Things you need to know about keeping Mastiff dogs

Mastiff dogs are dog breeds like Neopolitan Mastiff, Bullmastiff, Cane corso, Bull dog etc. These dog breeds have similar body conformation, ancestors and behavior. They are mainly muscular breeds with smooth short hairs sometimes with dropping jaws, large paws, weighting above 30kg in most cases. The most visible similarity is around the head of these breeds which is mainly broad with facial folds in some cases.

Most owners of mastiff breeds intend to use them for security purpose here in Nigeria because these dogs are feared a lot mainly from their looks therefore they are mainly kept outdoors to guard the house from intruders. Due to this these dog needs are usually neglected or are not known at all. They are cared for as if they are the same with German shepherd dog and the like. These mastiff dogs consequently suffer some certain health problems that are misunderstood. Let us highlight these health problems.

Cherry Eye

This condition presents as a bulging reddish ball at the corner of the eye (let me avoid the technical terminologies). This is due to excessive irritation to the eye from the environment causing the gland located there to undergo a swelling (hypertrophy) to produce more secretions to lubricate and disinfect the eyes. This condition is mainly seen in dogs like Neoplitan mastiffs and cane corsos. It is important to prevent this condition from showing up than paying a large sum of money for a surgical removal of the gland tissues. Occasional use of eye drops a stretch of 3 days can be very helpful. Preventing dust around the dog home is very important. Cleaning the dog eyes with sterile cotton wool and mild disinfectant is equally very helpful.

Rickets Disease

By this I mean the bilateral bending of the hind limbs towards the center of the body forming a kind of “K-legs” or bending of the forelimbs outside the body center forming a “bowl leg” look. This is mainly caused by calcium deficiency in dogs especially mastiff dogs. During development from puppy stage to adult these dogs required food with sufficient calcium to help the fast growing bones develop properly which when deficient leads to this condition. There are other cases where more calcium is needed in the body system leading to demineralization of the longs bones also leading to this condition. It is important to provide your dog with food mainly formulated for these breed of dogs. There are commercial dog foods specifically labeled “for large breed puppies”. It will be helpful to supplement the dog’s food with calcium tablets especially at puppy stage.

Scarred Elbow and Ankle joint skin

When you check the elbow and ankle of older mastiff breeds you may see a thick black looking flesh around that area on both forelimbs (front legs) and or hind limbs (back legs). These scars are mainly hairless and appear because these dogs are left to sleep on hard surfaces. They first appear as little bruises and progress to that black scar. I do not know if they are reversible but I believe that prevention is better than cure. It is important to provide the dog with a soft flat bed or material in his cage. This will eliminate the occurrence of this.

Pododermatitis

Pododermatitis means inflammation of the skin on the feet of the dog. Mastiff breeds bear a lot of weight on their feet and are prone to bruising their paw causing wounds on it which sometimes will not heal quickly. In other cases they get infected between their paw which appears as reddish painful patches causing the dog to raise that foot or limp while moving around. Try to prevent these by making sure the dog does not go to wet environment or floor. Contact your vet when it occurs and take his advice.