An adult English Bulldog needs a complete food and a portion matched to its weight: for a neutered, moderately active Bulldog of 24 kg, that is about 767 kcal a day, or about 959 kcal if it is not neutered. It shares a name and a flat face with the French Bulldog, but not its profile: UK vets diagnose English Bulldogs with obesity more often than other dogs, and the breed is prone to two types of bladder stone. Once a Bulldog has had them, its diet is a decision for the vet.
There is no single best food for English Bulldogs, in the UK or anywhere else: like any adult dog, an English (or British) Bulldog needs a complete food, in the right amount for its weight. What sets it apart comes from the largest study available: VetCompass, the Royal Veterinary College programme that analyses UK vet records, compared 2,662 English Bulldogs with more than 22,000 dogs of other breeds seen by vets in 2016. Three findings matter most for feeding:
A fourth point affects only a minority of Bulldogs, but for them it changes everything: bladder stones.
The FCI standard, which mirrors the Kennel Club's, gives 25 kg for males and 23 kg for females; the American AKC standard is lighter, about 23 kg for males and 18 kg for females. In UK general practice the median adult English Bulldog weighed about 25.5 kg, but one in four was over 28.5 kg. The breed standard is clear on the point: a Bulldog should be well muscled, with ‘no tendency towards obesity’.
This is where the English Bulldog parts company with its cousin. French Bulldogs are diagnosed with obesity less often than other dogs (1.3% against 7.2%); English Bulldogs more often, with about 1.8 times the odds even after age, sex, neutering and other factors are taken into account. For English Bulldogs, surplus fat also weighs on the airway: in a University of Cambridge study of 201 English Bulldogs, one in three was obese, and each extra point on the body condition scale multiplied the odds of brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) by 1.56. In the French Bulldogs of the same study, that link did not show up.
Heat is the other reason to keep your Bulldog lean. In VetCompass data the English Bulldog had about 14 times the odds of heatstroke of a Labrador, and, across all breeds, dogs weighing at or above the average for their breed and sex had 42% higher odds. The practical yardstick is the WSAVA 9-point body condition scale: 4 to 5 is ideal, with ribs easy to feel under a thin layer of fat. A broad chest and skin folds fool the eye, so check with your hands rather than by looking.
In the VetCompass study, urinary disorders were more common in English Bulldogs than in other dogs (3.2% against 1.2%). Two types of stone are particularly linked to the breed:
For a Bulldog that has already had stones, diet is part of the treatment and your vet chooses it. The ACVIM consensus guidelines recommend limiting purines in dogs that form urate stones, naming Bulldogs specifically, and limiting animal protein in dogs that form cystine stones. Meat makes up more than half of each of our recipes, so they are not designed for these dogs: if your Bulldog has had urate or cystine stones, talk to your vet before changing its food. These recommendations concern dogs that have already had stones; if yours never has, simply keep it in mind at routine check-ups.
Many owners go looking for food for an English Bulldog with a sensitive stomach, but in UK general practice vomiting and diarrhoea were no more common in English Bulldogs than in other dogs (vomiting 2.8% against 3.0%, diarrhoea 3.5% against 3.8%). The digestive signs people notice in the breed are different and often mechanical: in a US study of 34 show English Bulldogs presumed to be healthy, belching and wind were more frequent than the reference values for healthy dogs. A short muzzle also means more swallowed air: in a study of 120 dogs seen for breathing or digestive signs and filmed on video X-ray while swallowing, aerophagia was found in 22 of the 32 flat-faced dogs, more than two in three, and in 26 of the other 88, fewer than one in three.
Then there is regurgitation, which is not the same as vomiting: food comes back up effortlessly, often right after a meal, and it has more to do with the airway and the oesophagus than with what is in the bowl. Among English Bulldogs operated on for BOAS at a UK university referral hospital, 7 in 12 had digestive signs such as drooling, regurgitation or vomiting. At mealtimes you can help by splitting the daily ration into several smaller meals and using a slow-feeder bowl, so less air goes down with the food. If your Bulldog regurgitates often, ask your vet to check its breathing too.
