An adult Bichon Frise needs a complete food and a portion worked out on its real weight: for a 5 kg dog, neutered and moderately active, that is about 236 kcal a day. Breed references and veterinary studies add three things that are specific to this breed: the FCI standard says about 5 kg, the American Kennel Club 5.4-8.2 kg; it is one of the breeds most affected by bladder stones, but in a large Canadian dataset nearly 9 in 10 stones from males were calcium oxalate and 2 in 3 from females were struvite, two types that are managed differently; and in UK veterinary records it is the breed with the highest risk of Cushing's syndrome, which can show up as a new, bigger appetite.
A Bichon Frise does not need a special breed food: it needs a complete food, in the right amount for its weight. No study shows that kibble, wet or cooked food is better for this breed. What sets the Bichon apart is timing. It is a long-lived dog, with a life expectancy of 14-15 years according to the American Kennel Club, and two of its weak spots that have something to do with the bowl, oxalate stones and Cushing's syndrome, tend to appear in the second half of its life.
In a large American urolith database, a Bichon's first calcium oxalate stone appeared at around 9 years of age on average. Cushing's syndrome, for which the Bichon is the highest-risk breed in UK veterinary records, was diagnosed at a median age of almost 11 years (a figure for all the dogs in that study). So with a Bichon, choosing the food is not a decision you make once for a puppy: it is worth revisiting with your vet over the years, especially when thirst, appetite or urination habits change.
The FCI breed standard (no. 215) describes a dog 25-29 cm tall at the withers, allowing 1 cm more for males and 2 cm less for females, and weighing about 5 kg, "in proportion with the size". The American Kennel Club's breed profile is more generous: 12-18 pounds, roughly 5.4-8.2 kg. So a 7 kg Bichon is not necessarily fat; it may simply be a bigger dog.
With this breed, though, your eyes are less reliable than usual. The dense, curly coat, often clipped into a round shape, hides both the ribs and the waist: an overweight Bichon can look merely well groomed, and one that is too thin can go unnoticed. Body condition is checked with your hands. You should feel the ribs easily under the coat, with only a thin layer of fat over them, and looking down from above you should be able to make out a waist. On the WSAVA 9-point body condition scale, 4-5 is ideal. It also helps to weigh your Bichon once a month: on a 5 kg dog, half a kilo is 10% of its weight, and in an older Bichon a sudden change in weight is worth a question to your vet, as explained further down.
Bladder stones are one of the best-documented facts about the breed. The Canadian Veterinary Urolith Centre analysed 40,637 bladder stones from dogs between 1998 and 2008: the Bichon Frise was the third breed by number of stones, after the Shih Tzu and the Miniature Schnauzer, and with them it was among the over-represented small breeds. The most striking detail is the difference between the sexes. In male Bichons, 1,393 of 1,561 stones were calcium oxalate, almost 9 in 10; in females, 2,025 of 3,066 were struvite, about 2 in 3.
Other databases tell the same story. In the United States, among 124,285 calcium oxalate stones analysed by the Minnesota Urolith Center between 2010 and 2015, the Bichon was one of 12 breeds classed as high risk: compared with dogs without urinary disease seen at the University of Minnesota veterinary hospital, its odds were almost 5 times higher. In Bichons the first stone appeared at 9 years on average, and for high-risk breeds the authors recommend yearly imaging, preferably an X-ray, from 5-6 years of age. The signal is there in Europe too: among 1,162 stones analysed in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland between 2010 and 2020, a stone from a Bichon had 1.7 times the odds of being calcium oxalate compared with stones from the other breeds reported. There is some encouraging news as well: in University of California, Davis data (2006-2018), among dogs whose stones were analysed, Bichons had 1.4 times the odds of an oxalate stone compared with mixed breeds, lower than the same laboratory had found in the past, which the authors suggest may reflect greater awareness among breeders and vets.
This distinction matters more for the Bichon than for most breeds, because both stone types are common in the same breed and they are handled differently. In the Canadian data the sex of the dog already made one type far more likely than the other, but only analysing the stone tells your vet which one it is. According to the consensus recommendations of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM):
In other words, the urine-acidifying diets that help with struvite are exactly what the ACVIM advises avoiding when the stone is oxalate. That is why picking a "urinary" food yourself makes little sense for a Bichon: first the stone has to be analysed, then your vet chooses the food, often a dietetic one. And if your Bichon has already had stones, ask your vet before changing anything in the bowl, snacks included.
If an older Bichon suddenly starts begging for food all the time, it is worth thinking of Cushing's syndrome (hyperadrenocorticism), an excess of cortisol produced by the body, before you change the portions. In a study based on the records of 905,544 dogs under UK veterinary care in 2016 (the Royal Veterinary College's VetCompass programme), the Bichon Frise was the breed with the highest risk of all: 6.2 times the odds of crossbreeds. Bichons made up 1.4% of the dogs without the condition but 6.7% of new cases, and about 1 in 100 Bichons had the diagnosis during the year. An earlier study from the same programme, on 210,824 dogs, had found 6.5 times the odds: different years, same result.
