English Bulldog nutrition: weight, breathing and skin folds

An English Bulldog's diet has one main job: keeping the dog lean. Extra body fat is linked to worse breathing in this breed, and it adds load to joints that are often abnormal from the start. The breed is also not very active, which leaves little room for surplus calories. The American Kennel Club's breed page puts adult males at about 50 pounds (23 kg) and females at about 40 pounds (18 kg), with a life expectancy of 8 to 10 years.

How the short airway affects eating

The English Bulldog is an extreme brachycephalic breed. Its shortened skull comes with narrow nostrils, a long soft palate and a crowded upper airway. Breathing and swallowing share the same throat, so many Bulldogs eat in gulps with pauses to catch their breath.

Digestive signs often travel with airway disease. In a referral-hospital study of dogs treated for brachycephalic airway syndrome, 58 percent of the English Bulldogs had drooling, regurgitation or vomiting, and gastrointestinal signs improved after airway surgery across the study group (Kaye and colleagues, 2018). Only 12 Bulldogs were included, so the percentage is a pointer rather than a breed estimate. Regurgitation, where food comes back up without heaving, is worth reporting to a vet, particularly in a dog that also breathes noisily.

• Use a wide, shallow bowl or a slow feeder shaped for short faces, so the dog does not have to push its face deep into a bowl.
• Split the day's food into two or three smaller meals rather than one large one.
• Feed somewhere cool and quiet, and wait until the dog has stopped panting after exercise.

Keeping a Bulldog lean

Body fat and breathing are connected in this breed. Researchers who measured 604 Pugs, French Bulldogs and Bulldogs and graded their breathing found that Pugs and Bulldogs with higher body condition scores had a higher risk of brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (Liu and colleagues, 2017). Losing weight will not change the shape of the airway. Body fat is, however, one risk factor an owner controls.

Pack feeding guides cover a wide range of dogs and are a rough first estimate at best. Vets usually start from a formula. Resting energy requirement (RER) is 70 × body weight in kg raised to the power 0.75. A neutered adult dog's daily maintenance need is about 1.6 × RER, and an obesity-prone dog's about 1.4 × RER (Merck Veterinary Manual). Worked through for typical Bulldog weights, using the dog's ideal weight rather than its current one:

The Merck manual is clear that any calculated figure is only a starting point, to be adjusted to how the dog responds. Weigh the dog every few weeks, change portions in small steps, and count treats and toppers in the daily total.

A lean Bulldog has a visible waist from above. Its ribs can be felt under a thin layer of fat without pressing, and the belly tucks up slightly behind the ribcage. A dog that is the same width from shoulders to hips is carrying too much.

Skin folds, gas and diet

Skin fold dermatitis stands out in this breed. In UK primary-care records, English Bulldogs had 38 times the odds of a skin fold dermatitis diagnosis compared with other dogs (O'Neill and colleagues, 2022). Folds trap warmth and moisture, so the main control is cleaning and drying them, the face folds and the tail pocket in particular. Diet plays a supporting part.

• A complete diet first. A complete and balanced food already supplies the essential fatty acids and zinc that skin needs. Do not add zinc without a diagnosis, because too much zinc is toxic.
• Recurring infections. Fold infections that keep returning despite good cleaning should go back to the vet. Skin disease has several possible causes, allergy among them, and food allergy is diagnosed with a strict elimination diet trial (see the guide to food allergies in pets).

Flatulence

Some gas comes with the breed, and part of it is swallowed air. Very frequent or foul gas more often has a dietary cause.

• Fermentable fiber. Peas, beans, lentils, chicory root and inulin are fermented by bacteria in the large intestine, and fermentation produces gas. Foods built heavily on them can make a Bulldog gassier.
• Eating speed. A slow feeder cuts the amount of air swallowed with each meal.
• Sudden switches. Change foods gradually over about a week.
• Probiotics. Often tried, but evidence that they reduce flatulence in dogs is limited.

Gas together with diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss or a change in appetite is a reason to see a vet rather than change food again.

Joints in a front-heavy breed

Bulldogs carry most of their weight at the front, and their joints are often malformed. In a Finnish study of 28 English Bulldogs, the dogs carried about two-thirds of their body weight on their front legs. X-rays found elbow dysplasia in 48 percent of the elbow joints examined and severe hip dysplasia in 55 percent of hip joints, and a third of the dogs examined had a slipping kneecap (Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica, 2020). The group was small, but orthopedic problems were common across it.

• Lean body weight. Every kilogram of fat is load that dysplastic hips and elbows have to carry.
• Omega-3 fatty acids. A 2022 meta-analysis of 72 trials in dogs and cats with osteoarthritis found clear evidence of pain relief from omega-3-enriched diets and omega-3 supplements. The same review found no meaningful effect from glucosamine and chondroitin products and advised against recommending them for osteoarthritis pain (Barbeau-Grégoire and colleagues). Ask the vet for a dose based on the dog's weight.
• Puppies. Feed a complete puppy food, keep the puppy lean rather than round, and do not add calcium supplements.

Choosing a food format

• Kibble size. Small to medium kibble is easier to pick up with an undershot jaw. The same UK records showed English Bulldogs with 24 times the odds of mandibular prognathism, the jaw shape behind the underbite.
• Wet food. A spoonful of wet food on kibble can make a meal more appealing. Count it in the day's calories, and match its protein source to the main food if the dog has a sensitive stomach.
• Teeth. Those records also showed English Bulldogs with lower odds of a periodontal disease diagnosis than other dogs. Teeth still need checking at each vet visit.

Foods and treats to limit

• Treats. Keep them a small share of the day's calories and reduce meals to match.
• Fatty scraps. Cheese, bacon, fried food and fatty meat trimmings can cause stomach upsets and are a recognized trigger for pancreatitis in dogs.
• Rawhide and hard chews. Large pieces bitten off and swallowed can cause choking or a blockage. Supervise all chews.

Sources

1. Relationship between brachycephalic airway syndrome and gastrointestinal signs in three breeds of dog. Journal of Small Animal Practice, 2018.
2. Conformational risk factors of brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) in pugs, French bulldogs, and bulldogs. PLOS ONE, 2017.
3. Nutritional Requirements of Small Animals. Merck Veterinary Manual.
4. English Bulldogs in the UK: a VetCompass study of their disorder predispositions and protections. Canine Medicine and Genetics, 2022.
5. Radiographic findings have an association with weight bearing and locomotion in English bulldogs. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica, 2020.
6. A 2022 Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Enriched Therapeutic Diets and Nutraceuticals in Canine and Feline Osteoarthritis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2022.
7. Bulldog Dog Breed Information. American Kennel Club.