Pit bull help

[aashly23]

I got this pit bull a few months ago and had to give her away after just a few weeks because of no room in the house. Well I have moved now and have a big yard to let her play in. She is a good dog very loving. I gave her to my brother and he apparently wasn't feeding her. I think within a few more days she would be dead. I'm trying to fatten her up because she is all skin and bones. Anyone know a good food to give? I feel so bad for her. I'm feeding her as often as possible.

 

[eroomlorac]

What the heck is wrong with your brother? Just food her a good quality food and start her out slowly. She also needs a vet visit. Poor dog.

 

[Rickman]

We've currently 4 pits on diamond food - there's many different types. Haven't had a problem with digestion, they're growing well and healthy, and I like it a lot because they absorb quite a bit - less mess to clean!

 

[Megan]

http://www.pitbullforum.com is a forum dedicated to pit bulls, with a lot of very knowledgeable members.

My boy has a very touchy tummy, and we are currently on Taste of the Wild. ..It's doing wonders for him. It's a fairly good feed-does not have many fillers/junk in it like most foods--so will put good HEALTHY weight on him.

 

[Little Chinta]

Wow! Wonder why your brother didn't feed her...?

Try grain-free products to start, introducing them gradually into her diet. Evo, Instinct, Taste of the Wild, Natural Balance, and Canidae have great products.

Hope she is on her way to a healthy recovery!

 

[starleomach]

I used to bake ground turkey/chicken for my rescues when we would get a skinny one in when I volunteered as a foster home for dalsavers

 

[Dolyphinm]

Be careful feeding too much at once as it can cause explosive pooping or just some bad poops in general and she won't absorb as much as she would normally if she is that underweight. Smaller frequent feedings are best. Definitely get her to the vet too, she may have been fed but contracted a parasite of some kind or has some other ailment that caused weight issues.

I may not have a pit....yet(one day..in a few sad years I will) but I do feed Wellness to my dog. He loves it...but then again my dog eats just about anything. Highly food motivated so I get the luck being able to train with kibble alone.

 

[Milo10]

If your worried about her gaining weight you could try satin balls. You can make them at home. Look up the recipie. But be careful they gain weight fast when you give that to them. Its a supplement with wheat germ unsweetend molasses, eggs, whole grain cereal, hamburger and a lot of other good stuff. We made half a batch and got 50 out of it. bullydomain.com/article/485/satin-ball-recipe The first day give her 2 and them spread it out to every 3rd day giving her only 1. you could also try eggs or yogurt in the food.

 

[JennyBug]

DON'T GIVE HUGE MEALS! Hungry dogs will sometimes eat too much and end up throwing everything up, which doesn't help at all. I agree with small meals several times a day. Your best bet will be to get her to the vet ASAP to double check on parasites, and to then give your brother a swift kick. Even if he had been feeding her, he should have noticed that she was losing so much weight.

Best of luck, and keep us updated!

 

[cindyv3737]

She needs to get to a vet.

I feed my pit Nature's Variety. He also gets a cup of "soup" that I make every Monday night. His soup is boiled and shredded chicken breast, rice, and boiled carrots (do not add any seasoning). When I feed he gets a combination of kibble and soup. My dog is very active and I've found that this keeps his weight stable.

I'm happy she is back in your care. Start out slow with her. Feed her small quantities a few times a day. Keep us posted!

 

[caiti]

I agree with the vet visit advice. If you feed her a lot at once she could get bloat or not be able to absorb all the nutrients in the food but be using energy to pass it along her digestive tract and it would essentially be wasted. Small, frequent meals is good advice as well. Also, some IV or SubQ fluids might help her out, since she is likely pretty dehydrated. I would test for parasites as well. Since she lost so much weight in a relatively small time, although 2-3 months with a minimal/no amount of food would do that too. Especially now that she is malnourished, she's more susceptible to get ill.

If you can't afford a vet visit, you could try asking a shelter for help and pay them back by volunteering. Good luck with her, hopefully she just needs some TLC.

 

[~SG~]

small amounts fed more often will work much better then big meals like everyone here has stated. I'd recommend a vet visit for the poor pup

 

[Milo10]

Vet visit and then try Dimond Large Breed. I have 5 pits and 3 of them get purina dog chow that is a good food too. And the other 2 are show dogs they get the dimond!

 

[Kelley]

Vet visit and then try Dimond Large Breed. I have 5 pits and 3 of them get purina dog chow that is a good food too. And the other 2 are show dogs they get the dimond!

Just curious have you ever looked at the ingredients in purina dog chow???
I have a Amstaff, american & english cockers and they are all on Acana grain free and I love it.

 

[Milo10]

Its still a good food. We have had them on that ever since we got them. We tryed switching their food and everything we put them on they got bad gas.Their doing fine on it no health problems or anything in it. Yes I know whats in it. Whole grain corn, poultry by-product meal, corn gluten meal, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), meat and bone meal, brewers rice, soybean meal, whole grain wheat, egg and chicken flavor, animal digest, salt, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, calcium phosphate, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, added color (Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 2), DL-Methionine, Vitamin E supplement, zinc proteinate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, manganese proteinate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, brewers dried yeast, copper sulfate, calcium pantothenate, copper proteinate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, Vitamin B-12 supplement, thiamine mononitrate, Vitamin D-3 supplement, riboflavin supplement, calcium iodate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite.
W-4101

 

[Essentia]

Just because your dogs are doing well on it doesn't mean it's a good food. It's far from a good food.

 

[cindyv3737]

I would not suggest that food. It's one of the reasons I also make him food. I know what is in because I'm the one that made it.

 

[Megan]

Gotta agree... Milo that food is horrible. As someone who has "show dogs" and in the show world, you should be well aware of what to look for in a good food. Corn is NOT something you want in a dog food.

 

[Ash]

If you guys hadn't noticed, this thread's almost a year old and the poster hasn't been on since June. So any advice given directly to her is probably not gonna be taken. But it's good to hash out the bad advice being given here.

 

[Milo10]

No, I feed the show dogs Dimond Lamb and Rice! I know just because their doing well on it doesn't mean its good for them. Its the only food that we switched the other 3 dogs to that didn't give them nasty poos and smelly gas!