One of the most muscular and immensely strong dog breeds is Pitbull. These dogs have a mixture of a good and bad reputation as they can keep you safe and sometimes, they can pounce on others without any reason. People, however, love to keep them as pets.
What and when they should eat, let’s find out.
How much should a Pitbull eat?
The food you need to feed your Pitbull varies from age to age. At the premature age, you should provide puppy food from the 7th week and before that, the puppies must have the mother’s milk and softened kibble. Meals should be unlimited this time and after that, regular puppy food will work.
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Pitbull puppies may seem stronger than any other breed. But they need to have good care while they are growing up. For that reason, a proper diet is highly required. The puppies must take good food initially so that they can grow into a strong adult.
Before stepping on the dog food, the puppies need the mother’s milk and in the mother’s milk, the dog will have the necessary antibodies to tackle any sort of disease.
After providing the milk, you can switch to kibble, so that the pups now can learn to bite something and chew them and eventually get used to it.
After that, you can provide the puppy food before they become adults. Good nutrition is required at the premature stage, or as an adult, the Pitbull will mourn a lot. They should provide food while maintaining a regular food chart.
If you provide more food than they need, it will be as harmful as you let them starve. Because more food will cause obesity in them, the Pitbull will adopt more food, which may impact the dog’s behavioral pattern.
2 to 3 week old Pitbull:
This is the very initial phase of a Pitbull’s life. At that time, the Pitbull puppy needs care from its mother.
If the Pitbull puppy is smaller following the age of the puppy, you should contact a vet. After 3 weeks, you can provide 2-3 cups of soft food to the puppy every day for three times.
4 to 5 week old Pitbull:
At that time, the puppy will have more control over his body. So, it will need more food to explore its surroundings. Though at that period the puppy is fully dependent on its mother’s milk.
But still, you need to continue giving the puppy food along with its mother’s milk. One-fourth of food and three-fourths of water is mandatory currently.
6 to 7 week old Pitbull:
By this time, the puppy will prefer more dog food than his or her mother’s milk. Though you should provide a mixture of both water and food. You must mix the water and dog food in a proper ratio. The mother will try to separate from the puppies.
You should maintain 3 to 4 meals a day.
8 to 9 week old Pitbull:
The puppies are not eligible for mother’s milk from now on. They must take a full course of dog food. Maintain 4 times a day meal, as the quantity of the food must not exceed 2 to 3 cups at a time.
So, the Pitbull will get 12 cups to 14 cups of food every day. Which is recommended for them.
10 to 11 week old Pitbull:
Almost three months have passed. Now, your Pitbull will be more enthusiastic about the environment around it. And eventually, it will learn how to live by itself. At that time, you must be more careful to let your puppy eat everything or not.
Make a firm schedule for your pups and provide food 3 to 4 times a day.
3 month old Pitbull:
This is the time when the Pitbull will grow faster than before. The Pitbull has a lot of energy to deal with and at that time, it will take more food as well. The Pitbull puppy will be active enough to play and walk with you.
So, you should provide 3 to 4 meals a day and let the Pitbull grow rapidly.
4 month old Pitbull:
The Pitbull breed is quite strong and they are playful as well. The more they play the more muscle they gain at the same time. Though some of the Pitbull may grow faster and some may not. Maintain the same food cycle.
5 month old Pitbull:
At 5 months of age, a Pitbull is quite grown up. And still, you must maintain 3-4 cups of food per meal and 3-4 meals a day. Though at that time, it will gain more weight and require more calories.
6 month old Pitbull:
Like at 5 months of age, everything will remain constant. But, according to its weight, you should maintain a proper meal. And, if your dog is not active, then you should not provide more food. Maintain the calories for your dog.
7 month old Pitbull:
As the Pitbull is growing, just maintain the food cycle. By that time, the Pitbull is well trained and knows its surroundings. So not much care is required. 3-4 cups of Puppy food will not be enough for your dog.
You should increase the food intake to 4 to 5 cups and maintain this amount.
8 month old Pitbull:
From 7 months, the food amount increases but the food intake time decreases. Because the Pitbull may not need any extra food. Which will cause skin problems, obesity, and other weight-related issues.
9 month old Pitbull:
By that time, if your Pitbull is playful, then it will require 2-3 meals and 4-5 cups of puppy food. Don’t bother to maintain the food cycle. Or the Pitbull will face some issues.
10 month old Pitbull:
The 10-month-old Pitbull is quite strong and big. But still, you have to maintain the food. You can change different food items. But don’t exceed the daily calories that the dog might need.
