Top 10 Best Dog Foods for Cane Corsos
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The Cane Corso (plural: Cani Corsi) is an incredible, courageous dog. They are fearless protectors and valiantly guard your home against any unwanted guests. Since they have so much work to do, these dogs need complete and balanced nutrition to keep them in tip-top shape. And given that they are so massive–they are Italian Mastiffs after all–they’re bound to have an appetite to match!
Good nutrition is the cornerstone of good health for all living creatures, dogs included. As the proud owner of a Cane Corso, you probably want to pick out the best food for your loyal pal. However, as there are so many food options available on the market, it can be confusing to determine which is right for your Corso.
We have put together this guide on everything you need to know about your furry friend’s nutrition so that you can make an informed choice. We’ll talk about their dietary needs through every stage of life and give recommendations on the best dog foods to try from puppy into the senior years. And if you find yourself with an overweight Corso, we’ve got suggestions for that too!
Understanding a dog’s dietary needs is crucial to their quality of life, especially since they change through out puppyhood, adulthood, and the senior years. Let’s take a closer look at what goes into your Cane Corso’s best nourishment.
Eating Habits
Habits change as dogs go through life, as well. A working dog generally needs more calories than dogs who are simply family pets. Generally speaking, more active dogs eat more than those who are content to laze on the couch. How much your Corso eats depends on their age, size, and activity level. Given that they are a giant breed, they’re bound to eat much more than smaller dogs do.
When choosing portions for your Cane Corso, always remember to consider their size. Corso puppies have plenty of growing up to do, and it’s important that the growth occurs at a safe pace. Growing up too quickly could create health problems that you could easily avoid. Cani Corsi reach full development at around 19 months of age. You should be adjusting portion sizes with your veterinarian’s advice. You should feed your Corso puppy three meals a day, transitioning to two meals a day when their growth slows down at around 18 months of age. Adult dogs should stick to two meals per day. This is the same for senior dogs, though they eat the least amount at this stage in their lives.
It’s important that you not let your dog freely graze on their food because overeating can lead to canine obesity. This is an avenue for many preventable diseases and can significantly shorten a dog’s lifespan. Watching your dog’s weight is imperative in ensuring their health. Exercise and frequent trips to the vet help keep them in great shape. However, take care that they do not eat too soon before or after exercise, as this could lead to stomach upset or potentially gastric torsion, which is incredibly dangerous.
Dietary Needs
Dogs change their dietary needs throughout a lifetime. The changes depend on several factors. We go over what they needs through every life stage, whether a puppy, adult, or senior. Since your dog can be prone to various illnesses, good nutrition is your first line of defense in keeping them healthy. Ensure that you are working with your veterinarian if your pup requires a special diet for their best health.
Cane Corso Puppy Nutrient Needs
- They weigh over 100 pounds in adulthood, though many weigh even more than this! For this reason, you need to give them food specially formulated for puppies of large– or better, giant–breed size. This way, your puppy has all the nutrients they need for proper growth and development– and not at a pace that is too fast. Abnormal growth can be dangerous, so it’s best to take things slowly. This is also why you should avoid food marketed as being for “all life stages.”
- Your puppy needs a diet consisting of around 22% protein and 8% fat. Puppy food for larger breeds has all the nutrients necessary to meet these needs. Food intended for puppies is nutrient and calorie-dense to provide more nourishment even in smaller portions. Consult the package or manufacturer’s website to find the correct portion size for your dog. As always, be sure to consult your veterinarian for guidance.
Adult Cane Corso Nutritional Requirements
- Transitioning is especially important if you’re unsure of how much your pup has left to grow. You can transition your puppy to adult food when they reach around 12 months of age. Take care not to switch to their new food too quickly in case of stomach upset– or just a picky Corso! It is best to transition them over a few days. Gradually replace your puppy’s formula with adult formula, adding a little at a time to their old food. Keep doing this for several days until you are left only with the adult food.
