Having a pit bull is a a wonderful gift, and enjoying the delight these amazing animals bring you is unmatched. To keep your pit bull happy and healthy, it’s important to ensure she has a healthy and diverse diet plan. Pit bulls have complex nutrition needs, just like people do. It can be easy to forget that pit bulls have such diet needs, but a pit bull that’s not getting as much nutrition is more susceptible to a variety of ailments, including upset stomachs, skin conditions like dry skin or overly oily skin, more fragile bones, problems with weight, and other problems. Keeping your pit bull healthy with a healthy diet also helps to give your dog a strong immune system to fight against other sicknesses, and will make your dog appear healthier and stronger in general. There are several things to keep in mind when working to instill a healthy diet plan for your pit bull.
The foundation is arguably the most important part of any diet plan for your pit bull, and often pre-packaged dog foods make up this foundation. Dog foods that are purchased in grocery stores and general stores are typically perfectly fine to feed your dog on a daily basis. However, it is often a concern that these types of food do not provide adequate nutrition for pit bulls specifically, and so it’s important to use other foods to supplement the nutritional needs of the breed. It’s up to you whether you want to use dog food as the foundation of your diet plan, or if you want to remove it as a food source and use other options for ample nutrition. If you do decide to use dog food, make a careful decision in which kind to purchase. Some types of food are aimed at certain breeds, and some types are aimed at things like shedding or weight control, so keep these things in mind when selecting a food. There are also special types that are for dogs at certain ages, and assist in maintaining health for that specific age groups. Look on the labels of the food before selecting one, to find out just how nutritious it is. Not all dog foods are created equally, and some types may provide very little actual nutritional benefit to you pit bull. Due to the extra nutritional needs of the breed, make sure that the type of dog food you buy has top nutritional benefit. If you decide to feed your dog pre-packaged dog food, you should feed her one serving twice a day. This amount can be altered based on your dog’s weight, the feeding instructions on the food, and advice from your vet.
Should you decide not to feed your dog pre-packaged dog food, meat will make up the foundation of your pit bull’s diet regiment. Meat provides added nutritional benefits that she may not be getting from dry food alone, and also adds a good variety in her diet. Meat is great for adding energy, and also assists in fiber intake. The best way to feed your pit bull meet is by giving her meaty bones. Giving your dogs large meat bones, ones that cannot be accidentally choked on, is a great way to help your dog’s nutrition. Chewing on the bones gives your dog added calcium benefit in addition to the meat nutrition. Feeding your dog mostly poultry bones will be most cost effective for you, but chicken and turkey bones are not going to provide adequate nutrition. Feed your pit bull red meat bones at least twice a week to ensure she’s getting all the nutrients she needs. Though feeding her meat on the bone is the best way to give her meat, it’s possible to give her ground up meat or meat in chunks as an alternate method. Give your pit bull around 18 oz of muscle meat every week. Make sure it’s boneless to avoid choking. In addition, give your dog organ meat once or twice a week. Your options for organ meat include livers and hearts from practically any animal. Fish are another option as a source for nutrition. Be careful in selecting fish, as they are more likely to have parasites. Tuna is a good choice, with low risk for parasites, but do not feed your pit bull salmon; risk of disease is high. Raw fish is the best option, though prepackaged sardines and similar products are acceptable if there aren’t other things available. Work fish into your pit bull’s diet once or twice a week.
3. Vegetables
Vegetables can offer your dogs a wide range of additional nutritional benefits that are much more difficult to get from other areas. Feeding your dog vegetables also offers more variety in your dog’s diet. Granted, your dog may not be crazy about eating vegetables, but you’ll never know until you try. Vegetables are not necessary for your dog’s diet, but their health benefit and nutritional value is great. To feed your dog vegetables, it’s necessary to prepare them carefully for digestion. The best way to do so is to crush them in a juicer or blender, so your dog can digest them easily and get their nutrients. After making this creation, give it to your dog, and offer her between 1/3 and 1/4 of a cup three to four times a week.
4. Eggs
Eggs are another way to get good nutrition to your pit bull. You can feed her the shell to the egg, too, as this is a great way to make sure she’s getting plenty of calcium. To feed her the shells, wash the shells first, and allow them to dry out for a few hours, even a day. After the shell is dried out, ground up the shell into a powder that can be mixed in with meat or the egg itself. Giving eggs a few times a week is a great way to improve calcium intake.
Keep these things in mind when forming your dog’s own diet plan. Aim to feed your dog around two percent to three percent of her preferred body weight. This will assist in making sure she isn’t overweight or underweight. Feed your pit bull twice a day, and feed her a one pound meaty bone to your dog each morning as her morning meal. Try to add variety in the types of bones you give her. If you decide to use pre-packaged dog food, feed it to her as the morning meal, and use the evening meal as a way to give her added nutrition from other sources.
For the evening meal, aim to give between six and eight ounces of food. One food combination could be 4-6 ounces of organ meat and a 4-6 ounce meaty bone. Another is 4-6 ounces of muscle meat with an egg and its shell and 1/3-1/4 of a cup of blended vegetables. A third evening meal option is six to eight ounces of organ meat, though this meal should only be used once a week. A fourth meal option is four-six ounces of fish with an egg and its shell, and 1/3-1/4 of a cup of blended vegetables. By alternating these meal options over the course of the week, you will have created a successful diet plan for your pit bull that provides all the necessary nutrients to keep her a strong and healthy dog.
