How to Feed an American Bully Puppy

Last Updated: March 21, 2023

The American Bully is a type of pit bull. Although the pups begin their lives as tiny, helpless creatures, they soon grow into large, muscular dogs. For the puppies to grow into healthy adults, they’ll need a diet of high-quality, nutrient-rich foods. In fact, several brands manufacture dog food that is specifically designed to meet the nutritional needs of the American Bully. Opt for a high-quality kibble, and supplement the pup’s diet with raw meat and a protein and vitamin supplement.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Selecting a Premium Dog Food

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Talk with your veterinarian about what type of food is best for your Bully pup. Due to their breeding and physical appearance, Bullies are a unique breed of dog and have specific food needs. At some point shortly after you adopt your Bully, ask the vet what type of food they suggest you feed the dog.^{[1]
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- Also check with your veterinarian before you begin giving your puppy any type of food supplement. Your vet may be able to determine if a certain type of supplement is useful or not.
2
Select a food that contains at least 30% protein content. American Bully puppies need to start packing on muscle within the first few months of their lives. It’s important that the food they consume has enough protein to allow them to start bulking up. As a general rule of thumb, to ensure a high protein content, the first 3 ingredients listed should be meat.^{[2]
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- Visit your local pet store and read the labels on various puppy-specific foods. The packaging should make it clear how much protein content each type of food contains.
- Premium dog foods are also often available at large grocery stores and supermarkets.
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3
Choose a food that contains at least 20% fat content. Like all puppies, young Bullies need plenty of fat in their diet. A relatively high-fat diet will keep the pups healthy and allow their bodies to grow and form at a normal rate. Plus, a high-fat content in the food will allow the puppy’s body to break down the proteins and nutrients with ease.^{[3]
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- Giving your Bully pup foods with less than 30% protein and less than 20% fat content may result in health problems when the dog is grown.
4
Consider adding a protein supplement to your puppy’s diet. In order to help your Bully pup develop the kind of muscle tone that most owners want, you can add a supplement to their diet. Bully supplements contain vitamins, protein, and nutrients, which will help the pup grow and develop muscle mass.^{[4]
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- Brands of supplement that can be safely given to puppies include those made by Vita Bully, Bully Max, and MVP’s Formula Mass Weight Gainer for Dogs.
- Your local pet store may have these supplements in stock. If not, ask if these supplements can be special ordered.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Establishing a Feeding Schedule

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Feed your Bully pup 2-3 times per day. From the age of 12 weeks old to 6 months, your puppy should get three meals a day. This will allow the pup to have frequent, small meals so that they receive the amount of nutrition that they need but don’t gorge themselves. After the age of 6 months, feed them 2 meals a day.^{[5]
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- Find times to feed the pup that work into your daily schedule. For example, try feeding the pup once at 7 am before work, once at 1 pm after lunch, and once at 8 pm after dinner.
- The amount of food you give the dog depends on its size and appetite. Follow the suggested serving given on the food container, or check with your vet to see how much a healthy Bully pup should eat each day.
- Bully puppies under 12 weeks will need 4 meals a day. If you have very young Bully pups, work with your vet to establish an optimal eating schedule.
2
Give your Bully fresh water with every meal. Avoid letting a large bowl of water sit out all day for your Bully pup. Instead, dump the old water out and refill the bowl with new water with every meal. This will allow your puppy to stay hydrated and will prevent them from ingesting insects or bacteria that have accumulated on the day-old water.^{[6]
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- You should also continue this practice after the Bully is fully grown.
3
Restrict the dog’s access to food if it becomes overweight. Unlike slimmer breeds of dog, American Bullies do have a tendency to become overweight if left around food unsupervised. If your schedule prevents you from feeding the dog 3 times daily, you can leave food accessible to your dog throughout the day. However, if you notice the pup becoming fat rather than muscular, restrict its access to food.^{[7]
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- For example, you could feed the dog a generous amount of food at 7 am and again at 7 pm.
- Dogs’ metabolisms change once they hit about 1 year of age. At this point, you may notice the dog putting on fat rather than muscle.

Warnings

More so than for most other breeds of dog, it’s important that you feed your American Bully pup a healthy and high-quality diet. If you do not, the dog could become physically underdeveloped or have health problems as an adult.^{[8]
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While some Bully owners supplement their dog's diet with raw meat, this practice is not currently recommended by major veterinary bodies such as the AVMA. Raw food poses risks of infection and can throw off a Bully's nutritional balance, leading to some deficiencies.

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Never give your pup (or a grown Bully) steroids to increase their muscle mass. This can pose serious health risks to the dog.^{[9]
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