# Is my Pit Bull receiving enough protein?



## pittiemouth (Feb 11, 2014)

My 5yo spayed female pit bull/staffie eats Natural Balance Sweet potato and Venison food. It has 20% min protein, and since she is on a diet, she gets 1.5 cups per day with a spoon full or wet with each meal. I am worried that with her eating less than normal, she may not receive enough protein. I know minimum protein requirements for an adult house dog 18% or .75-1 gram of protein per lb. Natalia, the pittie weighs 56lbs right now and she needs to be 48lbs. Can I safely cut her food this much without harming her?

....another thing is she is VERY picky and she LOVES this food. So I really don't want to change it unless I absolutely have to.


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

20% protein is very low. If she needs to lose weight, look at Wellness Core reduced fat.


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## NutroGeoff (May 15, 2013)

20% is one of the lowest protein foods I have seen lately. Is your dog doing well on it?


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## Losech (Jul 10, 2012)

Don't bother with "diet" foods unless she's got a medical condition. Cut her food a bit and up her exercise.
One of my dogs was 20lbs overweight when my Mom was caring for her. I switched her from Pedigree to Taste of the Wild (High Prairie and Wetlands), cut her ration, and took her on lots of walks and hikes. She's in great shape now. I won't feed anything with less than 30% protein to a healthy dog, doesn't matter how picky the dog is. My dogs all do better with more protein in their diets.


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## Ignis (Jan 29, 2014)

I agree with Losech. Try Taste of the Wild, cut her food and more of exercise!


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## pittiemouth (Feb 11, 2014)

She has eaten this food for almost 2 years and always looked great, good muscle tone, shiny coat, good energy. Except for being overweight, she is super healthy.


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

I used the Wellness Core reduced fat which is a very good food with higher protein; it worked great for the obese dog we adopted. It's also worked for others I've suggested it to.


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## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

I think as long as you continue adding the spoonful of wet, she should be fine. Give her some extra protein by adding some eggs each week, canned food, chicken, etc.


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## flashyfawn (Mar 8, 2012)

One of my dogs has just dropped 11 lbs in 3 months, going from 115 to 104. She had been on a lower protein food, but when she went on her diet I switched her to a higher protein (and actually higher calorie) food and cut the amount. My vet had me cut her to 3/4 cup of food twice a day, so for your 50 lb dog, you may still be overfeeding her if you're trying to get weight off. I add a little canned pumpkin with her dinner but nothing else. She still gets treats, I'm just careful about the amount. If your dog is picky and you think the food is working well, I'd probably try cutting the amount but add in extra meat if you're concerned about the protein. I was a little hesitant because this seems like such a small amount of food for a big dog but my dog looks fantastic and doesn't act hungry at all. (Her food is 34% protein and 12% - 16% fat.)


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## Georgiapeach (Jan 24, 2011)

I had good luck with Wellness Core Reduced Fat. Good protein amount with low fat. Remember to feed the amount for what the dog should weigh, not for the current weight. The amount on listed on the bag is still too much, IMO.


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

pittiemouth said:


> She has eaten this food for almost 2 years and always looked great, good muscle tone, shiny coat, good energy. Except for being overweight, she is super healthy.


If she is healthy, but just overweight, what others have already said makes sense: you need to either up her level of activity or cut down on the amount of food you give her.

Yes, I know her kibble has a fairly low protein level, but I would assume that the wet food is adding protein to her diet as well.

FWIW,


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## pittiemouth (Feb 11, 2014)

That is what I am doing, I am following the vet's recommendation of 650 or so calories per day. 1.5 cups of food with a small spoonful of wet. I walk her for at least 30 mins each day, often more, and we play. The last two weeks however, we think she has a partial ACL tear and if so, will need surgery. Due to all the ice and snow (I am in NC) I have had to be careful not to let her injure herself further. Sometimes I have to give her tramadol for pain, which knocks her out, lol. Cant wait to get this over with...

But anyway, she is on a diet


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