What to feed pitbull puppies at home

Nuances of diet planning

When preparing a diet, you need to know what diseases the breed is prone to. Pit bulls often have heart problems. To prevent them, fatty foods, such as pork and lamb, are excluded from the menu. Dogs should not be given sweets or confectionery. Fresh fruit, but not a piece of sugar, will do as a reward when training a wave.

Pit Bull Terriers are not considered giant breeds, but the animals can still develop joint diseases, usually the hip. For prevention, it is necessary to give the dog bones from tendons, pig ears, and chondroprotectors.

Due to the characteristics of the skin and coat, the breed, like, for example, bull terriers, has a tendency to form lipomas (lipomas). For prevention, it is necessary to maintain the dog’s weight at a normal level, avoiding obesity. The diet should not contain excess protein, but vitamins and minerals should be present.

The breed has a tendency to allergies. If you notice a negative reaction to a certain product in your puppy, you should exclude it from the menu. The most common allergens are cereals, milk, and eggs.

It is recommended to brush your pit bull's teeth once a day, but this is not always possible, so once a week is enough. To prevent plaque and stone, fresh vegetables and fruits are introduced into the diet. Toys made from veins are useful.

Pit bull terrier puppies grow actively until 7-8 months, then the process slows down and stops at 1.5 years. After 8 months, the dog begins to gain muscle mass. It is important not to overfeed your pet so that instead of muscles it gains fat.

Features of keeping pit bulls

Energetic and athletic pit bulls require space. A small apartment is not suitable for such a dog. She must constantly splash out energy, otherwise she will become irritable.

These dogs are playful and adventurous. Many owners characterize them as very affectionate and cheerful dogs. A Pitbull needs a lot of toys to prevent it from ruining your things. This is especially true if the dog has to be left alone for a long time.

A dog who lives in a city apartment has to be walked for at least four hours every day.

Even before purchasing a pit bull puppy, take care of the dog's accessories. Necessary things:

• Two stable bowls, preferably aluminum.
• Leash, two and a half meters long.
• Toys, but not squeakers.
• Leather collar.
• Large rug.
• Hygiene products: shampoo and so on. Often sold as a set.
• Dry food and vitamins.
• Essential medicines.

As a rule, the health of dogs of this breed is good, except for the tendency to be overweight and allergies. The most common diseases are cataracts and joint dysplasia.

How many years do pit bulls live? These dogs live for about fifteen years. A dog who has turned seventeen is considered a long-liver. It should be borne in mind that how long pit bulls live at home depends only on care. If you properly care for your dog, you can increase its lifespan by three or four years.

Among the advantages of this breed are unpretentiousness, passion and intelligence. They are easy to train and require little care.

The difficulty is that this dog is not suitable for every person. She cannot stand loneliness, because of which her character deteriorates. The upbringing and training of this dog cannot be left to chance. Its owner must have enough free time to pay attention to the pet.

The price of pit bulls ranges from two hundred dollars to two thousand.

There is no need to be afraid of this breed. Over the past decades, breeders have carried out complex and painstaking work to soften the fighting qualities of this dog. Modern American pit bull terriers no longer have the same characteristics that they had not so long ago. The ban on dog fighting, which swept across the planet, forced breeders to reconsider the standards of this breed and make adjustments.

Now this brave and strong-willed dog has become docile and balanced. Work on the breed continues and, as the breeders admit, if it weren’t for the underground clubs where these dogs are used, the process would have been much more successful.

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Permitted and prohibited products

The basis of the pit bull terrier's diet is animal protein. Beef is more suitable for meat, but some breeders believe that it is not as valuable as offal. They contain more nutrients necessary for a strong, healthy dog. Pets are given beef, turkey or chicken liver, heart, and lungs. Fatty meat - pork, lamb - is prohibited.

The second part of the diet is vegetables. You can experiment with different fruits and determine those that your pet likes best. Often owners choose the following vegetables:

• White cabbage;
• broccoli;
• cauliflower;
• zucchini;
• pumpkin;
• carrot;
• beet;
• turnip;
• bell pepper;
• tomatoes.

Vegetables are given raw - chopped on a coarse grater and mixed with the meat part of the menu. It is useful to add 1 tbsp to the “dish”. vegetable oil. Olive is ideal, but sunflower is also allowed.

Fruits and berries are given as sweet rewards during training. The following fruits are suitable in fresh, not canned form:

• apples;
• bananas;
• pears;
• peaches;
• strawberry.