The link with the bowl is direct. Typical signs include increased appetite, drinking and urinating more, a pot belly, panting and thinning hair, mostly in dogs aged 7-12. The UK authors point out that excess cortisol stimulates appetite; in their data, dogs heavier than the average for their breed were diagnosed more often, although weight gain may be a consequence of the condition rather than a cause. They also note that Cushing's is associated with a higher risk of urinary stones, the breed's other weak spot.
The practical takeaway: if your Bichon, from about 7-8 years on, eats with a new greediness, drinks much more or develops a pot belly, do not just cut or increase the portions. Note how much water it drinks in a day and what it weighs, and talk to your vet: the diagnosis needs specific hormone tests.
Every Pappa Fresh recipe contains one meat and lists the percentage of each ingredient on the label, so if your vet asks exactly what your Bichon eats, you have a precise answer.
They are cooked in the pouch and keep outside the fridge until opened; once opened, they go in the fridge and should be used within 2-3 days. For a 5 kg Bichon one 400 g pouch covers about 1.9 days on the Complete plan, so it is finished within that limit. On the Mix plan (half the ration, alongside its kibble) the same pouch would last twice as long and go beyond the 2-3 days after opening, so for a dog this size the Complete plan is the practical choice. The quarter-ration Topper is not offered, because it would not reach 10 pouches per cycle. Turkey is poultry: if your dog has reacted to chicken, ask your vet before trying it. And if your vet has prescribed a dietetic food, always check before adding anything else to the bowl.
An adult Bichon Frise of 5 kg, neutered and moderately active, needs about 236 kcal a day: with our Chicken recipe that is about 207 g, with the richer Beef 174 g. An intact Bichon burns more, about 296 kcal (260 g of Chicken). The table runs from 4 kg to 6 kg, around the 5 kg of the FCI standard. If your Bichon is heavier but lean, which the American range allows, the quiz works out the portion from its real weight; if it is carrying a little extra, the quiz takes body condition into account too.
Compared with the feeding guide on a bag of kibble the grams will look high, but it is a matter of water: kibble has around 350-400 kcal per 100 g, our recipes 110-136, so the same calories weigh about three times as much in wet food. For the general logic behind portions, see our guide how much should a dog eat.
| Weight | Energy need (kcal/day) neutered / intact | Grams per day neutered / intact | Complete plan | Mix (½) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 kg | 200 / 250 | 175 g / 219 g | €3.18/day | €1.60/day |
| 5 kg | 236 / 296 | 207 g / 260 g | €3.76/day | €1.89/day |
| 6 kg | 271 / 339 | 238 g / 297 g | €4.41/day | €2.16/day |
Grams based on the Chicken recipe (114 kcal/100 g); with Beef, which is richer (136 kcal/100 g), you need about 16% less. Prices for a neutered dog.
Figures calculated with the same method as our quiz (FEM×K: maintenance energy adjusted for breed, activity, neutering and body condition). They are an estimate: take the quiz for your dog's exact plan, and talk to your vet about any health concern.
Two minutes: enter weight, age and activity to get the exact portion, with 30% off your first order.
An adult Bichon Frise of 5 kg, neutered and moderately active, needs about 236 kcal a day, which is about 207 g of our chicken wet food; at 6 kg it is about 271 kcal, or 238 g (297 g if not neutered). For kibble, convert those calories into grams using the kcal per 100 g printed on the pack. These are estimates: the right portion also depends on body condition, which in a Bichon you check with your hands, under the coat.
The best documented are bladder stones and Cushing's syndrome, for which the Bichon is the highest-risk breed in UK veterinary records; Cushing's is often noticed precisely through a bigger appetite and more drinking. In the same UK records Bichons also had about 1.7 times the odds of periodontal disease compared with crossbreeds, so ask your vet how best to look after your dog's mouth.
Yes: they are among the most represented breeds in urolith databases in Canada, the United States and Ireland. In a large Canadian dataset calcium oxalate stones were by far the most common in males and struvite in females; in dogs, struvite mostly follows a urinary infection. The type is confirmed by analysing the stone, and the diet depends on it, so your vet chooses it.
More than in any other breed in UK veterinary records: Bichons had about 6 times the odds of crossbreeds, and around 1 in 100 Bichons under veterinary care had the diagnosis in a year. It is often noticed through a bigger appetite, more drinking and a pot belly in dogs over 7. If you see these signs, talk to your vet rather than changing the portions.
We found no study showing that Bichons react to chicken more often than other breeds. In dogs with documented food reactions, the most common allergens are beef and dairy, followed by chicken and wheat. The only way to find out whether a dog reacts to a food is an elimination diet set up by your vet, lasting at least 8 weeks.
No study shows that one format is better for this breed: what matters is that the food is complete and the portion is right. Wet food contains much more water, so for the same calories the portion in grams is about three times that of kibble. If your vet has prescribed a dietetic food, follow that advice.
Written by the Pappa Fresh editorial team from published veterinary studies (see sources). Not a substitute for your vet's advice.
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