Best Dog Foods For Pitbulls to Gain Weight & Muscle | iPetCompanion

Best Dog Foods For Pitbulls to Gain Weight & Muscle

If your pitbull puppy is recovering from an injury, he may be dealing with a lack of appetite. Sometimes, physical discomforts can keep a dog from eating as much as he should. This can lead to a reduction in body weight. However, sometimes, dogs won't gain weight even when they're eating just fine. It could be because they're not getting all the nutrition and calories they need.  

That's when finding the best dog food for pitbulls to gain weight becomes crucial. Keep in mind that a healthy pitbull will look chunky and have a layer of fat over the rib cage. If that's not how your pitbull looks, you may want to introduce a better dog food to his diet to help him gain weight.

Dog Foods for Pitbulls to Gain Muscle: Our Top Picks

Elite K9 Maximum Bully All Stages Dog Food

BEST for PRice

  • Good protein content
  • Affordable

Rated by: Amber

Bully Max High Performance Premium Dog Food

BEST OVERALL

  • Protein-rich
  • Healthy fatty acids
  • No wheat or corn

Rated by: Amber

Purina Pro Plan Sport Dog Food

Best with calories

  • Glucosamine Rich
  • High calories
  • Protein from chicken

Rated by: Amber

1. Elite K9 Maximum Bully All Stages Dog Food

Quick Summary

Rated by: Amber

When your goal is to help your pitbull put on some extra pounds, you can resort to Elite K9 Max Bully. Your dog is going to love this healthy chicken/pork dry dog food. Because of its premium quality ingredients, your dog will get loads of protein and fat per serving. Each cup contains around 481 calories.

The formula provides your dog with 22% of healthy fat and 32% of protein, which is better than many other dog foods for pitbulls available today.  The carbs content is on the lower side but it will still be enough to keep your dog energized.

Overall, your dog will love the meaty taste of this healthy dog food and he will also get the much needed protein and minerals.   However, it's important to highlight that the dog food contains menadione, which is the reason why many dog owners just don't go for it.

PROS

  • It contains 32% of protein
  • It contains healthy fats and fatty acids
  • It is quite affordable for large dogs

CONS

  • It contains menadione

2. Bully Max High Performance Premium Dog Food

Quick Summary

Rated by: Amber

If you're looking for a healthy and high performance dog food for pitbulls to gain weight, you may want to put your money on Bully Max High Performance food. With each cup of Bully Max comes 535 calories, which will surely help your dog to put on muscle and weight.

The good thing about this healthy dog food is that it doesn't contain artificial flavors and preservatives but it provides your dog with fatty acids and loads of protein and fat. Each serving will contain 30% of protein and 20% of fat along with 10% of moisture and 3.8% of fiber.

This healthy dog food doesn't contain wheat, corn, or soy, and that's another added benefit of giving it to your pitbull.  Overall, Bully Max High Performance is among the best dog food to build muscle. The only thing you need to bear in mind is that Bully Max is among the most expensive dog foods currently available on the market.

PROS

  • It is a high protein dog food
  • It contains healthy fatty acids and minerals
  • It contains no wheat, corn, or soy

CONS

  • It's quite expensive

3. Purina Pro Plan Sport Dog Food

Quick Summary

Rated by: Amber

Many dog owners think that this dog food is not specially formulated as a weight gain product, but they often forget that each serving contains about 475 calories that will help Fido gain weight over time.

Something many buyers appreciate is the affordable price tag of this dog food. It seems to score big in terms of flavor because most dogs fall in love with its taste. Another good thing is that it uses natural sources of glucosamine, which improve the overall health of your dog.  Moreover, the nutrients it contains come from chicken, which is the first listed ingredient on the pack.

Overall, it is one of the very best dog foods to help your pitbull weight. It's affordable, it's free of artificial flavors, and it tastes great. The only issue you might encounter is that though the dog food is affordable, it isn't as calorically dense as some other dog foods in the same price range.

PROS

  • It contains glucosamine
  • It contains 475 calories per cup
  • It contains chicken

CONS

  • Its caloric density is lower for its price range

FAQ - A Buyer's Guide

 How Can I Make My Pitbull to Gain Weight?

Even if you've been giving your pitbull the best dog food, he may still not be gaining weight because of wrong food schedule. He will gain weight only when he gets the right nutrition. For instance, your goal should be to feed him a cup of dog food with 20% of fat and 30% of protein at least twice a day.

You can get these nutrition from different food sources.  Here's a good recipe to help your pitbull gain weight in a healthy way.

  • You can get it by combining 5 cups of slow-cooking oats and whole grain cereal, 5oz of ground raw meat, and 2 ½ cups of wheat germ (raw).  Now take 6 egg yolks, 2 ½ tbsp of weight gain supplement, 5 packets of unflavored gelatin, and ¾ cup of molasses and vegetable oil. Mix everything and then roll it into 1-inch balls. You can put these balls in storage bags to keep in the freezer. Consider flash freezing them to ensure they don't stick together in the bags. Now, all you have to do is feed a couple of these thawed balls to your pitbull with whatever dry dog food you may be using. Simply stop feeding him the balls once he has reached the desired weight.

