🦴 Updated on July 11th, 2023
Last Christmas, my sister sent me a cute, playful, and oddly beautiful French bulldog puppy. I’ve never had a pet before and knew almost nothing about how to feed or even what to feed French bulldog puppies.
Our first interaction was all ‘are you sure?’ stare everywhere. I pictured a dog poop around and a plump puppy with dropped ears lying in a corner of the house.
I needed a new friend, and my sister was happier with the puppy (She even named her Tiara); I had to step up my love and care game. Among other things, the most important was to know how to feed Tiara properly.
French Bulldog Feeding Chart
When I consulted the vet on how much to feed a French bulldog puppy, she asked me to have a French bulldog feeding chart for Tiara. And I had to adopt a French bulldog puppy schedule.
The chart is designed to help a pet owner know how much to feed French bulldog puppies and what to feed French bulldog puppies. This chart will guide you in having a French bulldog puppy schedule.
The chart runs for a two to 12 months-old puppy. You should start weaning between three and four weeks when the teeth begin to grow.
Your dog will drink a lot of water, especially when you feed them dry dog food. Always remember to check the water levels regularly. Also, it is normal for your Frenchie to feel hungry all the time. You should resist the urge to feed them more than their daily rations.
The vet was also very particular about one thing: “French bulldogs are sensitive, and if you fail to feed them properly, expect health problems.” Your puppy’s feeding habits shape your puppy’s future health and behavior.
The rule of thumb for the French bulldog feeding chart is always to serve about one and a half cupfuls of nutrient-rich food, spread out in three meals daily. When you feed your French bulldog properly, you won’t be able to see the ribs, or they don’t appear fat.
Feeding French Bulldog Puppies
Frenchies are generally lazy to exercise, and therefore if you lack a feeding guide, it could be a ticking time bomb. The feeding chart is designed to help you feed your puppy correctly.
You can feed your puppy commercially made dry food(kibble), canned food, raw food, or even locally made meals at home. When the quality of food is high, you should only give it in small quantities.
Hygiene is essential when feeding your puppies. Use clean stainless-steel bowls for your puppy’s food and fresh drinking water. These are easy to clean and they can’t chew it off into pieces.
Keep a hand wash sanitizer (for hands and forearms) and Lysol spray (for shoes and feet) somewhere everyone can access to use before any contact with your puppy. Shoes are common carriers of infectious diseases and should be kept far from their reach.
Raw diet includes raw beef, chicken breast, heart, bone, kidney, and steak. You can source them commercially or decide to prepare them from home. Always consult a qualified veterinarian for expert advice before feeding raw meat to your Frenchie.
Frenchies love raw meat and will try to swallow the whole chunk big even if they’re being choked. You can crash or mush up their food just to be safe.
Monitoring their eating behavior will help you spot an undesired behavioral trend that must be corrected immediately. For example, if you identify that your puppy is food aggressive or a fast eater, you can introduce a slow-feeding bowl as a control mechanism.
What To Feed French Bulldog Puppies
French Bulldog puppies are known to pile pounds quickly when their diet is not maintained correctly. They get obese in a flash and are easily predisposed to opportunistic diseases. What to feed French Bulldog puppies determines their health.
Although weight depends on many other factors like genetics, boy shape, and height, an ideal French Bulldog weighs between 18 to 28 pounds for the female breed and about 32 pounds for males.
The best feed for your pet should meet your budgetary requirements, have the proper nutrients and be readily available in the market. According to the American Kennel Club, your puppy’s diet should be meat-based because dogs require meat to be healthy.
In every diet you serve your dog, you should ensure that it has the following nutrients.
- Proteins, integral for the building of muscles and sound joints.
- Calcium, essential for the development of strong bones, but both too much and too little are harmful to the puppy.
- Just Enough calories for growth and energy
- Vitamins A and E help for unlocking the nutrients in food.
- Omega 3 & 6 from fish oil supplements, good for a strong heart, reducing the itchiness of the skin and developing a silky coat.
- Non fermentable crude fiber is good
A dog has three life stages when age is the variable. A puppy is under 12 months. an adult dog is one year or older, and a senior is over ten years. Age plays a central role in the feeding of Frenchie. For example, the proper diet for an adult Frenchie could contain too little calcium than a growing puppy’s diet.
I strongly recommend dry food for your puppy because it is easily digestible and less expensive than other foods. Avoid canned food whenever you can.
What You Should Not Feed French Bulldog Puppy
It cannot be stressed enough that Frenchie is a sensitive breed. It is safe to avoid any food that will cause a reaction in your dog. Although it is hard to stop the typical vomiting and sickness, you can minimize the instances by avoiding some foods.
Some kibble can also trigger allergies and health complications. Frenchie puppies have delicate stomachs, and you must be careful whatever you feed them.
Here is a list of the foods you should avoid:
- Canine-toxic vegetables and fruits like onions, avocados, raisins, tomatoes, and raisins contain toxins that hurt French bulldogs.
- Chocolate contains theobromine which is also poisonous to dogs. You can feed your dog ice cream, provided it does not have chocolate.
- Fillers (like corn and wheat. Instead, feed your best friend high-quality sources of proteins and better puppy formulas.
- Choking hazards like asparagus can only be fed when crushed or cut into smaller pieces.
- Artificial sweeteners lack any nutrients to your people and are only detrimental to their health.
- Nuts including macadamia nuts, walnuts, peanut
- Cherry, peach, and plum pits can get stuck in the digestive tract and cause blockages in the alimentary canal.
