Keeping a French Bulldog healthy requires encouraging them to go for walks, adequate playtime, proper feeding, and lots of love and affection. Feeding can be one of the most complicated tasks for keeping dogs healthy. How much should French bulldogs eat to remain healthy?
On average, a French Bulldog should be fed about 25 to 30 calories for every pound they weigh. This is an ideal feeding guide if your Frenchie is at a healthy weight. Food amounts will have to be adjusted as your Frenchie grows from a puppy to an adult, as well as if they need to gain or lose weight.
Monitoring your Frenchy’s weight and overall health alongside your veterinarian is also recommended in case you have to adjust your dog’s feeding requirements according to their specific needs.
How Much Should French Bulldogs Eat?
As mentioned, the general guideline for determining how much Frenchies should eat is around 25 to 30 calories per pound. This should be split up between around two to three meals every day. With Frenchies averaging between 15 and 30 pounds, this will equate to around 400 to 800 calories a day.
You’ll want to measure out their kibble accordingly based on the calories in the food you choose. This information is almost always printed on the package. Splitting the food up into meals as opposed to pouring it all in at once is recommended.
French Bulldogs are usually considered small to medium dogs, and extra weight can show on their bodies quickly. Avoiding extra weight is important because it can exacerbate potential health problems, especially as they get older.
How Much French Bulldog Puppies Should Eat
Frenchie puppies should also have their meals spread out throughout the day in at least three meals. With puppies, their energy levels tend to be higher, and having meals throughout the day helps to maintain their energy in a healthy way without causing them to have big spikes and crashes.
With French Bulldogs developing their eating habits when they are young, it’s recommended to implement their feeding schedule when they are young and stick to it.
How Much Adult French Bulldogs Should Eat
Generally speaking, your French Bulldog will be considered an adult when they are between six months to one year old. When your Frenchie is getting closer to one year old, you can start feeding them adult food. If you’re a little unsure whether or not you should make the switch, you can always ask your vet.
If you’re following the same protocol of 25 to 30 calories per pound each day, you’re probably going to be feeding your Frenchie between 400 to 600 calories per day depending on their weight. If your Frenchie is more active and likes to go on longer walks or more frequent walks, you might be feeding them a little bit more.
How Much Older French Bulldogs Should Eat
When your Frenchie gets older and they are starting to slow down, you can start cutting down on the amount of food you feed them. They aren’t going to need as many calories as they once did because they aren’t going to be as playful and won’t want to take long walks anymore.
The general recommendation to aim for with older Frenchies is around 20 to 25 calories per pound every day. You should also continue to split up their daily food amounts into meals throughout the day to sustain energy and satiety.
French Bulldog Eating Habits
Frenchies love their food, and they tend to chow it down as soon as the bowl hits the ground. This is why it’s so very important to space out their food into smaller meals at particular times. Seeing them eat so much is quite funny, but you also want to be sure they don’t eat so fast that they choke.
Additionally, it takes some time to learn whether or not your Frenchie has had enough food, as they would overeat if they had the choice. As said, they love their food. Thus, it can be difficult to manage your Frenchie’s weight.
You don’t want to overfeed them, but you don’t want to deprive them of food if they are hungry. If you have a more docile Frenchie, it can be even more difficult to manage, but not impossible, thankfully. Take the time to learn your Frenchie and you’ll be able to differentiate between them genuinely being hungry and them just wanting some of your food.
If you are concerned about your French Bulldog being underweight or overweight, you should speak with your vet before adjusting their food too much. Your Frenchie should have some fat on their body, and their ribs shouldn’t show. However, too much extra weight isn’t good for their health. Your vet can help you set up a healthy plan regardless of their weight.
French Bulldog Food Suggestions
A French Bulldog should be eating kibble with a decent amount of protein with a small amount of fat and essential vitamins and minerals. Your Frenchie should not be eating food with less than 20% protein, as it likely won’t satisfy their appetite.
Additionally, the protein should be from animal sources. This will be the easiest for your Frenchie to digest properly, as they can be gassy dogs and you want to avoid that as much as necessary. That being said, avoiding foods with hard-to-digest ingredients such as wheat, corn, soy, and oats is recommended.
When your Frenchie is still a puppy, you want to stick with foods specifically formulated for puppies and their growing bodies. If you can, when they become adults, aim for foods for small to medium sized breeds. If your Frenchie weighs more than 20 pounds and your vet says that they are healthy, they could eat adult food for any size breed.
You also want to account for treats and little nibbles of food you might share with your Frenchie occasionally into their caloric intake for the day. The same is true if you give your Frenchie wet food as a treat. It’s very easy to unintentionally overfeed your French Bulldog by giving them some treats, as it’s hard to resist those beady eyes staring at your food.
Food French Bulldogs Shouldn’t Eat
Your French Bulldog is going to beg you for their food, as they are visual eaters. When they see food, they are going to want to try it regardless of whether or not it’s good for them. Before you give in to their sweet, begging faces, you should know what is safe and unsafe for your Frenchie to eat.
Furthermore, you only want to let your Frenchie try some of your food occasionally. We eat a lot more food than Frenchies need, and it can be a slippery slope toward overfeeding them without a second thought. Some of our more indulgent foods also have way too much fat for a Frenchie’s body.
That all being said, some of the foods you should never let your Frenchie eat include:
- High calories/high-fat foods such as fast food, chips, and fried foods
- Foods with high amounts of salt and sugar
- Foods derived from cocoa, such as chocolate
- Foods and drinks containing caffeine, such as coffee or tea
- Foods with artificial sweeteners, especially xylitol
- Grapes and raisins
- Foods with seeds, pits, or cores still intact
- Cooked meat with bones inside
- Onions, garlic, and leeks
Are French Bulldogs Picky Eaters?
Despite how much French Bulldogs love to eat, some of them are known to be picky when it comes to food. However, there are some reasons why they seem to not want to eat that aren’t necessarily related to their kibble. The size or shape of their food bowl may be unsavory, so you can try changing that.
It is also possible your Frenchie is struggling to eat because they are stressed or anxious. If their food is located in a noisy or high-traffic area, consider finding a more intimate, quiet area to put their food station.
It’s also important to monitor their behavior outside of how they eat to see if they are resisting food because of underlying health issues. This could possibly be an issue with their teeth or their stomach. Sometimes, determining what’s causing your Frenchie to be a picky eater takes some experimentation and patience, but it’s worth it to keep your Frenchie happy and healthy.
Final Thoughts
What’s important to remember is that determining how much should French bulldogs eat is a question that doesn’t have one answer. You will have to pivot throughout your Frenchie’s life and make adjustments based on their own individual needs. Paying attention to your French Bulldog and learning their likes and dislikes will help you navigate this easily.
With French bulldogs loving food so much, it is also highly important to keep your Frenchie on a consistent, spaced-out food schedule so they don’t overeat or undereat. When in doubt, talk to your vet. Feeding your pets properly can be tough, and you don’t have to try and learn all on your own.