French Bulldogs are a playful and curious breed that has risen in popularity in recent decades. Their small compact size means that they’re popular with city dwellers along with country lifestyles. The French Bulldog is prone to some health issues such as brachycephalic upper airway syndrome (BUAS), allergies, and obesity. Feeding them appropriate nutrition is important in keeping our Frenchies healthy. Read further to learn how to choose the best food out there for your canine friend.
What Nutrients Do French Bulldogs Need?
French Bulldogs have similar nutritional needs to other dogs. They need to be fed high quality protein and a good source of vitamins, minerals, and omega fatty acids. Protein is the building block for muscle and gives your dog energy.
Frenchies need a high quality protein that’s not from ‘animal derivatives’ which could mean a mixture of poor quality meats from different animals. We don’t eat processed food ourselves if we can avoid it, so why would we feed our dogs high processed foods?
Feeding Puppy French Bulldogs
Puppies need regular feeding, usually, three times a day as their stomachs are small.
French Bulldog puppies grow rapidly in the first 6 months of their life and need the appropriate diet in order to grow properly. They need regular feeding, usually, three times a day as their stomachs are small. As puppies do a LOT of growing, their diets should be high in calories to give them fuel for this.
Their diets should have high quality proteins with no high carb fillers or preservatives. It should be an easy-to-digest food with human-grade ingredients. Check the back of the food bag to see how much your puppy should be eating and ask your vet for advice on feeding when they get their vaccinations. Your French Bulldog puppy can start eating adult food from 9-12 months of age.
What Diet Should I Choose for my French Bulldog?
There are so many foods out there on the market that it can be really confusing trying to pick a food for your dog. You don’t want to pick a poor quality food that isn’t going to support your Frenchie’s growth and health. We have some pointers when it comes to picking good quality food for your dog.
First of all, look at the ingredient list. The ingredient list should be easy to read with recognizable whole food ingredients. If you can’t recognize some of the ingredients that might indicate that there are a lot of preservatives in the food. The list should be relatively short as long lists can indicate unnecessary high carb filler ingredients.
The ingredients should be high quality and clearly stated e.g. turkey thigh, chicken heart, beef liver instead of ‘animal by-products’ or ‘animal derivatives’. The diet should be free from preservatives and high carb filler ingredients like potato, rice, oats, barley, pasta, corn, or wheat.
Dog foods are available in many forms such as dry food, wet (canned) food, dehydrated food, raw food, and lightly cooked human-grade diets. Regardless of what you decide to feed, you need to ensure that it’s nutritionally complete and balanced. If you decide to feed raw food you need to pay particular attention to hygiene during food preparation and I’d recommend speaking with your veterinarian first.
What Should I NOT Feed my French Bulldog?
Some ingredients in certain foods can be harmful to our pooches, including excessive carbohydrates, preservatives, and poor-quality ingredients.
Frenchies can eat a variety of foods but there are some foods that they shouldn’t eat. As we’ve established some ingredients in certain dog foods can be harmful and unnecessary for our pooches. These include excessive carbohydrates, preservatives, and poor-quality ingredients.
Along with those, some human foods are harmful to our dogs too. You should avoid feeding your Frenchie these foods;
- Onions
- Garlic
- Grapes
- Raisins
- Chocolate
- Spicy foods
- Chive
- Leek
- Cherries
If your dog has eaten some of these foods contact your veterinarian for advice. Some of these foods are poisonous or toxic and emergency treatment is needed if they’re ingested.
Can French Bulldogs Eat Vegetables?
Along with being safe to eat, vegetables such as carrots also have many health benefits for our dogs.
The good news is that there are plenty of vegetables that are safe to feed your Frenchie. These include vegetables such as;
Along with being safe to eat, the vegetables above also have many health benefits for our dogs. You can read more about this here. Apart from the vegetables, other ingredients such as kelp and spearmint in small doses can be beneficial to dogs’ health.
Health Issues in French Bulldogs
Unfortunately, Frenchies are prone to some health issues. Due to the shape of their face (flat) they can be prone to breathing difficulties and sometimes need surgery for this. They’re prone to dermatitis and allergies which can include food allergies. This makes it even more important to have your French Bulldog on a high quality food with limited ingredients to avoid triggering any food allergies.
Obesity is another common problem in Frenchies which causes many problems in turn including chronic inflammation and further worsening of their breathing difficulties. Any good dog food will include a feeding chart label on the back of the bag. This will help you to see how much food in grams your dog needs depending on its weight. You can also use this handy food calculator here. Most adult Frenchies will require between 500-750 calories of food per day.
According to the American Kennel Club, adult French Bulldogs should be below 28 pounds in weight. If you think that your dog weighs more than this, check with your veterinarian. They can measure your dog’s body condition score along with their weight and tell you if your dog needs to lose weight or not.
Conclusion
French Bulldogs have many nutritional needs which can be met by feeding a high quality diet. They are prone to food allergies and obesity so it’s important to avoid overfeeding. Feeding a diet with limited ingredients can help with food allergies.
Frequently Asked Questions
What food is best for French Bulldogs?
French bulldogs should be fed a high quality diet with limited ingredients and human-grade quality protein. It should be free from preservatives and high carb fillers like potato, rice, oats, barley, pasta, corn or wheat.
What should French Bulldogs not eat?
French bulldogs should avoid preservatives and fillers in their food. They should avoid foods such as; garlic, onions, grapes, raisins, cherries, and chocolate.
What should a French Bulldog eat in a day?
Most adult French Bulldogs will eat between 500-750 calories per day.
