One of the first questions of a new Bulldog owner is how much to feed a Bulldog. In all honesty, feeding a Bulldog can be complicated. It depends on several crucial aspects, making it quite a tricky subject.
With this challenge, it is important that you carefully comprehend how to assist your dog in maintaining a healthy weight.
Analyzing the perfect ratio between the dog’s food intake and activity level can be a good place to start.
But what precisely is the “perfect” amount? And how can we take into account a dog’s evolving feeding requirements as it grows?
This article will explain how to choose the ideal feeding regimen for your Bulldog puppy.
Bulldog Feeding Chart by Age: How Much to Feed Your Bulldog?
Your Bulldog’s age determines how much food it needs. Usually, Bulldog puppies need anywhere from 2¼ to 3¼ cups of puppy food per day.
Meanwhile, full-grown Bulldogs need 2¼ to 2⅝ cups of adult food each day. Senior Bulldogs, on the other hand, need 1½ to 2 cups every day.
Naturally, when you obtain a new Bulldog puppy and register it at your local vet clinic for vaccinations, your veterinarian will also assist you in determining the proper amount of food for your dog.
Aside from age, weight is a typical factor they consider in evaluating how many cups should be given to a dog. In fact, there is a general rule that a dog should be fed 2% to 4% of its ideal body weight.
The energy level of Bulldog puppies is another thing to consider. Likewise, the day-to-day routine and physical activities of a Bulldog also play a role.
English Bulldog puppies may be large breeds, but they aren’t as energetic as working dogs like Dobermans. These pups typically live more sedentary lives. Thus, they don’t require as much food.
Other factors that impact how many cups of food Bulldogs should be fed include their gender, preferences, and food sensitivity or allergies.
Bulldog Puppy Feeding Chart (2 to 12 months)
Younger puppies require more food that is extremely nourishing because these canines develop so quickly.
Additionally, they have a tendency to expend a lot of energy, so you should start out feeding your English Bulldog puppy 2¼ to 3 cups of puppy food split into three or four meals.
Refer to the table below to know how many cups of puppy food a Bulldog puppy needs at each developmental phase:
This Bulldog feeding chart should serve as your starting point. The final amount of food a Bulldog will receive will depend on each dog’s specific nutritional needs.
As your English Bulldog puppy grows, keep an eye on your dog’s size and adjust meal quantities as necessary. If it looks to be holding its pot belly for too long, it may be an indication that it is eating too much.
Similarly, if it leaves puppy food in the bowl, it may mean it’s ready to cut back on its daily meal from three cups to two. It may also mean that your dog is not spending as much energy as it is consuming.
Adult Bulldog Feeding Chart (1 to 6 years)
When your Bulldog reaches adulthood, you need to feed it more than half a cup at each meal. You can also transition from puppy food to adult dog food which contains more protein and fat but fewer calories.
Providing this kind of food maintains the health and fitness of your adult dog and prevents it from experiencing various health issues.
The Bulldog feeding chart below shows the right amount of adult dog food to give your Bulldog:
When feeding adult dogs, the most important thing to remember is to make sure that they consume a complete and balanced diet.
Start by looking for a statement of nutritional adequacy on package labels, which indicates which life stage or kind of dog lifestyle the product has been approved for.
Moreover, at the very least, it should state that the food complies with the nutrient profiles and feeding tests of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).
Check out this video for more tips and tricks on feeding adult Bulldogs:
Tips and Tricks on feeding English Bulldog<a href="https://youtu.be/IFw8uZxKKkg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.bubblypet.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-youtube-lyte/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FIFw8uZxKKkg%2F0.jpg" alt="Tips and Tricks on feeding English Bulldog" width="1280" height="700" /><br />Watch this video on YouTube</a>
Senior Bulldog Feeding Chart (7 years and above)
Bulldogs in their senior years typically require fewer calories. This happens as a result of their slowed metabolism and decreased level of activity.
Because of this, most Bulldog feeding charts recommend feeding your senior dog a smaller amount of food.
The following Bulldog feeding chart shows how much food a senior Bulldog needs per day:
Wet foods might be preferred by senior dogs. As it is easier to chew and swallow, this will encourage them to eat the entire meal and continue to enjoy it as much as possible.
Furthermore, you must make sure that your senior Bulldog receives the nutrients they need to stay healthy. To achieve this, you should find a kind of dog food that is best suited for your dog’s age.
