The Best Food and Diet for Bulldogs and French Bulldogs
The Best Food and Diets for Bulldogs and French Bulldogs “Dr. Kraemer what is the best bulldog food?”…..,
This million-dollar question is one of the most frequent questions I get asked during my bulldog and French bulldog physical exams, it is also a popular requested Q on my Ask Dr. K. / Q & A webpage platform.
The “Best Bulldog Diet” loaded question encapsulates a long list of variables, including ones that have little to do with your bulldog’s health and more to do with you and other bulldog owners’ lifestyle and personal dietary habits.
Examples would be bulldog owners who are vegans or vegetarians and who would like their pets to be on a similar diet.
The Best Food and Diets for Bulldogs MUST KNOW:
Best Bulldog Food Must Know # 1 / “ONE FITS ALL”:
There isn’t one superior bulldog diet that fits all your choice might depend on factors such as your:
- AGE
- FOOD SENSITIVITY
- ACTIVITY & LIFESTYLE
- MEDICAL HISTORY
- PERSONAL TASTE & PREFERENCES (yours & your bulldog)
Best Bulldog Diet Must Know # 2 / “DD”:
When it comes to bulldog feedings, everyone seems to have an opinion and a “reliable” references to back it up.
When it comes to your own bulldog’s best food, it is incumbent on you to do your own due diligence.
Best Bulldog Food Must Know #3 “MARKETING HYPE”:
It seems like every day one of the food manufacturers attempt to crown their diet as the “new & improved” best of its class, or the newfound “holy grail”, the crown Jewel of all bulldog diets.
MARKET SHARE: Those best bulldog food and diet claims and ads often pop up on your online search, FB page, Instagram forum, and on any of the other half-dozen social media platforms you might come by, keep in mind that most of them are paid ads vying for a market share.
Disproving or proving those “Best Bulldog Food & Diet” ad campaigns is a task for someone else, my goal is to allow you to make the best fact-based, educated decision on your own.
The Best Food and Diets for Bulldogs and French Bulldogs TIPS:
Best Bulldog Food Tip #1 “DO NO HARM”:
My short answer to the “Best Bulldog Food and Diet” question is rooted in my DO NO HARM oath.
A good analogy is the “What is The Best Family Car” question. For most of us, the criteria for buying a family car are SAFETY & RELIABILITY over SPEED & STYLE.
It’s your children’s SAFTY, before the flashy nickel-brass alloy wheels, and the posh convertible roof.
Best Bulldog Diet Tip #2 / “POOR REGULATION”:
Pet food manufacturing is loosely regulated, thus many bulldog food and diets manufacturer opt to concentrate on seductive packaging, trendy buzzwords, and social media sexy campaigns rather than providing pet owners with objective nutritional data and scientific facts.
many bulldog food and diets manufacturer opt to concentrate on seductive packaging, trendy buzzwords, and social media sexy campaigns.
Many bulldog food and diets manufacturer opt to invest their resources in seductive packaging, and trendy buzzwords, instead of investing in objective nutritional data and scientific facts.
Bulldog Best Food / PET FOOD MARKETING
Bulldog Best Diet MYTH:
Bulldog food with the words “Natural”, “Organic”, “Gourmet”, “Fresh”, and “Premium” printed on their label, are superior to other pet diets.
Bulldog Best Diet FACT:
Those buzzwords are a play on our emotions rather than a reflection of the diet’s nutritional true value.
Bulldog Best Food PET FOOD LABEL & INGREDIENTS
Bulldog Best Diet MYTH:
Ingredients such as protein, carbohydrates, and fat listed on your bulldog food bag are the best way to evaluate the diet quality.
Bulldog Best Diet FACT:
Ingredients are listed according to “weight as fed”. The % published provides minimal info about the ingredient’s quality. The ingredients listed are not directly correlated with the diet’s true nutritious value or the quality of the manufacturing process.
