Cane Corso Feeding Guide 
Schedules and Amounts
From Puppy to Adult Mastiff

by Ken Alden

By the time your Cane Corso is about 18 months old, he might weigh a staggering 110 pounds. That means you have to feed your Cane Corso puppy a high-calorie, nutrient-dense diet to help him grow big and strong. But, feeding this breed isn’t like feeding any other dog.

Some essential tips in this Cane Corso feeding guide.

• Select a food high in protein and low in fat.
• Puppies should eat 4 meals a day, working down to 2 a day by adulthood.
• Avoid large meals to prevent bloat.
• Switch to adult food at about 12+ months.
• An adult Cane Corso should be eating between 6 to 9 cups a day.

What you feed your Cane Corso has the potential to impact his health for the rest of his life. So, let’s go over below what types of foods you should be feeding your Cane Corso to keep him healthy...

Pro-tip: Ever try lifting a Cane Corso? Their weight can hurt not only your back but their joints when they hop down from cars, sofas or even your bed. To protect your back and theirs check out the best Mastiff ramps on Amazon.com now.

Cane Corso Feeding Guide…What To Feed Them

When it comes to giant dog breeds like the Cane Corso, you need to make sure you’re giving your Cane Corso a food high in protein and relatively low in fat. The Cane Corso is prone to developing obesity, so keep an eye on his weight when you switch to a new food.

The best foods will be those that list some source of protein as the #1 ingredient and won’t list fat in the first few ingredients. Let’s go over some other things you should be on the lookout for when you’re choosing a food for your Cane Corso.

Things to Remember...

• Calorie count: Not all dog foods have the same number of calories. Some might have only 200 calories per cup, while others have well over 400. The general rule of thumb is that 20 calories per pound of body weight should be adequate for a large breed dog like the Cane Corso.

• Joint issues: Your Cane Corso is agile for now, but his large frame makes his joints a little weaker than smaller breeds. Try to find a dry food that targets joint health. The best ingredients to look for are glucosamine and chondroitin, which help to boost collagen levels and joint health.
• Balanced: Protein is super important for strong muscles and energy, but all nutrients are important in some way or another. The best foods for your Cane Corso will probably have the term “balanced” somewhere on the bag.
• Quality: The cheapest dog food might be the best for your wallet, but isn’t the best for your Cane Corso’s health. Spend a little extra money on higher quality food recipes to get your Cane Corso’s nutrition where it should be.
  
  

Cane Corso Puppy Feeding Schedule And Amount

Here's Our Cane Corso Feeding Guide for Adults

Your Cane Corso will eventually weigh 100 pounds or more, but that doesn’t mean you should just feed him a ton of food as a puppy to help him put on the weight. Puppy food is an absolute must to keep your Cane Corso puppy’s growth on track.

So, what should you look for in puppy food? You want a food that’s relatively high in protein and doesn’t have too much calcium, as this can negatively affect your Cane Corso’s joints. Dry kibble is usually the best choice, but some wet food every day will definitely help with growth.

Remember, the feeding amounts below are just an approximation. Pet owners should always talk to their vet and consult their pet foods feeding chart to determine the exact amount their dogs should be fed. The dogs’ weights and energy levels should be the main factors considered when determining how much food they need to eat each day.

How to Feed Your Cane Corso Puppy

According to the American Kennel Club, here are some guidelines for feeding a large breed puppy like the Cane Corso.

• Between 6 and 12 weeks, feed your Cane Corso 4 times a day.
• Start adding in some wet food around the 10-week mark.
• Cut back to 3 meals a day around 3 to 6 months.
• By the time your Cane Corso is 6 to 12 months, 2 times a day should be sufficient.
• Switch to adult food when your Cane Corso is a year or older, but check with your vet first to see that he’s ready. 

So, just how much should you be feeding your Cane Corso puppy? Well, you need to take into consideration how large he’ll be eventually. Here are some guidelines for a 100-pound dog, according to Purina.

• First 3 months: 1 - 2 ⅔ cups per day
• 4-5 months: 3 - 3 ¾ cups per day
• 6-8 months: 3 - 5 ⅓ cups per day
• 9-11 months: 4 - 6 cups per day
• 12-24 months: 6 - 9 cups per day

Add an extra ⅓ cup of food per day for every additional 10 pounds over 100 pounds. Also, remember that you will be switching over to adult food after about the year mark, so consult with your vet about food changes.

Wet vs. Dry Food

Dry food is definitely the best choice, as it’s more convenient to serve and definitely much cheaper. It also seems to be better for dental health. But, it’s much less nutrient-dense. 

Wet food is great if you want to ramp up the protein levels in your Cane Corso’s diet and encourage him to eat more. However, it is a lot more expensive.

Your best bet? A mix between the two. Just make sure you’re checking the calorie content of your wet and dry food, so you’re not overfeeding your Cane Corso.

Other Helpful Information...

When writing this article there were many additional things pertaining to puppy feeding that I wanted to share. So instead of making this a super long article I branched off and wrote this additional helpful guide to puppy feeding. 

