An adult Cane Corso of 45 kg, neutered and moderately active, needs about 1229 kcal a day, or roughly 1078 g of our Chicken recipe. With this breed, though, three little-known facts matter more than the brand on the bag: males grow like giant breeds, its hips are among the worst affected in European screening schemes, and in the UK its median lifespan is one of the shortest of any breed, at 8.1 years.
The FCI breed standard (no. 343, updated in 2023) gives an exact weight: 45-50 kg for males and 40-45 kg for females, with a height at the withers of 64-68 cm and 60-64 cm (give or take 2 cm), and weight always in proportion to size. The same standard describes a robust dog "with some elegance", with lean, powerful muscles, and calls it extremely agile. A Cane Corso heavier than its standard is not "more typical": the standard counts any departure from these measurements as a fault.
Real-world weights come from the Swedish Kennel Club's screening register, which logs each dog's weight on the day of its official hip X-ray. Between 2007 and 2016, at 12-24 months of age, the 281 males averaged 47.7 kg and the 378 females 38.8 kg, still below the standard's range. That does not mean the females were thin: in the biggest breeds, growth can go on for up to 24 months. To judge your own dog, your hands are more useful than the scales: on the WSAVA 9-point body condition scale the ideal is 4-5, with ribs you can feel under the skin without pressing and a waist visible from above.
If it is a male, yes. A study from the Waltham research centre analysed the weights of more than 6 million puppies seen at a network of American veterinary clinics and grouped breeds by the shape of their growth curve. Male Cane Corsos grew like the giants, the St Bernard, Mastiff and Great Dane, whose curves split off early from every other dog's. Females looked more like the Rottweiler and the Pyrenean Mountain Dog. The same study produced reference growth charts, but warns that they do not apply to dogs that weigh more than 40 kg as adults, which leaves most Cane Corsos without a reliable chart.
In a puppy that grows like this, calcium is the delicate point. According to FEDIAF, the European pet food industry federation, a high calcium intake harms skeletal development in large-breed dogs, especially in early growth, which is why it recommends a strict calcium maximum for foods intended for large-breed puppies. It also sets a higher minimum: for breeds over 15 kg as adults, and a Cane Corso is well over that, at least 1% calcium in the dry matter until about 6 months of age, while puppies of smaller breeds need only 0.8% after 14 weeks.
Yes: it is among the most affected breeds in screening schemes. In France, among 1,338 Cane Corsos X-rayed in the official scheme between 1997 and 2017, 51.9% had hip dysplasia, the highest figure of the ten breeds in the study. In Sweden, between 2007 and 2016, 38.7% of the 659 Cane Corsos screened had it (eighth of 72 breeds) and, more tellingly, 17.3% had moderate or severe dysplasia, about three times the average for all screened dogs (5.9%). Elbows are a weak spot too: 21.2% of the 543 Cane Corsos examined had elbow dysplasia, against 13.2% of all dogs. Bear in mind these are screening X-rays of young dogs, not dogs that were limping.
There is good news as well, and it says a lot about where the problem lies. In France, hip dysplasia in the breed fell from 72.7% of dogs X-rayed in 1997-2003 to 49.9% in 2011-2017, and the most severe grade (E) from 24.2% to 7%: the biggest improvement of the ten breeds, achieved by choosing breeding dogs on the basis of their hip X-rays. Hip dysplasia has an important inherited component, although, as the authors point out, nutrition, growth rate and body weight play a part. So the first decision comes before you bring a puppy home: ask the breeder for the parents' official hip and elbow results.
The food bowl comes in later. In the Swedish study the Boxer, which shares ancestors with the Cane Corso but has a slimmer build, had elbow dysplasia in 1% of dogs and moderate or severe hip dysplasia in 4.8%. The authors suggest the lighter frame, and possibly differences in growth rate and body condition, may contribute. It is not proof, but it points the same way as the practical advice: a puppy that grows without being rushed and a lean adult, with no extra kilos on its joints.
Shorter than most dogs. In an analysis of more than half a million dogs in the UK, published in 2024, the Cane Corso's median lifespan was 8.1 years, against 12.5 years for all the dogs in the study: it was among the shortest-lived breeds, alongside the Caucasian Shepherd Dog (5.4 years) and the Presa Canario (7.7). The authors note that lifespan follows kinship between breeds: one of the families with the shortest lives includes the Presa Canario, the Neapolitan Mastiff and the Cane Corso.
The Cane Corso is a young breed in the eyes of the kennel clubs, only fully recognised by the FCI in 2007, and there is still little research on it. One study, a Czech survey of 232 Cane Corsos that had died in 25 countries (accidents and poisoning excluded), found a median lifespan of 9.3 years, practically the same for males and females. Black brindles lived longest (10.3 years) and grey brindles 9.8, while solid black dogs and solid grey ones (grey is the colour the FCI standard also calls blue) lived about 9 years. The data came from breeder and owner questionnaires and the colour groups were small, so treat the colour difference as a clue, not a verdict.
