Pitbulls are probably one of the most noticeable dog breeds one can ever encounter in his or her life. A pit bull is a descendant of both bull pooches and terriers, making them look unique. When it comes to their family and other types of pit bulls the most common ones are the American Pitbull Terrier, American Bully, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and the American Staffordshire Terrier. Sometimes, the standard American Bulldog is also added to the list. But generally, only the ones indicated first are the formal breed of the bunch.
These dog breeds are known to be courageous and are always looking to have the taste of the wild side of everything. Adult pit bulls are trained to be good catch pooches for other animals like cattle and hogs.
Although they initially have a bad reputation for being the type of pooches that are always brought to criminal doings, they are one of the most helpful pooches there is out there. Pit bulls are trained to be police pooches and, search and rescue pooches.
All pooches including pit bulls deserve to be loved and cared. One way of showing them love is to serve them the best dog food for pitbulls. Here is a quick short guide on everything you need to know about which foods are rich in vitamins and minerals, what are the natural dog food for pitbulls, and the best dog food brand to purchase for your pooch.
Your Pit bull's Diet and Nutrition Requirements
When it comes to your dog's diet and nutritional requirements, it shouldn't be something that you would look for a cheap alternative. As their owner, you should only want the best dog food for your pit bull. But what does it mean to be the "best dog food brand" for your dog?
For one, it should be able to meet your pup's diet requirements. For an average adult pit bull, he will require a lot of food compared to the other dog breeds you have at your home. Since their kind are known to be energetic and always on-the-go, you can opt to give them food that is high in protein content. One of the best sources of protein is meat and poultry food. There is various dog food for pit bulls mixed with the appropriate needs of your pooch.
Buying a cheap or cheaply-made dog food may lead to several health problems to your dog. Some of it can cause obesity and diabetes which are two of the common diseases of pit bulls. This, however, can be prevented by giving your dog high quality and graded food.
Also, when it comes to giving your dog a specific kind of dog food, you can base it on his type and age. There is dog food available for puppies, adults, and senior pooches; chances are, the food mix has already been optimized to meet your dog's nutritional needs.
When it comes to the proper vitamins and minerals your dog should be receiving daily, here's a breakdown to help you figure it out:
- Vitamin A - This is as essential to your dog as it is with humans. It's a fat-soluble vitamin which helps improve your pooch's growth and development, as well as his immune and cell function.
- Vitamin B - It's a group of vitamins that do help your pup's growth to be as healthy as they can be. For example, thiamine will help regulate your pup's energy and metabolism while riboflavin, B12, and niacin can help facilitate your pup's enzyme function. Another vital B vitamin is vitamin B6. It helps your pup's system to generate glucose for his energy needs, red blood cell and nervous system function, and hormone regulation.
- Vitamin C - For humans, you'd know how important getting this particular vitamin is. It's the same for your pup. It removes potentially harmful free radicals in the body and could help prevent infections and inflammation.
- Vitamin D - Fido will need it to balance all the minerals in his body. Also, it will help promote your dog's healthy and strong bones.
- Vitamin E - This vitamin's function helps in protecting your dog from oxidative damage. Free-radicals from your pooch's environment and food intake can cause such harm, but a daily dose of this vitamin could help. It's also needed for cell function and metabolism of fat. Without this, your pup can encounter eye and muscle degeneration problems as well as infertility
- Vitamin K - This is needed especially when your dog encounters any injury may it be major or minor. It helps your dog's blood to clot and to signify the start of the wound's healing processes.
- Choline - This vitamin is a support for your dog's healthy brain and liver function. Often, this is also used to treat pups that have epileptic conditions.
These are just some of the critical vitamins and minerals your dog's food should be supplemented with every kibble or bite your pup takes.
Recommended Amount of Food Intake for Pitbulls
Two of the most common health problems of pitbulls are diabetes and obesity. Both of which can be attributed to your pup's daily food intake. The cause of these diseases can be due to the excessive consumption of food calories and sugar. Therefore, to avoid these diseases, a dog owner must know the recommended calories for his pup as well as how much food should they let their dog eat.
In a table generated by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association's Global Nutrition Committee, the relationship between a pooch's weight and the recommended calorie intake per day are listed.
The average adult weight of a male pit bull ranges forms 16 to 30 kilograms while the female ranges from 14 to 27 kilograms. On the other hand, the average weight of a pitbull puppy is about 10 kilograms. With this, we can safely estimate how many kilocalories you should feed your dog per day.
For an adult male of this dog breed, it's recommended to give him about 650 to 1,080 kilocalories per day. For female pooches, you can give them about 630 to 950 kilocalories per day. And for puppies, it's safe to provide them with food not exceeding 650 kilocalories per day.
It's important to know this and to stay well on the range because going below it would mean your dog might tend to be malnourished while going above it would indicate obesity. So, to be safe, it's better if you're going to feed him healthy foods that will stay within the recommended kilocalorie range.
The next question now is: how do I know if I'm overfeeding my pitbull?
Again, pit bulls are so easy to gain weight because of their genetic make-up. However, it's easy to spot a dog who's putting on more pounds than he should be. Here are some steps you can do:
- Check your pup's waist - Contrary to popular belief, your pit bull dog should have a waist when you look down at it.