What Can I Feed My Pitbull to Gain Muscle?

Even if you ask bodybuilders, they'll confirm that about 80% of muscle building is done in the kitchen. The same holds true for pitbulls, and any other muscle dog breed for that matter. You need to spend some time in the kitchen to prepare high protein food for your beloved dog.

For optimum muscle building, you should aim for a combination of protein coming from premium quality dog food as well as a dog food supplement. The right use of quality dog food will go a long way towards helping you have a dog that looks ripped. When creating a diet plan for your pitbull to gain weight, ensure that it consists of 20% fat, 40% carbs, and 40% protein.  To put your pitbull in an anabolic muscle building state, it may also help to feed him 6 small meals a day.

In order to create a perfect diet plan to help your pitbull gain weight and muscle, you should pick the best dog food first and then check the recommended serving mentioned on the bag. All you have to do is break that serving into 4 parts. Don't forget to add fish or boiled chicken along with some good dog supplements to the mix to make it easier for him to build muscle.

Here's an example of a good diet plan to help your dog gain weight:

  • Give him his first meal by 9am. You should take 1/4th of the recommended amount of dog food for a single day and feed it to your dog.
  • The second meal should be around 12pm and it should include a piece of boiled chicken. Go for at least 16oz of boiled chicken for adult pitbulls.
  • The third meal should come around 2pm and consists of 1/4th of the recommended amount of food for a single day.
  • The forth meal should be around 4pm and ½ piece of boiled chicken (10oz) should do well for adult dogs.
  • The fifth meal should be around 6pm and again, you should feed him 1/4th of the recommended daily amount of food for your dog. Add a supplement here too.
  • The sixth meal could go at 9pm and you can go for the remaining 1/4th of the recommended amount of food for a single day.

It's important to understand that though diet is important for your pitbull to gain weight, you also need to pay attention to creating a perfect exercise plan as well. If your dog is healthy, you may make him do actives, such as running up hills, weight pulling, and using spring poles. The simplest option is to install a spring pole in your backyard. Depending on how much drive your dog has, he may play for hours and get ripped in the process.  It's quite like humans – the muscles are torn during exercise and then repaired at rest with the right amount of protein. 

What Can I Add to My Dog's Food for Weight Gain?

So many high quality dog foods for pitbulls are available these days, and they usually save you from giving anything else to your dog. However, you can improve chances of your pitbull gaining weight and muscle by adding specific food to his diet. For instance:

You can go for sweet potato and pumpkin. Both of these food options are ideal if you don't want to increase his protein intake through meat. These food options lead to an increase in fiber and fat intake, which will help him gain some weight. It's easy to buy canned pumpkin and sweet potato from your local pet store.

You can also opt for peanut butter and whole food treats.  Your dog will love treats and they work great to add some additional calories to his diet. You can give him these high-fat treats throughout the day. Similarly, you may consider opting for all-natural peanut butter, as it serves as a healthy way to help your dog gain weight quickly.  When going for peanut butter, be sure to give to add a piece of vegetable to the mix. Carrot, for instance, is a great choice. Just stay away from high acidity foods because they can lead to digestive issues.

What is the Best Food for Pitbulls?

The availability of dog foods to increase pitbull weight means it's easier than ever to make your dog look bulky. However, you need to educate yourself about the nutrients found in a dog food to make it suitable for your furry friend. For instance:

  • The best dog food for weight will provide your pitbull with plenty of protein.  However, you need to consider if your dog has any food allergy because in that case he'd need low-protein food only.
  • The best dog food for pitbull weight will contain a good dose of fat. Many nutrients in fat help keep your dog's systems up and running.  Ensure that your dog food provides at least 5% of calories from fat – younger dogs need even more. Check for named fat sources, like chicken fat and fish oil because they provide omega3 fatty acids as well.
  • The right type of dog food will contain the right amount of carbs.  While carbs may not be necessary for weight gain, they help keep your dog energized and that's important for him to exercise and get ripped.

Other than these nutrients, you should ensure that your dog food contains some additional vitamins and minerals as well to help you have a muscular pitbull. Only premium dog food companies would add it to the mix, so be prepared to shell out some money to buy a healthy dog food with loads of protein, vitamins, and minerals.

Buy the Best Dog Food for Pitbulls to Gain Muscle

Keeping your adult dogs at a healthy weight is crucial, but if he's underweight, you can make specific changes to his diet and even make him exercise more to turn him into a muscle pup. While you can try many recipes, you can find high quality dog food for pitbulls on the market. If you're confused, you may want to try Bully Max 30/20, as it's perfect for working breeds like pitbulls because its single cup provides your dog with 535 calories. Give it a shot today!

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