Is my pitbull too skinny?
Well, that can simply be determined by checking the weight and physical appearance of your puppy. In this post, I will share
- Estimated weight of the pitbull puppy. These measurements are not set in stone. So, you might see some variation from puppy to puppy.
- How to check the physical appearance of your dog. This is the method used by most vets to determine the health of any dog.
After initial analysis, you might find that your pitbull puppy is underweight. Then what should you do?
Discover the cause: why your pitbull puppy is skinny? The best option is to consult your vet. But you should also do your own research and later discuss it with your vet.
Recommended: 13 Important Tips for First-Time American Pitbull Owners!
However, you do not see any underlying health issue but still, your puppy is thin. Well, in that case, you can use simple tips to increase your pitbull puppy weight.
Let’s get started.
Is my Pitbull too skinny?
Finding the answer to this question is much easier than you think. In simple terms, there are basically two ways to check whether your pitbull is underweight or skinny.
- Check Body Weight
- Check Physical Appearance
I will discuss each method in detail. Make sure to read them carefully and check your dog accordingly.
Check Body Weight: Pit Bull Growth and Weight Chart
This should not be a difficult task. You can easily measure your puppy’s weight at home. You only need a digital scale to accomplish this task.
First, step on a digital scale and note down your weight. We will call this first weight. Next, hold your puppy in your arms and step on the digital scale. Note the new weight and we will call this second weight. To find the pitbull puppy weight, you subtract the second weight from the first weight.
- Second weight – First weight = Puppy weight
- (Your Weight + Puppy Weight) – (Your Weight) = Puppy Weight
Pit Bull Growth and Weight Chart
According to The Goody Pet puppy weight chart, the ideal weight of an American pit bull terrier should be as follows.
- your 4 months pitbull puppy should weigh is 22 lb (male), 17 lb (female)
- your 8 months pitbull puppy should weigh is 32 lb (male), 28 lb (female)
Here is the pitbull growth and weight chart for your reference. Remeber that these are only estimated values and each puppy is different from others.
| Age | Male Weight | Female Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 month old | 3 – 5 lbs | 2 – 4 lbs |
| 2 months old | 5 – 15 lbs | 5 – 15 lbs |
| 3 months old | 10 – 20 lbs | 10 – 20 lbs |
| 4 months old | 15 – 25 lbs | 10 – 20 lbs |
| 5 months old | 15 – 30 lbs | 15 – 25 lbs |
| 6 months old | 20 – 35 lbs | 15 – 30 lbs |
| 7 months old | 20 – 40 lbs | 15 – 35 lbs |
| 8 months old | 25 – 45 lbs | 20 – 35 lbs |
| 9 months old | 25 – 50 lbs | 20 – 40 lbs |
| 10 months old | 25 – 50 lbs | 25 – 40 lbs |
| 11 months old | 30 – 55 lbs | 25 – 45 lbs |
| 12 months old | 30 – 55 lbs | 25 – 45 lbs |
| 2 years old | 35 – 60 lbs | 30 – 50 lbs |
Check Physical Appearance
It is important to remember that weight alone doesn’t always show if your dog is overweight or underweight. You will also need to check their body condition for the most accurate assessment for shape and size.
By looking at your pet and touching them you can determine if your pitbull too skinny. If you see
- their ribs without touching them
- their spine and hips stick out
- And they are very concave in the middle at their waist.
That means your pitbull is underweight.
The diagram below clearly provides differences between underweight, ideal, and overweight American pit bull terrier.
If Your Pitbull Is Too Thin; What Should You Do?
By this time you have determined that your dog is underweight and too thin for his/her age. Now the question is what should you do?
Well, if your Pitbull is too thin, you should find out
- Why your puppy is underweight?
- How can you help your puppy increase weight?
Pro Tip: Keep a dog weight diary.
It’s advisable to record in a diary the amounts and ingredients of a dog’s food portions as well as their physical exercise levels and even their weight that day. In this way, if the dog loses or gains weight you can detect it quickly and implement changes effectively.
Recommended: Seven Worst Dog Foods for American Pitbull Terrier Puppy
Why My Pitbull Puppy Is Skinny?
