10 Healthiest & Best Dog Food for Cane Corso In May 2023

What makes a great Cane Corso dog food?

Question: Do you know what is the best dog food for Cane Corso? Cane Corsos need the same things that all dogs need: a strong nutritional foundation built from richly nourishing, species-appropriate ingredients – ingredients like real high-quality meat and vitamin-packed nutritious vegetables. They need balanced levels of protein, fat, and carbs.

Like every other dog, they benefit from a minimally-processed diet. As foods are processed, they lose their nutritional gusto, necessitating the use of more and more synthetic vitamins and supplements. It’s best for dogs to get these nutrients the natural way- through fresh, wholesome ingredients that have been processed as little as possible.

Cane Corsos, like every other dog, can thrive on a balanced home-cooked or raw diet. If you’re interested in taking this route, here is a selection of recipes that will help you to get started creating a nutritionally complete homemade diet for your dog.

When choosing a commercial food, you should always look for one that’s free of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives and seek recipes that feature meat (not byproducts or worse, corn or other filler grains) as the first ingredient.

Let’s find the Best Dog Foods for Cane Corso

Large, muscular, and born with a strong desire to work, Cane Corsos are descendants of Canis Pugnax, a breed that served as Roman war dogs during the first century.

These mastiff-type dogs have served as hunters, guardians, and warriors for centuries in Italy, but prior to 1988, they were virtually unknown outside of the southern part of the country and considered rare.

OUR TOP 3 PICKS FOR BEST DOG FOODS FOR CANE CORSOS

The American Kennel Club didn’t recognize the breed until 2010, and since then Cane Corsos have seen a notable rise in popularity, becoming the 40th most popular dog breed in the United States by 2016.

Their intimidating appearance, devotion to family, responsiveness to training, and unusual strength make them popular guard dogs and family protectors.

In this article, we’ll take a look at the unique health needs of the Cane Corso and how these affect their dietary requirements, establishing a criteria for a great food for this breed.

Following this framework for choosing the right food for your Cane Corso, you’ll find a list of the ten best foods on the market for this breed.

Here are the products that are reviewed on this post:

1. Ollie Fresh Pet Food Delivery
2. Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream Formula
3. American Journey Beef & Sweet Potato
4. True Acre Foods Chicken & Vegetable Recipe
5. Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula
6. Wysong Epigen 90 Starch-Free Formula
7. Wellness CORE Grain-Free Large Breed
8. Instinct Raw Boost Senior
9. Ziwi Peak Daily-Dog Venison Cuisine
10. ORIJEN Senior High-Protein Formula

Cane Corso puppies should consume a food formulated for large breed puppies – these diets are designed to encourage a moderate growth rate and healthy bone development, which is exactly what your Cane Corso needs.

Foods designed for adult maintenance or even all life stages don’t always deliver the perfect balance of nutrients and minerals that your rapidly-growing pup requires. Below are our picks for the two best puppy foods for your Cane Corso.

 

 The Best Dog Food For Cane Corso

1. Ollie Fresh Pet Food Delivery

First 5 Ingredients for Turkey Recipe: Turkey, Kale, Lentils, Carrots, Turkey Liver

Best Overall – Ollie is a meal delivery service for your beloved pets. The company provides “care-grade” or “restaurant-quality” meals for your pets, which means that each dish they serve is made with quality, fresh, wholesome ingredients that is fit for your dog's caloric needs.

The company is committed to deliver the best nutrition possible for your four-legged companion. They offer made-to-order recipes that is formulated by a board certified veterinary nutritionists and other nutrition experts. All meals have no fillers, by products or any artificial preservatives plus don't forget their door to door delivery service.

All recipes are complete, balanced and meet AAFCO & USFDA standards. These certificates are actually not needed if you want to sell pet food in the US- but it is nice to know that the company is willing to go the extra mile just to ensure that their meals are nutritious and safe.

