When purchasing a French bulldog, the latter-day owners face the question of how to feed him. It is important to understand that puppies and adults require different foods. From this directly depends on the proper development and health of the pet.
Power options
The French Bulldog can successfully consume 2 types of dishes - both dry food and natural products prepared by the owner. Buying a puppy from a breeder, it is recommended to immediately find out how he fed the bulldog and continue the strategy chosen by him. If you suddenly change the selected type of food, then the dog may be allergic or even poisoning. Having decided, after all, to teach a pet to new products, it will have to be done consistently. In addition to the usual food, the bulldog requires vitamins prescribed by a specialist.
Natural products
Natural nutrition is not only beneficial to the dog, but also much more economical for the owner himself. Step by step, introducing nutritious foods into the puppy's diet, it will be possible to accustom him to such a diet, which he will adhere to until the end of his life. Forming a pet's diet, it should be borne in mind that meat should take from 40 to 70% of the total. Thus, a kilogram of bulldog weight accounts for about 20 grams of meat consumed. The dog is good about rabbit, boiled horse meat and ordinary beef.
Meat is usually cut into small pieces. In the case when a pet is offered a bird, it must be cleansed of skin and bones. Sometimes offal products can be offered to the French bulldog, for example, lungs, liver or spleen. Such a meat component can be raw or boiled, but in any case it is necessary to sprinkle boiling water in order to avoid problems associated with worms. Sometimes it is not forbidden to feed the dog with fish - always boiled and stoned.
Groats make up up to 35% of the dog's diet. Porridge can be almost any - buckwheat, rice, barley or even ordinary oatmeal. Cereals are prepared in the usual manner, and at the end meat or vegetables are simply added. In a small amount, it is not forbidden to use oils, for example, sunflower, linseed or olive. A small amount of the product drip into the porridge.
Vegetables typically make up 20% of the bulldog's diet, serving as a necessary vitamin supplement in the same cereal. The selection of vegetables suitable for French Bulldogs is quite extensive. Suitable cucumbers, carrots, zucchini, beets, peppers or cabbage. Fruit psam is recommended to offer only as a reward for the performance of the team or good behavior. Dairy products make up about 30% of the diet. Normal milk for bulldogs is not recommended, but kefir, yogurt or sour milk will definitely benefit.
Choosing dairy products, you should avoid those options that contain a large amount of fat, as puppies' stomachs usually perceive them badly. Therefore, if you take the same cheese, it is necessarily low fat. In addition, you should not combine milk and meat in one meal.
From other products, experts recommend fresh herbs, homemade croutons made from rye bread, as well as boiled egg white.
Specialized feed
Ready food becomes a salvation for busy people. Moreover, the recipe, compiled by experts, does not make a mistake when determining the volume of the proposed portion of the dog. In addition, ready-made food - a real salvation for dogs suffering from allergies. The stores present products in this area, suitable for any wallet - from economy class to premium. The finished feed can be dry, semi-moist and moist in the form of pate. Choose one of the varieties is depending on the preferences of the pet.
What should not be given?
To begin with, veterinarians categorically do not recommend feeding the dog from their table. The animal must always receive food in one place and at the same time. In addition, there are a number of prohibited products. French bulldogs are not recommended fatty meat, as a rule, in this case we are talking about pork. It is necessary to avoid the tubular bones, which, falling into the respiratory tract, can damage them.
Pets are not allowed smoked meat, pickles, sausages and sausage, as well as raw river fish. Despite requests, the puppy should not be given anything sweet or flour, especially chocolate. Be careful with exotic fruits and dishes cooked with spices or sauces.
Veterinarians are not advised to give potatoes to bulldogs, as the animal's body will not receive any benefit from it.
Feeding rules
To properly feed the French bulldog at home, you need to understand that this is a small dog and is rather prone to obesity. Meals should be balanced, taking into account the pet's lifestyle. For example, an active dog, regularly traveling with its owner for long walks, will need much more calories than a lazy home dweller.
The place where the dog will receive food must be settled. The dog must understand that he can always find his bowl in the same place. The food intake area should be located away from drafts and not be in the aisle. The most convenient way is to buy a special stand, on which bowls of water and food will be attached at the puppy’s chest level. The containers themselves can be made of various materials, but it is better to take rather heavy and reliable options that the bulldog cannot overturn with its foot or muzzle.
Feed the bulldog to be every day at the same time. Puppies are given small portions, which, of course, increase with age. The amount of food should give the dog an opportunity to eat, but not overeat.
In the first weeks of a pet’s living in an apartment, it is necessary to trace its needs and, if necessary, adjust the amount of food.
How are puppies fed?
Until the puppy reaches the age of 1-2 months, it is better not to separate it from the mother and give it to feed the mother's milk. If the mother is absent, the breeder can feed a monthly dog with a milk substitute. Feeding is necessary to provide about 6 times a day. The first lure begins at the age of 2 months. First, a small amount of meat is introduced into the diet - boiled and cut into small pieces, and after porridge. It is strongly not recommended to feed small bulldogs with fruits and vegetables, as it is possible to provoke an allergy.
In the period from 2 to 3 months, the puppy is also allowed low-fat cottage cheese, kefir, eggs and boiled fish. If the meat will be given raw, then it must always be scalded with boiling water. In addition, it is important to cut a piece into smaller pieces or grind it in a meat grinder. At the age of 3 to 4 months in the French bulldog, as a rule, there are new owners who should continue the existing diet. Puppies from 4 to 6 months will have to be given food 3-4 times a day, but it is worth much more to make portions. From six months the dog begins to receive good nutrition.
The diet of neutered and sterilized dogs
For neutered and sterilized dogs, experts recommend purchasing a special food, the composition of which takes into account all the needs of the animal.After sterilization, eating is allowed only after the restoration of the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. In the first feeding, a bulldog can only offer liquid food, for example, soup, mousse or pate. If the dog is used to dry food, it is easy to soak it in water.
Somewhere in a week, the pet may return to its usual diet, but the portion size in this case decreases by approximately 10-20%. However, it is better to transfer the bulldog to a special food intended just for sterilized dogs. A castrated dog should not be immediately transferred to a new type of feed, but after a couple of weeks the diet should be enriched with new ingredients.
It is important that the food offered by the French Bulldog contains a small amount of calories, but is nutritious and rich in beneficial elements.
How to feed pregnant animals?
Food for a pregnant French bulldog has its own specifics. The first 3 weeks no changes are required, but gradually the increase in the calcium content in the diet begins. In the first month of pregnancy, the amount of calcium should be 70 milligrams per kilogram of dog's weight. for the full formation of the skeleton of a puppy and the protection of mother’s teeth. A good solution would be to gradually increase the amount of phosphorus to 50 milligrams for the same kilogram of body weight. On the advice of a specialist, it is also worth introducing vitamins A and D into the diet.
In the second month of pregnancy, the portion size increases, and the frequency of feeding is set 3 times a day. However, the amount of carbohydrates, on the contrary, decreases at this time. In the eighth week of pregnancy, the frequency of feeding increases up to 4 times a day, but the diet is released from those foods that can cause problems with digestion. Of course, cleaned and those dishes that provoke allergies. In the last days of pregnancy, the French bulldog is fed up to 6 times a day in reduced portions, and the meat is replaced with boiled fish. During the whole period it is necessary to offer the female more dairy products, but exclude those that lead to obesity. An excellent solution would be to purchase special food intended for pregnant and lactating dogs.
About what and how to feed the French bulldog, see the following video.
