Do you have a french bulldog? If you answered yes to this question, then this article is for you! I’ve put together an ultimate guide on how much to feed a french bulldog so that you can figure out the perfect amount for your dog.
Contents
Why Are We Figuring Out How Much to Feed a French Bulldog?
One of the main reasons why you should be figuring out how much to feed your french bulldog is so that you get it on track with his/her diet.
Not only will it help keep them healthy, but it will allow you to understand their nutritional needs so that you can help them live a long and happy life. If they’re eating too much, then there’s no telling what could happen! You need to keep an eye on this so that they aren’t over-eating and hurting themselves in the process!
How Do We Figure Out How Much to Feed a French Bulldog?
There are many different ways in which we can figure out how much to feed a french bulldog.
1. Look at the Breeding History
We can learn a lot about a certain breed of dog by looking at their breeding history. If they were bred in the past, then we can see how they got their size and how much exercise they got. This is the best way to figure out what kind of diet that you should give them!
2. Feed Them When They are Young
I’ve heard from many French Bulldog owners that when their French Bulldog babies are young, it’s best if you feed them every 2-3 hours. They need to eat every few hours for proper growth and development in order to keep them healthy and happy. You’ll know when your dog needs more food because he/she may start getting hungry again, so give him/her more food!
3. Make Sure Their Teeth Are Teething
Teething is something that happens when your dog is between 3-6 months old, and it’s usually around this time that all dogs need more food, activity and attention! Having good teeth will ensure that your furry friend will live a long life with plenty of energy! 😉 Have a look at my article on caring for french bulldogs who are teething for more information.
4. Know Your Dog’s Food Requirements
Your dog will tell you what he/she needs, and will let you know by either eating smaller portions of food or refusing to eat anything! Once you know what your dog likes, then it will be a lot easier to figure out how much they need!
5. Know Their Activity Requirements
As with your dog’s diet, you can tell exactly how much exercise they need by looking at their activity! This is the best way that you can figure out what they need and when they need it!
6. Know Your Dog’s Height, Weight and Age
You should figure out how much your French Bulldog needs by knowing his/her height, weight, age. The older he/she gets, the more active he/she will become so it may be necessary to feed them more often. If this is the case for your dog then you should increase the amount based on their age so that he/she doesn’t eat too much per meal.
How Much to Feed Your Frenchie Pup?
Now lets talk about how much to feed your pup.
1-6 weeks
If your French Bulldog is around 6 weeks old, then you should feed him/her 2-3 times a day. This amount of food will allow your dog to grow into a healthy puppy. You’ll be able to see the difference when she/he gets bigger, and can tell when they are getting small or full!
7-12 Weeks
Once your pup turns 7 weeks, you know that they are ready to eat more food than what they usually eat because their body has started to develop. At this age, it is best if you feed them 3 times a day, so that they stay in good health! Also at this time, if your pup is very active then you should also increase the amount of food that they eat because puppies need lots of energy!
13-18 Weeks
by this age your French Bulldog pup should be able to eat more and more each day as their body starts developing even further! If you notice that your dog isn’t growing as fast as other dogs in her/his age group make sure to increase the amount of food per serving for about half a year until she/he reaches his/her adult weight since he/she will still be growing for another year or two. Also, you must remember that even though your dog is growing, he/she will not be fully grown until around 18 to 20 weeks old.
2-3 Years
After your Frenchie pup turns 3 years old and is about 50% grown, you should start to increase the amount of food that they eat each day because he/she has become physically mature enough to do so! You can now increase the amount from 3 times per day to 4 or 5. Try to feed your French Bulldog pup once or twice a day and see what works best for him/her!
4-5 Years
Once your Frenchie pup has been eating 1-2 times per day for about 4 or 5 years, it is time for him/her to eat twice a day as much as he/she needs! This will help them avoid obesity which can be very dangerous!
How Much to Feed Your Adult French Bulldog?
If you have an adult French Bulldog, then you may be wondering what the perfect amount of food per day should be for your French Bulldog. Before you decide, you need to know when exactly he/she is supposed to eat. Your dog’s age and weight determine his/her ideal time of eating.
It is important to know that dogs tend to get obese and need to be in good health if you eat too much food for them.
Your dog’s age, weight, and activity level determine his/her ideal amount of food. For example, a 10-month-old puppy is not going to be able to process 3 times the amount of food that he/she needs.
When determining the ideal amount of food for your dog, you should figure out how many calories that you need your dog to have each day based on his/her size.
As a general guideline, feeding your adult French Bulldog 2 times per day is enough if he/she weighs 20% more than his/her ideal weight (if he/she weighs 80 pounds, then he/she would need 120 pounds or less). You can also feed him once per day if his ideal weight is 20% less than what he would weigh at 80 pounds (which would make him 40 pounds).
How Often Should I Feed My Frenchie?
Now that you know the ideal amount of food that your Frenchie pup should eat, you need to determine how often he/she should eat.