Bulldog Feeding Frequency: How Often Should You Feed Your Bulldog?
The ideal number of times a Bulldog eats changes depending on its age. Bulldog puppies below five months old should be fed 3 to 4 times a day, while puppies aged 6 to 12 months old need to eat 2 to 3 times a day. Meanwhile, adults and senior Bulldogs only need to be fed 1 to 2 times a day.
Refer to the Bulldog feeding chart below to learn more about the ideal frequencies of feeding a Bulldog:
Following a specific English Bulldog feeding chart not only keeps your puppy healthy and prevents various health problems.
Notably, it also promotes your dog’s healthy eating habits and strengthens its immune system.
Optimal Feeding Times for Bulldogs
Adult and senior Bulldogs usually need two meals a day with a 12-hour interval in between. The recommended schedule is once at around 7:00 a.m. and another around 7:00 p.m. For puppies, feeding times with 4- or 6-hour intervals are recommended.
Here’s a recommended feeding schedule for a Bulldog:
If you want to be certain about when your Bulldog puppy should eat, always consult your veterinarian.
Given that they are experts in the field of animal health and welfare, they will know the best meal schedule for your dog.
Best Dog Foods for Bulldogs
Bulldogs only live for 8 to 10 years, so it’s crucial to give them the right amount of food and the best kind of nourishment as much as possible. This is one of the simplest methods to keep your Bulldog happy and healthy.
Therefore, by choosing the best food for your beloved buddy to eat, you could extend its life span!
Here’s a list of the best food choices for your Bulldog puppy:
Dry Food: Dry food is typically the most affordable and desired type of dog food by dog owners. Some examples of dry dog food are dog biscuits, kibble, and flaked cereals. Before serving dry dog foods to Bulldogs, warm water or broth is frequently added to this to improve the texture and enhance the flavor.
Canned Wet Food: Canned wet food is sometimes preferable to dry food because it has a lot more moisture and thus will keep your dog hydrated. Moreover, wet dog food is also more likely to be appreciated by your English Bulldog puppy because it is usually more flavorful. However, wet food may increase the likelihood of dental issues.
Semi-Moist (A mix of wet and dry foods): You can choose a semi-moist food if you don’t want the mess of wet food, but your dog won’t eat kibble. You need to be careful and choose dry and wet food that doesn’t have a lot of salt or sugar because those ingredients aren’t good for Bulldogs.
Homemade Diet: Homemade diets can help you save money. This diet also allows you to have more control over the macronutrients your dog consumes. As a result, with a homemade diet, you can rest assured that your dog is only consuming the best ingredients.
Raw Diet: Raw dog food can be purchased as a frozen log, or it can simply be prepared at home. However, keep in mind that it should be prepared using quality meat and healthy fats.
When it comes to choosing the right food for a Bulldog puppy, you need to be sure that it has high-quality protein to allow its body to function properly.
Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Bulldog
Like other dogs, Bulldogs will eat whatever you put in front of them. If you accidentally drop something on the floor, these canines will gobble it up.
However, some foods are incredibly toxic and dangerous for English Bulldogs to consume, even in small amounts. To keep your dog safe, you must carefully understand what Bulldogs shouldn’t eat.
Here are some foods that you should avoid feeding your Bulldogs:
Chocolate: This delectable human food includes theobromine, a poison that impairs the kidney, heart, and other important organ functions of a Bulldog puppy.
Xylitol: When you feed your Bulldog puppy this artificial sweetener, its body’s insulin levels rise. If consumed in large amounts, xylitol can cause severe liver damage to your Bulldog.
Raw Bread Dough: This is extremely poisonous. It may continue to ferment and rise in the dog’s stomach, causing more gas to accumulate.
Milk and Other Dairy Products: Providing milk and other dairy products could lead to puppy diarrhea and other digestive system problems. These human foods may also set off food allergies, which may result in crusty scabs around the mouth of your dog.
Grapes and Raisins: These may be enticing to dogs as treats or snacks, but they could also contain mold and fungus, which can result in gastrointestinal discomfort, seizures, lethargy, or kidney failure.
Tomatoes: These contain tomatine, a poisonous alkaloid that can cause muscle weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, loss of coordination, and seizures.
Avocado: This tasty human food contains persin, which takes dogs some time to digest. It may cause severe stomach pain, breathing problems, and a buildup of fluid in the chest.
Mushrooms: If your English Bulldog puppy consumes wild mushrooms, you should treat it as an emergency because it can result in neurological symptoms, kidney and liver failure, and even death.
