Heat

While there are exceptions, in general, Mastiffs do not cope well with hot weather. They need a cool place to lie during hot weather and they will need even more fresh cool water than normal. You should not expect your Mastiff to be as active as normal during periods of hot weather and you should avoid exercising your Mastiff during the hotter hours of the day unless you are lucky enough to be able to exercise your Mastiff by swimming it. Be on the lookout for heat stroke in the hotter months. One of my Bullmastiffs nearly died twice from heat stroke – it was very scary and stressful for both him and for us… If you suspect heat stroke, wet your dog down immediately – pour a bucket of cool water over him, or hose him if need be, cover him with wet towels, bring him inside into the cool, put icepacks under his “armpits”, between his hind legs and on his neck. Get him to a vet as soon as you can.

Grooming

Mastiffs are a relatively easy care breed. Their short coat needs only a quick brush a few times a week and may be a wash every couple of  months to keep it looking good. Mastiffs do moult however. Some moult only a couple of times a year while others seem to moult continuously. If you happen to have a Mastiff who moults continuously, get used to the idea that you will always have Mastiff fur on your clothes, furniture and floors. The only other aspect to grooming a Mastiff is to trim your Mastiff’s nails from time to time. I have trimmed the pups’ nails several times now, so far, and no – they don’t like it….treats help!! Their nails are very small, so a normal human nail clipper has done the trick. I have just taken off the sharp tip – be careful not to take off too much and cut the quick, as it will hurt the pup and will bleed. As the pup grows, you’ll need to use a proper dog nail trimmer – I use a heavy duty pair (that look like side-cutters – or garden shears) for the big dogs…the cheap little clippers will work for about three nails and then break!!

Slobber

All Mastiffs slobber. The degree to which a Mastiff slobbers varies from dog to dog. Some dogs slobber only when they are eating, drinking or hot and there are others that hardly ever seem to stop. Most Mastiff owners never leave home without an old towel or something similar to use as a slobber cloth. If you have one of the ones that slobbers continuously, you will hardly ever put it down and will need it to wipe down your furniture, your walls and even your guests. No one particularly likes slobber but it’s just part of owning a Mastiff. When I play with the dogs, go to the beach etc, I only wear a set of my “dog clothes”…you probably won’t need to go to that extreme, but it is worth having old clothes that you don’t care about damaging if you are playing with your dogs.

Breed Health Concerns

As with any breed of dog, there are certain diseases and health problems to which the Mastiff is more prone than some other breeds of dog. No breeder can guarantee that the puppy you buy will be disease free because the causes of many diseases are not fully understood. However, for diseases which are to some extent hereditary, there are tests which can be carried out on adult dogs which may help determine if puppies bred from those dogs are likely to be at risk from those diseases.

Hereditary Diseases

The main types of hereditary or partly hereditary diseases to which Mastiffs are considered to be at risk and for which adult Mastiffs can be screened are hip and elbow dysplasia, eye disease and thyroid disease.

Hip Dysplasia

HD is a condition involving the abnormal formation of the hip joint. This can result in abnormal wearing of the hip joint causing lameness and pain in the rear legs. Generally symptoms will not appear until the puppy is 5 to 9 months old. X-rays are used to diagnose the disease and to try and screen for it in dogs to be used in breeding. However, some dogs who’s X-rays show evidence of hip dysplasia never develop any actual symptoms of the disease while other dogs who’s X-rays indicate normal hip formation may develop symptoms.

I have heard of some vets who recommend surgery on young pups showing signs of hip issues…do not do this!! Get a second or even third opinion before going down this road. There are many alternative treatments that may be suitable for a dog with HD. Also, many Mastiffs have “loose” joints when growing, as they grow so fast and may not have any form of dysplasia, they may just be exhibiting growing pains (see OCD below). If your pup is showing worrying signs, talk to your breeder, or if they are not much help, call me, or another experienced breeder for help before embarking down expensive and possibly unnecessary surgery.

Elbow Dysplasia

This is a term used to describe a condition with a number of different possible causes. All of them cause abnormal wearing of the elbow joint resulting in stiffness, limping and pain and are believed to be caused, at least to some extent, by abnormal formation of the elbow joint. As for hip dysplasia, X-rays are used to diagnose the condition and to try to screen dogs to be used for breeding. Again, symptoms will not generally be apparent in young puppies.

Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD)

OCD is an inflammation of the shoulder (usually), elbows, hip or knee joint that occurs when the diseased cartilage separates from the underlying bone. It is a developmental disease that occurs in rapidly growing dogs typically between 6 and 9 months of age, and may occur more often in male dogs. This disease is more common in dogs receiving too much energy (fat) and calcium in the diet. Studies have shown that limiting dietary intake of fat and calcium reduces the incidence of this condition, and of other developmental orthopedic conditions.

In simple words, OCD is painful joints (growing pains) caused by too fast growth, and can be prevented or reduced by feeding a low fat diet with a balanced calcium intake. Many dry foods (especially puppy “growth” formulas) are too high in fat and also have an unbalanced ratio between the minerals Calcium and Phosphorus. Ideally this ratio should be about 1.2 :1 or thereabouts. One of the worst things you can do for a growing mastiff puppy is give him a calcium supplement. The best thing you can do is to feed him some raw meaty bones (more on that later) as they contain the right amount of fat, and also the perfect CA: P ratio.

A high fat diet means a high growth rate…keep the fat content down (not to zero- your puppy needs some fat), do not feed growth formulas if you feed kibble, rather use an adult food. Keep your puppy nice and lean – while fat, rollie mastiff puppies might look cute; it is really not healthy for them to be overweight. Don’t let your pup jump up and down onto high steps etc, and don’t over exercise your puppy, as these can both lead to joint damage and OCD.

If your pup does develop growing pains, DON’T PANIC!! First, cut down on the fat and Calcium in his diet, and give him some vitamin C (ester C is easily digestible for puppies) which will help ease the inflammation and the cartilage to heal naturally. If the pain persists, you may have to go to the vet and get an anti-inflammatory.

 Cystinuria

Simply put, cystinuria is a genetic defect in which the kidney is not able to process the basic amino acid cystine correctly. Affected dogs are born with this condition but in most cases it takes many years before things get bad enough that we notice it. Over time, the unprocessed cystine in the urine clumps together to form stones. These stones can block the urinary tract (very similar to kidney stones in humans). This is a very serious, life-threatening condition and requires surgery.

There are two types of tests that can be done for Cystinuria. The first, and simplest, is a urine test to test for either Cystine or stones in the urine. This is a positive indication that the dog has the condition and needs treatment. The second is a DNA test that indicates the presence of DNA markers to indicate whether the dog has or does not have the condition. This test  is only available from two institutions in the USA at the moment (2018) and all breeding animals should have this test done before breeding. My personal belief is that no dogs or bitches that are indicated as affected or as carriers by this test should be bred from.

http://www.caninecystinuria.com/   contains more information on this disease

Eye Conditions

There are a number of eye diseases and conditions which are (at least to some extent) hereditary and can affect Mastiffs. They include entropion (which involves a rolling in of the eyelid resulting in the lashes rubbing on the eye), ectropion (which involves a rolling out of the eyelid), persistent pupillary membranes (PPM), Canine Multifocal Retinopathy (CMR), cataracts and progressive retinal atrophy (PRA).  Cataracts and PRA can cause vision impairment or blindness.

Entropion and Ectropion have no DNA tests that can be done to determine the condition, but a simple eye exam can determine whether dogs are affected. It is my opinion that it is more likely that a dog with an over wrinkled head will develop one of these conditions. These conditions, if present, can be corrected with a fairly minor surgery by most vets, however, I would hesitate to have any surgery conducted on a puppy younger than about 12 months, unless the condition is very serious, as their heads are still growing very rapidly and having surgery done at this stage on the eyes may actually be worse than leaving it to be not done. Additionally, some pups may present with symptoms as pups, due to their skin growing at a different rate to their skull bones, and as the growth rates match up later on, the condition may disappear.  Before having surgery done, if it were to be recommended, I would always suggest getting a second opinion from a canine eye specialist.

PPM . The pupillary membrane is a very thin membrane that covers the eyes of baby puppies and generally dissolves around the time the puppies eyes open at about two week. PPM is a condition where small threads of this membrane may be left attached to the eye after the puppies eyes open. Mostly, this condition will not seriously affect vision of the pup, as it is a bit like those “floaties” that we humans sometimes get in our own eyes. In serious cases, though, it can have an impact on vision, and may need to be inspected by an eye specialist. Generally, PPM is not really considered a major health concern, and any dogs that are affected by PPM should only be bred to dogs that do not have this condition.