Bulldog Best Diet FACT:
Pet bulldogs food manufacturer labeling legal requirements are minimal and often lack transparency, it’s nearly impossible for you to select an OTC diet based on the “ingredient list”
You should not evaluate the quality of a the bulldog diet base on the “ingredient list”
Best Bulldog Diet “GUARANTEED ANALYSIS”
Bulldog Best Diet MYTH:
Pet food guaranteed analysis is helpful in assessing digestibility, palatability, and bioavailability.
Bulldog Best Diet FACT:
Pet food guaranteed analysis does little to help to measure digestibility, palatability, and/or bioavailability.
Best Bulldog Food is “GRAIN-FREE”
Bulldog Best Diet MYTH:
Grain-free diets are carbohydrate-free. Also, grain-free bulldog food is known to eliminate food allergies and is in general much healthier.
Bulldog Best Diet FACT:
Grain-free is NOT carbohydrate-free! The grain-Free bulldog diet just replaces one carb with another most of which are legumes loaded.
Bulldog Best Diet FACT:
Recent findings suggest a link between English bulldog and French bulldog Grain-Free food diet and heart disease, to learn more click HERE
Best Bulldog Diet and “CARBOHYDRATES & OBESITY”
Bulldog Best Diet MYTH:
The carbs in my bulldogs’ diet are the leading cause of obesity
Bulldog Best Diet FACT:
It is not the carbohydrates that make your bulldog overweight but rather the calories and lack of exercise. A Calorie from a Fat or Protein diet is equal to a calorie from Carb
The best Bulldog Diet is the “HOMEMADE BULLDOG DIET”
Bulldog Best Diet MYTH:
Homemade diets are best because they are fresh, organic, and low-fat.
Bulldog Best Diet FACT:
A homemade diet might be beneficial but you should always consult a veterinary nutritionist
The Best Food and Diet for Bulldogs HOMEMADE DIET TIPS:
TIP 1 “CERTIFIED NUTRITIONIST”: Have a board-certified nutritionist help you formulate the meals, you can reach one here
TIP 2 “FOOD SAFETY”: To be safe consider mixing it with one of the veterinary RX diets (prescription therapeutic diet)
TIP 3 “DIET MONITORING”: If you opted for a bulldog homemade diet, I recommend an exam and blood test every 6 months.
TIP4 “LAB ANALYSIS”: Send your recipe to an independent lab for a review and nutritional analysis.
TIP 5 “HOMEMADE TREATS” Last, even if you are feeding your bulldog regular dog food you can still add some “homemade” treats.
Most fresh produce are safe and healthy for your pet, but before you start please get a list of the few unsafe/poisones ones.
The Best Food and Diet for Bulldogs “RAW DIET”
Bulldog Best Diet MYTH:
Bulldog raw diets are superior to other pet diets and are totally safe to feed
Bulldog Best Diet FACT:
Bulldog raw diet might have benefits but also drawbacks. For bulldogs, raw diet MUST KNOW, DO & DONT, and much more click HERE
Bulldog and French Bulldog Raw Food Diet POSSIBLE BENEFITS:
- A raw diet might be more digestible
- Raw diet might have limited ingredients which can reduce food allergy
- A raw diet might be more palatable
- A raw diet might improve elimination.
- A raw diet might appear to have more energy, better coat, and appear “healthier”
Bulldog and French Bulldog Raw Food Diet POSSIBLE DRAWBACKS:
- EXCESS: Some bulldog raw diets have a higher fat content
- DEFICIENCIES: Bulldog raw diet often has an abnormal calcium/phosphorus ratio
- BAD BACTERIA: Raw diet (non-pasteurized meals) has a higher risk of harboring and passing deadly contaminants.
- PUBLIC HEALTH: Your family is also at risk from those contaminated (more so kids and immune-suppressed adults)
Bulldog Food and Diets for French Bulldogs, RAW DIET TIPS
Best Raw Food Tip # 1 “AFFCO”:
Look for an official AAFCO label. Some manufacturers post a misleading AAFCO-like label
Best Raw Food Tip #2 “PERSONAL SAFETY”:
Always wash your hand after handling raw food
Best Raw Food #3 “KIDS SAFETY”:
Don’t let young kids or immune-suppressed adults handle raw food.
