The Best Dog Foods for French Bulldogs: Ranked and Rated

Written by Austin S.
Updated: January 4, 2023
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The French bulldog is a popular small breed that’s described as being playful, smart, adaptable, and comical. As a dog owner, you’ll want to feed them a diet that will maximize their overall health and minimize the likelihood of developing certain health problems. In the case of Frenchies, the biggest nutrition-related health risk is obesity, which can lead to structural issues (joints and bones) and increase their risk of getting or exacerbating breed-specific health issues such as hip dysplasia.

  1. Royal Canin Breed Health Nutrition French Bulldog Adult
    • This dry dog food is formulated to meet the nutritional needs of purebred French bulldogs that are 12 months old and older.
    • The kibble is specially designed to be easy for Frenchies to pick up and chew.
    • This recipe supports muscle tone with precise protein content and L-carnitine.
    • It reinforces the skin barrier with essential nutrients.
    • Highly digestible proteins and precise fiber content help to reduce gas and stool odor.
    Check Chewy Check Amazon
  2. Pedigree Small Dog Complete Nutrition
    • Affordable option
    • Specially formulated for small dog breeds
    • Supplemented with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals
    • Kibble helps to clean dog's teeth
    Check Chewy Check Amazon
  3. Royal Canin Breed Health Nutrition French Bulldog Puppy
    • Formulated specifically for purebred French bulldog puppies 8 weeks to 12 months old
    • The kibble's unique shape helps French bulldog puppies pick up and chew their food easily
    • Contains a proprietary blend of antioxidants, including vitamin E, to support your puppy's developing immune system
    • Ingredients also support skin and coat health
    • Formulated with highly digestible proteins and specific fiber content to reduce gas and stool odor
    Check Chewy Check Amazon
  4. Wellness Small Breed Senior Dry Dog Food

    •Perfect for older, small breed dogs

    •Omegas and vitamins for healthy skin and coat

    •Probiotics, prebiotics, and herbs for digestion

    •Optimized blend of protein, fat, and carbohydrates

    Check Chewy Check Amazon

Top Picks: The Best Dog Food for French Bulldogs Today

#1 Best Overall: Royal Canin Breed Health Nutrition French Bulldog Adult

The #1 Best Overall dog food for French bulldogs is Royal Canin Breed Health Nutrition French Bulldog Adult. This kibble is specially formulated to meet the nutritional needs of adult, purebred French bulldogs that are one year old or older.

Royal Canin has a long history of developing breed-specific formulas that provide precise nutrition for your dog. The recipe for adult Frenchies feature high-quality protein and kibble that’s the optimal shape, size, and texture for your best friend to pick up and chew easily.

Because French bulldogs are prone to obesity, this dry dog food includes precise protein content and L-carnitine to support healthy muscle tone. It also contains essential nutrients to reinforce the skin barrier.

And, as any Frenchie owner will appreciate, it includes highly digestible proteins and precise fiber content to help reduce gas and stool odor.

Reviews for this dog food were overwhelmingly positive, but a few buyers said that their Frenchies didn’t like this food.

Pros and Cons of Royal Canin Breed Health Nutrition French Bulldog Adult

ProsCons
This recipe is formulated specifically for adult, purebred French bulldogs that are 12 months old or older.Some Frenchies don’t like this food.
It includes high-quality protein.
The kibble is exactly the right shape, size, and texture for French bulldogs to pick up and chew easily. 
It contains precise protein content and L-carnitine to support healthy muscle tone. 
Essential nutrients reinforce the skin barrier.
Highly digestible proteins and precise fiber content help reduce gas and stool odor.
Best Overall
Royal Canin Breed Health Nutrition French Bulldog Adult
  • This dry dog food is formulated to meet the nutritional needs of purebred French bulldogs that are 12 months old and older.
  • The kibble is specially designed to be easy for Frenchies to pick up and chew.
  • This recipe supports muscle tone with precise protein content and L-carnitine.
  • It reinforces the skin barrier with essential nutrients.
  • Highly digestible proteins and precise fiber content help to reduce gas and stool odor.
Check Chewy Check Amazon

2. Best Dry: Pedigree Small Dog Complete Nutrition

Our choice for the best dry dog food for French bulldogs, Pedigree Small Dog Complete Nutrition, also happens to be extremely budget-friendly! This adult small dog formula provides complete and balanced nutrition, including antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, and optimal levels of Omega-6 fatty acid to nourish your dog’s skin and make its coat shine.