Fatty Foods: When you feed your Bulldog excessive fatty foods, it can lead to pancreatitis, which affects your pup’s pancreas’ ability to function.
Macadamia Nuts and Walnuts: These delicious Hawaiian treats rank among the most hazardous human foods for dogs. These nuts can cause hind legs to become paralyzed for anywhere between 12 and 24 hours after consumption.
Aside from the listed foods, there are other foods that your Bulldog puppy should stay away from. If you’re unsure if a particular food is safe for your dog or not, make sure to seek a vet’s help.
How to Transition Your Bulldog to a New Food
Most Bulldog owners do not stick with one Bulldog feeding guide. Of course, their pet’s nutritional needs often change with different life stages.
Therefore, when your dog transitions from a puppy to an adult dog and also when they get closer to seniority, it makes sense to switch to a different diet.
However, switching up your Bulldog’s food can be tricky. It could take some trial and error to find the best food for them.
To avoid this, introduce the new food gradually for at least a week to give your dog’s body time to adapt.
You can use the following transition chart as a guide for your English Bulldog puppy:
Some Bulldog puppies could need an extra week of adjustment due to their sensitive stomachs.
If this is the case, try slowing down the transition process. You may also add digestive supplements or consult with your veterinarian.
Feeding an Overweight Bulldog
Obesity in Bulldogs is primarily brought on by too much food and insufficient exercise. These dogs are notoriously avid eaters but are not fond of engaging in physical activities.
If your dog needs to lose weight, you should first schedule an appointment with your vet. They will perform examinations to determine the cause of weight gain and advise how much your dog needs to lose.
When filling up the food bowl of your overweight Bulldog, always choose low-calorie, high-fiber foods.
Some examples of these include fresh steamed green beans, lettuce, broccoli, celery, radish, asparagus, and carrots.
Providing this kind of food will make your dog eat less because it will make your English Bulldog stay satisfied longer. Stick with this diet until it reaches the desired weight.
As for snacks, you can give your Bulldog puppy some treats like crackers only if it earned them. Make sure the task is doable so your dog doesn’t get frustrated.
Once your Bulldog puppy has dropped its extra pounds, you should keep modifying how much food it receives until you find the balance that will allow it to maintain a healthy weight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Is My Bulldog Not Eating?
If your Bulldog refuses to eat, it may be sick, anxious, stressed, or experiencing tooth pain.
Other causes can include but are not limited to the boredom of its present diet, slowing metabolism, or adverse drug reaction.
As a responsible pet owner, it is your obligation to determine the cause of your Bulldog’s shift in eating habits and carry out the necessary actions to put a stop to it.
Do Bulldogs Eat a Lot?
Yes, they do eat a lot. In fact, they are unable to determine whether they are truly full or not. This behavior results from evolutionary traits that dogs had before they were tamed.
Consequently, you must only give them the right amount of food to prevent them from overeating and becoming obese.
Can Bulldogs Eat Bones?
The answer depends on what kind of bone you are going to offer. Cooked bones shouldn’t ever be given as they become brittle and are more likely to break into sharp shards that can cause injury in your dog’s digestive system.
Conversely, your dog can safely chew on raw bones because they don’t shatter as easily. Additionally, it adds nourishment, helps your dog’s digestive system stay clean, and helps maintain healthy teeth and gums.
Can Bulldogs Be Vegetarians?
Dogs are generally omnivores. Therefore a Bulldog may consume and thrive on both plant and animal matter.
Your Bulldog can have a diverse diet as long as it gets adequate calories and vitamins. It makes no difference whether your Bulldog consumes its daily recommended portion of protein from meat or veggies.
Final Thoughts
Many new dog owners struggle with the issue of how to feed their Bulldog puppies properly.
While most dog food includes a serving guide, giving your dog more food may be tempting, especially if it begs and gives you a side-eye.
As long as your furry friend receives the essential nutrients, there is no right or wrong way of feeding it; even free feeding is acceptable. However, you shouldn’t let your dog overeat because it is prone to weight gain.
Speak with your veterinarian if you have any concerns regarding the health of your English Bulldog. They can evaluate your Bulldog’s needs and assist you in creating the ideal diet plan to maintain your Bulldog in top condition!
As an English Bulldog owner, what are your recommendations on how much to feed your pooch? We’d love to hear about your Bulldog feeding experience in the comments below!
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