Healthy eating rules
A healthy adult French Bulldog should weigh between 9 and 13 kg . If even a slight deviation from this weight is noticeable, this is a sure sign of illness or improper care of your pet. This is a reason to visit a specialist who will most likely advise you to change your dog’s walking and feeding regime.
French bulldogs are not known for their excellent health and longevity, so the issue of feeding them must be approached with all responsibility. Before you understand how to properly feed a French Bulldog, you need to consider the lifestyle your dog leads.
Important! The food should compensate for the calories that your pet spends during a walk. An improper diet will cause rickets or obesity, and problems with the digestive system also often occur. All of these are equally harmful to your dog.
If you are just walking her around the house, then feeding should not be too high in calories. If, on the contrary, you actively load your pet while you walk with him, then the feeding regimen should be appropriate.
Return to content
Host reviews
Below are reviews from French bulldog owners about how they feed their dogs:
What to feed a French Bulldog puppy at different times? Useful products for development and a list of prohibited ones. Selection and portions of dry food. What to give in the first feeding?
A healthy French Bulldog puppy always has a great appetite. Refusal to feed indicates problems or unsuitable foods. The puppy grows quickly and needs nutrients to form bones, joints and muscle mass.
Newborn French bulldogs weigh up to 200 g, but soon this figure will increase tenfold. However, overfeeding threatens health problems, so the diet is carefully thought out.
Natural nutrition
Some dog owners make the grave mistake of believing that feeding their dogs is a simple matter and nothing more than a whim; the leftovers from their table will be enough for them. This is not true, the dog must be fed correctly, this is the key to proper development and good digestion.
French bulldog dogs need meat as a natural diet; it should make up at least 35% of the mass fraction of the entire diet. Beef, rabbit, lamb and offal can be given as meat food. Such products can be given raw, but they must be scalded with boiling water.
Poultry meat: chicken, turkey must be cooked, the skin must be removed . Fish can only be given boiled and without bones. Boiled cereals should be given as an additive to meat - rice or buckwheat are perfect.
Dairy products will be a good addition to the main diet, but only if your pet digests them well. Boiled vegetables should also be present in the French Bulldog's diet. This diet will help your dog stay fit and healthy for many years to come.
This is interesting! Many people have a categorically negative attitude towards feeding their French Bulldog pork. You can feed him, but following certain rules.
First of all, the meat should not be fatty, the second rule is that it should be well frozen. And lastly: this meat is not given raw; it must be boiled. Pork should not be given often; it is usually given once every two to three weeks.
Return to content
Industrial feed
If you do not have time to prepare food for your pet, then you can use ready-made food. This will be a great way out. Such food saves time and eliminates mistakes in preparing food for the dog. Moreover, they can be purchased for future use, as they can be stored for a long time. This doesn’t happen with natural food; it spoils quite quickly if you don’t store it in the freezer. Therefore, it must be prepared every other day, but there is not always enough time for this.
Premium and super-premium food is recommended for French bulldogs. They contain all the necessary vitamins and microelements for a dog’s development, as well as a sufficient amount of high-quality protein; the reduced fat content in such foods reduces the risk of obesity. Essential fatty acids will help keep the coat and skin in good shape.
If you prefer such food for your pet, then you need to know that it contains little moisture, unlike natural food, so make sure that your pet always has clean water. For variety, dry food can be brewed with boiling water.
Return to content
What to feed the puppy?
Choosing the main route of nutrition is the first and main point in care when you get a puppy of this breed. Ask the breeder how he fed the dog, and do the same as he did. If you decide to suddenly change your dog’s diet, this may cause poisoning or allergies.
If you still want to change your puppy's diet, do it gradually. On the advice of veterinarians, give your dog the vitamins it needs.
If you have enough time to prepare a varied and nutritious menu, use this option. Gradually add the foods you plan to give your puppy in the future.
There are reasons when dog owners refuse natural food and switch to specialized food. This may be due to being busy at work and at home, or because you are confident that the food already contains all the necessary vitamins.
Choose your food as responsibly as you choose your food. Cheap economy-class food is best left on the store shelf. If a dog has an allergy , then feeding hypoallergenic food is the most suitable solution for it.
So what is better to feed your dog - natural products or industrial food? There is no right solution to this dilemma - both options are acceptable.
These two types of nutrition are united by a balance between proteins, fats and carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and macroelements. .
Choose the food option that suits you and is harmless to your dog.
Prohibited Products
It’s up to you to choose what to feed your French bulldog, natural meat or ready-made food . The most important thing is to know what not to feed your dog. First of all, salty, peppery and pickled foods are contraindicated for them. You should also avoid fatty foods.
Important! Radial bones are strictly prohibited; they can lead to the death of the animal, as they damage internal organs with sharp edges. It is also not recommended to give pasta and potatoes, since they are poorly digested, creating bulk, but do not provide any nutritional value.