- Mustard seeds will induce vomiting in your Frenchie.
- Coconut milk and flesh can cause stomach upset for your Frenchie.
Sugar is known for causing a blockage in the digestive tract and tooth decay. That’s why avoiding feeding your dog candy and sweets is better. Always check the labeling on packages and avoid any substances with xylitol.
Cooked bones could be nutritionally healthy, but when they break into smaller pieces, they can pierce the gums and cause massive injuries to your puppy. Rawhide’s chews can also choke the puppy when it gets stuck in the food pipe.
Do You Want to Swap Your Puppy’s Food?
Sometimes you might want to swap your puppy’s food for convenience. Say you now have two puppies and want them to eat the same food; you brought a new puppy home from the breeder or pet rescue center and have to introduce them to new food. Or, there is just a new brand in the market you prefer.
Adapting to a new food, a new home, and an environment could be overwhelming. It would be best if you asked for advice from your vet before you start the swap.
If you are allowed to go ahead, you must initiate the exchange at a gradual pace. Regardless, remember to feed your puppy their old food for two weeks.
In the first few days of swapping, you’ll mix ¼ of the new food with ¾ of the old food. You do not have to be very precise. You can then fully introduce the Frenchie to the new food permanently after a week. Always monitor how your dog reacts during this transition to highlight any abnormal health behavior.
How Much To Feed A French Bulldog Puppy
A dog needs 12 to 30 calories per pound of its body mass. As you continue feeding your puppy, you will notice changes in physicality and weight. You should design a French bulldog feeding chart by weight age.
Other factors that determine how much to feed a French bulldog puppy include:
- The quality of the kibble.
- Your feeding goal (Do you want your dog to gain, lose or maintain weight?).
- How much exercise the Frenchie puppy gets.
- The metabolic rate of your puppy.
French Bulldog Food Calculator
You should use the French Bulldog Food Calculator models like the Merrick pet food calculator. To determine the optimal quantity of food for your pet that fits their age and lifestyle. This will help you calculate the ideal amount of food to tabulate in the French bulldog puppy feeding chart.
You will key in the ideal weight of your dog, the life stage of growth, and your dog’s activity as either normal, active, or hyperactive.
To compute the amount of energy to include in your puppy’s daily rations, you should calculate the amount of Resting Energy Requirement (RER) and double it. Mathematically this is denoted as 70 x (weight in kg)3\4.
Let’s say your Frenchie weighs 11.8 kilograms. Their daily caloric intake would be double 70 x (11.8)3/4, which is 445.7 RER. Double the value, and you get 891.4 RER. You can consult with your vet if you want more clarification.
A Frenchie puppy dry dog food gives you a ratio and feeds an outline of how much to feed a French Bulldog Puppy. This is included in the French bulldog puppy feeding chart. It is helpful in creating a French bulldog feeding chart by weight.
French Bulldog Puppy Schedule
Dogs are animals of habits, and your feeding schedule will affect their sleeping habits, house-training, and potty habits.
An excellent French bulldog puppy schedule should grant your comfort of sleep at night and not having to excuse yourself for a couple of serviette tissues to wipe dog poop on a get-together dinner.
That’s how important a French bulldog puppy’s schedule is.
French bulldogs are very clever and stubborn. They also learn new tricks very fast. You can start training your puppy as early as eight weeks old. You can start with basic obedience lessons like sit, down, or greetings without having to jump.
Before you start training your Frenchie, ensure that your space is puppy proof, a calm and quiet, comfy crate is set in place, and there are soft toys and chews. You must have specific training requirements for a French Bulldog in your French Bulldog schedule.
Puppy Proofing
Living with a puppy is similar to a toddler; if you leave them unsupervised, they can even hurt themselves. Avoid cables and electrical cords they can chew and other dangerous households away.
Ensure that foods and grooming products with toxic chemicals are kept away from your dog. These include toothpaste, peanut butter, fruit drinks, mouthwash, OTC vitamin supplements, jams, etcetera. Proper house maintenance practice will save you significant accidents.
You should never use your regular toothpaste to clean your puppy’s teeth. In case their teeth need cleaning, there are safe brands in the market you can buy, although they are expensive.
Immunizations
Vaccination is the surest way to protect your pet from diseases. There are some essential vaccines your puppy must have to prevent fatal attacks by diseases. Rabies, however, is a government requirement for all dogs.
If you are getting a new pet from a breeder, ensure that the Frenchie has at least two vaccines already administered. They should have a ‘shot record’ indicating when the next vaccine is due.
You should also consult a vet for the vaccination schedule and discuss any possible side effects of these vaccines and how to care.
Changes in the environment, lifestyle, your puppy’s environment, and medical history can also affect the administration of some vaccines. This will generally form your vaccination protocol and key input from your vet.
Here is a list of essential vaccinations for your puppy and when to administer them.
Grooming
Caring for these cute puppies starts immediately when you get one. Their trademark wrinkles are a high maintenance figure of beauty. Bacteria and yeast worms find the dark ridges a perfect place to shelter.
You can create fun daily routines where you brush off their coat. Also, the more you brush, the less dog shampoo you will use.
American Kennel Club recommends using an unscented baby wipe to clean the tail area, ears, and facial wrinkles.
If you make your routine more fun, like with many kisses and touching, they will always look forward to the next one.
Conclusion
Owning a dog is not just a privilege, it is a responsibility. My experience with Tiara has been eye-opening and worth the struggle. One thing is for sure though; as long as you have a French bulldog feeding chart, you are in for a happy dog-and-man time!