Porridge, which often becomes the second component of any dog’s diet, is not advisable to give to pit bulls. Grains quickly make your pet gain weight, which causes illness. Bread, crackers and other flour products are also prohibited. Porridge can only be given to puppies during the growing period, but adult dogs are switched to vegetables.

You can and even need to give your pet boiled chicken eggs - 1 piece 3-4 times a week. If your pet tolerates fish well, you can sometimes replace offal with it. Just don’t do this too often, since meat still contains more nutrients. It is better to choose sea fish; it is given raw, cleaned of bones. She is replaced with meat products if the pet begins to recover. When your weight returns to normal, you can return to your previous diet.

You should not feed your Pit Bull Terrier the following foods:

• animal fats;
• grape;
• mushrooms;
• bakery;
• sugar and its substitutes;
• potato;
• milk;
• sweets and confectionery;
• sausages, sausages.

Once a day, pit bulls are given fermented milk products, but only separately from meat and vegetables, for example, as a light snack. Cottage cheese is good (50-70 g per day). Sometimes they give you cheese. It is especially beneficial for puppies and young dogs.

What to feed a pit bull at home

For feeding dogs, there is dry food, wet food and natural food. The latter involves food prepared from those products that the owner eats himself. A breed such as the pit bull terrier should not be fed table waste and highly processed foods. The natural diet of these dogs includes fresh meat and several types of cereals.

It is extremely important to monitor your dog’s nutritional intake. Pit bull terriers have a certain peculiarity in the structure of their skin, due to which wen very often forms. To exclude this disease, dogs should never be given flour, sweets or milk fat. There are rules for feeding pit bulls that the owners of these dogs must adhere to:

• First of all, all allergens should be excluded from his daily diet. Dogs of this breed often suffer from allergies.
• Food should not be hot or very cold. Any extreme leads to diseases of the digestive system.
• Don't overfeed him. Pit bulls gain weight very quickly.
• If you notice that your dog has gained weight and want to starve him to lose weight, then it is better not to do this. The dog will become angry and irritable, and you will lose your authority in his eyes.
• Don't give him food from your table, no matter how much you want it.
• Before and after meals he should have a half-hour rest. This will have a beneficial effect on the dog's digestion.
• If he is stubborn and does not want to eat the healthy food offered, be firm and leave him alone. All pets go through this. As soon as he gets really hungry, he will eat everything himself.
• Dogs are given the most high-calorie food in the evening before bed, and in the morning the food should be light.

What does a dog need in nutrition?

The basis of nutrition should be proteins of animal and plant origin. Meat, eggs, milk and fish are difficult to replace with anything. The amino acids they contain are required for the construction of muscles and bones. In addition to these foods, give also liver and kidneys.

Please note that pregnant dogs should consume half their daily protein intake than normal adult dogs.

The same applies to very young individuals. But the older your pet gets, the less protein food it needs.

These dogs, as a rule, do not like pork meat. Therefore, give preference to beef. It can be boiled, stewed and fried, but the most healthy and natural is fresh meat. If you give your pet a bird, remove all the bones first. Dogs easily chew them, which is why thin, sharp slivers get into the stomach.

Natural nutrition

Many pit bull breeders categorically do not recommend feeding their dogs cereal. From such food they recover extremely quickly, and you simply won’t notice how your pet will turn from a muscular, lean dog into a cluster of wen. Natural nutrition should look like this:

• Three times a week they are given one hard-boiled egg.
• Any vegetables he likes are allowed. This could be stewed zucchini, carrots, pumpkin, bell peppers or cabbage. Usually they are grated for dogs and mixed with meat, but you can also stew them a little.
• If the dog has gained weight, switch him from meat to fish. The calcium contained in fish will give him the opportunity to lose some weight.
• Separately, as an afternoon snack, give your dog fermented milk products. They should not be mixed with other food.
• Be sure to add one tablespoon of olive oil to your dishes.

It is important to remember that in summer the dog is fed once a day, and in winter - twice.

Dry food

You should buy premium food, not economy food, since cheap food contains a lot of dyes and flavors. You can give dry food soaked in broth or in its natural form. If you bought a puppy whose owners fed it this way, you should continue to do so. You will decide for yourself over time which food is best; you don’t have to stick to the brand that former dog owners recommend to you.

The portion of food for each dog is individual. Don't forget that he should have free access to water. To treat a sick pet, there are medicinal foods with the addition of vitamins and microelements.

