I have 2 pitbulls, a male (Tyson- almost 2 years old) & a female (Sasha- about 2 1/2 yrs old)... The female brindle is a very healthy weight! Actually, my dogs bred & had 11 puppies their first litter & all the puppies lived w/ no complications (and the male was under a year old)!!! But the problem is him.. His ribs show!!! We feed him a lot & he always has food to eat! Also, we feed him a lot of people food- everything from pizza to steaks (mostly steak fat-- when we eat steak, we cut all the fat off & give it to them)!
Tyson's main diet consists of "large breed puppy" hard food. But he will NOT gain weight!! His bone structure is large & broad & he is VERY muscular! He's 80lbs of solid muscle, no fat, but like I said, his ribs show! We don't train him or work him... He goes swimming every once in a while, but he's very hyperactive!! We give our 60lb female everything he gets & she's completely healthy! Her stomach is bigger than his & she's a lot shorter & no where near as wide as him or as muscular as him!!!
We took him to the vet.. He had worms & we treated them. But our female never had them & they both go potty in the same yard, share food, etc... The vet didn't offer any suggestions after we treated the worms about him gaining weight!
So basically, I'm trying to ask if anyone can recommend an effective way for my rednose pit to gain weight b/c I feel like he resembles a greyhound on steroids (as proportionalized b/c his stomach is so small)!
Pics:
* * Tyson (male)-- (one of their puppies is in the background)
SEE HIS RIBS!! In person, you can count them all!!
Tyson is the one on the FAR LEFT (rednose puppy & Sasha):
Looking at those pictures, I'd say that he's at a healthy weight and not bother about it. I would suggest cutting out some of the junk food, just to be healthier. And PLEASE get your dogs spayed and neutered! There are many pitbulls already looking for homes and most likely getting euthanized. And they are, unfortunately, a breed that is likely to attract owners who will not treat them well. Can you guarentee that all your puppies will wind up in good homes for the rest of their lives?
He may be slightly on the thin side but he looks perfectly healthy to me. Did he pick up the worms after the pups were born? That would explain how he got them. I am sure that you had to deworm the pups, right? If not, the people who now own the pups probably had to deworm them. Most pups are born with worms. How long has Ty been worm free? If it is only recently, then what he is going through is normal and his system will rebound. But, seeing every rib is not a bad thing. He does seem healthy. Do you have all the dogs on heartworm meds? That is important in Florida.
flcutiepie, because you helped out Macksmom in such a great way when she was stressing, I am not going to come down too hard on you here. But, you know that you live in an area where you have to be careful if you are a pitbull owner. Not only because the next county over, Dade County bans them but because the amount of dogfighting that goes on in the general area in which you live. Were you able to do full home checks on the people that bought your pups? Can you see them and check on them anytime you want to ensure that they are safe? Can you be 100% positive that the people you sold them to won't use them for fighting, or will take the time to train them properly so that the dogs don't pose a threat to anyone. Improper training is the number one reason why people get bitten by a dog. This is also important: There are no guarantees that one of the pups from your Sasha's litter won't be stolen from their homes to be used as bait dogs. It is very normal for people who breed and keep pitbulls for fighting to steal other people's dogs out of their yards for this purpose. If you don't know what a bait dog is, they are the ones thrown in with the fighters so the owners fighters can practice and stay at the top of their "game". The bait dog is torn to pieces and killed by the fighters. The more dogs that can be listed as kills for the fighter, the higher the value of the fighter.
As an owner of this breed, the first thing I did was have her spayed. Dogs don't need to experience pregnancy. They don't have the mothering instinct in the same way humans do. The Pitbull is the number one breed found in shelters and rescues. My pitbull (you can see her pic in my avitar) is a rescue who was scheduled to be euthanized. These dogs are the first in line for euthanization due to the negative publicity and the overpopulation problem. As of this writing, there are 2882 American Staffordshire Terriers and 8283 Pitbull Terriers that are sitting and waiting to be adopted throughout the United States that are listed on petfinders. Here is a link so that you know I am not creating figures just to upset you: Petfinder.com
Those two figures translates to over 11,000 pitbulls & pitbull mixes THAT WE KNOW OF, that need homes. Not every shelter and rescue lists their dogs looking for homes on petfinder. So, we know that the number is actually much higher. The Pitbull is the most abused of all the breeds by humans. PLEASE, now that you have had one litter, PLEASE, do the responsible thing by your dogs and have your female spayed and your male neutered. Fix any of the puppies that you have decided to keep. You sound like a responsible and loving owner. Please do the responsible thing. We have enough irresponsible people breeding these poor dogs for all the wrong reasons.
flcutie, please do some reasearch on choke chains, prong colllars. They can damage the throat, neck if improperly used as well as be a choking hazard if left on while not being supervised.