Best Raw Food #4 “IMPROVE SAFETY”:
Cook the outside of the raw food and buy freeze-dried or flash pasteurized.
For more information about best raw diet for bulldogs visit the Centers for Disease Control and Food safety
The Best Food and Diets for Bulldogs RULE OF THUMB
Bet Bulldog Food Rule #1 “THE DO NO HARM”:
Like our family car analogy, I recommend that your bulldog diet’s main focus begins with Safety & Reliability
Bet Bulldog Diet Rule #2 “THE LARGE & REPUTABLE”:
The larger known food manufacturers are usually well-known and well-financed. They have provided quality diets for decades, they publish peer-review scientific data with quality control transparency.
They have a Ph.D., nutritionist, and scientist on their team and a few also manufacture lines of prescription diets. Thus in my commonsense playbook, they have the edge over most of the other OTC diets.
That does not mean that there are no equal or better niche diets out there, there very well might be. Unfortunately, most of us do not have the tools to screen, identify and screen for those companies.
Thus, I usually default to our “DO NO HARM” bulldog diet rule .
Bet Bulldog Food Rule 3 “THE RX FORMULATED DIETS”:
Because they are meant for medical conditions, Rx- Pet Diets are more carefully formulated, held to a higher standard, and have superior quality control when compared to the OTC niche boutique exotic diets. Even though they are “prescription”, a good number of veterinary prescription pet diets can be fed to your perfectly normal healthy bulldog.
Bet Bulldog Diet Rule 4 “THE POOP-TEST”:
If your bulldog’s new diet generates healthy-looking poop with less volume and less frequency than his/her previous diet, there is a good chance it is a better diet with improved nutrition digestibility and bioavailability.
Dr. Kraemer’s The Best Food and Diet for Bulldogs FINAL ADVICE
- Adhere to the “do no harm” bulldog diet rule
- Ignore emotionally-charged pet food marketing schemes
- Stick to the pet diet nutritional facts.
- Consider staying with a reputable pet food manufacturer or even upgrading to one of their prescription diets.
Best French Bulldog and English Bulldog Food OTC & DO NO HARM
If you opt for a niche pet diet you can still take the “do no harm” initiative by doing the following:
Contact the bulldog food manufacturer and ask them the following questions (published by WSAVA):
- CERTIFIED NUTRITIONIST: Do you have a boarded certified nutritionist? name and qualifications.
- FORMULATION: Who Formulated your pet’s diet and what are their credentials?
- AAFCO CERTIFIED: Is your pet’s diet tested and formulated by AAFCO standards?
- AAFCO ANALYSIS: Does your pet’s diet meet AAFCO nutrient profiles by analysis?
- QUALITY CONTROL: What specific quality control do you implement?
- NUTRIENT ANALYSIS: Ask for a complete nutrient analysis of the diet
- CALORIES: What is the caloric value per cup?
- PEER REVIEW: What product research was done on this pet diet and is it published in a peer-review paper?
BULLDOG & FR. BULLDOG BEST DIET SUMMARY:
pet food manufacturers should be willing to provide you with a response to those questions. If they are not able or willing to do so, be cautious and consider avoiding feeding their diet to your pet.
Best Bulldog Food AAFCO Note:
Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). It’s important to recognize that while AAFCO provides recommendations for states to consider as they update state feed laws, AAFCO does not regulate or inspect pet food.
Regulations and enforcement of pet food labeling are done mostly at the state level by state feed control officials; not by AAFCO, though generally follow AAFCO recommendations.
“An Ounce Of PREVENTION Is Worth A Pound Of CURE”
*This guide was compiled courtesy of Dr. Kraemer, a “must-read” manual for any current or future bully owners
