Feeding a pit

[lum_king08]

I have a 5 month old pit bull and he is still eating canned dog food. Is this normal? I usually mix 1/2 can of dog food with dry food. He loves it this way. He eats this twice a day. He doesn't want to eat plain dry food. I know that if I only gave him dry food that he would eventually get hungry enough and eat it, but I feel that this is cruel. Is this spoiling him too much?

Also does anyone have any suggestions for a type of dry dog food for him? I would prefer someone's opinion from experience because everywhere I look a different type is suggested.

[SniCkercola]

sounds like a nice pup I have always had pitbulls and love them. I would suggest making sure the dogs teeth and gums arent injured. I have had dogs like this in the past and i always just added water to the dry food. As for feed I would suggest and currently feed an all natural whole food diet to my dogs.I never could get my dogs to look very good on commercial dog food(cheap stuff) I now feed people food to them and it is much cheaper as well as finally achieving great looking muscular dogs your pit will look much better on real food.

[Ruffshooter]

Eagle Pack is a good dry food, Purina Pro Plan is a good dry food. each around a $1.20 a pound give or take. Even all natural dog foods are commercially made. Hence selling them and making a profit. Dogs live for 12 to 17 years more or less eating dry "commercial foods"(typical of dogs). Not saying natural foods are bad or better or worse, but definately more expensive. If you have the extra money and like the idea buy the naturals. If you wish to cook your own dog food and add supplements to make your own people dog food and that makes you feel better. Do it. The bottom line is what does your dog do well on. Different dogs do better on certain feeds. We as people can pick the best of the best and the dogs just wants chow or maybe has more expensive taste if from beverly hills and wants caviar.

Personally, I always liked the Eagle Pack Performance. 30/20, The dogs did well, except for one who looked good but was finiky about eating it. It was also hard to get the distributor to carry it regurally and I did not want to keep 10 bags at home all the time. So I moved to Diamond Extreme athelete, Similar ingrediants, little higher protein and fat. None of the dogs did well on it, in fact coats got dull on two, loose stools, unpredictable stools etc. So then went to the Purina Proplan performance, they all do well on it shinny coats weight back on the GSP and they like it. So that is our food.

Just my opinion. I am no expert except on my dogs.
Rick

[Greg Jennings]

If you put down the dry food and stand firm on it, the dog will learn to eat it. Never seen a dog yet that I couldn't cure in three days....

[Wildweeds]

Soften your dry feed with a small amount of hot water,when it cools a bit throw it down in front of the dog,he'd eat or go hungry at my place,transition to 100% dry by adding less and less water.

Expediate the process by feeding a half ration of your canned mixed with the dry and water and then wean the canned off would be a good start.

[TEX-X]

we use to feed our hog dogs (pits) tires and cats we fed diamond naturals the extreme athlete but mixed it half and half with the diamond hi energy... if you don't mix it it gives them horrible gas... i now feed my shorthairs a mix of the extreme athlete and the hi energy.... i'm happy with it and it's not that expensive

[Ruffshooter]

Big Ditto on the Extreme athelete = Extreme Gas in my dogs too!!!! I just cut one and it reminded me of the dogs

[Maverick57]

We have fed Diamond performance-30/20 did well but the gas OMG, We have fed the eagal pak dogs did well om it but no one carries it around here. Purina Pro plan is a good food, Nutro for large breed dogs or the adult is also good. We now feed Exceed get it at Sams club, no gas not alot poop to pick up. We are caretakers to an American Bulldog the former owners fed him diamond natural, he never really looked the way he should since he has been on the Exceed he is looking lots better shinie white coat soft to the touch. HE likes his Dry. BC-Heeler- Mollie Sue likes her food with 1tablespoon of iams ck & rice ground can food it make kinda like a gravey for her, she gets 1 1/2 cups dry Exceed and the tablespoon of the can and thats it.

SO, it is up to you budget I guess what kind of food you think you can afford. Mollie Su is my pickiest eater and there are days where she has her dry and she refuses to eat with out her can but in the end she will eat it dry if she has to she has gone 2-3 days eating just a little dry out of her bowl. THe way I do her is let her out in the am put her food down, before I leave for work I pick it up come home for lunch it is down when I leave it is up when I get home at night, it is down again for 1 hr then it is up till the next mornig. SHe by the next morning figures out mom not giving in and just eats.