- Your Corso should not be eating the same calorie-dense food that they did in their puppyhood. However, serving sizes are much larger now, given that they are much larger too! As they have stopped growing, the focus goes from developing a strong body to maintaining that body’s health. The best way to achieve this is to give them lots of good quality protein. This is their main source of energy, plus the fuel needed to build lots of sturdy muscle. You should provide a Cane Corso with 21-25% protein at this stage. However, they need less fat than they did as puppies–about 6% is fair.
- These pups should only be eating two meals every day. More than this can lead to overfeeding, which can then lead to bloat and obesity. These can be deadly conditions, so it is important to avoid overfeeding. Always check for signs of stomach upset as well, such as vomiting and diarrhea, to ensure your Corso’s tummy is consistently feeling its best.
Senior Cane Corso Nutrition
- This is a giant breed dog, so they hit their senior years around age 6. However, all dogs are different, and your Corso may reach its senior status a little sooner or later than others. The vet might consider activity level and overall health to determine when your dog reaches the senior life stage. Once the time comes, you should transition to senior food the same way you transitioned from puppy to adult food.
- Like all animals, a Cane Corso is less active in their senior years than they were when they were young. Given their slower metabolism, they should eat fewer calories. As their pet parent, you should adjust their calorie consumption to something that fits their everyday movement. Feeding them the same amount of food can quickly lead to obesity, which you need to avoid even more in their senior years. Since a dog’s immune systems are not as efficient as it used to be, it’s imperative to protect them against disease.
- It is a misconception that senior dogs need to eat less protein than adult dogs. In fact, it is beneficial to give them more protein than before, as this helps maintain healthy muscle mass. Muscle wastage is a huge problem in senior dogs, as they do not move as frequently as they used to. Give them somewhere between 28 to 32% protein. This amount should help prevent muscle loss.
- There is a new emphasis on Glucosamine and Chondroitin in dogs’ diets, as these are simply the best nutrients to help keep them agile. These help to fortify their joints and keep them strong even in old age. This can also help prevent joint pain from diseases like arthritis. Lastly, your senior dog needs to eat dog food containing lots of fruits and vegetables for vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to boost its weakened immune system.
Stomach Sensitivities
- This type of breed may develop stomach sensitivities at some point in their life. If this happens, there is a renewed emphasis on feeding minimally processed food. Avoiding dog food containing unnecessary ingredients, such as fillers and artificial colors and flavors, can help reduce sensitivity and allergies.
- High-quality dog food provides the necessary nutrients for complete and balanced nutrition and overall health. This also wards against obesity. If you find them developing frequent stomach upset or allergies, you might consider switching to a limited ingredient diet.
What to Feed Your Cane Corso
- We put a special emphasis on high-quality ingredients in our top picks. Many canine nutritionists and veterinarians feel that dry kibble is the best source of well-balanced nutrition. It is also one of the most convenient foods to feed them. But, if you are looking to feed your dog the very highest-quality meals, you should also consider a fresh, human-grade dog food like The Farmer’s Dog.
- We have chosen brands that adhere to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) guidelines, assuring your food passed rigorous standards.
- Before we move on to our recommendations, let’s discuss the ingredients to look out for when choosing your Corso’s food. We determine which ones you should be selecting versus which ones you should avoid.
- Good nutrition comes from specific components that you should be aware of. Here are the ingredients that you should prioritize when selecting food.
Healthy Fats
A Cane Corso also needs healthy fat in its diet. It’s an excellent source of extra energy and helps to fuel brain activity. Some great sources of fat are chicken fat and flaxseed oil, plus various fish oils. Omega fatty acids also aid in eye and brain development and help keep the skin and coat healthy.
Fruits and Vegetables
We all know our dogs love eating meat, but it’s important they also enjoy fruits and vegetables to provide well-balanced nutrition. Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants that help boost overall health. These superfoods are found in most premium dog foods. Many of the same brands also include vegetable fiber that serves as prebiotics for gut health.