- You should be able to feel his ribs - Try to touch the mid area of your dog's stomach; if you can still feel some of his bones or ribs, then you shouldn't worry about it. However, if you keep on lightly pressing but you can't handle any bones, then it's a sign for you to put your dog on a weight loss diet.
It is advised, however, to first consult your veterinarian before changing your dog's feeding routine. In this way, you can be sure on the next steps you're going to do, and it's better to have medical guidance.
This dog food is specially formulated for pit bulls who are more prone to some food allergies. It's one of the best dog foods for sensitive stomach. This can be attributed to the fact that it is grain and gluten free. Your pooch can also get his days' worth of protein content with this dog food.
The source of protein for the formulation came from lean red meat bison which is made optimal for your dog's health. Aside from that, it also contains some taste of the wild with its beneficial antioxidant and nutrient-rich natural mix of vegetables and fruits. There is also a balanced ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids which can help improve your dog's healthy skin and coat. All of these food benefits are all packed in a dry dog food packaging that can be resealable to keep it fresh for your dog's next consumption.
Features: Pros:This dog food for Natural Ultramix is a grain-free alternative which you can serve your pit bull dog or puppy especially if they have a sensitive stomach. The main protein content of this natural dry dog food stars a real duck as its key ingredient. The protein source for this dog food contains about 38% of protein which is more than safe and enough for your pup's daily consumption of protein. It features high-protein kibble that's mixed with real pieces of fruits and vegetables. It's also infused with ingredients that have natural fibers which can help support digestion to improve your dog's metabolism. Dog owners are assured that this dry dog food is rich in essential antioxidants and fatty acids.
Again, if your dog has more of a sensitive stomach than other dog breeds, then this is the perfect food to serve them. This doesn't contain corn, soy, and wheat - making it one of the best dog foods for the sensitive stomach of pooches.
Features: Pros:Candidae's Grain-Free Dry dog food contains simple recipes from real food ingredients. These are specially formulated for sensitive pooches. Each element is made with all-natural ingredients. There are no preservatives and artificial flavorings included in this meal. It's also proven to be loved by pooches - adults and puppies alike. If your dog is also a picky eater, then there are a lot of key ingredients that give your dog the delicious taste they've always wanted.
Such components are sweet potatoes, peas, lentils, or chickpeas. It's allergen-free as it doesn't contain any corn, wheat or soy. There are also eight critical ingredients in this all-natural dry dog food such as salmon, salmon meal, menhaden fish meal, sweet potatoes, peas, canola, sun-cured alfalfa, and potatoes. One serving also contains added probiotics to support your dog's healthy digestion and immune system. It also has omega 3, 6, and fatty acids to help support your dog's beautiful skin and coat.
Features: Pros:
If you're looking for dog food for your pup that's loaded with high protein content, then this must be the right dog food for him. It contains a significant 60% protein material fr[om chicken, walleye, whitefish, and eggs. This is just as high in protein as one would want it to be. This natural dry dog food caters to your pooch's meat and protein-rich diet. The other 40% content of this dog food, however, is equally just as healthy as the one that's rich in protein.
The full excess is loaded with fruits and vegetables that will surely give your dog's daily nutritional needs a boost that he would need. The manufacturers of this dog food assure that all ingredients used in manufacturing the batches are all made from freshly delivered food that was outsourced from local prairie farms. To top it all off, it also contains organic sea vegetables and botanicals that can help your dog's digestive system even further. The formulation of this dog food is done with low carbohydrate content, and it's also grain-free.
Features: Pros:If you're looking for dog food for a blue nose pitbull, then this one is the right one for you. It's 100% all-natural meaning that it doesn't contain any artificial food flavorings or preservatives. Dog owners are ensured that by feeding Bully Max's High-Performance Super Premium Dog food to their pit bulls, their pooches are getting the optimum amount of nutrients that a dog should be getting from natural and dry dog food.
All of the ingredients in this particular dog food is meat-based. It contains about 30% protein and 20% fat. Therefore, it's recommended to be fed to those pooches who are low in weight. It's one of the best weight gain dog food you can find that will not only cater to the adult pits but can also be given to pit bull puppies, as well. Dog owners who have previously brought this product can testify to the weight gain benefits this specific dog food can give their pooches. Not only that it's nutritious but pooches also find this food to be delicious and savory.
Features: Pros:This dry dog food can cover almost half a month of your pup's meal. It's a dry dog food that contains vitamins and nutrients that are needed by your puppy, and it will surely help your dog to thrive. It contains over 23 essential nutrients which can help promote your dog's glowing skin, coat, eyes, nails, immune system, digestive health, and overall health state. Each scoop of dry dog food for puppies contains about 32% of protein which will be enough to help activate your pit bull puppy's growth and muscle hormones. Not only that this dog food includes nutritious treats for your pup, but it also has an aromatic odor and yummy taste that will surely cater to those pooches who are picky eaters. So, if you're looking for a weight gain dog food, then this is the natural dog food for pit bulls you are looking for. It contains 40% f natural, healthy fats per one scoop that can help your pooch to gain weight and catch up on his recommended size.
