Best puppy food for a Bulldog
'Bulldog' covers English, French and American types, and while each has its own build, they share a few things worth feeding for — a tendency toward skin sensitivity and food-related gas, and a breed family that puts weight on easily. Choosing food around those shared traits matters more than chasing a specific brand name.
Feeding a Bulldog
A medium breed
An adult Bulldog typically weighs 23–25 kg, so a healthy Bulldog eats a moderate amount compared with other breeds. Every feeding guide on a bag is written per kilo of body weight, not per breed — start there, then adjust to the dog in front of you.
Life stage
A medium breed is usually done growing at ~12 months, which is roughly when a puppy food has finished its job. With a typical lifespan of 10–12 years, there is a long adult stretch in the middle; switch to a senior food when your vet thinks it is worth it rather than on a birthday.
This breed tends to bolt its food
A food-motivated dog will empty a bowl in under a minute given the chance. A slow feeder or a puzzle bowl turns a meal back into something that takes time, and splitting the daily ration across two or three meals helps as well.
A shallow, wide bowl suits a flat face
A flat-faced dog cannot reach into a deep bowl without pressing its nose into the sides, which is uncomfortable and makes it gulp air. A shallow bowl, and food that does not have to be chased around it, is the easier arrangement.
How much should a Bulldog weigh?
Adult 23–25 kgfully grown at ~12 months
| Age | Stage | Typical weight | Of adult size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 weeks | Just home | 3.5–3.8 kg | 15% |
| 3 months | Young puppy | 5.8–6.3 kg | 25% |
| 6 months | Growing fast | 11.5–12.5 kg | 50% |
| ~12 months | Fully grown | 23–25 kg | 100% |
A guide, from the same rule of thumb our puppy growth predictor uses — each age is that share of the way to maturity for a medium breed. Puppies grow fastest early, so a real puppy usually sits a little above the middle rows. Weigh yours and ask your vet if the number worries you.
Complete dog foods that suit a Bulldog
Complete foods from our range, matched to a Bulldog's size band and what the breed typically needs. Stock levels and delivery dates are live on each product.
Forthglade Cold Pressed Natural Turkey
Cold-pressed turkey kibble for dogs from 2 months, soft enough to mix with water for young pups
£45.99
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Salmon
Cold-pressed grain-free dry food for dogs, built on fresh and dried salmon
From£16.99
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Duck
Cold-pressed grain-free duck food with fruit and botanicals, in two bag sizes
From£16.99
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Chicken
Cold-pressed grain-free chicken food with fruit and botanicals, in three bag sizes
From£16.99
Forthglade Complete Meal Lightly Baked Turkey
A lightly baked complete dry food, 50% turkey, for adult dogs of any breed
From£12.49
Forthglade Complete Meal Lightly Baked Chicken
A grain-free complete dry food for adult dogs, lightly baked and built on 50% chicken
From£12.49
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Turkey
Grain-free cold-pressed turkey kibble for dogs, gentle on sensitive stomachs
£69.69
Forthglade British Classics Chicken Family Lunch
Complete Forthglade wet dog food with 75% chicken in a 395G tray
£2.45
Harringtons Puppy Turkey & Rice
Complete turkey puppy food with 30% protein and feeding bands by adult weight
£6.49
Harringtons Just 6 Dry Dog Food Lamb
Grain-free lamb dry dog food in 2KG and 12KG sizes, with size-specific formulas
From£13.99
Burns Puppy Original Lamb & Rice
Complete Burns lamb and rice puppy food in a 2KG bag for up to 12 months
£14.99
Burns Puppy Junior Original Chicken Rice
A complete puppy and junior food with dried chicken 31% and controlled fat at 15%
From£14.99
Skin sensitivity is common across the family
English, French and American Bulldogs all have a reputation for skin issues — food sensitivities, allergies and general skin irritation come up often enough across the breed family that it's worth watching for from puppyhood rather than waiting for an obvious problem. Signs to watch include excessive licking or chewing at paws, recurring ear irritation, or a coat that looks dull or flaky despite otherwise good care.
A sensitive-formula puppy food, built around a limited or easily digested set of ingredients, is a sensible starting point if your puppy shows any early signs of skin or coat trouble, though it isn't necessary for every Bulldog puppy by default. If a genuine food allergy is suspected, that's a diagnosis for your vet to work through with a proper elimination process, not something to self-treat by trying different bags of food.
Digestive sensitivity and gas
Bulldogs of every type are famous for flatulence, and diet plays a real part in it — foods with highly digestible protein sources and a moderate fat content tend to produce less gas than cheaper formulas built around harder-to-digest fillers. It's rarely something to fully eliminate, but a well-chosen food can noticeably reduce how much of an issue it is.
Eating pace matters here too — Bulldogs across all three types tend to eat quickly, and swallowing air along with food contributes to both gas and general digestive discomfort. Smaller, more frequent meals and a slower approach to feeding tend to help regardless of which specific food you're using.
Watching weight from puppyhood
All Bulldog types are prone to putting on weight, and because most also carry some degree of brachycephalic build, extra weight makes breathing and joint strain worse than it would for a leaner, longer-nosed breed. Feeding to the amount recommended on the pack for your puppy's expected adult size, and checking body condition regularly rather than judging purely by appetite, is worth building into the routine from the start.
French Bulldogs in particular are a genuinely small breed with a fast metabolism as puppies, so a small-breed puppy formula suited to their size is usually a better fit than a generic all-breed food, whereas English and American Bulldogs, being larger and heavier-boned, tend to do better on a medium-breed formula built around controlled rather than rapid growth.
Common questions
- Do French Bulldogs need different food to English Bulldogs?
- There are some differences worth accounting for — French Bulldogs are considerably smaller with a faster metabolism as puppies, so a small-breed formula often suits them better, while English Bulldogs' larger, heavier frame tends to do better on a medium-breed puppy food built for controlled growth.
- Why is my Bulldog puppy so gassy?
- It's a genuinely common trait across the Bulldog family, linked to fast eating and, in some cases, less digestible ingredients in the food. A more digestible formula and slower, smaller meals often help noticeably, though some flatulence is simply part of owning the breed.
- How do I know if my Bulldog puppy has a food allergy?
- Signs include persistent itching, paw licking, recurring ear infections or digestive upset that doesn't settle. A genuine food allergy needs a vet-led elimination process to identify properly rather than guessing between different bags of food at home.
Related
Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.