Pros

• Exceeds AAFCO quality standards
• USFDA registered
• Simple packaging (pre-portioned)
• All meals are delivered fresh, not frozen, and are kept ice-cold with dry ice
• Free delivery

Cons

• More expensive than traditional pet food

2. Taste Of The Wild Pacific Stream Formula

First 5 Ingredients: Salmon, Ocean Fish Meal, Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes, Peas

Sometimes it can be difficult to choose a dog food because there are so many options out there. When you just can’t make a choice, consider a trusted brand like Taste of the Wild.

Formulated with novel proteins including real smoked salmon, this grain-free recipe includes peas and sweet potatoes that deliver the highly-digestible energy your active pup needs, along with natural antioxidant support from real fruits and vegetables and dried chicory root for prebiotic support and healthy digestion.

This brand doesn’t have the largest selection (especially compared to big names like Blue Buffalo), but their recipes are complete and balanced and loaded with premium roasted meats and other whole-food ingredients.

Overall, this recipe is an excellent source of natural nutrition and is highly digestible thanks to the inclusion of prebiotic fibers. If this recipe doesn’t seem like the right fit, Taste of the Wild has several more to offer, including wet food recipes.

Pros

• Grain-free recipe
• Made with ingredients from trusted and sustainable sources
• Support healthy skin and a shiny coat
• Made in USA

Cons

• Salmon pieces are visibly larger
• Strong smell

3. American Journey Beef & Sweet Potato Recipe

First 5 Ingredients: Deboned Beef, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Peas, Chickpeas

American Journey has produced dog food that goes to show that cheap does not have to mean poor quality. Using beef as its main source of animal protein, this formula contains 32% protein and 14% fat.

This is amazing for a budget dog food and will be more than enough to ensure your dog maintains a healthy immune system, bones, and muscles. However, some of this protein is from the vegetable source pea protein. This is harder for dogs to digest than animal protein, but shouldn't be too much of an issue for a healthy dog.

The dog food does also use chicken and turkey meal to bolster its protein content, which could be of some concern to dogs with allergies. In those cases, you would be better off going with American Journey's limited ingredient range. Still, this formula is grain-free,

This formula does include “dried plain beet pulp” as a source of fiber. This is fine but the saponinins in it has been found to cause irritation in a minor amount of dogs' gastrointestinal tract.

American Journey is the house brand of known online pet products and food retailer, Chewy.com. Manufactured in the United States, American Journey products offer nutritious recipe choices ranging from grain-free to rice-mixed. All formulations are made without soy, wheat, poultry meal by-products, or any filler for a truly healthy feast.

Pros

• Cheap
• High in protein
• Packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants

Cons

• Uses pea protein
• Smaller bag sizes

4. True Acre Foods Chicken & Vegetable Recipe

First 5 ingredients: Chicken, Peas, Pea Starch, Canola Meal, Poultry By-Product Meal

Using chicken as its main source of protein, True Acre Foods have created a reasonable dog food formula that gives quite a lot of value for money. Whilst it only contains an average amount of protein and fat at 24% and 13% respectively, this is all from animal protein sources.

This (along with the good sources of fiber present) make this a great dog food if your pooch has a weak stomach. The omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids present within the formula will also work to ensure your dog's coat and skin remain healthy and vibrant.

All of True Acre's dog foods are made with ingredients sourced from trusted farms, and without grains, wheat, corn or artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Whilst peas are listed as one of the ingredients, it will be difficult to escape this ingredient within this price bracket.

At $39.99 for a 40-lb bag, this formula is quite reasonably priced and represents a good buy for the dog owner on a budget.

Pros

• Affordable
• Made from USA-raised chicken
• Crafted with farm-grown fruits and veggies
• Free of any grains, wheat, corn or artificial colors or flavors
• Contains natural fibers

Cons

• Has Peas (may trigger sensitive dogs)

5. Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula

First 5 ingredients: Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, Barley, Oatmeal

Named after a beloved pet who struggled with serious health issues, the Blue Buffalo company is dedicated to creating holistic premium pet food that addresses the various needs of dogs.

