It's worked for me.

Ohh Mrs Hizzo is that him in your siggy? Cutie :-). Our boy isn't neutered yet either, but I didn't even think to take that into account. Thanks!