Now that we can finally enjoy the company of an American Pit bull terrier, it’s time to put them on the batteries and learn how we should feed a Pitbull dog so that it develops correctly if it is a puppy or stays healthy if it is an adult.
There are many different types of food and you will be surprised to know that most of them are of low quality. Something that can cause our dog to have serious health problems, which, in turn, will lead to many veterinary expenses.
From Dogsis we make it easier for you to go looking for information here and there, summarizing everything you need to know to nourish your Pitbull dog well.
You may also like: All types of Pitbull dogs
Index of contents
- 1 Recommended feeding for a Pitbull
-
- 1.0.1 The importance of protein quality
-
- 2 How much and how many times should you eat?
- 3 Homemade food for a Pitbull Terrier
- 4 Premade food – I think which one to choose?
- 5 How to Feed a Pitbull Puppy
-
- 5.0.1 Pitbull puppies from 0 to 2 months
- 5.0.2 Food for puppies from 2 to 4 months
- 5.0.3 Feeding a puppy from 4 to 6 months
- 5.0.4 Puppies from 6 to 12 months
-
Recommended feeding for a Pitbull
Bearing in mind that the Pit bull breed (colloquially pitbull) is very active and also has a highly developed muscular understanding, we must feed our American Pitbull terrier with products rich in high quality protein.
There is a false urban legend that excess protein can be harmful to a dog, when in fact excess protein is eliminated through droppings. There being no relevant study indicating that it can be harmful.
Avoid excess carbohydrates, such as those offered by cereals and legumes, as well as excess fat.
We can choose to feed our Pitbull with natural foods, with homemade food, or feed him pre-made products, known as feed and balanced. Without a doubt, natural food is always the most recommended.
The importance of protein quality
If we opt for ready-made food, we must take into account the quality of proteins provided by this feed or balanced. Vegetable proteins are hardly useful for dogs, so if the chosen diet contains too many vegetables … it will not be as good as you think.
We should look for products that contain a large amount of meat, meats and heavy, or fish. It is also recommended that they use dehydrated or fresh products, avoiding flours, by-products and derivatives.
How much and how many times should you eat?
Depending greatly on what your weight is and what type of diet we are giving you, the amounts will vary greatly. Some feed / balanced foods are very high in calories and recommend a less than average amount compared to other brands.
For a Pitbull dog of about forty kilos of weight and a lot of activity, some good companies recommend a daily ration of about four hundred grams. While others range from three hundred to six hundred.
The amount of food should always be what we observe in the manufacturer’s recommendations, obviously using common sense, if our dog loses weight a little more and if he gets a little less fat.
The number of times is very personal, always assuming that the Pitbull is an adult, two to three times a day.
Adult Pitbull Dog
- Breakfast (1/3 of the daily ration)
- Food (1/3 of the daily amount)
- Dinner (1/3 of the daily total)
But there are those who simply give breakfast and dinner, for reasons of time or because the dog itself does not show much appetite at noon.
Homemade food for a Pitbull Terrier
Here we get into a field full of people for and against, we will find different opinions about the use of natural dog food also known as the BARF Diet for dogs.
It is not a diet in itself, that is, it is not a food for the dog to lose weight, it is simply the name given to this way of feeding a Pitbull with fresh, natural food.
It consists of feeding our dog fresh products, such as meat, vegetables, fruits, bones, etc…. In some cases, some people cook a little meat, but always without bones. Bones should always be fresh, not cooked.
Some people think that feeding a Pitbull with fresh meat will make it more aggressive and violent, with animals, people and other pets. But it is totally false, feeding has nothing to do with aggressiveness.
If you are interested in knowing what type of food you can use to feed your Pit bull dog with homemade food, here we leave you all the information:
- What is the Barf diet and how much should I use?
- Simple recipes of BARF dishes for dogs
Premade food – I think which one to choose?
Do not think for a second that buying the most expensive feed or balanced is synonymous with buying the highest quality. There are many companies that invest a lot in advertising so that we think they are quality, when in reality they are not.
That is why we must always look at the composition of the ingredients and make sure that it contains large amounts of fresh or dehydrated meat and a small amount of cereals and legumes.
TOSome brands that offer quality products are, in our opinion:
- Orijen
- Nfnatcane
- Taste
How to Feed a Pitbull Puppy
Puppy feeding is a world that requires its own information space. Depending on how many months you are, you will need to eat one thing or another. So we are going to explain it month by month to make it easier.
Remember that when we talk about feed or balanced, it will always be in reference to a specific feed for puppies of large breeds. Needless to say, it must be of high quality.
Remember that in addition to food, our dog must always have fresh and clean water at his disposal.
Pitbull puppies from 0 to 2 months
The feeding of a puppy of Pitbull dog from 0 to 2 months should run by the mother, that is, the puppy should not be weaned until two and a half months or three months.
If for some reason our American Pitbull Terrier puppy is this age and cannot be suckled by its mother, then we should feed it with special dog milk.
This type of milk is sold in veterinary clinics, it is specific for dogs because it does not contain lactose. We must give bottles with milk at room temperature, in the doses recommended by the manufacturer.
Food for puppies from 2 to 4 months
After two months of life, our Pitbull terrier puppy will already have his milk teeth, so we can gradually start to introduce solid food into his diet, that is, I think.
The ideal is to mix a little feed with milk for puppies and make a kind of porridge, this way it will be easier for him to eat and softer, while his digestive system adapts.
When we have been with the porridge for several days, we can start to put some kibble on the feed, so that it chews and gets used to it little by little.
This process can take several weeks, until you can finally eat only feed / balanced, without the need to moisten it with milk.
Feeding a puppy from 4 to 6 months
The only notable change is that it is no longer necessary to use dog milk, either directly or to soften the feed bowl. Otherwise, we will continue to feed our puppy with the amounts recommended by the manufacturer.
Puppies from 6 to 12 months
At this point, our puppy will have already developed its definitive teeth, making its teeth much stronger.
Now we can choose to continue giving a diet based on special feed for puppies, or start using a natural diet with fresh products.
The best option to feed a Pitbull dog logically is Barf feeding, since it is the most natural and healthy.