From prescription formulas to grain-free recipes, Blue Buffalo seeks to give every pup healthy, wholesome meals developed by leading animal nutritionists and veterinarians.

The brand sticks to all natural ingredients that are a precise blend of pure meaty goodness, flavorful taste, and complete balanced nutrition to meet the different life stage requirements of your furry family member.

Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula was created for the holistic health and well-being of adult dogs. All formulas start with real meat, whole grains, garden veggies and fruit, plus added LifeSource Bits, a precise blend of nutrients that have been enhanced with a Super 7 package of antioxidant-rich ingredients.

This Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe features delicious, protein-rich deboned chicken and other natural ingredients for a healthy meal your dog will love.

Pros

• No corn, wheat, soy or chicken (or poultry) by-product meals
• Glucosamine is added
• With LifeSource Bits (exclusive recipe for Blue Buffalo)
• With real chicken

Cons

• Pieces too big
• May have changed their formula

6. Wysong Epigen 90 Starch-Free Formula

First 5 Ingredients: Chicken Meal, Organic Chicken, Meat Protein Isolate, Chicken Fat, Gelatin

Wysong Epigen represents a uniquely meat-rich kibble, containing 90% organic meat and absolutely no starch. With its concentration of animal protein along with an extraordinary variety of powerful prebiotics, probiotics, phytonutrients, nutraceuticals, and natural antioxidants, this is one of the most nutritionally-packed foods on the market.

Its first ingredient is chicken meal, which is naturally rich in glucosamine and chondroitin, making this food a good choice for dogs who need joint health support.

This food’s ingredient list does raise a couple of concerns. First of all, we notice “meat protein isolate”, which is a generic name that could suggest the use of byproducts.

On Wysong’s website however, we’re told that this ingredient is made solely from pork:  “Meat protein isolate, which is named so due to labeling regulations, is derived exclusively from pork meat. (Current regulations, for some unknown reason, do not permit a more descriptive term.) It is one of the cleanest and most pure sources of protein available.”

This ingredient is used as a nutrient-rich binder in lieu of the starchy ingredients that are typically used.

The second concerning ingredient is chicken fat. Despite being a nutritious ingredient, fats or oils in the first four ingredients of a dog food could increase your Cane Corso’s chances of developing bloat.

The food is completely free of artificial ingredients like colors, flavors, and preservatives.

Pros

• Contains a rich variety of nutraceutical ingredients designed to enhance your dog’s health
• Made without starches, making it a highly-satiating food and ideal for weight management
• Made with 90% biologically-appropriate, easily digested organic meat

Cons

• The fourth ingredient is chicken fat, which may contribute to your dog’s risk of bloat

7. Wellness CORE Large Breed Formula

First 5 Ingredients: Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Potatoes, Peas

This food is designed for large breed dogs like the Cane Corso and meets their needs in several ways. On the surface, it has a large kibble size that’s perfect for larger mouths. To encourage joint health throughout your dog’s adult life, this food contains glucosamine and chondroitin.

All Wellness CORE foods use grain-free, protein rich recipes infused with botanicals and supplements for optimal health. Unlike some other high-protein foods, Wellness CORE foods avoid excessive fat.

They contain probiotics for digestive health, are enriched with antioxidants, and contain Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids for skin and coat health.

Like all other Wellness CORE foods, this is a grain-free, protein-rich recipe that uses botanicals and supplements for the complete health of the dog, including probiotics and prebiotics for improved digestive health and immune support. It’s enriched with antioxidants, along with Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.