Your American pit bull terrier is skinny because the dog is not getting enough calories or there is an underlying health issue. Here are the causes that you should consider:
Loss of Appetite
Is your pitbull puppy eating enough? As we know, ongoing loss of appetite can lead to serious complications. Your puppy can develop nutrients deficiencies and rapidly lose too much weight.
Causes
Loss of appetite can be temporary or long-term. And it can be caused by a variety of factors. Such as
- Your American pitbull is sick
- Your dog had a vaccination recently
- New environments and surroundings
- Your Pitbull dog is a picky eater
- Your dog or puppy has an upset stomach
- Change in feeding schedule
- Intimated by another pet
- Constipation
Insufficient Food Quantity
Are you feeding the right amount of food? Remember recommended feedings on the back of all dog food bags, they’re just that; their recommendations. These recommendations can be considered as the starting points.
If you have a young dog or a higher energy dog. Obviously, you’re gonna need to increase the amount of food you’re feeding regardless of what it says on the back of the bag.
In fact, toy breeds, high-energy breeds, or dogs that live a more active lifestyle could require up to 25% more calories, more food every single day.
Food Preference
Got a picky eater? Yes, dogs can also be picky eaters. Your pitbull might prefer some food over others. But dogs are not picky eaters by nature. The habit develops over time.
Causes
- Picky eaters are created: Most owners love to pamper their puppies in the beginning. They let the puppy chose their food.
- Pitbull are more likely to develop picky eating habits if their owners allow it.
In many cases, picky eaters do not choose a healthy food diet.
Let’s consider a scenario.
Your pitbull is eating a good amount of food of his favorite food. But is not gaining weight.
The reason is: Your pitbull only eats food that does not provide balanced nutrition.
Irregular Food Schedule
An irregular food schedule leads to poor eating habits that result in weight loss. With poor eating habits, your pitbull gets an upset stomach and loses appetite. That’s why it is important to set a regular feeding schedule for your puppy.
Causes
The main cause of an irregular feeding schedule is owners. Most pet owners do not realize that owning a pet is a responsibility. That should not be taken lightly. Sometimes they believe free feed is much better for puppies compared to a regular feeding schedules. This is not advisable by most vets.
Health Issues
Like other dog breeds, the American pit bull terrier is also susceptible to diseases. And underlying health issues that can cause weight loss.
Causes
Here are the possible health conditions that need medical attention:
• Thyroid issues• Parasites (worms)• Liver problems• Kidney disease• Addison’s disease• Diabetes• Immune system problems• Inflammatory bowel disease• Disease of the pancreas• Liver or gall bladder disease• Heart conditions
Anxious Dogs
A puppy that suffers from any kind of anxiety, tends to burn more calories as well. Oftentimes you’ll see really anxious dogs that are a little underweight. As a pet owner, it is your responsibility to keep an eye on the symptoms of stress and anxiety in your pitbull. A stressed dog will react by biting, destroying items, and refusing to eat.
Causes
- Social anxiety: New environments and surroundings; other dogs or humans
- Noise anxiety: Loud noises
- Separation anxiety: Being separated from owners
Worms
Are you protecting your dog from harmful worms? Dogs like other pets are always at high risk for worm infections. Some of the dangerous types of worms are heartworms, tapeworms, roundworms, and hookworms.
In addition to other health symptoms, worms cause loss of appetite and weight loss.
Causes
- Roundworms: Your puppy get it from an infected mother during nursing or consuming infected feces
- Hookworms: They are transmitted before birth, in mother’s milk, or through infected stool.
- Tapeworms: Transmitted through ingestion of fleas or prey. And by eating infected meat.
- Heartworms: Your puppy get it from the bite of infected mosquitoes
- Whipworms: Consumption of food or water that contains whipworms.
How to Make My Pitbull Puppy Gain Weight?
One of the keys to pitbulls’ weight gain is to increase protein in their diet.
- Increase Calories Intake: It’s important to do this gradually. Since if we do it too quickly, we can encourage the appearance of gastrointestinal problems. We can start increasing the portion size by 10%. And if they do not gain any weight go up to 15%,30% or even 50%.
- Offer small bits and Increase frequency: We should increase the number of portions; ideally to three or four per day. In this way, we can allow the dog to digest properly and metabolize the food better. Ideally, the dog should not spend more than six hours between meals.
