Welcome to owning a French Bulldog
Owning a French Bulldog is very rewarding. They are a loving and sensitive breed. One of the most common questions asked by new French Bulldog owners is how much food they require, and how often should they be fed. French Bulldogs typically will eat as much food as you give them. The amount of food required depends on their age, weight, and activity level. 
Feeding French Bulldog puppies
When puppies are born they get all of their nutritional needs by drinking milk produced by their mothers. Breeders typically start to wean the puppies off their mother's milk by 3-4 weeks and by six weeks they are eating kibble 1.
When your puppy is home with you at 8 weeks old they will typically require 1.5-2 cups of kibble depending on the caloric guidelines on the puppy kibble. I recommend splitting this up between 3-4 meals over the day. When our puppy was at a very young age we would mix the kibble with a little bit of water to soften the food for them.
As your puppy is at a stage of rapid growth over the following year we recommend feeding your dog the best nutritional food you can afford.
Puppies require 29g of protein, and at least 10% fat 2
Adult French Bulldog feeding
Adult French Bulldogs require 25-30 calories per 500grams (1lb) of body weight.
Active Frenchbuilldogs based on a weight of 15kg (33lb) requires 950caloiuries a day. This can be split over several meals and would be approximately 3cups of kibble.
A relatively sedentary French bulldog of the same weight would require approximately 847calouries per day which is approximately 2 and 3/4 cups of kibble. 
How much should I feed my elderly French Bulldog?
As your French Bulldog ages and activity levels decrease they will require less food. Typically they will require 20-25 calories per 500g (1lb) of body weight. However, if your dog is showing they are still hungry and underweight feed them.
How much should I feed my underweight Frenchie?
Increase the amount of food you are feeding your dog up to between 30-40calouries per 500g (1lb) of body weight until they are at their ideal weight.
What can you feed your dog?
Kibble
Dry food is very accessible and can be purchased at most supermarkets. Nutritional values provided by kibble differ by product sold. We recommend doing some research to provide good quality kibble to your dog.
Some of the benefits listed for kibble are:
- Increased dental health
- Cost-effective
- Reduced risk of bacteria
Raw diet
Raw food can be homemade, and or store-bought. Meticulous care and planning need to be done to ensure your dog does not get sick. A study conducted by Dr Gerard and Bruno Sappy found that dogs fed a raw diet lived on average 23% more than dogs fed a kibble diet 3.
Some studies have found many benefits of raw diets:
- Healthier coat and fur
- Increased dental health
- Increased longevity
Fresh diet
Cooking for your dog at home allows you to provide nutritionally valuable ingredients of your own choice. The downside is that it does take up time and requires planning to make. If you decide to feed your dog fresh food we highly recommend that you consult an animal nutritionist. Some of the benefits of feeding your dog fresh food are below.
- Avoids fillers
- Allows a variety of food
- Food quality
To learn more about your dogs microbiomme and gut health visit our blog post here. If you are after dog shirts, or cooling shirts for your French Bulldog visit our shop here.
References
1) Weaning & Sale
https://www.highlandpethospital.net/breeders-info/neonatal-puppy-care/weaning-and-sale/
2) MSD Vet manual: Nutritional requirments and and related diseases of small animals.
3) Relation between the domestic dogs' well being life expectancy statistical essay.