QUALITY DOG FOODFood is the most important necessity in a dog’s life. As a responsible dog Owner, it is extremely vital that you provide your companion with quality dog food. I provide my pitbulls only the best brands, because a good diet can really make all the difference in the quality of a dog’s life. I personally feed my dogs kibble on a daily basis, but I am also a strong advocate of a Raw Diet. However, with four dogs, I found it easier to maintain a kibble dog food diet due to the cost and preparation. Although all of my recommendations are good for any dog breed, they are especially important for pitbulls.
Pitbulls are extremely high energy dogs and they need good nutrients to support their lifestyle. Also, Pitbulls are prone to skin problems. During my first year as a dog Owner I gradually started to buy Supermarket kibble; whether I didn’t feel like making a separate trip to the Pet Store or I didn’t feel like paying $50.00 a bag all of the time. Shortly after, my female Pitbull developed a bald spot called a “Hot Spot”. I soon found out that the bald spot was caused by skin mites. As gross as it sounds, every person and dog has skin mites. But, when a dogs immune system is not strong enough to keep the mites under control, they can borrow into the hair follicles, which causes the hair to fall out. I couldn’t believe that my decision to buy a poor quality kibble caused my dog’s skin problem. I sincerely hope that you take my advice and purchase these products to give your companion what they deserve. After all, I know any of you that have children would want to make sure your children are provided with a balanced diet.
Kibble There a many high quality kibbles out there, but I will only recommend the kibbles that I have personally used for my dogs. I prefer kibble over wet food for many reasons including the mess and that the kibble is better for dog’s oral health as well. I typically switch the food every time I go to the Petco so that my dogs don’t get sick of one brand. Wellness Wellness CORE Check out the Wellness Website for detailed information regarding which of their Dry Food Formula’s would be best for your dog. Click on this link:
Wellness Dog Food
Visit JBPet.com by clicking on the link below to purchase all of your dogs food, treats, toys and more.
Solid Gold Quality Dog Food Visit the Solid Gold Website for more information on each of their products. They have a breakdown of the product descriptions for each dry dog food formula.
Click on this link:
Solid Gold Dog Food
Visit JBPet.com by clicking on the link below to purchase all of your dogs food, treats, toys and more.
EVO Quality Dog Food EVO is a high quality, high protein dog food kibble, comparable to a Raw dog food Diet. My dogs love the small bites red meat. If you purchase EVO for the first time, I recommend mixing your dogs food at first. It is very rich. I have only been able to find EVO at a couple of small Holistic or All Natural Pet Stores in my area, but visit JBPet.com to order online.
Merrick Before Grain Quality Dog Food Before Grain dog food is grain free and based primarily on fresh meat, super blue fruit, nutrient dense vegetables and quality oils. My dogs love the Buffalo formula which is the No. 1 Ingredient in this dog food mix.
RAW Dog Food
I personally believe that a raw diet is great for dogs. Not only are the raw bones a natural toothbrush keeping your dogs oral health in great condition, but the bones are full of minerals like calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. To this day, I still have many people question me when they hear me talk about giving my dogs raw bones. “Aren’t bones dangerous for dogs?” Cooked bones can be very dangerous for your dog. I found out the hard way when my first dog knocked over the garbage and ate a few left over chicken wings from dinner. As a precaution I brought my little guy in the Vet and they ended up doing emergency surgery to remove the bones before they entered his intestines. Cooked bones no longer have their moisture which causes splintering. The splintered edges are extremely dangerous for your dogs digestive system. I recommend that anyone interested in providing their dogs with a raw dog food diet, spend a lot of time researching first. A raw diet can be very healthy for a dog but it can also be unsafe if an Owner is uneducated. Stay away from small bones like those found in necks until you are educated and are certain that your dog will chew them properly. A dog that is new to a raw diet may not chew these bones well enough which may cause sharp bones to enter the digestive system. Also, depending on your dogs size they should be given a bone that is large enough so that they will not swallow it. If I give my dogs a raw bone that they will eventually eat the entire thing, I never leave them unsupervised. The bone could become small enough from my dog to swallow whole which is unsafe. I will often take the bone away once it is small enough just to be safe. Below are a few recommended websites that I found helpful during my research.
Even though I do not provide my dogs a raw diet, I still incorporate raw food into their lives. There are several different items that I will purchase at the market or Butcher as a snack. Check the meat isle for miscellaneous products that are cheap. It sounds weird but the butchers will try to sell everything instead of throwing it out, including pig butt and pig tail.
Chicken Feet – Yes, these are creepy looking, but dogs love them and they are full of glucosamine to keep your dogs joints strong. The deli typically sells a pack of about 20 chicken feet for a couple dollars.
Soup Bones – The deli will usually sell “soup bones” which is just the left over bones with a little meet on them for about a dollar. Below is a picture of my dog Moose enjoying a Soup Bone!
Marrow Bones - These are my favorite. You can find marrow bones at some pet stores, but I personally buy bones from a local meat house. They actually sell “Dog Bones”. They sell two or three, 8” bones in a package. Marrow Bones are great for a boring rainy day or even when you are leaving the house for a while to occupy your dog. After your pulls any of the meat off of the exterior, they will spend hours trying to get out the bone marrow. Even when they can’t reach it anymore, I will use a knife to break it up and spread the marrow around the inside of the bone to keep them interested in it. My dogs chew on the same bones for a month. Prices will vary depending on where you live or where you find these bones, but I buy three for about $9.00. They are well worth it. Your deli may also sell smaller marrow bones labeled as "Soup Bones" Also, regardless if you buy small or large ones, you can stuff the middle with peanut butter and freeze for a great challenging snack for your dog. (Please be cautious and watch your dogs with any type of bone. If they start to break off large pieces and swallow them whole, they may not be able to pass them properly. Please monitor your dogs with these bones.) Satin Balls – The more I read about Satin Balls, they are good for weight gain. However, I personally only made Satin Balls for meals or as a snack. If your dog will eat them frozen, it is a nice treat for them to work at. Below is a recipe that I tend to use on my own but if you surf the web you will find many different recipes. Feel free to alter it as you want. I found a great price on a 30lb tub of ground beef at my local Wholesale Club. • RECIPE 12 – 15 lbs 85% raw hamburger 1 lg box corn flakes or Special K 1 box instant oatmeal 1 jar wheat germ 1 cup molasses 2 package of cream cheese softened (Heat it in the microwave but be careful if it gets hot) 2 cups peanut butter softened 12 raw eggs with shell (crunch up the shell as much as you can and be careful of the sharp edges) Olive Oil as needed Misc. Supplements Mix up all of the ingredients in a large plastic bin (I actually use a small storage bin). The consistency should be like meatballs. Too much liquid and it might be loose or sticky so that you will be able to form a nice round ball. If it is too dry, you may also not be able to form a nice ball and the dry ingredients may overpower the meat making it less enticing for your dog. I typically add extra Virgin Olive Oil for more moisture or wheat germ if it is too moist. These balls are a great way to supply your dog with supplements; whether it is a powder or liquid. I normally use Salmon Oil for coat and liquid or powder glucosamine for joints. I like to form a softball size balls and I put each on in an individual sandwich bag. I prefer to freeze them so that it takes my dog longer to eat but some Owners have said that their dogs prefer the Stain Balls once they thaw out. |
