Do you love your pit bull?
Then you must know how important it is to get the best dog food for your pitbull!
Pit Bulls are large companion dogs that live an active lifestyle and love to play around and release their energy.
You know what that means, right?
With this playful nature, pitbulls release a lot of their energy as pups (and even as adults!) and, thus, need the proper nutrition.
To choose the best dog food for pitbulls you need to have the right knowledge of the nutrition that the dog needs, as well as the health problems that Pitbulls could face later in life.
Let’s get right into it!
The Best Dog Food for Pitbulls – Overview
Before I get into more details, let’s talk about the products I’ll review today!
I’ve made sure that they are of the best quality.
Count the Calories!
You need to know how much you should feed your dog!
After all, you don’t want to starve him or make him really fat!
In order to estimate the number of calories your dog will need to have every day, you first should know your furry friend’s ideal weight.
But, do keep in mind that these numbers are based on the average weights! Don’t panic!
I feel that the best way to find out the ideal weight of your dog is by simply asking your vet! This is probably the most appropriate method.
However, if you’re impatient…
The average weight of a Pitbull is around 45 pounds. But do keep in mind that Pitbulls have a large range of ‘ideal’ weights.
You must be wondering why. Well, I’ll tell you…
When you say ‘Pitbull,’ it describes not one or two, but three breeds! Namely:
But, do keep in mind that this 45 lb is on average. A full-grown pitbull needs about 1,100 kcals a day. A senior citizen Pitbull may need fewer calories, like about roughly 875 calories, because of the decline in the dog’s activity.
So, what if your dog is the hyperactive kind?
Well, your hyperactive dog will, obviously, need to get in a lot more of those calories! It could be even 1,700 calories!
What about puppies, then?
Well, feeding a baby pit bull is a different thing altogether.
The Yin and The Yang!
You must be wondering why I’ve talked so much about the weight thing.
Well, I’ll explain.
The problem is that fat obese pit bulls will most probably face serious health issues. The good thing is that Pitbulls are in no way genetically predisposed to gaining weight like crazy!
But there’s a problem.
Dogs have an insatiable appetite for food. And Pitbulls are no exceptions! So, it can be a little tricky when you try to keep your dog’s diet in check.
Now, like a fat human, a fat pit bull will also have a higher risk of getting some diseases when you compare it to a fit and healthy pit.
The diseases include a cocktail of diabetes, heart diseases, poor liver functioning, etc. They are probably the most prominent among fat or heavy pit bulls.
Oh, and added to all that, your dog may even suffer from heat intolerance.
This means that you’d have to install an AC in your dog’s kennel!
What I’m boiling down to is that you should keep a strict check on your dog’s diet right from the start so that you don’t even give obesity a chance!
Dog Workouts
You know what doctors say to fat humans, right?
“Go for a walk.”
Well, that applies to your dog, too! If you feed your dog the right amount, you should also try and keep your dog healthy by making him burn all those calories.
The good thing is that pit bulls are strong and athletic dogs, primed for any kind of activity. Chances are that your dog would love the exercise!
So, what to do!?
Well, there are a lot of ways in the book that can help bump up the exercise routine of your dog.
Some of them are things that your dog (or any dog!) would love, like retrieval games, obstacle courses, going for walks, runs, or even swims! (In the summer!)
If your dog is the indoor type, you can use a treadmill for those walks he loves.
Think of it this way: You, too, get a workout buddy. #SummerShredding?
So, you can finally live an active lifestyle (which you’ve been craving!) by taking your dog on hikes, running on the beach, or anything else you can think of! And by the end of it, you and your dog would both be less fat! (No, you’re not fat!)
Cool, right?
Now that I’ve talked so much about obesity, there’s actually another side to the story.
Underfeeding: The Innocent Silent Killer
Most Pitbull owners tend to portion-control their dog’s food, with the best intentions, of course! Since obesity is a big threat…
What does this mean?
The thing is that this restriction could actually be harming your puppy’s health. You may end up not feeding enough food to your dog, and an underweight pitbull may develop a wide variety of other problems like gastrointestinal problems or several illnesses.
So?
Well, your pit bull’s weight dropping to an extremely unhealthy level may be an indicator of a larger problem, like the presence of a worm, parasite, or IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
So I advise you to take your dog to the vet if you’ve been observing significant weight loss in your pooch.
But don’t panic!
Your dog may be skinny because of other environmental influences.
If you’ve adopted your dog from a shelter or from another home, then the reason for your dog’s weight may also be caused due to the lack of food or unusual eating habits that the dog may have developed during puppyhood.
Nurse Your Underweight Pit Bull Back to a Healthy Weight
If you’ve got a malnourished pit bull, it’s really important to nurse your dog back to the healthy weight range.
But you’ve got to do it in a way that helps protect your dog’s overall health.
Don’t just give the dog too much food as he stares at you blankly as if saying, “What do you want me to do with this, human!?”