CMR is a recessively inherited eye disease that includes several distinct, roughly circular patches of elevated retina with accumulation of material that produces gray-tan-pink coloured lesions. These lesions (sort of like blisters behind the eye), vary in location and size, although normally they will be in both eyes of an affected dog. The disease generally develops in young dogs before 4 months and might progress slowly, might appear to heal, or might even appear and then go away again. Some lesions disappear with no remaining sign, while some lesions leave a wrinkled area – a fold. Most dogs exhibit no noticeable problem with vision despite their abnormal appearing retinas. And in almost all cases, CMR does not progress significantly over time.

Being a recessive disease, CMR can be detected by a DNA test, and as long as any affected dogs are bred to dogs clear of the disease, pups should not be affected, although they might be “carriers: of the disease. If a Carrier is bred to another carrier, or an affected dog, some of the pups will probably inherit the disease.

Cataracts occur when the lens of the eyeball turns cloudy, and gradually develop over time, resulting in vision loss, and maybe even blindness. This is not a problem specific to Mastiffs, any more than in other breeds, but it can be either inherited, caused by diabetes, or injury or disease to the eye. Some dogs may develop cataracts as they age (usually over about 8 years of age). There is no test available for cataracts in breeding dogs, apart from a simple eye examination. More information in this link:

http://animaleyecare.net/diseases/cataract/

PRA is actually the name for several different diseases that are progressive and lead to blindness. These inherited conditions have been found in over 100 dog breeds, and can be present in mixed breeds as well. The retina is the back part of the eye that gathers the light and converts it into nerve signals that the brain, interprets as vision. In PRA, the light receptors in the retina develop in the puppies, but as the dog ages, the receptors degenerate. Progressive rod-cone degeneration (PRCD) is the most common form of PRA in Mastiffs, and starts with night blindness and progresses to total blindness at 3 to 5 years of age.

PRA has a genetic marker that can be found by a simple DNA blood test. Puppies from parents who have tested “Normal” for PRA will never get the disease.

Bloat

Bloat, or more correctly known as Stomach torsion, is a build up of intestinal gasses which, if left unnoticed and untreated, can kill a dog within a very short time. What happens is that the stomach “twists” and blocks off the blood flow and the exits at both ends of the stomach, not allowing gases to escape, this makes it like a balloon. The dog will experience a lot of pain and go into shock and die if not treated quickly. If you imagine a hammock swinging over on its ropes, then you probably get the idea.  I lost one of my bullmastiffs to this horrible condition about 15 years ago.  Most deep chested breeds of dog are considered to be susceptible to bloat. Signs to watch for include swelling of the stomach, a hollow drum sound when the stomach is tapped, distressed pacing, restlessness and excessive panting. If you suspect bloat, take your dog to the vet immediately. Do not delay. Any delay may reduce the chance of successful treatment.

To decrease the risk of bloat occurring, do not exercise your Mastiff for an hour before and after meals and feed an adult dog two smaller meals per day rather than one larger one. Be careful when selecting dry foods as some brands swell up more than others once they have been eaten. Some owners soak dry food in water so that it expands before the dog eats it.

Cancer

Some lines of Mastiffs can be susceptible to various types of cancers. Cancer is the most common cause of disease related death in dogs.  The lifetime risk for cancer in mastiffs is similar to that seen in people, approximately one of every two individuals will get some type of cancer, and some of the affected dogs will die from this disease.  There are no methods yet known to determine if any dog will get cancer, and because of this, I feel the best thing we can do for our pets is reduce the risk of them getting cancer in any way we can.

My personal opinion is that many of the cancers we see today are due to toxins in the dog’s environment. Toxins can be introduced into their systems through poor quality diet, flea and tick medications, over-vaccination, over medication and other poisons in their environment like garden pest sprays etc. I believe it is easy for us to reduce these risks significantly by adopting a few simple measures.

I feed all my dogs a 100% raw natural food diet. Most modern commercial pet foods (dry and canned etc)  are, despite their fancy advertisements, full of poor quality food such as rendered meat byproducts (see link below), cereals, grains, and chemical vitamins and minerals. These are then cooked beyond recognition, dehydrated and then loaded with chemicals and preservatives.

Is it then any wonder that, since many people stopped feeding a raw natural diet to their pets, the amount of animals suffering from Cancers, Chronic degenerative diseases, auto-immune disorders, allergies, kidney, pancreatic and liver diseases have all skyrocketed? In the past we had some of our dogs pass away from cancer prior to switching to a raw diet. Since then, our dogs’ health has significantly improved. Before Raw, none of our dogs lived past the age of seven. Since then, we have had two eight year olds, one nine year old, Molly is now ten and still going strong, and Penny is now seven and still plays like a puppy.