Sausages, sausages and other similar products are also prohibited for French bulldogs, as they contain many spices that are harmful to animals. Never give your dog raisins or grapes as these are very harmful to them.
It also happens that an ordinary product, not prohibited for use in feeding, can cause an allergic reaction. In this case, it is replaced with an equivalent one. Small river fish: goby, sprat, ratan are also prohibited from feeding French bulldogs, as they contribute to the development of urolithiasis. Many dogs, and French bulldogs are no exception, love sweets. This is strictly prohibited, as sweets can cause dangerous diseases and allergies.
Return to content
Can French Bulldogs have milk: adults, puppies?
The mature animal’s body does not sufficiently produce the enzyme necessary for the absorption of lactose - milk sugar.
Pure milk can cause an allergic reaction or intestinal upset in a dog; if negative symptoms from the drink do not occur, then it is given rarely and in doses, as an additional source of calcium and beneficial microelements. Little puppies absorb natural milk well, it is indispensable during the period of weaning from their mother, and contributes to the normal growth and development of babies.
Feeding regimen for an adult dog
If you are the owner of a high-breed dog, you will be able to participate in the most prestigious exhibitions. The only thing for which you may not be allowed to participate is your pet’s excess weight and you will be to blame for this. Judges are very strict in such cases.
Adult dogs are fed differently, it all depends on the lifestyle of your pet. If you are active, then you need to feed more. If your French bulldog lies on the couch all day long and walks last no more than 15 minutes, then eating too much will lead to obesity.
Important! Overweight dogs are fed 2 times a day in small portions and increase physical activity in the fresh air. It is best to use special low-calorie food. Over time, they will help the French Bulldog regain its correct shape.
With very active physical activity, the French bulldog is fed 3 times a day, but not more often. Portions should be small, but high in calories. If your pet does not experience physical activity, then you should be extremely careful about feeding your dog. If you do not follow the regime, it will lead to obesity. This disease has a number of negative consequences: heart problems and excessive stress on the joints, which threatens big problems in the future.
Return to content
Puppy feeding schedule
Proper feeding of a French Bulldog puppy affects its development, length and quality of life in the future. This is the most crucial period in the life of an animal, since its future will depend on it and this issue must be approached seriously.
If the owner decides to feed the puppy ready-made dry food, then you should choose one that will correspond to the age and size of the dog . You can steam it with boiling water and cool it to a temperature of 20-25 degrees. This creates a kind of vitamin-protein porridge. In this case, the portion needed by the puppy must be calculated independently. If the baby cannot cope with this amount of food, it needs to be reduced.
You also need to take into account that puppies are prone to overeating. They constantly want to eat and have poor control over the amount they eat. This in turn can result in intestinal volvulus. Therefore, you need to keep control over the amount of food your puppy eats and never walk your dog immediately after feeding.
Important! After the puppy is weaned from its mother, it should be fed 6 times a day until it is 3 months old. In the future, the number of feedings is reduced. Up to 4 months, food is given 5 times a day, gradually excluding milk porridge from the diet. Up to 6 months, a French bulldog puppy needs to be fed 4 times a day. From 6 months to one year – 3 times a day. After your pet turns one year old, he is transferred to two meals a day.
When feeding naturally, the meat must be given raw. In this case, it is best to choose beef or rabbit. You can simply pour boiling water over it or, in extreme cases, cook it, but no more than 10 minutes and chop it finely. You can add grated raw vegetables, carrots or zucchini to the meat. Food should consist of two-thirds animal proteins and one-third vegetables and cereals. It is not recommended to give fish to a puppy; this food is more suitable for adult animals.
Return to content
First feeding
Starts around 21 days. French bulldog puppies are given milk porridge to try. Choose products that are not too fatty to avoid digestive system disorders. The next day there is porridge in the bowl again.
If the puppies reacted normally to it, then they can be fed lean meat, preferably beef. It is cut into small pieces, the size of the nose of a small French bulldog. The frequency of feeding is increased every day.
At the same time, the puppies are attached to their mother. Clean water should always be in bowls. In a month they can already switch to a diet with meat, baby cottage cheese, and milk porridge.
Important: Food is served warm, but not hot, as is drinking water.
How to avoid pet obesity
Obesity is a fairly common problem for French Bulldog dogs. The owners themselves are most often to blame for this. With their love they harm their pet, and when they go to work for the whole day they leave several bowls of dry food. This is absolutely impossible to do.
To avoid such trouble, you need to pay close attention to the feeding regime and walk the dog correctly, giving the necessary exercise . If you notice that your French bulldog has begun to gain excess weight, then change the feeding regimen and increase physical activity. Use special dietary feeds as food, since preparing them yourself is quite troublesome.
If the measures taken do not help, then you should contact a specialist, he will select the right regime for your pet. It is better to devote more time to your pet and not take the situation to an extreme. Weigh your dog regularly and do not overfeed.
Return to content