That’d do no good. I’d probably do some damage…
Instead, you should follow a few steps:
Step 1: Call The Vet
If you’ve adopted a sweet (but emaciated) dog to your family, then the first thing that you should be doing is scheduling an appointment with the veterinarian.
Prevention is better than cure!
The vet will strike off any medical causes to your dog’s weight. Apart from that, the vet will also help create a proper diet chart especially designed for your dog to get him healthy again.
Step 2: At-Home Care
If you’ve got the green light from the vet, you need to start increasing the quantity of food your dog takes in one day carefully.
I’ve got a trick for you!
I feel that a better way to increase your dog’s food intake is by adding to the serving portion of your dog’s favorite dog food you give to your dog a little every day.
Or more treats!
You can keep doing this until your dog reaches his ideal range of weight.
But keep in mind that since you’re feeding your dog a little extra, you’ll also have to add more exercise to your dog’s routine.
Wait, what!?
Yes, I know what you’re thinking, “This is counter-productive.” And I also know that if you do this, it’ll result in some of the calories getting burnt.
But bear with me!
Adding more exercise means that your dog will be able to maintain the healthy functionality of its heart and its lungs.
As a bonus, you may help your friend build some muscles!
Macronutrients: The Things That Count!
I’ll say one thing. And you can quote me on this.
It is important to know that your pit bull needs a hell lot of meat and protein sources in their diet.
And I’ve got some reasons of my own for saying this.
Protein
First of all, your dog has a lot of muscles in his body. And animals that need to maintain this muscle mass also need an adequate amount of protein. That’s why you see bodybuilders taking protein in every way that they can.
The second thing is that pits are active dogs, and as active dogs, they tend to require more protein in their diets than non-active ones.
And finally, pits are kind of prone to a number of very serious and sometimes fatal health issues that could have been prevented by feeding them a high in protein, a low in grain diet.
So what’s the quantity of protein that I should be feeding my dog?
Well, if you think that an amount of 25% of protein is adequate for a Pitbull, like the other dogs, then you’ve got another thing coming! For pits, you need to aim higher.
The ideal amount of protein for a Pit bull is 40%
Carbs
Now that we’ve got the department of protein covered, it’s time to talk about carbs!
Pit bulls, like any other dog, just love eating. In fact, when hungry, they just gulp their food down instead of chewing it! As you may know, that could cause few different problems, including a cocktail of obesity mixed with other issues.
So, when feeding your pitbull, you may just want to dog foods high on carbohydrates.
Don’t just skip feeding carbs, though! Make sure that you don’t load your dog up on just carbs. I’d advise you to avoid grains as they’re notorious for causing more added problems.
Fats!
Well, you must be thinking that fat is the enemy. It’s not!
Pit bulls need a good source of the good kind of fats, but that being said, they’re not the type of breed that needs extra of them.
Anyhow, you needn’t worry about this.
Most of the dog foods available in markets have good fat sources (and percentages!) in them.
But don’t worry!
This fat content is just enough to be sure that your dog’s food has one source of fats, like flax or fish.
Keeping A Check On Your Pit Bull’s Food!
You know how dogs just eat anything and everything that they want, right?
And when it comes to food, they just eat all the food you give them in a matter of seconds! Well, that’s exactly why you should keep an eye on the amount of food your dog consumes.
But how!?
Well, I feel that keeping your dog on a feeding schedule is probably the best way.
You should also keep in mind that the number of meals you provide your dog will depend upon his age.
If you’ve got a little puppy on your hands, you should give him some dry, soft food twice or three times a day. This’ll ensure that your puppy grows to its proper and actual mature size.
There’s more.
When your little baby pit bull is weaned completely, you should still feed the little guy twice or thrice a day. That’s because, at this stage, you should give your dog good and excellent-quality puppy food curated for the needs of large breed dogs.
You should continue this schedule for at least a year or until your dog reaches the one-year mark.
When your pitbull becomes an adult dog, you can feed him one time (or maybe two times) a day.
But keep in mind that if you choose to serve your dog two meals, be sure that you make each meal out to be exactly half of the daily food allowance.
I’m asking you to do this because if you don’t keep track of this stuff, you could easily end up overfeeding your dog!
Oh, and feeding your dog one time a day is not exactly a bed of roses, either!
Some dogs just hate it. They’re anxious and whiny if they happen to only get food one time a day. Others just love it.
On the flip side, one meal a day makes it a lot easier to keep your puppy’s health in check, more so if he’s an obese one!
Feeding Pit Bulls With Health Issues
Well, like every living thing on this planet, Pit Bulls, too, could have some health-related problems.
And it’s important to keep these problems in mind when you’re feeding them!
I’ve covered a few health problems in this section, but do make sure that you visit the vet before making any changes to your dog’s diet.
And, also keep in mind that the vet knows your dog the best.
All About The Allergies
For a lot of different reasons, pit bulls tend to be prone to certain coat and skin problems, and most of such problems have just one underlying cause: allergies.
So, you should keep these allergies in mind when feeding your dog.