This delicious roasted chicken flavored dry food features whole grains and a special fiber blend that supports healthy digestion. The small, crunchy pieces are sized just right for your Frenchie’s mouth and will help remove plaque and tartar between brushings.

It’s made in the US from globally sourced ingredients and contains no high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, or sugar.

Most reviews for this dry dog food were positive, but a few pet parents reported that their small dogs wouldn’t eat it.

ProsCons
This small dog recipe is budget-friendly.Some dogs don’t like it.
It provides complete and balanced nutrition including antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and Omega-6.
This roasted chicken flavored dry dog food includes whole grains and a fiber blend to support healthy digestion.
The kibble is sized for a small dog’s mouth and removes plaque and tarter when it’s chewed. 
It’s made in the US from globally sourced ingredients. 
It’s free from high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, and sugar. 
Best Bargain
Pedigree Small Dog Complete Nutrition
  • Affordable option
  • Specially formulated for small dog breeds
  • Supplemented with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals
  • Kibble helps to clean dog's teeth
Check Chewy Check Amazon

3. Best for Puppies: Royal Canin Breed Health Nutrition French Bulldog Puppy

We selected Royal Canin Breed Health Nutrition French Bulldog Puppy is our “Best for Puppies” selection because it’s critical that puppies get the precise nutrients they need. And, as we mentioned earlier, Royal Canin is renowned for their breed-specific formulas.

This recipe is designed to meet the specific nutritional needs of purebred French bulldogs that are eight weeks to 12 months old. Like Royal Canin’s other recipes, this one features specialized kibble that’s easy for Frenchie puppies to pick up and chew.

An exclusive complex of antioxidants, including vitamin E, will help protect the development of your puppy’s immune system and support its healthy skin and coat. Plus, like the adult formula, it includes highly digestible proteins and precise fiber content to reduce your Frenchie’s gas and stool odor.

A few reviewers reported that their puppies wouldn’t eat it.

ProsCons
This Royal Canin recipe is formulated specifically for French bulldog puppies that are eight weeks to 12 months old.Some puppies won’t eat it.
The kibble is designed to be easy for French bulldog puppies to pick up and chew.
A proprietary blend of antioxidants, including vitamin E, protects puppies’ immune systems and support skin and coat health.
It includes highly digestible proteins and precise fiber content to reduce puppies’ gas and stool odor.
Best for French Bulldog Puppies
Royal Canin Breed Health Nutrition French Bulldog Puppy
  • Formulated specifically for purebred French bulldog puppies 8 weeks to 12 months old
  • The kibble's unique shape helps French bulldog puppies pick up and chew their food easily
  • Contains a proprietary blend of antioxidants, including vitamin E, to support your puppy's developing immune system
  • Ingredients also support skin and coat health
  • Formulated with highly digestible proteins and specific fiber content to reduce gas and stool odor
Check Chewy Check Amazon

4. Best for Seniors: Wellness Small Breed Senior Dry Dog Food

Wellness Small Breed Senior Dry Dog Food includes only natural ingredients, with no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. It provides the high-quality protein and essential fatty acids that your aging French bulldog needs for optimal health.

The first ingredient in this recipe is fresh, deboned turkey. It also features blueberries, spinach, and carrots, all of which provide essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. The formula is tailored to meet the nutritional needs of small senior dogs and to promote optimal energy as well as skin and coat health.

Most reviews for this senior small breed recipe were positive, but a few buyers reported that their dogs wouldn’t eat it. And several said that it was too expensive.

ProsCons
This recipe for small senior dogs includes only natural ingredients, with no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.Some reviewers reported that their dogs wouldn’t eat this food.
It includes high-quality protein from fresh, deboned turkey (the first ingredient) and essential fatty acids that aging Frenchies need for optimal health.Some buyers said that it was too expensive.
The recipe includes blueberries, spinach, and carrots, which are natural sources of essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. 
This dry dog food, which is designed specifically for small senior dogs, promotes optimal energy as well as skin and coat health. 
 