The thinner the dog the more important it is to increase meal frequency.
- Make food more appetizing: If you normally only offer dry feed to your pitbull and you notice they don’t like it very much. You can try adding warm water or dog-friendly broth to make the food more appetizing. If you see the dog still does not find this type of food enjoyable, you may need to switch to wet food or even provide a homemade diet with food that encourages weight gain.
- Provide more physical exercise: At first glance, it might seem counterproductive to recommend more physical exercise for a puppy that needs to gain weight as it burns calories. However, it’s also beneficial as it helps your pitbull build muscle instead of only gaining weight through fat accumulation.
Additionally, physical exercise helps increase your dog’s appetite. We advise you to increase physical exercise progressively as you increase the calories in their meal. Remember your dog needs to consume more calories and they burn to put on weight.
Recommended: Updated List: Best to Worst Food for Your American Pitbull
5 Best Pitbull Puppy Food for Weight Gain
There are many ways to feed a pit bull whether dry, wet, raw, or even homemade diets. Regardless of your dog’s favorite type ensure the food is always of great quality. If you have any doubts ask the advice of your veterinarian.
Remember that a pitbull’s diet should be based on the consumption of animal protein and fat with fruit and vegetables only being used in the supplementary fashion.
Here is the list of the 5 best pitbull puppy food to increase weight.
Nutro Ultra Large Breed Puppy Dry Dog Food
Key Features
- A trio of protein from chicken, lamb, and salmon
- 15 vibrant superfoods that support healthy digestion
- No chicken by-product meal, corn, soy, or wheat
- No artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives
Bully Max High Performance
Key Features
- Meat Based formula
- High-calorie dog food
- For adult dogs and puppies (ages 4 weeks and older)
- Never been recalled
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy Chicken Recipe
Key Features
- High protein puppy dog food with real chicken
- Grain-free
- NO chicken (or poultry) by-product meals, corn, wheat, soy,
- No artificial flavors or preservatives
Bully Max The Ultimate Canine Supplement
Key Features
- Contains the MOST muscle building ingredients
- NO creatine or harmful ingredients
- Veterinarian formulated & approved
- Full label disclosure (no hidden ingredients).
Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy Formula
Key Features
- High protein (28%)
- Grain-free recipe
- Made in the USA
- No grain, corn, wheat, artificial flavors, or artificial colors
Best Homemade Puppy Food for Weight Gain – Satin Balls Recipe
Many experts recommend a recipe called satin balls to increase pitbull weight quickly. This is a pretty simple recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef (75-80% lean)
- 1 1/3 cups total cereal
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked oatmeal
- 1 egg
- 6 tbsp. Wheat germ
- 1 package unflavored gelatin
- 2 tbsp. Coconut oil
- 2 tbsp. Unsulphured molasses
- Pinch of salt
You’re going to mix it all together and it becomes like a meatloaf. You’ll be able to take small pieces and roll it into little balls for storage.
Satin balls should be used as a snack or treat in addition to your dog’s food. I would recommend starting with 1 Satin Ball for every 20 pounds of body weight per day. If you don’t notice weight gain within the first 5-7 days, increase the number of Satin Balls fed per day.
How to Feed your Pitbull for weight Gain?
Well, different pet owners have different opinions about it. And most of the opinions are based on their personal experience. As you know different puppies have different nutritional requirements depending on their lifestyle. Consider your breed energy level, age, lifestyle, and activity level of you and your dog. Read more Complete Pitbull Breed Guide
So, how to feed your pitbull puppy to increase weight? You already know that your puppy is not getting enough calories, you can use these two simple tips.
- Start with the instruction on the dog food package. But gradually increase the amount and frequency of meals. Note the changes over a week or two. Increase the portion size and frequency accordingly.
- Add satin balls (1 Satin Ball for every 20 pounds of body weight per day)
- Also, add nutritional supplement (Bully Max The Ultimate Canine Supplement, Miracle vet calorie weight gain, PetAg Dyne High-Calorie Liquid) to your puppy food for extra calories.
Finally, remember that helping a pitbull puppy gain weight requires patience and changes in your own habits and routines
