We love our French Bulldogs, so let’s keep them as healthy and happy as possible. Diet and lifestyle play critical roles in longevity, which is great because we have control over what our dogs eat, and how much exercise they get! Some of my French Bulldogs favorite healthy treats include sweet bell peppers, blueberries, carrots, apples, sweet potato, papaya, spinach, pumpkin, and coconut meat. Our Frenchies also love home made or store bought kefir which is cultured milk (similar to yogurt or buttermilk). It a natural and healthy source of probiotics. When milk is cultured the milk sugar (lactose) is digested by healthy bacteria. This is why our adult Frenchies only enjoy cultured milk products, and not fresh milk. Fresh milk can cause diarrhea because as dogs age they become lactose intolerant. Our French Bulldog puppies however, do enjoy fresh goats milk for a short period of time while weaning from breast milk. My French Bulldogs will go crazy for any type of meat. Just make sure that you freeze your meat first and then thaw if feeding raw, as freezing kills microorganisms and parasites found in raw meat. Cooked meat is also fine to give, as long as it wasn’t heavily seasoned or extremely fatty. Raw (not cooked) bones, especially marrow and joint bones are the best of treats when given under supervision. I also regularly add raw pumpkin seeds which I process into a fine meal in my food processor to my Frenchie’s food. Raw pumpkin seeds are a natural and safe dewormer, and they help keep poop solid. I regularly add plain boiled organ meats to my French Bulldogs food including kidney, liver, heart, lung, and spleen as well. If I ever have to give medicine, I usually hide it inside a ball of plain goats cheese, also adored by my French Bulldogs.
Grains seem to be a controversial topic lately. At a recent vet visit, the Doctor told me that 80% of allergies seen in dogs are environmental, and only 20% are food related. However, when it comes to food related allergies the culprit is typically a protein, not a grain. For example chicken seems to be one of the most allergenic proteins, then pork, then beef. The least allergenic meats are fish, venison, sheep, and kangaroo. My French Bulldogs tolerate grains without a problem, but this may not be the case for your Frenchie, so use your discretion at home.
There are so many healthy “human” foods your French Bulldog can eat, its actually easier to make a list of the foods that you Frenchie cannot eat. Some foods are obvious to avoid like very sugary, salty, junk food, and anything heavily processed. Other foods are not so obvious, like xylitol, which is a sugar substitute and can cause liver failure and death even in small quantities. Xylitol is commonly found in baked goods, toothpaste, and sugar free gum. Other foods to avoid include chocolate, coffee/tea/caffeine, grapes/raisins, yeast dough, anything that is easily choked on (like the pits of fruit, cooked bones) and over the counter medicine (like ibuprofen and acetaminophen). If you are feeding a food for the first time and aren’t sure if its okay to give, usually a simple google search can answer your question. Know where your nearest emergency 24 hour vet is, and save their phone number and address to your contacts. The number for Animal Poison Control is 888-426-4435, I recommend saving it to your phone as well. Heaven forbid your fur baby eats something poisonous, but it always better to be safe than sorry. If your Frenchie has a favorite food that is not listed here, please comment below and share! As always, sending our hugs and our love from NW Frenchies.
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