You will want to figure out how many calories your Frenchie puppy needs each day based on his/her size and age. After determining his/her calorie needs, then it’s time to determine the ideal amount of food per day.
As a general guideline, an adult Frenchie puppy should eat meal-sized portions of dry dog food each day. You can have him/her eat as little as 3 times per day or as much as 5 times per day. The best thing is that you can start by feeding him twice per day (1 meal) and then increase this amount after only 1 week!
You don’t have to feed your dog food all at once either; you can even split his meals into two separate times in the morning and in the evening! Also, if possible, try to avoid having him sleep for 10 hours or longer every night because this makes it hard for him to process nutrients properly if he continues to sleep for too long.
As your Frenchie pup becomes older, it is best that you feed him not only more frequent meals but also more frequent meals. Therefore, it is best to feed him no less than twice per day and no more than 5 times per day.
If you have a puppy who is over 5 months old, then he/she should be fed twice per day
If you notice that your Frenchie pup weighs more than 20% more than his ideal weight, then he/she should be fed 3 times per day (1 meal + 2 snacks) as opposed to 2 times (2 meals) as mentioned in part 3 of this article. More frequent feeding also results in making it easier for your dog to maintain a healthy diet without developing obesity or other health problems like diabetes.
If you notice that your Frenchie pup weighs less than 20% less than his ideal weight, then he/she should be fed 1 time (1 meal) plus 2 snacks instead of the usual 2 times (2 meals).
Types of Food for Your Frenchie
Now lets talk about the different types of food that you should feed to your puppy.
Dry food diet
The best puppy food for a Frenchie is a diet that is high in protein and kibble. Your puppy will probably prefer the kibble over the dry food. There are several dry foods that you can feed your pup.
If you choose to feed your puppy a specific brand name of dog food, then be sure to read the label carefully because many of these brands come in many different varieties with different amounts of protein and carbohydrate and they may not be all high-protein or low-carbohydrate. Make sure to read the nutritional content on the label if you choose this type of diet for your Frenchie pup.
Wet food diet
Wet food diet is also an excellent choice for a Frenchie. You can feed this type of diet to your puppy morning and night with the wet food distributed equally throughout his meals. Some of the flavors that you can feed your Frenchie are Canned Blue Buffalo or Entirely Pure (Unmanufactured) or Beyond Organic (Unmanufactured) or Taste of the Wild formula. These brands have been formulated with a high-protein and low-carbohydrate diet.
You can also feed your Frenchie this type of diet at the rate of 1 can per day. If you are feeding your Frenchie more than 1 can per day, then be sure that you mix the wet food in a bowl with water and not too much water as well. This will ensure that your pup has moisture to swallow.
Raw food diet
This type of diet requires that you prepare your puppy’s meals at home. Be sure to read the ingredients carefully before you purchase any wet or dry raw food.
If you decide to feed your pup this type of diet, then be sure to mix it with a small amount of warm water. Fruits and vegetables such as carrots, tomatoes, broccoli and greens are healthy for your Frenchie. An occasional treat is also recommended when feeding this type of diet to your Frenchie because he will develop an appetite for the kibble and treats that he should not have.
Natural diet
Some natural foods can also be good for a Frenchie. If this is the type of food that you need to feed your puppy then make sure that you always have a variety on hand because his growth period is not too long compared to other breeds like Doberman Pinschers or German Shepherds which grow much faster than Frenchie dogs do depending on their breed standards.
General French Bulldog Feeding Tips
The following are general tips when feeding your Frenchie:
- Check with your vet about the feeding schedule for your puppy in advance.
- Feed your Frenchie small amounts of food every day and make sure that the amount of food you are feeding to your Frenchie is enough to maintain his growth.
- Always feed an adequate amount of water in order for your Frenchie to have moisture and not experience any dehydration.
- Do not leave wet or dry food out for longer than a few hours as it can cause major health problems such as Salmonella, E.coli, and other bacteria that can be harmful to your pup’s belly especially if it is raw or wet diet type of food. You can also choose to freeze these types of foods if you want them around longer periods or if you want a quick snack when you don’t have time to prepare this type of dish for your Frenchie’s meal.
- Make sure that the kibble breakdown into small pieces so that it will not be too hard for him to swallow and get through his stomach.
- Keep the food dish at a level that your pup can easily see, eat, and drink from.
- Don’t serve your Frenchie too much as he may develop an obesity problem and other health conditions.
- A diet with a variety of different types of food is important and beneficial to your Frenchie’s overall diet because of the nutrients that he can gain from different foods and brands.
- It is always an advantage to determine what type of dog food best meets your needs, but remember that you should never give an excess amount or too much so that the animal will not get sick or develop health issues.
Conclusion:
At last, feeding needs are very important when it comes to the Frenchie’s diet. By following the tips outlined above, you will have a very easy time feeding your puppy in his lifetime and this is a big plus because you will have the satisfaction of knowing that your furry friend is in a healthy condition and is getting all of the nutrients he needs in his food when you feed him.