Features: Pros:
Give Fido a Taste of the wild with their grain-free premium high-protein dry dog food. This is specially formulated to cater to the needs of adult and more mature pit bulls. Its key ingredient is roasted bison which came from the freshest ingredients. The meat itself has been optimized to have a large number of amino acids and proteins to promote the growth of lean and strong muscles. Aside from that, it contains added vitamins and minerals which can help supplement your dog's growth needs.
The mix includes fruits and vegetables that are considered to be "superfoods" that are rich in antioxidants and fatty acid. This dry dog food isn't made with any grains, corn, or wheat fillers so if your pooch has a particularly sensitive stomach; then it's perfectly safe to give him this. All components of this dry and natural dog food are highly digestible with guaranteed species-specific, proprietary probiotics which when they're ingested, it will survive and thrive in your dog's gastrointestinal tract.
Features: Pros:
The Orijen original dry dog food was made to cater to all life stages of your dog. So, if you're looking forward to saving time in feeding your multiple dog breeds, then this is the food to get. It contains free-run chicken and turkey and wild-caught fish. It contains 38% of protein per one serving, but it only has about 20% of low-glycemic carbohydrates which can nourish pit bulls in all life stages. The protein and carbohydrate content of this particular dry dog food is more than enough to supplement your dog's nutritional needs. It doesn't contain any by-product meal or artificial flavorings. About one-third of the meats used in this product comes from dehydrated chicken and turkey.
The only food preservation technique this brand believes in is freeze-drying. In this way, there are no other harmful chemicals and unhealthy preservatives that can lead your pup to potential dangers.
Features: Pros:Foods Pitbull Dog Owners Should Avoid Giving Their Pups
Generally speaking, you should give your dog large amounts of carbohydrates because of their extreme physical activity. However, here are some of the foods that can cause food allergy to some pitbulls:
To be safe, you can test your pup to which food he is allergic to by keeping an eye on him especially if you're trying out to give him food for the very first time. If you see some reaction or irritation like itching, obsessive licking of their fur, paw biting, ear inflammation, poor coat quality, skin rashes, itchy rear ends, chronic and persistent diarrhea, vomiting, hives, nausea, and constant gas. These are some of the common reactions pooches encounter when they encounter any food allergies. The solution to this is to have your pit bull checked at your local veterinarian's office, and try to look for a dog food that doesn't contain these ingredients.
Don't worry! There are a lot of best dog food brands you can still choose from even if your dog has severe allergies. You can choose from dry dog food to wet ones, and even natural dog food for those with a sensitive stomach.
Pitbull's Most Common Health ProblemsLike any other dog breeds out there, pit bulls are also susceptible to their pedigree's common health problems. Some of the most common ones are the following:
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Hip Dysplasia - A fairly common health problem that encompasses pooches of any breed. This is a type of medical problem that involves your pup's skeletal system. The onset of hip dysplasia can start as early as when your pit bull is still young and immature. Pit bulls are the most susceptible to this disease, so it's better to have them x-rayed at two years of age to make sure that they don't have any outstanding hip issues. The best way to prevent it from happening is to ensure your dog stays in shape and doesn't go his recommended weight.
The symptoms of this disease include the following: uneven or swaying gait, pain, decreased range of motion or activity, looseness in the joint, narrow stance, difficulty in rising, jumping, and running. - Heart Disease - Pooches of this particular breed are also susceptible to having congenital heart disease. With this sickness, your dog's heart valves and ventricles are clogged, making it hard for blood to rush pass through to and from the heart. It can be diagnosed by only listening to your dog's heart. One of the primary symptoms of this disease is having an irregular heartbeat or heart murmur. Other symptoms of heart disease include coughing, difficulty breathing, loss of appetite, weakness, fainting, behavior changes, weight loss or gain, restlessness, and swelling of body tissues.
- Hypothyroidism - Another common pit bull health problem is hypothyroidism. It is a condition in which your pooch's thyroid gland isn't producing much of the hormone "thyroxine." Thyroxine is responsible for controlling your dog's metabolism. This condition, however, is highly treatable and not usually life-threatening. The common symptoms to look out for are hair loss, having a dull and thin coat, flakey skin, black patches on the skin, weight gain, muscle loss, slowed heart rate, sluggishness, intolerance to cold temperatures, and ear infections.
- Cataracts - This is a health condition wherein pooches experience thickening and cloudiness to the lenses of their eyes. It usually develops alongside diabetes, old age, or any trauma suffered to the eye. However, it can also be a hereditary disease and might even be present when the pup is still very young. If your dog experiences some trouble in locating things and clumsiness, then the culprit might be this specific disease.
There is still quite a long list of a common health problem that pit bulls encounter. The good news is that once a dog owner religiously takes good care of his or her dog's health and nutrition, the pooch can achieve his highest quality of life and longest life expectancy. That's why it's important to feed your dog only the best food for pit bulls.
Conclusion
Pooches are more than a man's best friend. Sometimes, they even make one feel like they are a part of their precious family, too. That's why our pet pit bulls deserve only the best dog foods to be fed for them.
