​What is the Best Dog Food For French Mastiffs?

This dog breed requires strong leadership—but he also has the potential to be both calm and gentle. So, what’s the best dog food for French Mastiffs? We’ve done quite a bit of research about that—and here’s our verdict.

Team Picks For French Mastiff Dog Food

**There's more info below, but you can also click the links above to see current prices or read customer reviews on Amazon.

**Disclaimer: Our dog food reviews are based mostly on (1) our expertise and that of the experts with whom we consult and (2) the information provided by the manufacturers. We do test many dog foods (with our dog's help), but we can't test them all. As such, please remember the above recommendations are our opinions, and you should consult your vet before making changes to your dog's diet.

French Mastiff calorie requirements

**Please note: these estimates are based on an average weight for this breed. Every dog is different. Please talk to your vet before making changes to your dog's diet. 

French Mastiffs grow to somewhere between 23 and 27 inches tall at the shoulder, and can end up weighing anywhere from 90 to 160 pounds as full-grown adults.

They have fairly complex nutritional needs, and should never be underfed—as this could cause them to lack the vital, essential energy needed to get them through the day.

A less-active dog of this breed will require about 1,900 calories per day to stay properly fueled and energized—while a moderately active French Mastiff might need a bit more—somewhere closer to 2,300 calories per day.

If your dog tends to be highly active, then be prepared to feed him/her somewhere closer to 3,800 calories per day or more! This is definitely a big dog that’ll need to eat big to stay strong—so you can probably plan on buying the food in larger bags!

Keep in mind, however, that all dogs are a little bit different—and even dogs of the same age and same breed can sometimes have different energy levels and temperaments. So make sure to watch how your dogs behave after they eat.

If you feel that one or more didn’t get enough, then it might be time to increase the calorie intake a little bit.

Looking to learn more about French Mastiffs?

This video, posted by All About Dogs, is one of the best that I’ve found about the breed on Youtube. It does an awesome job of describing the breed and providing basic information about it, though be prepared for some rather mechanical audio as you watch it!

Still, if you’re looking to learn more about French Mastiffs, I would encourage you to check it out.

French Mastiffs—Macronutrient and Basic Diet Information

This dog breed seems to do best on a grain and gluten-free diet. With that being said, choosing a kibble that fits both of these labels (soy and corn free isn’t a bad idea either) is going to do a lot to help keep your pet as healthy as possible.

As with any other dog breed, the French Mastiff requires a wide, well-balanced range of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.

They’ll also need a dog food formulated more specifically for larger dogs—as they tend to be quite sizeable!

Making sure that your French Mastiff has access to ingredients/nutrients like taurine, carnitine, B-vitamins, and Omega 3 fatty acids will do a lot to help keep them from getting or suffering from heart disease—which tends to be unfortunately common in the breed.

Fatty fish is an excellent source of Omega 3, as are ingredients like Salmon oil.

Foods like eggs, broccoli, blueberries, and pumpkin are also good ingredients to check for in your dog’s diet—as these will help to promote eye health and keep vision problems to a minimum.

You can find out more about the specific needs of this breed here.

The French Mastiff’s Common Health Problems

French Mastiffs tend to be a relatively healthy breed overall—though it is important to be aware of possible health problems and what can cause them.

A well-rounded diet can do a lot to help prevent diseases and health problems, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be aware of some of the potential health challenges that your dog might end up facing.

Sensitivity to extreme temperatures

Because French Mastiffs are large, short-nosed dogs, they tend to be more susceptible to high temperatures and heat exhaustion than most other dog breeds.

Due to this, it’s super-important that you raise your dog indoors, and that you don’t leave him/her chained up in the backyard. This dog does best in an air-conditioned home, and when outdoor exercise is kept to a minimum so that he/she can have time to cool off.

Making sure that your dog has plenty to drink can also help with this problem.

Heart disease

French Mastiffs tend to be prone to several heart diseases, including dilated cardiomyopathy and aortic stenosis.

To help prevent more problems or to help your dog cope with current heart-related conditions, try to make sure that he/she maintains a healthy body weight and gets plenty of Omega 3 fatty acids, taurine, carnitine, magnesium, and B Vitamins.

Ectropion

VCAHospitals.com describes this condition as…

“…an abnormality of the eyelids in which the lower eyelid "rolls" outward or is everted. This causes the lower eyelids to appear "droopy".”

In some cases, the condition may require surgery to repair—though it can sometimes be managed with eye drops and ointments that prevent the cornea from drying out.

A diet that contains foods like eggs, blueberries, carrots, garlic, and cold-water fish will do a lot to promote eye health. It’s also important to make sure that your dog’s collar isn’t too tight, as this can contribute to eye infections and make it more likely that your dog will experience them.

How to feed a French Mastiff puppy

French Mastiffs will tend to weigh about 12 pounds at 9 weeks of age—and will require about 400 calories per day to stay fueled, nourished, and energized.

Up until about 8 weeks of age, it’s very important for the French Mastiff pups to remain with their mother and litter—as this is a period of crucial socialization that the puppies shouldn’t miss out on.

It’s also important that the pups are handled by their human caretakers during this time, as this will teach them not to be afraid of humans.

This will result in pups that are easier to train and better-socialized. Dogs that are well-socialized are generally much better at integrating into a human family.

So, what’s the best dog food for French Mastiffs?

We’ve done a lot of research to answer this question—and while there are actually many high-quality dog foods on the market today that could get the job done, we really felt that Solid Gold Sun Dancer Chicken & Tapioca Recipe With Quinoa was one of the best on the market.

This is a grain-free food formulation that’s also gluten free, holistic, and filled with all of the vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that a dog of this size will need.

It’s no secret that French Mastiffs can have problems with heart disease. But this dog food contains a ton of heart-healthy ingredients to counter these risks—such as Salmon Oil (for Omega 3s), Taurine, B-Vitamins, and L-Carnitine.

This kibble mix also contains ingredients like Dried Eggs, Carrots, Blueberries, and Broccoli—which are good for the eyes. Since French Mastiffs can tend to suffer from Ectropion, this is an extremely important addition.

Add to this the fact that this dog food formulation contains some more exotic nutrients, like Chia Seed, Turmeric, and Quinoa (excellent sources of extra Omegas), and you quickly realize that Solid Gold Sun Dancer is an easy choice for a breed like the French Mastiff.

Pros & Cons

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