A Bulldog's Diet

The dietary requirements of one bulldog will slightly differ from another. When deciding on the right diet for your bulldog, your budget and your lifestyle, know that there are certain conditions to which a bulldog is prone that a proper diet can prevent. Recently, a debate has erupted in the dog breeding and dog-rearing world about the potential benefits of a raw diet versus a kibble diet. The bottom line is that you should feed your bulldog something she likes with all the essential vitamins, minerals, fats and protein she needs.

  1. Raw Food versus Dry Kibble

    • Raw dog food diets can be beneficial to your purebred dog̵7;s health because they eliminate the chemical additives and preservatives as well as empty fillers like corn, wheat and soy. Bulldogs often suffer from eye problems as well as skin and stomach irritability, and most allergic reactions can be traced to something in their diet. Purebred owners who have switched to a raw or at least homemade diet will tell you that their dogs experience fewer health problems and fewer allergic reactions. Some bulldog breeders and owners, like those who run Bullmarketfrogs.com, a website dedicated to French bulldogs, advocate a raw or at least homemade diet for their bulldogs. This is not to discount the ease and healthfulness of grain-free, high quality̵2;although expensive̵2;dry dog food. A raw or homemade diet takes time, energy and foresight, but if it is something you are interested in trying, it does provide control over your dog̵7;s nutrition and it will control or eliminate allergens. If you aren̵7;t sure where to begin, there are plenty of dog food cookbooks on the market to help you get started. Consider feeding your dog one homemade meal and one meal of high-quality kibble per day.

    What a Bulldog Needs

    • Bullmarketfrogs.com recommends a home-prepared raw diet consisting of 80 percent protein (from diced organ meats or ground muscle meat), 12 percent ground vegetables (greens and orange vegetables) as well as some fruit (blueberries are a good choice), 5 percent fish (herring, salmon, or mackerel), and 3 percent other ingredients such as yogurt, eggs, Brewer̵7;s yeast and apple cider vinegar. Sweet potato and squash supply carbohydrates. The Bulldog Club of America advises that bulldog owners to avoid soy and soy products. Generally, bulldogs can̵7;t tolerate a high-protein diet because it can lead to hotspots on the skin. If you choose to feed your bulldog a high-quality dry dog food, ask your puppy̵7;s breeder or a reputable breeder in your area which kibble she prefers and follow her recommendations. Cottage cheese and yogurt are common, healthful supplements for a kibble diet, and ¼ cup of cottage cheese gives your dog his recommended daily amount of calcium, eliminating the need for a vitamin supplement. Fish oil is great for any breed of dog and it is free of mercury, which makes it a good choice to satisfy the fish portion of the diet Bullmarketfrogs.com recommends.

      Consult your veterinarian, talk to other bulldog owners and lovers, and knowledgeable breeders to help you make the right decision. Most of all, take your dog̵7;s age, activity level and tastes into account when planning his diet.