Just my way, not saying it is the right way, it is what works for us. Good Luck with the Pit Pup thay are wonderful dogs,

Happy Holidays

[birddog1968]

we use to feed our hog dogs (pits) tires and cats

We like to feed the pits in our area a half a clip of 45 ACP.

[natetnc]

wife always spoiled her pekingese with wet food. when she got a job where she had to travel i was stuck messing with the wet food. eventually the wet food started messing up his stomach and i was the only one there to clean it up. i took him off the wet food and set out some dry food that he didn't touch for 2-3 days, i haven't had to mess with wet food since and his stools are nice and firm. put him on pro plan sensitive skin/stomach.

[ezzy333]

The pit I had ate like the other dogs and did well doing it. There never was a need for something special or different. Dogs are dogs and they do well on a good dry kibble that they will eat when they are hungry. Dressing the feed with some appetizer causes more trouble than good normally. I never put chocolate over the broccoli and the kids all love it now. They call that training or education I think.

Ezzy

[mcbosco]

Al, come on, you never did the Choo-Choo train trick?

[ezzy333]

Al, come on, you never did the Choo-Choo train trick?

Not only never did it and don't think I ever heard of it. But I'm willing to learn.

[mcbosco]

When that doesn't work I do this one: "How big is Mickey? Soooooo Big!" That does the trick everytime.

[diane303]

I still add a little wet food or raw into the kibble and add water. One reason is that my pointer gulps her food and the water and mixed consistency slows her down a bit. The other reason is that I don't want them to just eat one food all the time. I want them to be able to handle a variety of foods. I always think of what it would be like if you only ate one processed dry food, day after day, for your whole life. This way, if they eat something outside of what they are fed usually, the chances of intestinal havoc are less. They do eat dry kibble, though, and, especially my pointer, are not picky eaters. I put the food down and if it is not gone in 20 minutes, it gets dumped.

I rotate feed Prairie by Nature's Variety to my setter and pointer. I use to feed them Eagle Pack, but my setter had bad breath and gas even though her coat was great and she liked it.

[ezzy333]

I still add a little wet food or raw into the kibble and add water. One reason is that my pointer gulps her food and the water and mixed consistency slows her down a bit. The other reason is that I don't want them to just eat one food all the time. I want them to be able to handle a variety of foods. I always think of what it would be like if you only ate one processed dry food, day after day, for your whole life. This way, if they eat something outside of what they are fed usually, the chances of intestinal havoc are less. They do eat dry kibble, though, and, especially my pointer, are not picky eaters. I put the food down and if it is not gone in 20 minutes, it gets dumped.

I rotate feed Prairie by Nature's Variety to my setter and pointer. I use to feed them Eagle Pack, but my setter had bad breath and gas even though her coat was great and she liked it.

It has been proven many imes over that animals do like the same thing over and over and anytime you change feed on them it interferes with their overall digestive process. But we do get caught up in the idea that our aniamsls have human characteristics but it just doesn't work like that. Get them on a good feed and stay on it and try to keep from supplementing as that too upsets the whole process.

Ezzy

[postoakshorthairs]

I use to feed them Eagle Pack, but my setter had bad breath and gas even though her coat was great and she liked it..

I'm glad my wife doesn't take all the foods away from me that cause this!!!

[jt807]

we use to feed our hog dogs (pits) tires and cats

We like to feed the pits in our area a half a clip of 45 ACP.

That is funny.

[diane303]

I know. For years vets have been recommending feeding your dog the same simple diet year in and year out since the 1970s. Now nutritionists are saying that it is better to challenge the system with a variance of protein sources and fiber sources to cover nutritional needs and to desensitize the dog's gut.

How many of us have seen the dog that gets intestinal problems because they have partaken in a piece of holiday turkey etc., - or a new dog food. The thought is, and many food companies are following suit with rotation diets...and then there are the raw diets. I've seen dogs with severe skin problems and allergies do amazingly great on raw diet. I don't have the confidence, time or money to do solid raw so I supplement their kibble with it - per Nature's Variety's recommendation. I have found that with the way I've feeding them, they have been thriving. Good coats, teeth & poops and lots of energy.