French Bulldog Feeding – the Complete Frenchie Feeding Guide

Commonly referred to as Frenchies, they are not only popular, but they are also a celebrity favorite. Most of celebrities fall in love with their cartoonish face and chubby body. Apart from the extra care they need daily, their “higher social status” among dogs, is the they cost so much.

However, their unique physique also necessitates that you give it more attention than you would other dogs. Their short stature and unique genetic characteristics, make the more vulnerable to side effects of weight gain, than other dog breeds.

That is why it is important you learn how to feed your French bulldog, and do it well. In that regard, we have created this feeding guide for frenchies, so that you can have an easy time choosing the right food for your best friend.

Is my French Bulldog overweight?

Did you know that a majority of pets are overweight while their owners are completely oblivious about it? The Frenchie is hugely affected, mainly because of their predisposition to certain health issues. Ensuring your French Bulldog maintains a healthy weight is, therefore, critical.

Since your French Bulldog is prone to fast weight gain, you should never feed them human food. When your French Bulldog is overweight, it gets exposed to several risks, including the following:

• Cardiovascular disease
• Respiratory disease
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Kidney disease
• Arthritis
• Muscle, joint, and bone injuries

How to assess whether your French Bulldog is overweight or underweight

When standing over your French Bulldog, you should be able to feel and not see their ribs. If the ribs are visible, then your Frenchie is probably underweight. However, it is overweight if you cannot distinguish between the waist and rib cage when you put your hands on your Frenchie’s chest.

A healthy French bulldog should have an hourglass-shaped body. An oval-shaped body is a sign of being overweight. Your vet should give you more definitive steps to take, once you spot the above signs.

How many times a day should you feed a French bulldog?

Your French Bulldog needs two meals per day. Although two meals per day is considered as standard, three meals will also work just fine. The most important thing is to ensure that your French bulldog gets all the required daily calories.

How much should you feed your French bulldog?

How much food should a French dog eat is a common question among bulldog owners. According to experts, your French Bulldog needs about 25 calories per pound of its body weight every day. Once you have this calculated, split it into two meals. On average, an adult French bulldog will need about 650 calories daily.

You must weigh your Frenchie every two weeks to ensure that they are not underweight or overweight. It’s always a good idea to walk through these numbers with your veterinarian. They can help you figure out whether you need to reduce, increase, or maintain the calories your dog is getting.

Healthy food for French bulldogs

When it comes to feeding your French Bulldog, there are specific guidelines. Since dogs require meat to maintain a healthy state, your French Bulldog should ideally be on a meat-based diet. The problem with a meat-based diet, however, is that it does not constitute a healthy diet and is quite costly.

A high-quality dry food for French bulldogs is, therefore, recommended whenever the balanced meat-based diet is unavailable. To determine the best dog food for French bulldogs, you have to understand all the options that you have.

French Bulldog Food Options

You have lots of food options depending on your preference and your pet’s needs. Some of these options include canned food, homemade meals, raw food, and commercial dry food. With the commercial dog food, the higher the quality, the less your Frenchie will need.

Dry food for French Bulldog

The dry food is a combination of ingredients including vitamins, fats, minerals, grains, meat, and byproducts. It is less costly and easily digestible, making it an excellent choice for most French bulldog owners.

Canned food for French Bulldog

The canned dog food is similar to dry food in terms of ingredients; however, they are 75 percent water. The good news is that they provide the same calories as the dry food. The canned food is more expensive than dry food.

Raw food for French Bulldog

The raw food diet includes steak, ground beef, heart, chicken breast, liver, bone, and kidney. Sometimes, they include small fruit and vegetable portions. The best raw food for French Bulldog is one that you make at home.

The commercial variants may not contain everything that your Frenchie needs. You must wash your hands properly to avoid bacterial contamination after handling raw meat.

Is wet food good or bad for French bulldogs?

Wet food for French dogs is healthy especially when you have a senior dog. This is because your Frenchie needs easy to digest food that is healthy. Wet dog food for French bulldogs ensures that your dog has an easy time with digestion.

How to fatten up a French bulldog?

Some French bulldogs are thinner when compared to others. This is quite common and is usually caused by hereditary traits passed on from the father or mother.

For example, Russian imported French bulldogs look thinner while American French bulldogs look way bigger. In such situations then there is very little you can do to fatten up your French Bulldog.

However, if your French Bulldog is underweight, certain practices could help you to fatten them up. What your French bulldog needs is plenty of exercise and a balanced diet.

Ensure that you get your French Bulldog three meals per day that incorporate lots of fat and protein. Grain free dog food for French bulldogs should also be incorporated often.

Contacting the vet

When you are worried about whether or not you’re correctly feeding your French Bulldog, you must contact your vet. However, you need to ensure that you give your vet the correct information so that you can get accurate advice.

Note down everything, including what you are feeding your Frenchie and the exercise routine. However, if you are excessively worried, then note down the bathroom frequencies of your French Bulldog as well. Your vet must get all the necessary information to help you.

Conclusion – How to Best Feed a French Bulldog

A proper diet will dictate the health and happiness of your French Bulldog. You must, therefore, ensure that you give your Frenchie a balanced diet. Although water is equally important, your dog should not drink immediately after a meal.

This is usually because your French dog will have stomach pains if they drink water right after their meal.

Once you know the number of calories that your French bulldog needs, creating a balanced diet should not be difficult. Try to balance the calories properly between the two meals and exercise your dog as much as possible.

Yes, French bulldogs are rather lazy, but the simple exercise will go a long way. A simple walk in the evening will be adequate for your Frenchie.