Pros

• Large kibble size is perfect for big dogs
• Contains glucosamine and chondroitin to support joint health
• Grain-free with no corn, soy, or wheat
• Probiotics for digestive health
• Contains omega fatty acids for skin and coat health
• No artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives

Cons

• Contains tomato pomace for added fiber – this is a byproduct of tomato processing
• Contains potatoes, which metabolize quickly and can contribute to weight gain

8. Ziwi Peak Venison Air-Dried Dog Food

First 5 Ingredients: Venison – Meat (Includes Up to 3% Finely Ground Bone), Venison – Liver, Lung, Tripe, Heart and Kidney

This unconventional air-dried food is made a bit like jerky for dogs and contains 98% venison meat, organs, and bone, plus seafood. It delivers the nutritional integrity and digestibility of raw food and the convenience of dry kibble.

It includes natural glucosamine and chondroitin from green-lipped mussels, supporting long-term joint health- a critical concern for large dogs.

To fuel your Cane Corso’s burly body and athletic lifestyle, this food is exceptionally rich in protein and high in calories while keeping carbohydrates to an absolute minimum.

This means that it’s an optimally satiating, nourishing food that will keep your dog energized for hours while discouraging unwanted fat deposits.

Ziwi Peak Venison Cuisine is particularly exceptional if your dog has food sensitivities or allergies. It has one of the simplest ingredient lists you’ll find on a commercial dog food, featuring a single novel protein and zero common problem ingredients like wheat, corn, and soy.

Pros

• Made from fresh New Zealand ingredients and nothing from China
• Free from fillers, byproducts, and artificial ingredients
• Limited ingredient food is perfect for dogs with allergies and food sensitivities

Cons

• An expensive brand, especially for large dogs like Cane Corsos

Best Senior Foods for Cane Corsos

As Cane Corsos enter their senior years, they tend to slow down a little bit. Weight gain can be particularly detrimental for these already large dogs, compounding joint problems and leading to severe pain.

It’s important that your dog’s food matches their activity levels and metabolism. The best foods for senior Cane Corsos continue to support joint health while discouraging weight gain and offering highly-digestible animal protein.

1. Instinct by Nature's Variety Raw Boost Senior

First 5 Ingredients: Chicken Meal (source of Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate), Chickpeas, Peas, Tapioca, Chicken

This food has all of the fundamental characteristics of a good food for senior dogs: it contains glucosamine and chondroitin to keep the the joints in good condition and minimal carbohydrate content to keep weight under control.

Rounding out the nutritional value of this food are chunks of freeze-dried raw meat. Raw meat is packed with enzymes and nutrients that are stripped during high-heat processing.

The recipe also receives a nutritional boost with several senior dog-focused additions. The inclusion of natural DHA from chicken eggs helps to support brain and eye health, while L-carnitine helps to burn fat, keeping your senior dog slim and healthy.

While the inclusion of high-protein peas does raise some concerns about the biological availability of this food's protein content, this recipe is ultimately rich in biologically-available meat protein and delivers plenty of nourishment in a biologically-appropriate form.

Pros

• Contains nourishing chunks of freeze-dried raw meat
• Free of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives
• Doesn't contain any corn, soy, or wheat – grain-free
• Contains glucosamine and chondroitin to support continued joint health
• Contains L-carnitine to discourage fat deposits as your dog ages
• Supports continued brain and eye health

Cons

• Contains protein-rich peas – not the most biologically available source of protein for dogs

2. Orijen Senior Grain-Free Dry Dog Food

First 5 Ingredients: Deboned Chicken, Deboned Turkey, Yellowtail Flounder, Whole Eggs, Whole Atlantic Mackerel

By using fresh freeze-dried or dehydrated muscle meat, cartilage, bones, and organs, Orijen senior food delivers complete, biologically appropriate nourishment.

This food features an impressive 85% animal content – the most biologically available form of protein for dogs. The remaining 15% of this food is comprised of nutritious, low-glycemic fruits and vegetables.

To suit the needs of senior dogs and their decreased metabolism, this food is rich in healthy protein but relatively low in calories.

It contains glucosamine and chondroitin for joint health. This recipe is free of anything artificial and doesn’t contain by-products, fillers, or grains.

The inclusion of glucosamine and chondroitin helps to support joint health throughout your dog’s senior years.