With these two articles you'll fast become a mastiff feeding genius! :-)

Pro-tip: Cane Corso anxiety, aggression, destructive chewing, jumping up, fearfulness, and other behaviors can be controlled with the right training program.

Here’s a great course that addresses these issues along with many other dog training basics: Check it out now!

Cane Corso Adult Feeding Schedule And Amount

When you make the transition to adult food, it can be a little tricky. Calorie counts for different dry foods range greatly, so you want to make sure you’re sticking to about 20 calories per pound unless your vet notifies you otherwise.

In terms of how much you’re feeding your Cane Corso a day, Purina suggests feeding about 4 ¼ cups of dry food for a 100-pound dog. Adding an extra ¼ cup for every additional 10 pounds, most Cane Corsos will do just fine with up to 4 ½ cups a day or fewer.

Free Feeding vs. Meal Feeding

As much as it might be easy to just leave a bowl of dog food out in the morning, Cane Corsos are prone to developing bloat. 

Bloat is a condition where the stomach fills up with too much gas and food. At a certain point, the stomach actually flips over on itself and traps the excess air and food in the stomach. This deprives blood flow to the rest of the body and can prove to be fatal.

Large meals make bloat much more likely, so it’s best to feed your Cane Corso several small meals a day. That means dividing your Cane Corsos 4 ½ cups of dry food into 2 to 4 smaller meals a day.

Extra Supplements

Even though your Cane Corso is probably meeting his joint needs with his large breed dog feed, it doesn’t hurt to get some extra assistance, right?

It would be a pretty good idea to start giving your Cane Corso glucosamine and/or chondroitin soft chews once he reaches adulthood. This is a solid way of keeping his joints lubricated, mobile, and completely functional.

Best Dog Food For A Cane Corso: Our Recommendations

Feeding your Cane Corso the right food is important for extending his lifespan and preventing obesity and joint conditions. Even though you might want to save a little cash, cutting corners can really be detrimental to your Cane Corso’s health. So, here are the best Cane Corso foods. 

Best Food For A Cane Corso Puppy Wet And Dry

The best Cane Corso puppy foods are loaded with protein for muscle growth, antioxidants for immunity, and omega fatty acids for coat and skin health. We did our best to include foods designed purely for the dietary and nutritional needs of a large puppy like a Cane Corso. All of the links below will take you to Amazon.com

Best Dry Food For Cane Corso Puppies

Best Wet Food For Cane Corso Puppies

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Pro-tip: Cane Corso's (and their owners) love dog crates…and for good reasons. Crates keep dogs from mischief while you're away, are perfect for house training, for traveling by car, and provide the dog a place to de-stress. Check out the best Mastiff crates on Amazon.com now.

Best Food For A Cane Corso Adult Wet And Dry

This Cane Corso feeding guide would not be complete without our making recommendations of the best Cane adult foods that are balanced with all of the essential nutrients and only include ingredients that truly need to be there (aka, no filler ingredients, GMOs, artificial flavoring). 

We also made it a point to choose recipes that included glucosamine (and/or chondroitin) and extra ingredients for a healthy immune system and digestive tract.

Best Dry Food For Cane Corso Adults

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Best Wet Food For Cane Corso Adults

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Other Helpful Information...

With there being so many great food choices on the market today, and wanting to be thorough, I wrote a page reviewing additional choices of some excellent dog foods for Mastiffs.

This will give you a better idea as to what's out there, as well as what to be looking for when it comes to ingredients and pricing. 

Cane Corso Raw Feeding

Many Cane Corso owners swear by the raw food diet. That’s because this diet is known to improve coat appearance, strengthen the teeth, improve muscle mass, and boost energy levels. 

This diet literally consists of feeding your Cane Corso raw meat, vegetables, and fruits. Ultimately, the goal is to feed your pup a diet that’s truly all-natural and doesn’t include any processing at all.

Here's an article I wrote about this raw feeding diet to not only let you know what this diet is all about, but also to give you a solid start on what is considered by many to be the healthiest way to feed your Cane Corso.

How Much Will Feeding My Mastiff Cost?

Though the majority of this Cane Corso feeding guide pertains to how much food to serve as well as the best type and even the best scheduling, no doubt you've wondered how much you can expect to pay yearly in food costs.

You can expect to pay between $1200-$1600 yearly, possibly a bit more depending upon food quality and amounts.

To go deeper into this you'll appreciate our article which dissects food costs further and even offers cost comparisons between processed and raw food diets.

Cane Corso Feeding Guide Conclusion...

The Cane Corso is a massive dog that requires a lot of food, but not just any food will do. You need to make sure you’re feeding your Cane Corso the right amount and the right type of food. Here are some final feeding recommendations for your Cane Corso.

• Foods high in protein, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and omega fatty acids
• More meals a day with smaller portions to help prevent bloat (2 to 4 should be okay)
• Wet and dry food for puppies, but you can transition wet food out as he gets older
• Foods with glucosamine and chondroitin for joint health
  
  

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I’m Ken Alden. This website
is a labor of love from years of research and personal experiences with Mastiffs.

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