# Help! What to feed my 7 month old Pitbull puppy...



## SteveLuvsHisPit (Jun 4, 2008)

First off, hello everybody! I'm a new member here, it feels good to join 'the family' 

As a new dog owner, I wanted to get some advice on what kind of food I should feed my 7 month old Pitbull puppy. When we adopted him from the shelter on the 27th, they gave me a small bag of Science Diet to start him out with. I went through the small bag and he seemed to like it okay (he mostly just eats 1/2-3/4 of it), however, upon reading into it and seeing the disadvantages it offers as far as nutrition goes, I wanted to ask if anybody recomended anything specifically for my puppy?

Like many members mentioned, I DEFINATELY dont want my dog eating 'junk food' when he's not going to pull anything out of it. I see this as the equivalent of giving kids McDonald's for breakfast/lunch/dinner. Though its CHEAPER, its not a great substitute. On that note--I'm 24 and am actually pretty financial stable and not doing so bad (aside from rent and GAS ) so I was looking for something that would be GREAT for my puppy that's within a pretty reasonable price range. I'd rather cheap myself out on certain luxuries and/or my expenses to get the best for my boy, so price isnt too much of an issue. 

Also, should I feed him dry dog food all of his life, or do you also recommend any type of other foods to substitute or mix it in with? And also, what kind of schedule would I have should I want to give him a little mix meals? I.e. only every other day, once a week, twice, etc?

Thanks in advance for all your help guys, I really appreciate it!  I figured I'd make myself look like a newbie and ask here instead of just "going by what i know/hear" and being an irresponsible owner.


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## rosemaryninja (Sep 28, 2007)

I'm not really good with kibble brands - I feed raw - but I'm sure someone will help you out soon in that department. 

A word of comfort: premium kibble IS more expensive than brands like Science Diet (or what I like to call 'meat-flavoured cornbread') but not as much as you would think. Although a 2 kg bag of Innova will run you up a lot more than a 2 kg bag of SD, there's a lot more nutritional value (real protein, supplements, etc) packed into the Innova than the Science Diet. So your dog will absorb a lot more of the Innova, while he'll poop out most of the Science Diet. Therefore, you feed a lot less of Innova than Science Diet for your dog to gain the same benefit...and _therefore_, a bag of Innova will last you a lot longer. (Sorry if I didn't explain that very well. Just went off on a tangent there.)

You needn't feed him dry food all his life. One of my dogs is on dry food, while the other is on a raw diet. Feeding raw is more troublesome, but it certainly has its benefits, and it's something you may want to look into, even if not right now. 

As for things you can mix with his dry food - the list goes on. When it comes to dry food, as long as you're feeding a good-quality brand, the nutritional value is usually pretty well-balanced in the food already, so there's not as much need to supplement as there would be in a home-prepared diet. One popular choice is to add a raw egg to his meal once a week - break it in, and grind up the shell. Some also add coconut oil, apple cider vinegar or fish oil to their dogs' kibble. Or you can add some plain, low-fat yoghurt. If it's not on the 'poisonous foods' list, you can mix some of it in.

This website might have some helpful information:

http://www.dogfoodproject.com

And please, please ask as many questions as you wish.


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## Mycathinks hesadog (Mar 4, 2008)

Hi and welcome to DF. 

There are many good foods out there. For my budget, Canidae All Life Stages works well, and my dogs love it. I have been very happy with the results since switching to this food.

I supplement kibble w/ Natural Balance Dog Food roll or cases of good canned food that I buy when they're on sale. I'll usually supplement foods on days of heavy excersise (running, swims, bike rides etc) but I guess I don't really have a schedule.

I will also throw in some human food goodies like extra rice, veggies, and things like that should there be left overs. Other wise me and the gf forget to eat them and they just end up going bad.

P.S. your pit is a cutie, please post some pics for us to ogle over!


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## SteveLuvsHisPit (Jun 4, 2008)

Thanks so much to the both of you! That was EXACTLY what I was looking for! I read through it and makes perfect sense! I also printed it out so I can keep it handy at home and show my girlfriend I'm doing my homework! 

Good news is that my pet store will take it back even though the huge bag is already opened and they'll let me switch it out for another one. I think I'll give Innova or Canidae All Life Stages a try since I since a lot of people here talking about them. Again--thanks a million! 