Food for an adult dog should contain at least thirty percent protein. It is equally important to monitor the balance of microelements. For example, if there is an excess of phosphorus in the diet, the dog will develop a pathology in the form of cowardice. Therefore, do not get carried away with fish-based foods, no matter how attractive they may be. Supplement your diet with vegetables and meat cartilage. They normalize the balance of consumed microelements in the diet.

After introducing a new food into the diet, monitor your pet for three days. Sometimes an allergic reaction does not occur immediately, but appears gradually.

Mixed nutrition

It is not recommended to use mixed food for pit bulls, since it is very important for your dog breed not to disturb the proportions. If you are a responsible and conscientious owner, then you can try. Typically, such nutrition looks like this: the dog is given food in the morning, and natural products in the evening.

Ready-made feed

Not all owners have the opportunity to feed their pet natural homemade food. Pit bulls feel good eating ready-made dry food. But you can’t choose economy class brands – only premium or super premium. Cheap food contains dyes, waste from cutting meat and other harmful substances.

All lines of quality products have a division by age. Choosing the right dry food for a pitbull puppy or adult dog is not a problem. There are also options for pets with special needs. For example, if you decide to spay or neuter your dog, you should choose food that is labeled as such after surgery. There are hypoallergenic options and complexes for pets during lactation.

It is necessary to continue to feed the puppy what the breeder gave him. Gradually, you can switch to a feeding option that is convenient for you. If the pit bull received natural food, it is necessary to introduce ready-made food little by little. This is done after 2 months of life.

First, the puppy is given a few pellets as a treat. If there is no negative reaction, you can gradually replace natural foods with ready-made formulations. They are soaked in water or broth. At 3-4 months you can give dry food in its usual form.

The finished complex should contain no more than 25% protein. It is important to monitor the balance of phosphorus and calcium - both a deficiency and an excess of these substances will negatively affect the dog’s health. Often breeders choose the following foods:

1. About Pak (USA). Super premium class. There are different options - for healthy dogs, puppies and lactating females, elderly pets, animals with diseases.
2. Eukanuba (USA). Premium and super premium class. The line includes more than 50 items, including options for different categories of pets.
3. Royal Canin (France). Super premium class. Foods are divided into lines according to breed, age, activity, and special needs of pets.
4. Hills (USA). Premium class. Complexes for dogs with diseases are especially famous.
5. Probalance (Russia). Premium class. There are lines for adult animals, for pets with high energy consumption, for dogs with diseases.
6. Savara (UK). Super premium class. There is food for puppies and adult dogs of large breeds.
7. Gou (Canada). Super premium class. Foods for pets with diseases are especially popular.

Feeding an adult pit bull terrier

An adult dog is fed once a day in the hot season, and twice a day in the cold season. It is important to train your pit bull to eat at the same time so that his digestive system works smoothly.

You cannot overfeed your dog, but there should be enough food for the pet to grow healthy and active. Sometimes he can be capricious and try to beg from the owner what he thinks is more delicious food. In this case, it is worth showing character. At most, the pit bull will starve for a couple of days, but then begin to eat what is given to him.

Food should be warm - not hot and not cold. You need to buy 1 bowl for food and 1 for water. It is advisable that they be on a stand with adjustable height so that the pet does not spoil the posture. The water must be changed every day.

After a month of life, puppies stop receiving milk from their mother. During this period it is necessary to feed them with cow's milk. Up to 2 months, pit bull puppies need to be fed 5 times a day. Approximate daily diet:

1. Warm cow's milk with the addition of 1 raw chicken egg yolk and 1 tsp. honey
2. Cottage cheese or cheese mixed with kefir.
3. Milk porridge (rice, buckwheat, oatmeal, millet).
4. Salad of fresh, grated cabbage, beets, carrots, pumpkin and apple with 1 tsp. vegetable oil.
5. Meat or offal.

From 2 to 4 months, puppies are fed 4 times a day. Milk is excluded from the diet, but the rest of the food range remains unchanged. Sample daily menu:

1. Cottage cheese mixed with kefir.
2. Milk porridge, pieces of meat or offal.
3. Salad of vegetables and fruits with vegetable oil.
4. Meat or offal.

From 4 to 8 months, the number of feedings is reduced to 3. The set of products remains unchanged, but it is necessary to give your pet porridge less often. Sample daily menu:

1. Cottage cheese with kefir.
2. Alternating milk porridge with meat and fruit and vegetable salad.
3. Meat or offal.

It is better to reduce the number of feedings during the period when the dog itself refuses the next meal. The amount of food is regulated in practice - the pet must eat everything that is given to it. If there is something left in the bowl, give a smaller portion the next day. Pit bull terriers are not prone to gluttony, so this should not be a problem.