Before going to the vet, you can start by avoiding foods that are known to trigger allergic reactions in other dogs so that you can at least single out the cause.
These ingredients commonly include corn, wheat, and potatoes.
Bloating or Gastric Torsion
This is something very serious and important.
Bloat (or Gastric torsion) happens when your dog’s stomach twists in an awkward manner on itself, which stops the process of releasing gasses. This can cause bloating of extreme levels and can even kill.
If you observe the symptoms of bloat, rush to the veterinarian to keep your pitbull safe.
The thing is that pitbulls are at high risk for developing this type of bloat as they tend to gulp down anything and everything!
What Should You Do About This!?
Well, we have a few things that you can do. Let’s talk about them, shall we?
- First of all, you should avoid all kinds of grains. That’s because grains can cause your dog to be…gassy, especially during the digestion process. To compensate for this, you can up the protein content in your dog’s food instead.
Carbohydrates from slow-burning protein and carb sources, such as lentils, are also better alternatives.
- Secondly, instead of giving your dog one huge meal, try to space out the meals in the day to ensure that he doesn’t eat too much.
Feeding twice is a more popular choice, but you can also feed your dog up to four meals.
- And finally, let your dog rest after he’s just eaten. Don’t let him get way too excited!
That’s because exercising shakes up your dog’s stomach, which in turn, releases some more gasses in your dog’s already gassy stomach.
This exponentially increases the chances of getting a stomach twist.
So, make sure you’ve got nap time right after food time!
Elbow & Hip Issues
The thing with large and active breeds is that they usually have joint problems. Since the pitbull is both large and active, you can add two and two…
This may happen with age or if your dog romps around.
But obesity makes this worse. And that’s totally under your control!
All you need to do is:
- Make sure that you aren’t overfeeding your dog
- Invest in dog foods with a higher content of protein and produce—which are both rich in nutrients and help maintain weight
The Best Food For Pitbulls that is Available Right Now
I’ve picked out some really good products that have been tested repeatedly by many Pitbull owners.
You should also keep in mind that it’s not just the ingredient quality that matters. We should try to make a rough estimate of the food’s meat content before thinking of buying it.
Let’s begin!
When you look at this food’s ingredients, you’d feel that this, too is a good choice for your dog.
This product also contains above-average levels of protein and fat but contains some below-average levels of carbs.
This is perfect for you if your dog is older.
When you consider the protein content in garbanzo beans, yeast, pea products, and flaxseed, it makes it a type of kibble with moderate amounts of meat.
Wilderness Blue Buffalo is also a great pick for your Pit Bull. Let’s talk about it in a little detail to know why…
This dog food has an above-average amount of protein and a near-average amount of fat but a below-average amount of carbs.
So, I feel it’s better suited for older or less active dogs.
The protein content in pea protein, quinoa, peas, chia seed, and alfalfa still contains a notable amount of real meat.
When we look just at the ingredients, Merrick Grain-Free Dog Food is an above-average dry dog food product.
The product contains an almost average level of protein, near-average fat, and below-average carbs when we compare it to other dog food.
When we single out the actual protein you get from the animals, it’s of a significant level, which is great!
This dog food contains above-average protein and carbs and below-average fat when you go and compare it to other foods available in the market.
In fact, even when we single out the protein in the flaxseed and potato, this food still has a limited amount of meat.
Well, I feel that LID is a good plant-based dog food that uses limited sources of animal protein. I recommended this to everyone!
When it comes to judging a food by its ingredients, Wellness Natural Dog food is an above-average kibble.
The numbers suggest that this product has above average amount of protein, an average amount of fat, and a below-average amount of carbs when we compare it to any other dog food in the market.
Singling out the protein content in flaxseed and legumes, Wellness dog food still has a significant amount of meat.
So, What Should I Keep In Mind?
Pit Bulls are smart dogs, love to play around, and have an insatiable appetite for food! So much so that they can get morbidly obese.
You need to keep track of their diet and exercise!
But before all that, you should learn how to pick out the best foods for your dog! And I hope that this article explains that to you in detail!
Because of their large size, Pit Bulls need healthy blends of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals in their diets.
But it’s not the calories that matter. Your dog needs a balanced diet, so he needs a balanced amount of carbs, fats, and proteins.
Here are some dog foods that I recommend:
Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets – Sweet Potato and Fish: A good food source for active Pit Bulls
Canine Formula Taste of the Wild: This is suitable for pitbulls that have food allergies
Wilderness Blue Buffalo High Protein Dry Adult Dog Food: A good source of protein for your pitbull!
Wellness Complete Health Natural Dog Food: A complete and hearty meal for your pitbull
Merrick Grain-Free Dry Dog Food: Probably the best food available for Pit Bulls
I hope this article gave you some insight into what you should be feeding your Pitbull!
What do you think of Canidae’s limited ingredient dry dog foods for pits? We’re transitioning our Border Pit/Aussie to their Pure line’s “Sea” flavor (Fresh salmon, salmon meal, and menhaden meal are the first three of only eight total ingredients).