Best for Small dogs
Wellness Small Breed Senior Dry Dog Food

•Perfect for older, small breed dogs

•Omegas and vitamins for healthy skin and coat

•Probiotics, prebiotics, and herbs for digestion

•Optimized blend of protein, fat, and carbohydrates

Check Chewy Check Amazon

Choosing the Best Dog Food for French Bulldogs: What to Look For

When choosing the best food for your French bulldog, there are three main factors to consider: price, ingredients, and life stage. Here’s how to consider the best food across each of these factors.

Price

When looking for the best food for your French bulldog, be aware that there is a wide range of products available on the market and that these products vary in price. We recommend that you set a budget before you start shopping since this will help you narrow your search. Just like with anything else, you may have to pay more for better quality. We believe, however, that you can find your Frenchie a fantastic dog food within any budget.

Ingredients

French bulldogs require a lot of high-quality protein such as chicken, fish, or turkey. When searching for dog food for your French bulldog, we recommend that you note the first three to five listings in the ingredients since they are usually primary ingredients. According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), “All ingredients are required to be listed in order of predominance by weight.”

You should also confirm if the dog food you wish to buy contains meat by-products or if it is a meat meal. As there are varying opinions about the nutritional value of meat meals, you may wish to consult your veterinarian for advice.

Life Stage

Dog food manufacturers make dog food for every stage of a dog’s life. Before you purchase a bag of dog food, check the label. It will tell you what stage of life the food is formulated for (senior, adult, or puppy) and if it is suitable for all breeds, small breeds, or larger breeds. We recommend that you always select a small breed or breed-specific formula when shopping for dog food for your French bulldog.

Choosing the correct dog food is important since dogs require different nutrients during each stage of life. Also, the size of the kibble will be smaller for a puppy.

Our Criteria: How We Chose the Best

Our primary goal was to select dog foods for all three stages of a French bulldog’s life as well as an affordable, high-quality adult small dog food that will fit anyone’s budget. We accomplished this by evaluating the highest-rated breed-specific and small dog recipes. We combined our extensive knowledge of the major dog food manufacturers with reviewers’ first-hand experience with these specific products. The end result was this list of highly rated breed-specific and small dog formulas, one of which is certain to provide the nutrition that your Frenchie needs at this stage of its life at a price that you can afford.

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About the Author

Growing up in rural New England on a small scale farm gave me a lifelong passion for animals. I love learning about new wild animal species, habitats, animal evolutions, dogs, cats, and more. I've always been surrounded by pets and believe the best dog and best cat products are important to keeping our animals happy and healthy. It's my mission to help you learn more about wild animals, and how to care for your pets better with carefully reviewed products.

The Best Dog Foods for French Bulldogs: Ranked and Rated FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) 

Do French bulldogs require a special diet?

The biggest dietary concern with French bulldogs is maintaining a healthy weight. This is because Frenchies are predisposed to weight gain and obesity, which can damage their joints and bones and put them at risk for certain health issues.

A high-quality dog food from this review (above) will provide all of the calories and nutrition that your Frenchie needs. Treats, including permitted human foods (see the next question), should make up no more than 10% of your dog’s diet.

What human food can a French bulldog eat?

What’s healthy for humans isn’t necessarily healthy for dogs. Foods like chocolate, garlic, onion, raisins, and grapes, for example, are toxic to dogs and could even lead to death.

A-Z Animals maintains a comprehensive list entitled What Foods Can Dogs Eat Safely, and Which Are Dangerous? We recommend that you bookmark this article so you can refer to it whenever you want to check whether something you’re eating is safe to feed to your Frenchie.

How much should a French Bulldog eat a day?

It depends.
The average adult French bulldog should consume 25 – 30 calories per pound per day. If your dog is obese, it will, of course, require less calories than a normal-weight Frenchie.

Puppies have very specific nutritional requirements because they’re growing, so you should feed around 1 1/2 cups of a breed-specific or small dog formula food spread across three meals.

Senior dogs also have different nutritional requirements because their metabolisms are slowing down and they don’t need as many calories. They also require supplements like glucosamine and chondroitin to slow the progression of age-related health issues.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us? Contact the AZ Animals editorial team.