Pros

• Supports a healthy senior weight
• Unusually rich in real animal protein
• No fillers, by-products, or artificial ingredients
• Contains glucosamine and chondroitin for joint health

Cons

• On the expensive end of the spectrum

What are the unique needs of the Cane Corso?

In general, the health demands that make Cane Corsos different from other dogs are the same issues that affect other large breeds.

Orthopedic Health Issues – Because their large bodies place such greater strain on their developing joints and skeletal structure, these dogs are predisposed to orthopedic issues throughout life, demanding diets that both encourage healthy bone growth and nurture joint health as the dog ages.

Particularly common is hip dysplasia, which affects a staggering 39-58% of the Cane Corso population. Elbow dysplasia is similarly prevalent, affecting 16-22% of these dogs. These are developmental joint problems resulting from malformation of the joints.

This malformation leads to excessive wear of the joint cartilage and eventually leads to osteoarthritis. These complications are hereditary, but can be controlled through proper nutrition in puppyhood and beyond.

How can diet help your Cane Corso’s orthopedic health? – As puppies, it’s important to ensure healthy bone development by moderating their growth rate through slight calorie restriction, while providing appropriate levels of calcium and phosphorus.

AAFCO recommends the following levels: 1.2 to 1.8% calcium, 1.0 to 1.6% phosphorus, and a calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of 1:1 to 1.8:1. You can calculate the percentages of these minerals in your dog’s food here.

To ensure that your Cane Corso’s joints remain healthy throughout life, choose a food that contains glucosamine and chondroitin along with Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, which can help to reduce inflammation and keep your dog feeling comfortable.

Because obesity is a risk factor for these joint problems as your dog ages, it’s doubly important that you keep your Cane Corso svelte. A satisfying low-glycemic diet with moderate fat and calories can help to keep additional weight off of your dog’s joints.

Bloat (gastric dilatation volvulus) – This life-threatening condition involves the stomach filling with air, a condition that places pressure on other organs and the diaphragm, making it difficult for the dog to breathe.

Pressure on the veins prevents blood from returning to the heart. In some cases, this gastric dilatation is followed by a second, even more serious stage – volvulus.

Once the stomach fills with air, it can easily rotate on itself, cutting off the blood supply to the stomach and ultimately leading to the rapid decline of the affected dog.

Bloat has a number of different and unknown causes, but we do know that large, deep-chested dogs like Cane Corsos are at a higher risk than their small-breed cousins such as Boston Terriers and Chihuahas.

 

How can diet help to prevent your Cane Corso from developing bloat? – Dogs who eat one meal daily are at a considerably higher risk of developing bloat than those who consume multiple meals per day.

There’s also a correlation between developing bloat and eating too quickly or exercising immediately after a meal and dogs who eat out of a raised dish are at a higher risk of bloat.

For the most part, preventing this condition through diet is more a matter of controlling how your dog eats than what they eat.

That said, dry food moistened with water and foods that contain fat or oil as one of the first four ingredients are both associated with an increased risk of bloat.

Demodectic Mange – While all normal dogs have a few demodex mites on their skin, some with underdeveloped immune systems may become overwhelmed by a demodex mite infestation, leading to demodectic mange and the patchy or widespread hair loss that goes along with it.

Cane Corsos are particularly common candidates for this condition. While the exact cause of demodectic mange is unknown, hereditary immune deficiencies are thought to put dogs at risk.

This immune deficiency allows the demodex mites to proliferate and wreak havoc on the dog's coat. As the infestation takes hold, it can further inhibit the immune system and perpetuate the problem.

How can your Cane Corso’s diet help to prevent a demodectic mange outbreak? Gut health and an effective immune system are intimately and dynamically connected – the GALT (gut associated lymphoid tissue) is the largest immune organ in the body.

Diet is your first and most important point of access to your dog’s gut and overall immune health.

Foods made with prebiotics and probiotics help to support healthy populations of gut flora, which impacts almost every aspect of your dog’s health, including the immune system.

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