Every cause of gas in dogs and the warning signs to watch for: dog gas and flatulence, what to do.
Skin is the breed's real weak spot: in the VetCompass study 29.3% of English Bulldogs had at least one skin problem, against 12.4% of other dogs. Top of the list is skin fold dermatitis, recorded in 6.7% of Bulldogs against 0.2% of other dogs, about 38 times the odds: it develops in the folds of the face and around the tail and is a consequence of conformation, the folds themselves, rather than of diet. Your vet will show you how to keep the folds clean.
Allergies are a much smaller part of the picture. Atopic dermatitis and general ‘allergy’ diagnoses were about twice as common as in other dogs, but in absolute terms they affected few Bulldogs (2.0% against 1.1% and 2.9% against 1.6%). If your vet suspects a food allergy, the only way to confirm it is an elimination diet lasting at least 8 weeks, based on a protein your dog has never eaten.
Every Pappa Fresh recipe contains one meat and lists the percentage of each ingredient and the calories per 100 g on the label, so you can weigh a portion knowing exactly how many calories it holds:
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. On the Complete plan an English Bulldog of 24 kg gets through a 400 g pouch in less than a day, so an open pouch never sits in the fridge for long.
An adult English Bulldog of 24 kg, neutered and moderately active, needs about 767 kcal a day: with our Chicken recipe that is about 673 g, with the richer Beef recipe 564 g. If your Bulldog is not neutered, like most English Bulldogs in the UK data, the figure rises to about 959 kcal, or 841 g of Chicken. This feeding chart by weight covers the range around the breed standard, from 22 kg to 26 kg.
If you would rather keep some kibble in the bowl, there is the Mix plan (half the ration, alongside the kibble you already use) or the Topper (a quarter); for Bulldogs over 25 kg the quiz opens on the Topper. In a breed that gains weight easily, one rule matters: Mix and Topper replace part of the kibble, they are not added on top. For the method behind the numbers, see how much should a dog eat.
| Weight | Energy need (kcal/day) neutered / intact | Grams per day neutered / intact | Complete plan | Mix (½) | Topper (¼) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 kg | 718 / 898 | 630 g / 788 g | €11.41/day | €5.70/day | €2.87/day |
| 24 kg | 767 / 959 | 673 g / 841 g | €12.19/day | €6.22/day | €3.11/day |
| 26 kg | 814 / 1018 | 714 g / 893 g | €12.89/day | €6.45/day | €3.35/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, neutering and activity to get the exact portion, with 30% off your first order.
An adult English Bulldog of 24 kg, neutered and moderately active, needs about 767 kcal a day, which is about 673 g of chicken wet food; if it is not neutered, about 841 g. A neutered Bulldog of 26 kg needs about 714 g. These are estimates: the right portion also depends on your dog's body condition.
The FCI and Kennel Club standard gives 25 kg for males and 23 kg for females; the American AKC standard is lighter, about 23 kg and 18 kg. In UK vet records the median adult weight was about 25.5 kg. Body condition matters more than the number: ribs easy to feel, and a score of 4 to 5 on the WSAVA 9-point scale.
Check with your hands: you should feel the ribs easily under a thin layer of fat, and see a waist from above. Folds and a broad chest can hide extra weight. English Bulldogs are diagnosed with obesity more often than other dogs (9.5% against 7.1% in UK vet records), so it is worth asking your vet for a body condition score at each visit.
They tend to be. In a study of show English Bulldogs, belching and wind were more frequent than in healthy dogs, and flat-faced dogs swallow much more air when they eat. Smaller meals and a slow-feeder bowl can help your dog swallow less air. If wind comes with diarrhoea, vomiting or weight loss, see your vet.
Not necessarily. Food allergy is only one of many causes of itchy skin, and among dogs with documented food reactions chicken came third, after beef and dairy. Only an elimination diet supervised by your vet can tell you what your dog reacts to. Remember that turkey is poultry too.
Yes: some English Bulldogs carry a genetic mutation that predisposes them to urate stones, and the breed is also at higher risk of cystine stones, especially entire males. If your Bulldog has had stones, your vet will choose a specific diet, usually lower in purines or animal protein.
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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