Animal Welfare Research Paper

Feeding a Pitbull It is suggested that pitbull owners feed their pets the foods that have what the breed requires in nutritional value. The dog food should contain nutrient sources that are similar to that found in their native lands that their ancestors ate. The requirements for a pitbull are a balance of protein, carbohydrates, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. Many dogs are taken to the vet because of nutritional related problems. If the dog is not getting the proper nutrients that their diet requires they can suffer from dry/itchy/flaky skin, hot spots, yeast infections in the ears, or thyroid-liver-kidney problems.
The best diet for the pitbull is one that the owner makes fresh, using quality ingredients, without preservatives. Preparing home cooked meals for a dog can be less expensive than buying the average all-breed or any-breed pet food. Native foods for this breed would have been yellow corn, soy meal, rice, venison and fish. Recommended foods for this breed would be foods that contain soy, corn, brown rice, beef and poultry. This breed needs a high fiber and low carbohydrate diet. Avoid feeding this breed foods with a high fat or high starch content.
Do not feed this breed any supplemental vitamin C, such as ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate, calcium ascorbate, or ascorbal Palmitate because these can cause kidney and liver damage to the breed. The best food for your dog is real food, not people food, but food like real chicken, turkey, beef, bison, venison, lamb, fish, some fruits and vegetables, occasionally yogurt and eggs. Vitamins and best sources Vitamin A Palmitate Vitamin B-1 Thiamine Hcl & Yeast Vitamin B-2 Riboflavin & Yeast Vitamin B-6 Pyridoxine Hcl & Yeast Vitamin B-12 Cyanocobalamin & Yeast

Vitamin D D-activated Sterol Vitamin E dl-alpha tocopherol acetate Niacinamide Biotin Folic Acid D-Calcium Pantothenate Para Amino Benzoic Acid Minerals and best sources Calcium Bone Meal Copper Gluconate Iodine Sea Kelp Iron Ferrour Fumerate Magnesium Magnesium- Gluconate Manganese Manganese-Gluconate Phosphorus Bone Meal Potassium Potassium-Gluconate Zinc Zinc-Gluconate Habitat There is no such thing as a natural habitat for domesticated dogs such as the terrier breeds, and it would be easier to describe the places where they couldn’t and would have a hard time surviving.
Extremely cold places and extremely warm places with no shade can really do some harm to this breed. The basic cage size for an American pitbull terrier would be 36 inches long, 23 inches wide, and 25 inches high. The metal cages are preferred because they can be folded down and stored away when they are not in use. The metal cages also give the dog a 360-degree visual of their surroundings. The plastic cages are more for the puppies and for transporting the dogs. Health Care Hip dysplasia is a serious problem in pitbulls.
There were x-rays done of 480 pitbulls and 22% were found to have hip dysplasia. Elbow dysplasia is another serious problem in pitbulls. There were over 100 pitbulls that were x-rayed and 14% were found to have elbow dysplasia. This is the 15th worst rate in 82 breeds. Other orthopedic diseases in pitbulls are luxating patella and osteochondritis. American pitbull terriers have the 4th highest rate for hypothyroidism in 140 breeds. Vets are seeing heart disease in an increasing number of dogs in this breed. Skin problems are very common in this breed and can range from allergies to demodectic mange.
Tumors and cancer are also a serious concern with this breed. Eye disease is also very common and can include progressive retinal atrophy, cataracts, and entropion. Inherited deafness can occur within pitbull puppies that have a lot of white on their heads. Depending on the gender of your dog there are many pro’s and con’s to getting these dogs spayed or neutered. Female Pro’s * Spaying prevents the nuisance of heat periods * Spaying prevents uterine infections * Spaying prevents false pregnancies * Spaying prevents real pregnancies Spaying offers partial protection against breast cancer * Spaying prevents cancer of the uterus and ovaries * Spaying may mean lower licensing fees Female Con’s * Spaying doubles the risk of obesity * Spaying increases the risk of the deadly cancer called hemangiosarcoma * Spaying triples the risk of hypothyroidism * Spaying is a major surgery and requires general anesthesia * If done at the wrong age, spaying increases the risk of hip dysplasia, ligament rupture, osteosarcoma (bone cancer), and urinary incontinence Male Pro’s Neutering may mean lower licensing fees * Neutering reduces leg-lifting * Neutering reduces dominance and aggression * Neutering reduces the risk of your dog being attacked by other male dogs * Neutering helps re-focus your dogs’ attention from other dogs to YOU * Neutering reduces sexual behaviors * Neutering calms you dog around unspayed females * Neutering reduces the risk of prostate disorders * Neutering prevents testicular cancer * Neutering reduces the risk of perianal fistula Neutering helps prevent your dog from breeding Male Con’s * Neutering triples the risk of obesity * Neutering increases the risk of a deadly cancer called hemangiosarcoma * Neutering triples the risk of hypothyroidism * Neutering increases the risk of geriatric cognitive impairment * If done at the wrong age, neutering increases the risk of hip dysplasia, ligament rupture, and osteosarcoma (bone cancer) Restricted Use: The American Pitbull Terrier breed is one of the most mistreated and misunderstood breed of dog there is.
Because of this misinterpretation of the breed many counties, even states, have banned this breed. This is why there are so many of them euthanized or put in kennels. Many people are afraid of this breed because of stories on the news about a dog attack and they automatically assume that it was a pitbull that did it but in reality it was either a golden retriever or a german shepherd that caused the attack. Pitbulls were not bred to be attack dogs, they were bred to be work dogs and then got bred to be family dogs and they are terrific family dogs.