Protein
Protein is an essential part of your dog’s diet. Therefore, you should not skimp on the quality. Dogs need to eat food that contains real meat. Provided your pooch is not on a limited ingredient diet, you should select food that has multiple sources of protein. Meat from fish, fowl, and grassland-dwelling animals are all great ingredients that boost their protein. These should also be among the first items on the ingredient list, signifying these meats are the primary ingredients in the formula.
What Not to Feed Dogs
Here are some of the ingredients that you should avoid when you are choosing dog food. These add very little nutritional value. As such, they contribute nothing to a dog’s health and may even be detrimental to it.
Wheat, Gluten, and Other Grains
Many grains and other carbohydrates are difficult for dogs to digest. For this reason, many brands of dog food have come up with grain-free formulas. These make it easier on a dog’s stomach. Wheat and corn are among some of the most commonly used grains in lower-quality dog food. Besides potentially irritating your dog’s stomach, these also increase their blood sugar. This can be dangerous for dogs with diabetes. This isn’t to say that all grains or carbohydrates are bad! Brown rice and sweet potatoes, for example, have a low glycemic index and provide plenty of nutrients.
Always consult your vet before making a major shift to a grain-free diet as it is not right for every dog. In fact, some studies have even linked it to dangerous heart problems, so you will want to work with your vet to come up with a plan for this transition to make sure you do it in a healthy way for your Corso.
Dairy
Dogs are actually lactose intolerant and cannot process dairy very well. Milk-based ingredients can trigger stomach upset and allergies. This can lead to loose stools, gas, and sometimes vomiting in more severe situations. This extends to milk by-products such as skim milk powder and whey powder.
Additives and Fillers
Fillers do not do anything for a dog’s nutrition. They are simply added to make the food seem more nutritious or meatier. Artificial preservatives aren’t necessarily dangerous, but artificial flavors and colors are not helpful. Something else to watch out for is the word “meat” by itself. This tells you nothing of the actual meat source or the quality of that meat.
Best Dog Food for Cane Corso
Since a lot of work goes into choosing the best dog food for a Cane Corso, we’ve simplified the search for you. Below, we list some of the best dog foods available from beloved brands, rated highly all across the world. These dog foods give your Corso the most complete and balanced nutrition, regardless of its life stage.
We have chosen five different foods for the puppy, adult, and senior life stages. We have also included options for dogs who have gotten a little bit too chunky and need to lose weight. Rest assured that our recommendations are some of the best quality on the market, containing all the nutrients dogs need to thrive.
Gentle Giants Canine Nutrition Chicken Dry Dog Food – Best Value
| Life Stage: | Adult |
| Calories: | 358 per cup |
| Protein: | 22% |
| Type: | Dry Food |
If you’re searching for a dog food that’s a little less expensive than our first pick, the best dog food for Cane Corso’s for the money, in our opinion, is Gentle Giants Canine Nutrition Dry Dog Food. This kibble is suitable for almost any budget and features real meat and veggies to keep your own gentle giant healthy and happy for years. Meats included in this healthy blend include New England mussels, wholesome vegetables including peas, sweet potatoes, and kelp, giving your large dog the vitamins and minerals he needs, while the mussels provide a form of natural joint support.
Some users reported that the kibble tended to come crumbled in the bottom of the bag, making it hard to feed their pets. Does contain peas. Finally, you’ll be able to easily find this bag of kibble because the bag itself is unique, showing pictures of pet owners actually feeding the kibble to their pets.
Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream Grain-Free Dry Dog Food – Best Overall
| Life Stage: | Adult |
| Calories: | 408 per cup |
| Protein: | 25% |
| Type: | Dry Food |
Our best overall choice for dog foods for Cane Corso’s goes to Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream Grain-Free Dry Dog Food. Featuring a grain-free recipe, this food is made in the USA. It also contains the proper ingredients to support your gorgeous Cane Corso’s shiny coat and healthy skin to keep them that way for many years to come.
