Hi Glen B.
As my user name implies, yes I am a musher.
I can only speak from my own experiences so please keep in mind I “ain’t no perfeshnl”.
That in mind, I can see you truly want to honor this responsibility you’ve accepted.
Lotsa KUDOs to you.
I can honestly say tho that as humans we have a tendency to overfeed our dogs and sadly with too often the wrong types of food.
Why???…. because we think they are always hungry.
Not really the case.
I can go around my kennel with 10lb chunks of meat feeding as I go.
If I have any left and any of my dogs see that they will act as they are starving.
They will go so far in their starving act as to stash their meal and go argue with their brother or aunt or…just to try muscle away some more.
I feed fat more only towards fall and during winter. Just raw, unadulterated fat.
Beef, moose, pork, deer, all kinds of foul….you name it.
I use it mainly as a source of heat energy for my dogs.
Matter of fact, I do the same for myself. More butter, fatty cuts of meat, nuts, fish.
And more amino acids. Don’t, repeat Do Not feed raw egg to your dog. It depletes their amino acid levels. 1 scrambled egg per day is great. Yes, in the wild they would eat them if they found them. But they would also instinctively know where and how to increase their amino acids to balance.
I am 56 years young, smoke 1-8 cigs per day, 5’9″ tall, weigh 180, wear sz32 pants(with long johns under) & 44-46 jacket, snowshoe my trails(pack them for my team)…..
I can go on for quite some about my activity level but…
My point is, if my dog seems happy and healthy I would assume he most likely ain’t sick and suffering. Dogs don’t lie.
Also, if the vet couldn’t find worms or any other affliction your dog is most likely good to go.
It takes time to build lean, strong muscle. Fat builds up a lot quicker.
Point in question, I have seen but 1 “over weight” runner in many years following the marathons, sitting on my couch watching the TV, NOT!!.lol
Most chicken today is raised ii intense farming methods. They are butchered young, about 6-8 weeks of age. Older chickens have a higher level of amino acids. Hence the more wholesome flavour in soup made from a worn out layer or an open-range grazed, 6 month or year old.
Most beef are slaughtered on their second year, even if they are “feedlot beef”. Also, yes, beef is higher fat content. Since you get your chicken cheap, maybe ask a butcher for some beef and/or pork fat trimmings. Probably get it free. I do.
My dogs get extreme trotties from milk and milk products. Just about killed a whole team once. “watered” them with watered down baby formula thonking “energy”…. went mushing away in the bush miles from home. If they weren’t loyal to me and follow me, I wouldn’t have had the heart to go on without them…. wouldn’t be telling this big long story to you today.lol
My (approx)recipe for active working dog from 50-80 pounds, daily, in winter 4-7 lbs red meat, about 8-16 oz raw fat, cook 1 tbsp rice(I use WildRice), I cooked egg, 1 tsp raw veg oil, 1/8 tsp doggie vitamins, and always fresh water.
The red meat has liver kidney, heart and lung in accordance with whole animal weights.
Actually, I now feed my dogs whole animal diet. Viscera, epiderma, skeletal, the whole works, including(not excluding much of anything) goose, duck, pork, moose, fish, deer, elk, etc., etc..
Cheaper and easier, and yes, healthier .
However, my dogs are pure northern spitz breeds of sled dogs. For all intensive purposes, practically domesticated wolves.
I won’t and can’t promise all this info will work for Pitbull, but I can ascertain to you that all domestic dogs are 90%-99% wolf DNA.
Please reconsider the raw eggs. It is actually cuts down on the body’s ability to convert food to usable energy, not very healthy for dogs.
Whole raw fish is an excellent diet. Just cut off thorns, horns, barbles form the likes of catfish.
I am truly sorry if my “novel” has bored, offended, angered, insulted, or hurt you in any way.
My intention is to assist other dog lovers assist their dogs to have a healthy, long life.
Please take what you can use.
HAGD
Musher.. out for now
