Pit bull 7 Weeks Weight Gain Advice? ASAP!?

Question

I have a 7 week old APBT who weighs about 6 pounds. My friend recently bought a APBT who is gigantic compared to mine and weighes about 10 - 12 pounds so basically is twice the size of my APBT. Comparing my dog to others she is small, she has had her shots and has been dewormed. I'm thinking about feeding her Diamond brand is this a good Idea? I am now feeding her bil-jac mixed in with purina beneful. I want to change food and find out a way to have her gain weight and look big like the other pup. Please give on advice about foods and ways to prepare that are healthy and will tack on weight fast.

Answer 1

Hi,
I'm from UK so not heard of diamond brand, so not sure about that...
However, I am a dog food manufacturer (family business) and my Dad is a nutritionist. You need a good quality and balanced puppy food for at least 6 months. I would recommend something that is at least 26% protein, and fortified with vitamins and minerals. Look for something that has some cereals in (think about whether you want to feed your dog a wheat free diet though (do you call this maize or corn in the usa?) Anyway, wheat is associated with causing allergic reactions so you might want to steer clear of this ingredient). As far as cereals go, they are important as they provide protein and carbs for energy- but you don't want too high cereal content as you don't want to overload the carbs and you need a good balance of nutrients-so make sure that it has plenty of meat meal in too as this provides the protein. Avoid anything with soya in as this is like a filler which is high in protein, but you are better off with the protein coming from meat- plus soya is linked to causing allergic reactions- so best to avoid. Avoid BHA/BHT and other artificial preservatives- so look for a food which is preserved naturally- with Vitamin E/Tocopherol.
Your puppy will gain weight and develop well as long as you are feeding something that is good quality and highly palatable (easy to digest; which you will only get with a food that uses good ingredients). Don't worry about what your friend's puppy weighs- they are all different- just like babies! Some grow faster and put on weight differently to others!
After 6 months you can go for a junior style diet (still keep the protein high, but increase the kibble size) til they are about 3, when you can look to lower the protein content.
Hope this is helpful!

Answer 2

http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/ is the food I feed my pit pup and she's doing great and gaining weight, she is 5 months and just was cleared of all worms, I've had her for a month and 1/2 she has gained 5 lbs in the last week, she's now at 45 lbs and growing.

Not all pits are created equal, give the little one time


edit: we started feeding bil-jac when we got our pup but she kept throwing it up, we had to change and after a lot of checking we picked the one I mentioned above. bil-jac is better then the purina product

Answer 3

It may be Coccidia , it causes diarreah , its an weird germ that affects puppies under the age of 14 weeks. Its simple to fix with some basic antibiotics. They can get it anywhere so dont blame the gal , However I thought it was the law you cannot Sell/ Give away a puppy under 8 weeks of age ( Basicly because they have weak immune systems and catch things ) . While waiting for your Vet , give 2 tbs Apple Cider Viniager in the water ( Helps with Diarreah and cleaning up bad bacteria) , Give about 1 tbs Peanut butter, and about 1/2 Imodium ( Adult size green tab ) . This warrents a Vet visit, while there , Do not let them give him a Shot ! Many people /Vets forget that you should not vaccinate an ill animal or people. Do get your antibiotics and go back when he is feeling better. Good Luck !!

Answer 4

6 lbs is actually pretty average for that age, yours just may be a smaller dog. You should be feeding about 1/3 to 1/2 cup 4 times a day.
don't buy the stuff u can get at the grocery store. Goto the pet stores and discuss the best food with them. There are several foods geared towards large breed puppies that are better than the stuff at the grocery store, but not too expensive.

Answer 5

Why do you want it big? Love her no matter what size she is.
Seven weeks is to young for a dog to be taken away from her mother. Where did you get her?

Beneful & Bil-jac are garbage foods. Go to this link and try to find something rated 5 or 6.

Good luck.

Answer 6

First of all, your dog is too young. Second of all, those are both horrible foods. Third of all, you should never mix two different brands of food together unless you are gradually switching the dog to a new food. I have heard really wodnerful things about Timberwolf Organics, but if that is too pricey for you, try Innova or Canidae. They arent sold at Petsmart or Petco, but are at Pet Supplies Plus stores.

Answer 7

bil-jac is a MUCH better food than beneful so just stick with that. if you think your puppy is too small you can feed her a spoonfull of peanut butter every day and over a month or two it will help add weight. but you have to realize that some dogs are just smaller! i have two boxers and they are both grown and one is just bigger, he has a deeper chest. just feed the suggested amount of food and she should gain weight just fine.

Answer 8

Use the diamond high energy that will give her more protein & tends to help them maintain or gain some weight but with good nutrional value. Diamond will also help over weight dogs loss weight, because the main ingredient isn't corn or corn by product

Answer 9

We use Diamond puppy food. If you want her to eat more, put some gravy on her food. Also cottage cheese or plain yogurt is good. Rose is sorta right. 7 weeks is too early to be taken from the breeder. My females are seperated from pups around 6 weeks. By then they should be eating on their own.

Answer 10

Cheese will help with weight gain. Treats will help too but make sure she is still exercising. Remember females are going to be a few pounds dmaller than males.