The only drawback we saw with this kibble is that it’s expensive and might not work for everyone’s budget. In addition, some pet owners reported it as having a strong, off-putting smell and that the salmon pieces were a little too large for some dogs to eat. If the salmon recipe doesn’t seem to be the best fit for your pet, then this company offers a few more varieties, so you can find one that does. It does contain pea protein which is a controversial ingredient, but as the 5th ingredient.
Hill’s Science Diet Puppy Large Breed Dry Dog Food – Best for Puppies
| Life Stage: | Puppy |
| Calories: | 373 per cup |
| Protein: | 24.5% |
| Type: | Dry Food |
If your Cane Corso is still a puppy, then you’ll want to feed him the proper food for his size and digestive needs. That’s where our number four choice of Hill’s Science Diet Puppy Large Breed Dry Dog Food comes in. This brand is best for growing puppies as it contains no meat byproducts to upset their little stomachs and features chicken meal. The formula has a good amount of protein included but is sorely lacking when it comes to containing live probiotics.
Since it does contain whole grain wheat and corn, you want to ensure your puppy doesn’t have allergies to these ingredients before trying him on this brand. Also, this kibble is a bit pricey for dog food, though it is high quality.
Ollie Fresh Beef Recipe – Premium Choice
| Life Stage: | Adult |
| Calories: | 1540 kcal/kg |
| Protein: | 12% |
| Type: | Fresh food |
Our premium pick for the Cane Corso goes to Ollie’s beef recipe. Ollie is a subscription service that will deliver premium dog food right to your door. This company makes both fresh and baked food recipe options that can be mixed if preferred.
Ollie will make sure the food you receive is tailored specifically to your dog’s needs, which goes above and beyond what most dog foods can do.
Though fresh food options are more expensive than your commercial kibbles and canned food varieties, they offer up quality, palatability, and health benefits that can’t be beaten. Just be sure to set aside some room in your fridge and freezer for storage.
The beef recipe is the highest in protein, which is great for your big dog’s energy levels and the maintenance of that heavy muscle mass. It features real beef as the first ingredient and is packed full of essential vitamins and nutrients through a variety of fresh ingredients like peas, sweet potatoes, potatoes, blueberries, spinach, as well as beef kidney and liver.
Since foods containing peas and potatoes in place of traditional grains are currently being investigated by the FDA, it’s best to discuss any concerns with your veterinarian.
The Ollie beef recipe Our Fresh Beef Recipe is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for All Life Stages, including the growth and development of large-sized dogs like the Cane Corso.
American Journey Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe Grain-Free Dog Food
| Life Stage: | Adult |
| Calories: | 390 per cup |
| Protein: | 32% |
| Type: | Dry Food |
With a stunning 32% protein level, American Journey Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe Grain-Free Dog food is number five on our list. This is quite a bit of high-quality protein, on top of being grain-free. Deboned chicken and salmon meal top the list of ingredients, which accounts for the high protein levels. With the salmon comes flaxseed which works to keep your pet’s coat shiny and his skin healthy. Also, since the kibble is grain-free, it’ll prevent bloating and help to increase your pet’s energy levels at the same time.
Some pet owners reported the kibble’s lack of red meat as being troublesome because their Cane Corso’s were still hungry after eating a meal and needed snacks to get them through to their next feeding.
Royal Canin Giant Breed Adult Dog Food
| Life Stage: | Adult |
| Calories: | 337 per cup |
| Crude Protein: | 26% |
| Type: | Dry Food |
Another one of the best dog foods to feed your Cane Corso is Royal Canin Giant Breed Adult Dry Dog Food. It is for giant breed dogs over the age of 18 to 24 months and over 100 pounds so it caters for the largest of dogs. Dogs love the taste of this chicken recipe and its extra large kibble. It’s an excellent source of vitamins and minerals for your Cane Corso and provides joint support with the added glucosamine and chondroitin. It has an antioxidant complex to help support cellular health as these dogs are prone to premature aging. With added taurine to help keep these big hearted dogs healthy as well. It comes as a 35 pound bag which is bigger than most and will keep your dog going a while.