And both I and Damian thank you the compliments, he really IS a cutie-boy, that's what won us over. It was the typical "love at first sight" story with him. Anywhoo--here's some pictures you might enjoy  I've only had him for a week but I'm trying to take a lot of pictures--especially since he's growing so big!


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## rosemaryninja (Sep 28, 2007)

What a sweetie! I just wanted to throw in one good word for Solid Gold's SeaMeal vitamin and mineral supplement. I've always heard really good things about it on this forum and after having tried it on my own dogs for the last few months, I have joined the ranks of those who are nothing short of impressed. It is easy to prepare and give, and it does great work on their coats and activity levels. 

Secondly, switching to Canidae ALS wouldn't be a bad idea now; however, you should stay on either an ALS or a puppy formula for a little while more. The basic guideline is to switch to adult food when your dog has hit about 80-90% of his full-grown body weight, which for most dogs occurs around 9 months of age. Also remember that when switching foods you need to do it gradually, mixing it with his old food and slowly increasing the proportion of new food over around two weeks.

Good luck and keep us posted!


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## TeddieXRuxpin (Sep 11, 2007)

Ok now that's a cutie! (can you tell I'm a pittie fan?) 

Back to your topic though; other brands to look for are Wellness, Taste of the wild, Natural Balance, Orijen (I love the ingredients in their food), Solid Gold, Merrick, Nature's Variety, Timberwolf, and Wysong.

I'd stay away from any food with corn, by-products or preservatives. Also when looking for a kibble look at the first five ingredients; one of the first three should be a whole meat. Something like Beef, Lamb, chicken. Not Chicken meal or chicken by-product. 

Keep us posted on what you go with and how it works. And be sure to post more pictures of you big baby!  His little painted toes are cute too!


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## SteveLuvsHisPit (Jun 4, 2008)

Uh oh, i think his head is literally growing as we speak! All these compliments is making him realize that being good for the camera has its rewards haha. 

Thanks rosemaryninja and TeddyRuxpin-- Spunky, Honey and Teddy are so cute too! I'm also a Pit fan, but also, just a fan of dogs in general! 

I went to our local mom and pop's store yesterday to see what they had. As sfar as what I wanted to look at, they had Solid Gold, EVO, and Innova. We ended up going with Innova to try it out, but I read a tidbit about it lacking some meat so I also picked up some Innova supplements in a few days. Right now I just wanted him to get used to the food dry--and as soon as it was dinner time, he dove right in and kept looking at me like, "Duh! THIS is what I wanted! Not that junk!" He loved it and actually finished ALL of his dinner (a first!). I'll see how he does on this for a while, but I eventually want to also try Canidae and see how he does on that. 

Thanks again for everybody's input, I'm sure you'll be seeing me around the boards here for sure!


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## Mycathinks hesadog (Mar 4, 2008)

TeddieXRuxpin said:


> Ok now that's a cutie! (can you tell I'm a pittie fan?)
> 
> 
> Keep us posted on what you go with and how it works. And be sure to post more pictures of you big baby!  His little painted toes are cute too!


TR, come on now, he's a boy, those aren't painted toes, they're socks! 

Glad to hear your food selection is working well thus far.


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## rosemaryninja (Sep 28, 2007)

I'm glad Innova worked out well for you and Damian. Some people actually advocate changing brands of kibble every 6 months or so - apparently it helps ward off allergies, though I have no personal experience with this. So you will have plenty of time to try Canidae, Solid Gold, etc.

Which Innova blend did you buy?


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## SteveLuvsHisPit (Jun 4, 2008)

LOL @ MyCat!  

Yes, my mischevious boy has some white socks and he also has a white tipped tail. He pulls off his 'tuxedo look' really well, SUCH a classy dog haha.

And yes, i'm very happy too knowing he's actually eating something better than "meat flavored cornbread"  

Oh, in case you guys were wondering, I put up a thread with a few more pictures of him in the Doggie Picture section:

http://www.dogforums.com/8-dog-pictures-forum/29807-damian-our-7-month.html



rosemaryninja said:


> I'm glad Innova worked out well for you and Damian. Some people actually advocate changing brands of kibble every 6 months or so - apparently it helps ward off allergies, though I have no personal experience with this. So you will have plenty of time to try Canidae, Solid Gold, etc.
> 
> Which Innova blend did you buy?


I picked up a 16lb bag of the big breed Puppy blend. I wanted to see if he liked it first, but now I'm just regretting not getting the 30lb'er. Oh well! I'm sure he wont mind another trip to the store soon.


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