A Guide to the Raw Diet for Pit Bulls [& 3 Raw Diet Recipes To Try]

When trying to find the best diet for your Pit Bull, you will come across hundreds, if not thousands, of different food items and brands and home recipes. Since Pit Bulls can eat raw meat, many Pit Bull owners consider giving them a raw diet.

So, what is a raw diet for Pit Bulls? A raw diet for Pit Bulls is a diet that consists of only raw food items that are not heated or cooked in any way. The idea is to give your domesticated Pit Bull the kind of food wild dogs eat to make them strong and healthy. It’s a controversial diet for dogs as it has some cons as well as pros.

Keep reading to learn more about the pros and cons of raw diets and how to safely feed your Pit Bull a raw diet.

A Brief History Of Raw Diets for Dogs

The raw diet for canines was introduced in 1993 by Australian veterinarian Ian Billinghurst in his book Give Your Dog a Bone. He called his raw diet “BARF,” as in Bones and Raw Food or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food.

Billinghurst believes that domesticated dogs overeat processed, cooked, and seasoned food, which their wild dog ancestors never had. He argued that it is healthier for dogs to go back to eating raw meat and raw vegetables like they used to.

Raw food diets gained extra popularity in 2007 when the FDA banned many brands of processed canine food. This cemented the idea that raw food, or at least home-cooked food, is much better for your dog.

Is The Raw Diet Good Actually For Your Dog?

Giving your dog a raw diet is still controversial for dog owners. First of all, not all dogs are okay with eating raw food, and some dog owners don’t do enough research before they start serving their dogs raw diets. 

Raw diets have pros and cons, and as a dog owner, you need to know both before you make your decision.

The Pros Of The Raw Diet

Raw diets can have a lot of positive effects on your dog’s health and shape. Here are some of its benefits:

1. It’s believed to make your dog’s coat shinier and healthier.
2. Raw diets are easy to prepare at home and tell you exactly what your dog is eating.
3. You can also find a lot of frozen raw diet options at markets.
4. They can help your dog build strong bones and muscles.
5. They make your dog’s stool firmer and smaller.
6. They help you keep track of your dog’s food intake and avoid overweight or weight loss.

The Cons Of The Raw Diet

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows with a raw diet, though. The raw diet can also have some negative effects on your dog. Here are some of them:

1. It can cause many health problems if it does not have all the nutrients your dog needs.
2. Raw meat can have large bones that cause your dog indigestion.
3. Raw food can go bad very quickly and cause your dog infections, diseases, and many health problems.
4. It’s much more expensive to prepare than canned food.
5. It’s also time-consuming to make food every day at home.
6. There are many kinds of bacteria in raw meat that can cause your dog diarrhea or bowel construction.

These are only some of the pros and cons you need to consider before you completely switch your Pit Bull to a raw diet.

Is The Raw Diet Better Than Other Dog Diets?

When it comes to comparing raw diets with canned and processed foods, there is no clear winner because both of them have their benefits and things you should be careful of.

Convenience

For owners of dogs, canned food is a lot more convenient than raw food. Raw food will require you to take time off your day to prepare a healthy daily food plan for your dog. You will need to wash, cut, and chop various ingredients before you can service them. On the other hand, canned food requires no preparation on our part.

Ingredients

As a dog owner, you will have a lot more control over what ingredients go into your dog’s body with a raw diet. A home-prepared raw diet can have healthy fresh ingredients that are prepared specially for your dog’s needs. On the other hand, you have very little control over the ingredients of canned food.

Price

A raw food diet can be quite expensive as you will have to buy a lot of quality ingredients to prepare a healthy balanced meal for your dog. On the other hand, canned food is relatively cheap compared to raw meat. It has a lot of different brands and options to suit your financial abilities. You can also buy large amounts of canned, dry food at once to save money in the long run.

Choosing which is better, raw diets or canned food is based on many factors that differ from one dog to another and one owner to another.

Can You Try A Raw Diet For Pit Bulls?

You can try a raw diet for Pit Bulls as they can eat raw meat, and it can actually have very good results for their health.

Raw diets consist of raw food that has not been processed, heated, or cooked at all, just like it is in the wild. The idea is to get your Pit Bull back on their ancestors’ wild diet that kept them healthy and strong.

How To Feed Your Pit Bull A Raw Diet?

Let’s assume that you chose to switch your Pit Bull to a raw diet. The most important thing you need to do to start the transition is to do it gradually.

Your Pit Bull’s stomach is already used to whatever kind of food they are having right now, be it canned or dry. To switch to a raw diet, you need to slowly introduce raw options for your dog alongside their canned food. Monitor their intake and test out different options until you find something they like.

After that, you can start to increase the amount of raw food in favor of canned or dry food until you completely switch all their food intake. Increase the amount every day until you have successfully fully transitioned them into their raw diet.

Transitioning your Pit Bull to a raw diet should be a slow and steady process. If you transition them to a raw diet out of nowhere, your Pit Bull’s stomach might get upset, or they might refuse to eat it.