The advantage is that you can feed your dog ready-made food from the age of three months.

Dry food contains all the substances and vitamins necessary for a dog’s complete nutrition. There is a lot of food on the market, there are even special ones for dogs prone to allergies. Pit bull terriers often suffer from allergies. However, dry food must be chosen correctly.

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Premium and super premium food is suitable for feeding this breed.

Premium and super premium food is suitable for pit bull terriers. Don't save money. Economy class food will not benefit your dog. But they will only lead to health problems.

Read the ingredients of the food on the packaging. Pit bull is a large breed. Therefore, the protein content of the feed should not exceed 25 percent.

The following premium-class foods are suitable for a pit bull: Royal Canin, Hills, Probalance (more details: about the composition of the food and reviews of the Probalance food), Pro Plan.

Super premium class is the ideal choice. It is well balanced, contains quality meat and does not include harmful additives. However, it is quite expensive.

The following foods are suitable for your dog: Savara, Go and Monge brand food.

Sometimes you can use canned dog food instead of dry food. They are usually given in the morning. You should not replace dry food or natural food with canned food.

There are gourmet and complete wet food. It is worth understanding that canned food is more expensive than dry food. Choose premium and super-premium canned goods.

Wet food is a variety of fresh meats to suit every taste: horse meat, beef, venison, rabbit and others. This is a kind of “yummy” for your pet. However, do not get carried away with wet food - the dog will simply get used to it and refuse to eat the main food.

You should not feed dogs only canned food. Canned food is a delicacy for dogs.

Suitable for a pit bull: Almo Nature, Bozita, Caesar, Kennels Favorite.

The American Pitbull will never refuse a treat! And he certainly doesn’t suffer from lack of appetite. Therefore, the responsibility for proper feeding will fall on you. Do not overtrain your pet - this can lead to the development of obesity.

Many people prefer dry food: it is convenient to store, there is no need to waste time preparing delicacies, and it contains all the necessary microelements, vitamins and minerals. However, dry food for the American Pit Bull Terrier must be chosen correctly.

It is better to opt for super premium food for large breeds with a high protein content.

• Natural food can be alternated with dry food. However, you cannot mix them in one serving!
• Feed your American Pit Bull Terrier after a walk. If you change the order, a satiated pet will quickly get tired and want to sleep. In addition, if the dog moves actively immediately after feeding, this is fraught with volvulus.
• It is better to place the bowl on a stand. The height of the stand increases as the dog grows.
• Feed your American Pit Bull Terrier in one place and at the same time.
• Throw away uneaten food.
• Water (clean and fresh) should always be available.

Under no circumstances should you give your American Pit Bull Terrier potatoes, spices, legumes, pork, smoked, fatty or fried foods, bones or scraps from your table!

Vitamins

Ready-made premium and super-premium dry food already contains all the necessary vitamin and mineral supplements. If you feed your pet natural food, you will have to add useful ingredients to it manually.

Pit bulls benefit from the following vitamins:

1. Vitamin A – for proper growth, shiny coat and good vision. Especially useful during pregnancy and lactation.
2. Vitamin B – for good appetite, a strong nervous system and beautiful appearance.
3. Vitamin C – for protection against infections and recovery from illnesses.
4. Vitamin D is essential and affects muscle tone and teeth strength. To be well absorbed, the correct balance of phosphorus and calcium is necessary.
5. Vitamin E – for proper functioning of muscles and heart.

The dog receives some vitamins from vegetables and fruits, but it is necessary to supplement the supply of nutrients with veterinary complexes. The most popular is Gendevit. The puppy is given 1 tablet every other day for 2 weeks, then take a break for the same period, after which the course is continued for another 2 weeks (and so on up to 3 times).

In winter, it is recommended to give your dog additional vitamins A and D.

Reviews

Sergey, 28 years old, Irkutsk

“My pet is already 3 years old, I don’t skimp on his health - I feed only natural food. I give raw chicken bones (wings, necks, backs), because only boiled and fried ones are harmful. A dog is a predator, so it simply needs such food. In all this time, I have never had any problems with this. The basis of the diet is beef, sometimes skinless chicken. Sometimes I give porridge, but more often I stew vegetables without oil.”

Polina, 31 years old, Moscow

“I feed my girl Flatazor food. I tried different brands, gave her natural food, but she likes this food the most. Pitas are not known for being gluttonous, so I bought an automatic feeder and completely trust my girl. She has no problems with excess weight, her appearance is standard.”