I only give medications to our dogs when absolutely necessary, and I try to keep their environment free from pesticides and other chemicals as much as possible. The only chemicals I do regularly give are flea and tick medications, as we live in an area with a very bad paralysis tick problem. I hope that the other measures I take are sufficient to help our dogs’ immune systems cope with these chemicals.

Additionally, I only vaccinate our dogs every three years after they have had their one year old inoculations. On the alternative years, they are titre tested (which is a blood test to check if they are still carrying the antibodies)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendering_(animal_products)

I also believe that, as successive generations have been subjected to these chemicals in their environment, each generation has become weaker and more susceptible to these “modern” diseases. Thus, it makes sense that, as we continue to improve the environment and diet of our pets, each new successive generation should become more immune to many of these conditions…well, that’s the theory, and it seems to be working for us so far!!

Medications and Supplements

The dosage for most animal medications and supplements is based on the weight of the animal being treated. Because Mastiffs are such large dogs, this means that you will spend a lot more on veterinary treatment, medications and supplements for a Mastiff than you would for the same treatment for a smaller breed of dog. Thus, even treating a relatively minor condition in a Mastiff can be an expensive business. Such is life with a Mastiff!!

Other Diseases

I have also had a few of my dogs develop fatty cysts on their bodies, so just because you see a lump, don’t automatically think the worst! Also, a lot of Mastiffs – especially the heavier boys – develop callouses on their elbows and knees. These are unsightly, but not dangerous. The callouses generally come from lying on concrete….I have a queen sized mattress (covered in heavy duty carpet – and regularly replaced) for our dogs to sleep on, as well as a couple of hessian sack beds, yet sometimes they just choose to lie on the concrete…go figure…

Conclusions

There are a number of health related issues that can affect Mastiffs. Some health issues are very serious and can lead to blindness, sickness or even death, whereas other are not overly major, but it is good to be aware of them. Many of these issues can be tested for in the breeding stock, so it is wise to only go to breeders who test for these issues. Don’t just take a breeder at their word when they say “oh, we’ve never had that here, so we don’t need to do health testing”. Health testing is not the be all and end all, but it is a very good tool for breeders to use, as is understanding the health of the ancestors of the pups. Health testing does not guarantee that your pup will have no health issues but it certainly reduces the risk, if used wisely.

Things you, as a puppy buyer can do to help prevent health problems, are:

1. Buy your pup from a reputable breeder that does comprehensive health testing and knows the ancestry of his breeding stock. Going to a reputable breeder does not mean you will pay more money, but may mean you have to get on a waiting list for a puppy.
2. Always be aware of the possibility of heat stroke in hot weather. Make sure your pup has a good place to shelter, and plenty of water, and if it gets very hot in summer, prepare a place inside in the “cool” for him to rest. Some pups love water, so a clam shell pool might also be a good addition to the yard.
3. Get your pup used to being groomed (esp his nails!!) at a young age. Always have a slobber rag (or paper towels) handy J
4. Talk to your breeder about any health concerns you may have. Find a reliable vet with a good reputation who has experience dealing with giant dogs. Always get a second opinion in the case of major decisions (eg to have surgery or not!).
5. Feed a quality diet. I always recommend a good quality, balanced raw diet (I have another handout on that). However, I realise that not everyone can feed a 100% raw diet, so if that’s you, try adding raw ingredients on a regular basis (especially raw meaty bones) as a good alternative.
6. Consider reducing vaccinations and other chemicals in your dogs environment as much as practical. You don’t need to go overboard in this, just think logically about it. Does your pup really need to be vaccinated for every condition every year, or will once every three years be fine after he is 12 months old?
7. Don’t let your puppy get fat, and don’t feed too much fat or calcium. Don’t ever supplement his diet with calcium formulas (Calcium Sandoz etc).
8. Don’t over exercise your pup, let him exercise at his own pace by playing gently in the back yard/park etc. short, slow paced strolls on a lead are all that’s needed until hes a year or so old. He doesn’t need big long walks until his bones have finished developing. One thing many mastiff owners say is “don’t walk your mastiff further than you are prepared to carry him home” LOL
9. Love your dog and he will love you back ten times over for all his (hopefully) long and happy life!!