When To Take Your Pit Bull Off The Raw Diet?

You need to carefully monitor your dog’s intake of raw food. If they show any signs of indigestion or allergies, then you need to take them off the raw diet. You can also check with your vet if the canine has any food allergies before you switch them to a raw diet.

What Raw Food Can Your Pit Bull Eat?

Pit Bulls can eat many kinds of raw food. A good thing about a raw diet is that you have a lot of options that can build different meals throughout the day.

Raw Meat and Bones

Your Pit Bull can eat many kinds of raw meat such as raw chicken, raw turkey, raw duck, raw pheasant, pork necks, shoulders, ribs and tails, and lamb necks, ribs, and breasts. You should also add bones to your dog’s diet as it provides them with the calcium their body needs.

Raw organ meat such as livers, kidneys, and hearts should represent about 10% of your dog’s raw diet. Chicken, beef, and turkey are the easiest to find in supermarkets.

Raw Fish

Your Pit Bull can eat raw fish, but it’s tricky. You need to stay away from raw salmon because of salmon poisoning and also stay away from wild fish, as it can contain parasites. Any other kind of fish that is suitable and recommended for sushi is good for your Pit Bull. You can also try canned tuna and mackerel.

Raw Eggs

You can feed your dog raw eggs about 3 to 4 times a week. You can also grind the egg shells into a fine powder and add it to their raw meat intake for extra calcium. Just make sure to wash the shell pretty well and let it dry completely before you grind it.

Raw Veggies and Fruit

Plant-based food is high in vitamins and minerals and can be very good for your dog. Several times a week, you can add veggies and fruit to the food processor and serve them to your Pit Bull alongside their meat. This is optional, though, as dogs don’t actually need to eat a lot of veggies and fruit like humans.

Raw Diet Recipes To Try with your Pit Bull

Now that you know all about raw diets let’s introduce you to some recipes you can try with your Pit Bulls. 

Recipe 1: Raw Beef & Chicken Neck

Recipe 2: Raw Dog Food Patties

Ingredients	Preparation
1 can of sardines 2 lbs. ground turkey, pork, lamb, beef, or chicken 4 eggs	Mix all the ingredients together. Use the mixture to make patties. Store the patties in the freezer and unfreeze them the day you plan to serve them.

Recipe 3: Pork & Fish with Calcium Supplement

Ingredients	Preparation
5 pounds 96% lean ground pork 3 pounds of pork heart 1 pound pork liver 1 pound of sardine or mackerel 8 ounces kale 5 ounces broccoli 4 ounces dandelion greens 12 ounces blueberries 6 tbsp seaweed calcium 3 tsp wheat germ oil 1 tbsp hulled hemp seeds 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt 1.37 grams of kelp powder	Grind the pork heart and liver or chop them into small cubes. Puree the kale, broccoli, dandelion greens, and blueberries in a food processor. Mix the meat with the puree, seaweed calcium, oil, hemp seeds, salt, and kelp powder. Divide the mixture into small containers and freeze them. Unfreeze before serving

How Much Should Your Pit Bull Eat?

Generally speaking, your Pit Bull needs to have three meals per day. The amount of raw meat to offer them depends on your dog’s activity and energy. On average, a healthy Pit Bull should eat 1 pound of raw meat every day divided into their meals. 

If your dog is super active, then maybe you can increase their intake to substitute the energy they exert. On the other hand, if your dog is more of a cuddle and naps dog, then you need to decrease the amount to avoid getting them overweight. 

If you’re feeding them canned food, then you need 3 cups of canned food per day.

When to Feed Your Pit Bull?

Puppies need to be fed four to six meals per day. Each meal should contain half a cup of food. Dogs older than six months should be fed a regular diet of three meals per day. 

You should never leave food out for your dog all day long as they will get overweight and may face many health issues. If you’re feeding them raw food, it can also go bad and cause your dog pain.

Related Questions 

Is The Raw Diet Good For Pit Bulls With Allergies?

A raw diet can be good for Pit Bulls with allergies as long as it does not contain any allergy-inducing ingredients. Raw diets can help Pit Bulls relieve allergy symptoms and improve overall health conditions.

At What Age Can I Feed My Pit Bull Raw Meat?

Pit Bulls older than 12 weeks can start to feed on raw meat safely. Before 12 weeks, it’s better to stick to canned and dry food with your puppy; their stomach is still weak, and their teeth are not as strong.

Does Raw Meat Make Pitbulls Aggressive?

Raw meat does not make Pit Bull more or less aggressive. Your Pit Bull’s diet only affects their health and not their behavior. A Pit Bull’s aggression can only be trained with socialization and obedience training, not food.

What Foods Are Pitbulls Allergic To?

Pit Bulls can be allergic to wheat, corn, and soy. Many Pit Bulls can have allergies, and it differs from one Pit Bull to another. To make sure you don’t serve your Pit Bull any allergy-inducing ingredients, get them checked for allergies by a vet.

Helpful Resources

How Much Should a Pit Bull Eat?

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