We know of no study that has measured how much diet can change a Cane Corso's lifespan, and much of the difference comes down to genetics and size. What is in your hands is a lean, muscular dog: check its body condition every month and recalculate the portion when its activity changes or after neutering, rather than filling the same bowl for years.
Every Pappa Fresh recipe contains one meat only and declares the percentage of each ingredient on the label, so you always know what goes into your Cane Corso's bowl:
They are cooked in the pouch and keep outside the fridge until opened; once opened they go in the fridge and should be used within 2-3 days, a limit a Cane Corso is in no danger of reaching, since on the Complete plan it eats more than one 400 g pouch a day. For dogs over 25 kg the quiz starts with the Topper, a quarter of the ration alongside the dog's usual food; there is also the Mix, half the ration with your own kibble. Either way, cut the kibble by the same share so the day's calories stay right. Turkey is poultry: if your dog has reacted to chicken, ask your vet before trying it.
An adult Cane Corso of 45 kg, neutered and moderately active, needs about 1229 kcal a day: with our Chicken recipe that is about 1078 g, with the richer Beef 904 g. An unneutered dog needs more, about 1536 kcal. The table runs from a 40 kg female to a 50 kg male, the limits of the breed standard. If your Cane Corso works or gets a lot of exercise, choose a higher activity level in the quiz and the portion goes up.
If you are comparing with a kibble feeding chart, compare calories, not grams: kibble has about 350-400 kcal per 100 g and our recipes 110-136, so for the same energy wet food weighs about three times as much. For a dog this size the Complete plan costs about €17.14 a day, the Mix about €8.69 and the Topper about €4.34. The method is explained in how much a dog should eat.
| Weight | Energy need (kcal/day) neutered / intact | Grams per day neutered / intact | Complete plan | Mix (½) | Topper (¼) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 kg | 1125 / 1406 | 987 g / 1233 g | €16.31/day | €8.28/day | €4.09/day |
| 45 kg | 1229 / 1536 | 1078 g / 1347 g | €17.14/day | €8.69/day | €4.34/day |
| 50 kg | 1330 / 1662 | 1167 g / 1458 g | €18.13/day | €9.06/day | €4.42/day |
Grams based on the Chicken recipe (114 kcal/100 g); with Beef, which is richer (136 kcal/100 g), you need about 16% less. Prices for a neutered dog.
Figures calculated with the same method as our quiz (FEM×K: maintenance energy adjusted for breed, activity, neutering and body condition). They are an estimate: take the quiz for your dog's exact plan, and talk to your vet about any health concern.
Two minutes: enter weight, age, activity and body condition to get the exact portion, with 30% off your first order.
An adult Cane Corso of 45 kg, neutered and moderately active, needs about 1229 kcal a day, or about 1078 g of chicken wet food; unneutered, about 1347 g. That ranges from about 987 g for a neutered 40 kg female to about 1167 g for a neutered 50 kg male. These are estimates: the right portion also depends on body condition.
The FCI standard gives 45-50 kg for males (64-68 cm at the withers) and 40-45 kg for females (60-64 cm). In Sweden, at 12-24 months, males averaged 47.7 kg and females 38.8 kg. Body condition matters more than the number: ribs you can feel and a score of 4-5 out of 9 on the WSAVA scale.
There is no single figure: a Cane Corso puppy grows fast and the amount changes week by week, depending on its weight and on the growth food you use. The growth charts from the largest study on the subject, based on more than 6 million puppies, do not apply to dogs that weigh over 40 kg as adults, so the most reliable approach is to weigh the puppy often and follow the curve with your vet, without adding calcium.
It is one of the most affected breeds: 51.9% of Cane Corsos had hip dysplasia in French screening and 38.7% in Swedish screening, where 17.3% of the Cane Corsos screened had moderate or severe forms. In France the figure fell sharply through selective breeding, so ask for the parents' results and keep your dog lean, especially while it grows.
There is no solid evidence either way. In a survey of 232 Cane Corsos from 25 countries, solid grey dogs (the colour the breed standard calls blue) lived a median of 9.0 years, against 9.3 for the whole group; grey brindles lived 9.8 years and black brindles 10.3. The groups were small and the data came from questionnaires, so treat it as a hint rather than proof. In the UK the breed's median lifespan was 8.1 years.
We found no study that measures the risk in the Cane Corso itself. Among 77,088 dogs seen at UK emergency vets, the breeds most at risk were large or giant ones, led by the Great Dane, Akita and Dogue de Bordeaux, so it is worth knowing the signs: retching without bringing anything up, a swollen belly, drooling, restlessness. It is an emergency: get your dog to a vet straight away.
Written by the Pappa Fresh editorial team from published veterinary studies (see sources). Not a substitute for your vet's advice.
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