Good call bushg. I didn't even notice the prong collar. I hate those things. flcutie, if Ty requires one because you are having trouble controlling him, that isn't good. At his age, he should be responding to your direction. If he is hyper and difficult to control, although he may be sweet as honey, he is not considered good breeding stock.
I just read your reply about his collar. It's not a "choke chain". The prongs are completely dull & not sharp at all! Also, we ONLY use it when we are walking him.
That pic was the first time he ever had that collar tied to something. It was at a park & we had to tie him up b/c there were a lot of horses walking around there & we didn't want him to go near them! But we NEVER EVER leave him unattended!!
The thing is that he is hardly ever on a leash. When the dogs go to the bathroom, we let them out back. They have those stakes that stick into the ground & we attach their collars to that (not that one, a regular one). But, when we take him out, he's very strong & likes to pull. He does listen to my commands, but sometimes when he gets excited, he likes to try to walk fast. So we tug on it lightly & he backs off. The only time he's on a leash is when I take him running or to the park.
About the worms, Tyson had worms before the puppies. Ty has been worm free since Juneish. We had to deworm the puppies. VERY expensive vet bill!! The vet said that most pups are born w/ worms. And we do have both dogs on heartworm medication.
About the spaying & neuturing, we will spay her after she has her next litter. She's pregos again. The first time was an accident (back in June). Before Tyson, we adopted a German Shephard/Chow mix from the Humane Society & he was neutured, so we didn't have to worry about Sasha... A friend of ours actually found Tyson in the middle of the ghetto, almost got hit by a car!! So we rescued him & took him home!! He was extremely food aggressive when we first got him!! We let the dogs outside to go to the bathroom, like usual. I ran inside for 1 minute to answer the phone & that's all it took!! I had even taken a day off to spay her (the place was discounted, so had to make the appt months in advanced), but she was in heat the time of the appt (they said they wouldn't spay her when she was in heat. Don't know if I was misinformed?)!!
She had 11 puppies. We sold 7 of them to friends & see 6 regularly (the other person moved away). Actually, one guy was interested in buying a puppy, but he was way too interested in watching the puppies play fight & was egging them on. I refused to sell him a puppy. And some a-hole actually had the audacity to offer me $5000 to sell him a puppy to fight. I wouldn't sell one to fight for a $million!! No way! EVER!!!
I know for 100% sure that none of the 6 puppies are being used for fighting. And the owners keep the dogs inside at all times, unless they are with them outside. The other 4 puppies we sold to a petstore & he sold them all. I can't be 100% sure that they won't be used for fighting, but I pray that they won't!!
We planned her pregnancy this time b/c the puppy store asked us to & wanted to sign a contact to buy the whole litter. After this time, I am doing breeding. I would NOT give them the puppies to the humane society b/c I know that they are the first breed to be euthanized. I am just praying that this puppy store checks its buyers out before selling them the puppies.
About the puppies owners, all of them have either raised pitbulls before & are experienced or they took the puppy to training classes. We see the puppies on a regular basis & they are all completely healthy. I know the people very well & know they wouldn't fight them. They are 100000% against fighting dogs!!!. I know that the puppies have the best homes!! I LOVE that I am able to see the puppies regularly & they all play together! =o)
After this time, I am doing breeding. You are done breeding or you are doing breeding?
Glad to hear that you don't leave your dogs with the prong collar on unattended. But sadly many people do.
As for the puppy store, All I can say is the one in my area that sells puppys doesn't give a hoot who gets those puppys as long as they get their money. They stand in little cages with wire under their feet and are never taken out unless a customer wants to play with them. I have never seen the employees walking or interacting with them. I just think it is a crappy situation for puppys esp. the ones that take the longest to sell. I hope the one in your area is different.
The thing is that he is hardly ever on a leash. When the dogs go to the bathroom, we let them out back. They have those stakes that stick into the ground & we attach their collars to that (not that one, a regular one). But, when we take him out, he's very strong & likes to pull. He does listen to my commands, but sometimes when he gets excited, he likes to try to walk fast. So we tug on it lightly & he backs off. The only time he's on a leash is when I take him running or to the park.
Have you tried the Easy Walk harness on him? That is a harness that has the leash attach to the front of the chest. I've heard that they work, but haven't had to try it myself.
I'd rather see you try something like that than the prong collar. If the dog is mostly trained, it should work as well, I think. But also, prong collars make people think "Oh look... it's one of those viscious pit bulls. The owner can't even control it without having to make the dog hurt. Really, why do we let people continue to own those types of dogs?" You have to be aware of the image that you are sending more than owners of other breeds do.
And yep, from my experience all pet stores care about is whether you have the money to buy the dog. They don't even ask about what the home situation is. The dog is merchandise, and the faster they sell it the sooner they can make a profit.
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