Pitbull feeding chart:
| Age | Expected dog Weight (pounds) | Recommended amount of food per day (cups) | Daily calorie intake | Feeding frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Week | 2-3 | Mother’s Milk | 115 | Unlimited Time |
| 3 Week | 2-3 | Mother’s Milk | 264 | Unlimited Time |
| 4 Week | 3-5 | Mother’s Milk | 330 | Unlimited Time |
| 5 Week | 3-5 | Mother’s Milk | 447 | Unlimited Time |
| 6 Week | 5-10 | Mother’s Milk | 552 | Unlimited Time |
| 7 Week | 5-10 | 2-3 Cups of Puppy Food | 654 | 4 times a day |
| 8 week or 2 month | 5-15 | 2-3 Cups of Puppy Food | 702 | 4 times a day |
| 9 Week | 10-15 | 2-3 Cups of Puppy Food | 750 | 4 times a day |
| 10 Week | 10-15 | 2-3 Cups of Puppy Food | 840 | 4 times a day |
| 11 Week | 10-20 | 2-3 Cups of Puppy Food | 930 | 4 times a day |
| 12 week or 3 month | 10-20 | 2-3 Cups of Puppy Food | 972 | 4 times a day |
| 4 month | 15-25 | 3-4 Cups of Puppy Food | 1017 | 3-4 times a day |
| 5 month | 15-30 | 3-4 Cups of Puppy Food | 1299 | 3-4 times a day |
| 6 month | 20-35 | 3-4 Cups of Puppy Food | 1491 | 3-4 times a day |
| 7 month | 20-40 | 4-5 Cups of Puppy Food | 1674 | 2-3 times a day |
| 8 month | 25-45 | 4-5 Cups of Puppy Food | 1848 | 2-3 times a day |
| 9 month | 25-50 | 4-5 Cups of Puppy Food | 1932 | 2-3 times a day |
| 10 month | 25-50 | 4-5 Cups of Puppy Food | 2020 | 2-3 times a day |
Are you overfeeding your Pitbull or not feeding enough?
It’s easy to find out if you are overfeeding your Pitbull or not. If the pup’s movement of the bowel is changing from time to time, then there is a high chance that you are overfeeding your Pitbull.
Sometimes your puppy will have some gas issues, and the smell of the gas can be miserable. Which indicates the puppy is not properly healthy. Moreover, if your Pitbull is gaining too much weight in a small period then you may have to readjust the food and the regular meal schedule.
Some other symptoms such as soft stool, diarrhea, vomiting, and laziness along with having less attraction for food during the training session. If there are no other issues, then change the diet.
If you don’t want to abuse your Pitbull, then avoid underfeeding.
Sometimes some owners are not careful enough for little pups. But it is directly an offense against animals. If you are not confident enough to feed your dog, then don’t adopt one. When a Pitbull faces this sort of under-feeding issue, they face a ton of problems.
Food transforms energy, so under-feeding means less energy. Losing motivation to go on a walk, or the tummy is not doing well are the symptoms that you’re not feeding your pup enough. When it gets more severe, then the skin of the dog is affected.
How frequently to feed your Pitbull?
Pitbull need to eat unlimitedly while they are small pups. From the birth to the first 6 weeks, the only food you should provide is Pitbull’s mother’s milk and softened kibble. At that time, they can eat whenever they want.
But after this period is over, and they are slightly mature to eat puppy food, you should provide food as per the food chart. From the 7th week to the 12th week, the pups will have puppy food but for 4 times a day and about 2 to 3 cups.
After that, from the 13th week to the 24th week, they need meals 3 to 4 times a day.
Gradually, the number of mealtimes will decrease by increasing the amount of food per day.
So, from the beginning of 7 months they’ll still eat puppy food but 4 to 5 cups a day and about 2 to 3 times.
Recommended feeding time:
For every living being, it is recommended to eat at a specific time, every day. Generally, newborn pups don’t have any recommended feeding time, rather they can eat whenever they want.
But for the puppies that got out of the threshold of a newborn, they should consider eating at a specified time. Generally, after the 12th week, a pup must eat 3 to 4 times a day. For breakfast, you should feed your puppy at 7 am.
And after that, give some time to your puppy to digest them and provide lunch at 5 pm, and then you should provide dinner one hour before the puppy is going to sleep. Though this schedule will change as the puppy becomes an adult.
Final thoughts
The food intake of a Pitbull is dependent on its weight and its age. So, while providing food, you should consider these things. Along with that, maintain a food chart. Don’t be lazy to feed your Pitbull and don’t let your Pitbull eat too much while it is not active.