If you’ve just bought or adopted your own Staffordshire Bull Terrier, you might be wondering what makes the perfect diet for the breed. Staffies don’t have many breed-specific dietary needs, but there are still a few things their food should provide to keep them in top condition. These pooches give you all the love in the world, so it’s worth finding food that will get their tail wagging and will help them to live a longer, happier life.
One thing you do need to watch out for is that Staffies aren’t just sensitive souls, they’re also prone to sensitive skin, dietary intolerances, and allergies too. These problems can often be caused by something they’re eating. So what makes a good diet for Staffordshire Bull Terriers that will keep them looking fit without pup-setting their skin or stomach?
In short, the best dog food for Staffordshire Bull Terriers should
Provide plenty of protein to maintain their muscles
Have a limited list of natural ingredients
Avoid common allergens and irritants
Help to keep your Staffy feeling full
But why should you look for these factors when finding your dog’s dinner?
Meaty muscle food
Ask any human gym buff and they’ll tell you that protein is vital for building lean muscle and maintaining it. It’s just as important for dogs because they need a lot of protein (and the resulting amino acids,) to build and repair their muscles. Since Staffies are pretty beefy as far as dogs go, you’ll need to make sure their dinner is packed with the stuff to keep them looking lean.
High protein doesn't always mean high quality
Not all protein is the same. Some foods can claim high levels of protein, but the quality of that protein source is lacking. Think highly-processed meat meals, meat derivatives, or byproducts, which are a cheaper way to inject protein into food.
These sorts of foods are particularly troublesome if your dog has any allergies or intolerances. Since most food allergies are caused by a protein, but many dog foods use multiple protein sources which makes finding the trigger for your dog’s sensitivities near impossible.
For example, a food labelled “with chicken” only needs to have more than 4% chicken in the recipe. The rest of the protein in the food will be made up of other sources, often from other animals. Some foods do not even have the specific protein source listed and use “meat derivatives” or “meat”, which is fine until your dog has an allergy.
Say your pup is allergic to beef, if the food you’re buying contains “meat derivatives”, you won’t be able to tell if there’s beef in there or not. Limiting the protein source or trying a new one could resolve your Staffy’s sorry stomach.
Appropriate for allergies
Staffordshire Bull Terriers might look tough, but they’re surprisingly sensitive both in spirit and body. In fact, many Staffies have food allergies or intolerances. What’s the difference? An allergy triggers an immune response and can cause your pet significant harm. Meanwhile, an intolerance is usually limited to gastrointestinal issues. Neither are particularly pleasant for your pooch though, and they’re almost always caused by something they’re eating.
Proteins are usually the problem
Like we said above, your dog’s dietary woes are almost always going to be caused by a protein. It could be gluten, eggs, dairy, or a specific kind of meat. That’s why limiting the ingredients and protein sources is so important.
Trying a new dog food that uses a different protein source could make the world of difference. The best dog food for Staffies should also avoid other proteins where possible, such as no other meat, no dairy, no egg, and no wheat. This will make it easier to determine and avoid whatever is pup-setting your Staffies belly.
Single source and wholesome
Here at Pure, we don’t use any meat meals, derivatives, or byproducts. We just use whole, human-grade cuts of meat. That means your dog is getting all-natural ingredients that haven’t been heavily processed so keep all their goodness.
Extreme processing like extrusion destroys nutrients in food, particularly protein. That’s why we’re doggedly determined to use great ingredients and never any harsh processing.
We don’t use a cocktail of protein sources either. Our recipes have a limited list of natural ingredients and are usually kept to a single source of protein. (A handful of recipes use two.) You will always know exactly what your dog is eating, and it’s easy to avoid any allergens. Plus, we’ll personalise your pup’s plan to their individual needs, including any allergies.
Nourishing your Staffy's sensitive skin
Sadly, Staffy’s are pretty prone to skin problems, and the wrong food can cause or worsen some skin conditions. Even if their dinner isn’t the source of their scratching, the right food can help to reduce their irritation, inflammation, and itchiness.
The best dog food for Staffordshire Bull Terriers will have a helping of healthy fatty acids like Omega-3 and Omega-6 which help to strengthen the skin’s barrier. That means the bad stays out and the good stays in. So if your pooch suffers from hayfever or dermatitis, these acids should help to soothe their skin and help it to recover.
Otherwise, there could be all sorts in your dog’s dinner that is actually causing their itchy skin. Your Staffy might have a dietary allergy or intolerance, a nutritional deficiency, or come into contact with mites. (Bleh!)
Yep, you’ve not only got ingredients to look out for, but mites sometimes live on cereal stores, which are then used to make dry kibble. These mites have been proven to cause scratchy skin, so sometimes even swapping to a dog’s dinner to anything but brown kibble can help.
To avoid itching and irritation, the first step is to avoid any known allergens your pooch has. As mentioned above, keep the ingredients list short, recognisable, and as natural as possible so you know exactly what your pooch is eating and there’s less chance of causing pup-set.
No nasties
Artificial additives are also common causes of intolerances for dogs, so finding a 100% natural recipe might help settle your dog’s skin and stomach too. Natural ingredients are also usually far more digestible, so your dog can absorb more of the nutrients from their food and it’s less likely to cause them any gastrointestinal illness.
You could also try a natural and hypoallergenic diet like Pure which could help stop scratching and help your pup to grow more supple skin and a glossier coat. There’s a whole pack of pups who are looking and feeling better thanks to their new Pure dinners, and you can see why they’re barking mad for Pure.
Perfectly filling hungry tummies
Staffies aren’t known to be picky eaters. In fact, they’ll usually eat anything and keep eating even after they’ve had their fill. Given the opportunity, your pooch would probably wolf down a days worth of food at once and soon be piling on the pounds. That means you might have a pup begging for more even when they’ve just licked their bowl clean. So how can you make sure you’re satisfying your Staffy’s stomach?
A natural dog food like Pure could help your pup to feel full without the fillers, offering plenty of protein and fibre to help keep your Staffy satisfied until dinnertime.
Having the right amount of protein should help to keep your pup feeling fuller for longer. Protein is one of the most effective and satisfying dietary components because it helps to reduce the level of hormones that trigger the feelings of hunger whilst encouraging the production of Peptide, which is the hormone that tells their body they’re full.
Plenty of fibre will also help to keep your Staffy feeling full because it slows down the rate of digestion. It does this by binding with water in their gut to make a gel, which helps to slow down the rate it is absorbed and moved through the digestive tract.
Dogs have very short digestive tracts and digest food quicker than we humans do, taking about 6-8 hours to digest their dinner. Either way, it’s no wonder your pooch starts feeling peckish and giving you the puppy eyes for more. But provided they have a balanced diet fed at regular mealtimes, you should put a stop to those hunger pangs.
All in all, the best dog food for Staffordshire Bull Terriers will have a good dose of protein to keep their muscles in good condition and stop them from chewing the walls with hunger. (It won’t stop boredom chewing though!) Meanwhile, natural ingredients should help to limit the risk of intolerance whilst providing enough fibre to fill your Staffy’s stomach.