looking for help with our mastiff?

i and my wife rescued a english mastiff earlier this year which at 5 wks weighed only 2.3 lbs.Really,just a bit over 2 lbs,and near death.After many vet visits, she is now a beautiful puppy,has great markings were told, and very lively,sometimes too lively,lol. Lilly, the mastiff, is now 6 mos. and only weighs 65lbs., and so we are worried if she will catch up to normal weight,and if there is any long term health effects we need to watch for. She was our first mastiff, we have since adopted a 7yr. old bullmastiff, and they love each other.So if anyone has any info that could help us,please share.

yes there are a few... and I've got news for you... she HAS caught up almost to the lower end of the female english mastiff spectrum. As a good general rule with large molossers (I have a boerboel, so I know for sure), every month of puppyhood just add a zero... 6 months, 60lbs, 7 months 70 lbs. At around 10-12 months they have a growth spurt, by 11 months, somewhere around 120 or so is common. Some are smaller,. some are larger. My buddy has an english mastiff who is fully grown and 178lbs. smallish for a male, but within the spectrum.A few health problems to watch for are Bloat... she may eat too fast, mastiffs can get bloat very easily. Also, my friend fed his mastiff puppy chow when he first got him... BIG MISTAKE. Feed your mastiff adult food, too much caloric intake and fat content in puppy chow, it makes the mastiff's muscles grow much faster than it's bones do and open up a window for hip dysplasia and dysmorphia in the front legs especially. his mastiff got Bowed legs, went to the vet... she said " oh, stop feeding him fatty puppyfood, itll clear up". He was skeptical but listened.. within 2 weeks, the front legs were straight and the dog was fine. true story.Also, watch her at about 1.5 years old, she may develop teeth problems, it's somewhat common in mastiffs to have an abscess or tooth problems around this age.....And lastly, dont mind the drool.. yes Bullmastiffs drool, but God I hope you are ready for adult full blooded mastiff "slingers" hanging 1 foot down from their mouths, ready to make their way onto your hands, pants, etc.She sounds healthy and fine, refrain from extra feeding, or large meals... give her smaller meals more times per day..... I know you want her to eat, eat eat... but she'll be just fine in a year or so when she's a big honkin mastiff girl! ADD- Again let me reiterate that she is not small... 6 month old puppies usually weigh 60-70lbs. My boerboel was around this weight, and my friend's english mastiff, who is male, was around 68-70lbs at this age. So, she's fine and on track to be a healthy dog.... Ill put her adult ideal weight around 170 or 175lbs. Normalish for a female english mastiff.

She should eventually gain her weight back, but because she is such a large breed, you actually want her to gain weight slowly. If she puts on too much weight too fast, it will stress out her joints and bones. Keep her on a large breed puppy food (preferably a premium brand) and maybe even give her some joint support supplements that you can get at any pet sore.As for long term effects, it's hard to say. If she was taken from her mother too soon, she may have trouble socializing with other dogs. She seems fine with your other dog, but make sure she gets to meet all sorts of other breeds as well.

Is she actually underweight, or is she just small? This scale should help you determine if she's underweight and needs to put on some pounds:http://www.mastiffonlinecommunity.net/viewtopic.php?t=2259If she scored a 1 or a 2, she definitely needs to put on some weight. If she scored a 3, aim to bring her up to a 4, but don't be terribly concerned. (It's really best to keep a growing Mastiff on the lean side, even a little bit underweight. Their weight really puts a huge amount of stress on their fragile developing joints, and every pound is just more stress.) One way to help her put on some weight, if she needs it, would be to feed her the occasional "Satin Ball:"http://www.mastiffonlinecommunity.net/viewtopic.php?t=10749If she's just small, just love her for who she is. Due to her rough start in life, her growth may have been permanently stunted, and you know what? That's okay! There are some Mastiffs who, because of either genes or circumstance, are always "petite." As long as she's healthy, who cares if she doesn't adhere to the breed standard? She's your baby girl, so I know you love her regardless of her size, right? Even if she's only 65 pounds, if she's a healthy weight for her size, then that's what matters.Of course, she might not be destined to always be petite! It isn't really fair to compare growing Mastiffs, especially since you don't even know her lineage and such. See, all Mastiffs are individuals with different genes, diets and environments -- they all grow at different rates. Some grow very slowly and steadily until age four. Some are almost fully grown by their first birthday. Some have random growth spurts and periods when they seem not to grow at all. It's certainly possible that your girl will one day be 140 pounds or 180 pounds or 205 pounds.. Who knows? Only time will tell!Do be sure that you're feeding her an appropriate diet. Diet, of course, plays a huge role in a dog's development, and young Mastiffs require a careful balance of calcium, phosphorus and protein. Check out the simple explanations, if you want:http://www.mastiffonlinecommunity.net/viewtopic.php?t=3445Aim for a high quality, Mastiff-friendly food from this list:http://www.mastiffonlinecommunity.net/viewtopic.php?t=9702As for long term health effects, we really can't help you there.. Don't be afraid to ask your vet! I mean, since we don't know your girl's history, we can hardly even guess.. Her tiny size could have been due to horrible, irresponsible breeding, in which case only God knows what she may have inherited because of the "breeder" failing to properly health test her dogs. Or, she might've been terribly malnourished as a puppy, in which case her growth could be permanently stunted, or something.. Who knows?If you have any more questions, stories or anything else about your two babies, I recommend that you join the Mastiff Online Community:http://www.mastiffonlinecommunity.net/Questions, stories and pictures of both your Mastiff and Bullmastiff would be quite welcome!Good luck.