Best Dog Food For Pitbulls Buyer's Guide
When well-cared for pitbulls, by nature, grow up to be friendly, lovable, very active canines known for being extremely loyal, strong and the perfect best friend you could ever have. Extremely confident and outgoing, all they need is good food (check our list above), a good home and great company to reach their full potential in life: being loved and giving love.
The ASPCA website gives the pit-bull breed an endorsement that is glowing and ringing with truth. It says, "Other pit bulls were specifically bred for work and companionship. These dogs have long been popular family pets, noted for their gentleness, affection and loyalty. And even those pit bulls bred to fight other animals were not prone to aggressiveness toward people." Who wouldn't want such a fantastic friend?
We know it's hard trying to find the perfect dog food for someone as special as your precious pup. Therefore, we have done all the research and work for you on finding out which factors you should take note of before buying dog food for your pit bull.
Which Ingredients Should You Look Out For?
The most important factor when deciding which dog food to go for is protein and fat content.
Pit bulls naturally grow to be larger, stronger and muscular than most other dog breeds. About 20 percent of their diet needs to come from fats, 45 percent should be protein, and the rest can be a blend of carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Carbohydrates aren't required for optimal growth, but a decent percentage of around 20 would round up to a well and balanced diet.
The fats are needed to make hormones, increase fluidity in joints, and to upgrade and maintain cell metabolism. The protein is essential as its amino acids are the building blocks for all cells, muscle, bones and other bodily tissue. This is the prime ingredient, instrumental for proper growth to the full potential and to prevent ailments and student growth.
While most dog food is great for most breeds, a pit bull requires more protein and fat for its optimal growth. Added ingredients for bone density and joint fluidity such as glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate will aid in the structural foundation and the skeletal system of your dog. These will keep him or her strong and healthy and lively.
Additional Ingredients To Consider
It is also advisable to consider the plant and soy-based content of the dog food. Food that is more plant and soy-based contain less nutrition value per calorie for your pit bull.
As pit bulls are largely carnivorous creatures, they benefit more from a meat-based dog food, particularly that of beef and chicken. Fish, turkey and other forms of lean meat and protein are also adequate substitutes. High soy content can cause problems with a pet's internal endocrine system. Giving these to your pet may foretell a trip to the vet is in your future.
Due to pit bulls suffering from frequent gastric problems than other dogs, essential ingredients such as probiotics can be a lifesaver when it comes to prolonging the immune system and life span of your furry friend. They also keep the GI tract clean and functional, with the help of fiber that allows your pup to be smooth sailing in its digestive and excretory system all day long, saving you the trouble of cleaning up after him.
All high-quality dog food should also contain DHA which are premium omega 3 fatty acids that are brilliant for shiny coats, hair, and skin of your pets. Whole grains as well may make up part of their food diet but the less they are in proportion, the better as it allows for more protein and fats to be packed into the base of the pet food as carnivores don't get too many nutritional benefits from grains or heavy carbs such as potatoes.
Organic grains are preferable, but they are no real substitute for meat and protein. Avoid formulas with ‘grain fragments' - these are non-nutritive fillers designed to bulk up nutritional product content. This goes the same for corn or any wheat based product as well.
Why Dry Dog Food?
As you may very well notice, every product on our list is dry dog food. This is because it does not require refrigeration, a prime advantage over other kinds of dog food, as it contains almost 90 percent dry ingredients and 10 percent water, thus making it much easier to store for the long term.
Dry dog food is made by mixing and cooking sources like meat and grains. This process converts the starches in the food into an easily digestible form, while simultaneously destroying toxins and flash sterilizing the components. Dry dog food is also found in a range of varieties and is much cheaper than most wet or other textures of dog food available on the market. They also let you pack in more calories per bag than wet or other kinds, this is great as your pit bulls are generally very active, muscular and friendly strong companions.
What Other Factors Must Be Considered?
Safety should also be a concern for the discerning buyer. All our picks are naturally sourced and safely harvested, containing pure, simple ingredients that should cause no problem to the health and well-being of your canine friend. Preservative, artificial flavoring, and additives free allow dogs of various pedigrees to enjoy the tasty morsels without fear of landing in the vets' office.
Another thing of note is the age of your pup. When dogs are just puppies, they require special food and as they grow, those requirements and their diet changes, so it is best to purchase dog food that is right for dogs from a wide range of ages. Very young puppies should eat softened dry food two to three times daily while adult dogs can regulate their own nutrition levels reasonably well.
The best by date is also something to watch out for. Ideally, your best bet is getting one that has a date ten, eleven or even a whole year away so that you know the food was made recently and is as fresh as it can be for your dog.
Checking the nutritional adequacy statement may also prove to be of service. This will back up the product's dietary claims that make it right for your dog. This will be a statement that will specify whether the product is right for which age range, breed or size of the dog.
Tips For Proper Feeding & Maintenance
If your pup has a tendency to chow down on their food fast, it may be helpful to give them small meals frequently rather than one or two large meals and also exercise them only after an hour or two after meal time. Pit bulls quite frequently suffer from diarrhea and gastric torsion which is when they bloat due to the buildup of excess gas in the gastric tract. This can all be avoided by proper pacing when eating.
It is also best to note allergens that may affect your pit bull. Symptoms of dietary allergies usually consist of irritation of the skin, irritability, bloating, upset stomachs, and changes in energy levels. Closely monitoring this is also essential as this will save you the time and money spent in the vet's office again. You would want to consider grain free dog food products to avoid some of the most common allergies associated to grains.
If obesity is a concern, regulate your pet's mealtimes and feed them only when they seem to be hungry as they are much better predictors of their own fluffy body and nutrition levels, although these tasty treats may leave them wanting more food that often.
Keeping snacks and treats to a minimum will also save you and your pup the trouble of nutritional abnormalities. Once a day should be more than enough, especially with proper quantities and quality of dog food provided.
It is worthy to note that when buying dog food, we should not be buying with the idea and notions attributed to our diet – that means no magic weight loss foods for your pup, no low fat, no Atkins diets or the like. High moisture content, veggies, and fruits to simulate real-life prey tastes and flavors, supplemented with that enormous content of protein and mid-levels of fat are ideal for your perfect pit-bull.
Clean your dog's bowl always before feeding. Wash kitchen utensils and surfaces thoroughly to avoid cross-contamination, harmful bacteria and other nasty pathogens.
You Can Buy Dog Food Online
We know you could just grab your car keys and hurry down to the nearest convenience store to grab that right back of dog food (preferably from our list) for your furry friend.
But with the convenience of the internet right at the tips of your fingertips, why not just buy online? All our recommendations are available on Amazon so they can be delivered right to your doorsteps in a matter of days. As well as that all our products are well rated and testified with real reviews from customers that cement their quality, and assurance in the product.
We have faith in it, they do as well and so should you.