However, some other pet owners have reported the kibble pieces as too large and difficult to eat for their dogs.
Chicken Soup for the Soul Large Breed Dry Dog Food
| Life Stage: | Adult |
| Calories: | 374 per cup |
| Protein: | 23% |
| Type: | Dry Food |
Next on our list is Chicken Soup for the Soul Large Breed Dry Dog Food. It stands to reason that if chicken soup is good for humans, it should be good for pets as well, right? This kibble is affordable for almost any budget and contains probiotics for digestion. In addition, the ingredients of this food are high-quality, so it easily helps your dog maintain a healthy weight.
It has been reported that some dogs don’t like the taste of this kibble and refuse to eat it. One of the main issues with this kibble is it contains nothing to support joint health. Some users also reported that the kibble recipe had changed since the last time they purchased a bag for their Cane Corso.
Ziwi Peak Air-Dried Lamb Dog Food
| Life Stage: | Adult |
| Calories: | 318 per cup |
| Protein: | 35% |
| Type: | Dry Food |
Next on our list is Ziwi Peak Air-Dried Lamb Dog Food, as it contains all the ingredients to keep your pet healthy and happy. New Zealand lamb is a prime ingredient in this kibble, which gives you a 35% protein formula when added with the green-lipped mussels that are also an ingredient and will help to support your pet’s joint health. Calorie dense and easy to digest, this is the perfect food to provide relief from any food-based allergies your Cane Corso may suffer from. This food is also available in a wide variety of flavour options, so if your pet doesn’t like the taste of one, you have other choices to try him on.
Some pet owners reported the food as having a really strong smell and that their pets refused to eat this blend. The food is also a bit pricey for many people’s budgets and only comes as small bags so is best as a topper or as training treats for your Cane Corso.
Purina Pro Plan Adult Giant Breed Formula Dry Food
| Life Stage: | Adult |
| Calories: | 370 per cup |
| Protein: | 26% |
| Type: | Dry Food |
Purina Pro Plan Adult Giant Breed Formula Dry Food is a chicken flavor large kibble for adult dogs over 100 pounds. It’s a good source of protein for your pet and at 12% fat will provide energy but help keep a healthy weight. This food is one of the few made specifically for giant dogs. The kibble has guaranteed live probiotics to help ensure gut and immune system health. Joints are taken care of too with glucosamine and EPA an omega 3 fatty acid.
Some owners do report upset tummies on this food or that their dogs wouldn’t eat it.
Holistic Select Large and Giant Breed Dry Dog Food
| Life Stage: | Adult |
| Calories: | 453 per cup |
| Protein: | 24% |
| Type: | Dry Food |
Made with pre and probiotics as well as live yogurt cultures, digestive enzymes and natural fiber, Holistic Select Large and Giant Breed Adult Dry Dog Food is aimed at digestive health. It has a 24% protein level and contains glucosamine and chondroitin for joint care and omega 3 fatty acids for skin and coat, making it a healthy choice to feed your Cane Corso.
Some people have reported that this kibble is too small for larger breeds and others that the food was crumbled in the bag or their dogs wouldn’t eat it.
Eagle Pack Chicken & Pork Large Breed Adult Dry Dog Food
| Life Stage: | Adult |
| Calories: | 340 per cup |
| Protein: | 25% |
| Type: | Dry Food |
Last on our list is Eagle Pack Chicken & Pork Large Breed Adult Dry Dog Food. This food was specifically made for dogs over 50 pounds, making it the perfect choice for many Cane Corso dogs. In addition, the food contains chicken and pork meal, making it a food that many dogs love the flavor of.
However, some pet owners reported that the oil from the food tends to seep through the bag, meaning you need to store it in a separate container to avoid it making a mess. The fact that the kibble doesn’t contain real fruits and veggies is a cause for concern to us also.
