An adult American Staffordshire Terrier needs a complete food and a portion matched to its weight: for a 26 kg dog, neutered and moderately active, that is about 814 kcal a day. Keeping it lean matters more than the brand, because this breed has two vulnerable joints: in Sweden's official screening it ranks third of 72 breeds for hip dysplasia, and in Swedish insurance data its cruciate ligament ruptures came at a median age of 3.6 years, against 7.1 for dogs overall. Then there is the skin, where the culprit is often not in the bowl.
The breed standard doesn't actually give one. The FCI standard (no. 286) only says that height and weight should be in proportion, with a preferred height at the shoulder of 46-48 cm for males and 43-46 cm for females. The figures you see online come from the American Kennel Club breed profile: 55-70 lb for males and 40-55 lb for females, roughly 25-32 kg and 18-25 kg.
The best real-world data come from Sweden, where the Kennel Club records each dog's weight when its hips are X-rayed, between one and two and a half years of age. Between 2007 and 2016 the 570 AmStaff males screened averaged 28.3 kg. Over the same decade the breed's average weight fell by 2.2 kg, about 8%: the largest drop among the breeds in which males and females changed alike. The authors suggest this could be good news for a breed with so many joint problems. And it is a different dog from the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the “Staffy” most people in the UK know: in the same data, young Staffy males averaged 18.2 kg.
For such a muscular dog the scales alone can mislead: an AmStaff can be heavy for its height and still be in perfect shape. What counts is fat, not kilos. On the WSAVA 9-point body condition scale the ideal is 4-5: ribs you can feel without excess fat covering them, a waist visible from above and a tucked-up belly seen from the side. WSAVA also advises checking muscle condition separately, because an overweight dog can lose muscle without anyone noticing.
Hip dysplasia is largely inherited, and in the AmStaff it is very common. In Sweden's official screening programme 1,207 AmStaffs were X-rayed between 2007 and 2016: only 8% had perfect hips (grade A) and 64.2% had dysplasia (grades C to E), mild in 43.7% of dogs and moderate or severe in 20.5%. Out of 72 breeds, only the Dogue de Bordeaux and the Bullmastiff fared worse; the Staffordshire Bull Terrier stood at 41.9%. For elbow dysplasia the AmStaff was third of 46 breeds too, with 34.9% of dogs affected. These are grades read on X-rays, not diagnoses of lameness.
The finding that matters most for the food bowl comes from a second study of the same dogs: within the same breed, heavier dogs had more severe hip grades. The link was statistically significant in 13 of the 21 breeds analysed, and the AmStaff was one of them. The study cannot prove that weight is what worsens the hips, and the authors point out that a high weight can mean a bigger frame, more muscle or more fat. In a breed as muscular as the AmStaff that distinction matters: extra fat is the part the bowl can change, and spotting it takes the hands-on check described above, not just the scales. A classic experiment points the same way: Labradors fed 25% less until the age of two had far less hip dysplasia than those fed freely.
Food cannot change the genetics of the hips. What you can control is weight: keep your AmStaff lean, especially while it grows and in its first two years, and recalculate the portion when its activity changes or after neutering. For a puppy, follow the growth curve with your vet.
The second weak spot is the knee. In an American study of 201 dogs under 2 years old with a ruptured cranial cruciate ligament, compared with 804 dogs of the same age, the AmStaff was one of nine predisposed breeds, and the dogs with a ruptured ligament weighed more than the controls. In Sweden, among more than 600,000 insured dogs followed from 2011 to 2016, the AmStaff was one of the breeds at increased risk, and claims for the rupture came at a median age of 3.6 years, against 7.1 years for dogs overall.
Weight counts here too: in the VetCompass records of over 171,000 dogs seen in England, heavier dogs within the same breed were more likely to be diagnosed with cruciate disease. For a powerful dog that jumps and sprints, every extra kilo lands on the knees. That is why the chart below separates neutered and intact dogs: at 26 kg a neutered AmStaff needs about 814 kcal a day against 1018 for an intact one, and if the bowl stays the same after neutering, the weight goes up.
Many owners go looking for the best food for an AmStaff with itchy skin, and the suspicion has some basis: the AmStaff turns up again and again in studies of skin disease. In a Swiss study of 743 itchy dogs seen by 17 vets, the most common cause was atopic dermatitis (59.1% of cases), and the AmStaff was over-represented among the atopic dogs, alongside the French Bulldog and the West Highland White Terrier. In a Hungarian study of 600 atopic dogs, the AmStaff was one of eight breeds significantly associated with a confirmed reaction to food. A systematic review warns, however, that there are no reliable data on breed predisposition to food reactions.
