Staffy crosses can be deemed 'of type' so that wont help, the fact that you got him from what would appear to be a dog fighter then the chances are he has a high % of pitull in him and it is far better to play safe than end up with him being seized and stuck in a secret kennel somewhere until the courts decide what he is and whether you can have him back.
Becky

I will bow to those of greater knowledge but what more can she do? If the dog is picked up and declared 'of type' there is nothing you can do to protect the dog from this, or is there.

How can she play safe?

Hi and welcome to dogsey i think your doing a really lovely thing takeing Max in he seems a lovely dog bless him i would say to me he looks like Staff and Pit Bull to me but whatever he is i hope you have lots of years with him and he will put weight on in time.

Poor dog. Hope his life has now turned around. I think a phone call to the local press might make "someone" sit up and listen, and get some relief for the poor dogs you had no choice but to leave behind

x0x

No expert in this type of dog but I would say he is probable an ISBT but who knows, I was only suggesting that if asked what Max is the reply should be Staffy cross and not pit bull cross unless you are looking for trouble.

Having gone to the effort of rescuing this dog it would be a shame if a careless word found him taken away again, the fact is that a lot of people would say he is of 'the type' however there are loads who are being bred to actually be of 'the type' and they get away with it so if you have a calm non-aggressive dog you do not advertise that it may be a pit bull cross.

im not here to convince anyone or to win sides in this forum.

my main priority is to get the right knowledge for feeding him and get him back to a fit and healthy boy again i totaly appreciate what everyone is saying and i will take on board all of your advice!

Rachael

No sides Rachael, we all wish to make sure you have no problems.

Becky seemed to suggest that there was a way you could avoid problems that may arrive in the future and I would like to know how.

In the mean time I would just love your boy do not try to put the weight on too quickly and watch that as he begins to gain his confidence he does not start trying to push his weigh, as he may have some weight to push by then.

Can't offer any advice, but just wanted to say bless you for having such a great big heart! I hope you do manage to put the weight back on Max and can keep him forever, and you'll be rewarded 10 times over from his love and affections! That's all I want to say! Give him as many meals as he will eat a day, but don't give massive amounts coz his stomach won't be able to cope with it if he's been half starved, little and often, as often as you can even every 2/3 hours!

A pitbull is a breed here and he looks exactly like one but with a longer back
FYI the staffy is one of the founding breeds used to produce the American pit bull
here is a pic of our grooms dogs the one on the left is watcho he is an american pit the one on the right is bella she is a bulldog

Aside from the 'is he a stafford x or a pit type' argument, one thing that hasn't been mentioned is safety. The poor dog has been in a lousy environment and will have been encouraged to fight dogs, not socialise. He may well come from fighting lines too. As he recovers, and you assess his behaviour, it may not be a bad idea to muzzle him when not on your property.

Mary