The most surprising figure concerns young dogs. In a study of almost 1.2 million dogs seen at 600 clinics in the United States, the breed most strongly associated with juvenile-onset generalised demodicosis was the AmStaff, with an odds ratio of 35.6: the highest of any breed, about twice that of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, second at 17.1. It is caused by Demodex mites, it makes the coat fall out and can come with skin infections: it is diagnosed with deep skin scrapings and managed with antiparasitic medication. A new bag of food won't sort it out.
So before switching food yet again, get a diagnosis. If your vet suspects a food reaction, the only way to confirm it is an elimination diet with a meat your dog has never eaten, for at least 8 weeks: with that duration more than 90% of dogs reach remission. Turkey is poultry: if your dog has reacted to chicken, ask your vet before trying it.
Every Pappa Fresh recipe contains one meat only and declares the percentage of each ingredient on the label, so you always know what your AmStaff is eating and can discuss it with your vet:
They are cooked in the pouch and keep outside the fridge until opened; once opened, they go in the fridge and should be used within 2-3 days. With a dog this size that is never an issue: on the Complete plan you open more than one 400 g pouch a day.
For a dog of over 25 kg, a full ration of wet food is a big commitment, price included. That is why there are two alternatives: the Mix plan covers half the ration and leaves the other half to the kibble you already use, and the Topper adds a quarter of the ration to the bowl, with the kibble cut by about a quarter. For dogs over 25 kg the quiz opens on the Topper; one click switches it to Mix or Complete.
An adult AmStaff of 26 kg, neutered and moderately active, needs about 814 kcal a day: with our Chicken recipe that is about 714 g, with the richer Beef recipe 599 g. An unneutered dog burns more, about 1018 kcal. The feeding chart runs from 20 kg to 32 kg; if your AmStaff falls outside that range, the quiz works out the portion for its own weight.
If you compare these figures with the feeding guide on a bag of kibble, the grams will look like a lot more: that is normal, because kibble is far more concentrated (around 350-400 kcal per 100 g, against 110-136 for our recipes). On the Mix plan half the ration comes from your own kibble and the cost drops to about €6.45 a day instead of €12.89; on the Topper to about €3.35. For the general logic behind portions, see our guide on how much a dog should eat.
| Weight | Energy need (kcal/day) neutered / intact | Grams per day neutered / intact | Complete plan | Mix (½) | Topper (¼) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 kg | 669 / 836 | 587 g / 733 g | €10.63/day | €5.45/day | €2.67/day |
| 26 kg | 814 / 1018 | 714 g / 893 g | €12.89/day | €6.45/day | €3.35/day |
| 32 kg | 951 / 1189 | 834 g / 1043 g | €14.42/day | €7.21/day | €3.73/day |
Grams based on the Chicken recipe (114 kcal/100 g); with Beef, which is richer (136 kcal/100 g), you need about 16% less. Prices for a neutered dog.
Figures calculated with the same method as our quiz (FEM×K: maintenance energy adjusted for breed, activity, neutering and body condition). They are an estimate: take the quiz for your dog's exact plan, and talk to your vet about any health concern.
Two minutes: enter weight, age and activity to get the exact portion, with 30% off your first order.
An adult AmStaff of 26 kg, neutered and moderately active, needs about 814 kcal a day, which is about 714 g of chicken wet food; if unneutered, about 893 g. From a neutered dog of 20 kg to one of 32 kg it ranges from about 587 g to 834 g. These are estimates: the right portion also depends on your dog's body condition.
The FCI breed standard gives no weight: it asks for height and weight in proportion, with 46-48 cm at the shoulder for males and 43-46 cm for females. The American Kennel Club profile says 55-70 lb for males and 40-55 lb for females, roughly 25-32 kg and 18-25 kg, and in Sweden young adult males averaged 28.3 kg. Body condition matters more than the number: ribs you can feel without excess fat and a visible waist.
They are one of the most affected breeds: in Swedish screening 64.2% of 1,207 AmStaffs X-rayed had hip dysplasia, the third highest of 72 breeds. In the same data, heavier dogs within the breed had more severe grades. You can't change the genetics, but you can control weight, which is the part that depends on the bowl, especially in the first two years.
No food has been shown to be better for AmStaff skin, and a diagnosis should come before any change of food. In a large US study the AmStaff was the breed most strongly associated with juvenile demodicosis, a mite disease managed with antiparasitic medication. If your vet suspects a food reaction, they will set up an elimination diet of at least 8 weeks with a meat your dog has never eaten.
Often it isn't: a fit AmStaff with a short coat shows its shape, and on the WSAVA scale a score of 4, still within the ideal, means ribs easily felt with minimal fat covering and an obvious waist. A score of 3 or less means underweight: ribs that may be visible with no fat to feel over them, the tops of the spine showing and the hip bones becoming prominent. If that sounds like your dog, or if it is losing weight or muscle, it needs a vet visit, not just a bigger portion.
Written by the Pappa Fresh editorial team from published veterinary studies (see sources). Not a substitute for your vet's advice.
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