Raw Deal: How To Help Your French Bulldog Keep A Raw Diet

Most dogs today should get their raw diets checked. Not all the time you could give them the diet they need to become healthy in their lifetime. The question now is, are you keeping up with it? Or having a hard time keeping up with the trendy raw diet for Frenchies nowadays? Well, this is your lucky day.

You’re in the perfect time to read this article and finish this until you’d be confident enough to keep feeding your precious Frenchie the raw diet it deserves. Let’s get deep into it.

The Raw Diet Basics

Benefits of A Raw Diet For French Bulldogs

This is just a review of what are the benefits of giving a raw diet to French Bulldogs:

Benefits of feeding your dog just raw food could include, but are not limited to:

  • Allergies are gone because of the shiny, silky coat.
  • Healthy skin.
  • Clean teeth and fresh breath.
  • Better energy
  • Smaller and more consistent stools.
  • Tear streaks are removed.
  • Gas and bloat in Frenchies are eliminated.

Downsides of a Raw Food Diet

  1. Dog bacterial infections

Salmonella and other germs that cause food poisoning in people and animals can be found on uncooked, raw meat.

Risks exist not only for your Frenchie but also for you. People with weakened immune systems can get infections even from minuscule trace amounts of interaction with the harmful bacteria that can be introduced into their feces from the raw meat.

  1. Choking risks

Dogs may choke on bones, have their teeth broken, or have internal damage from sharp fragments that lodge in the intestines.

  1. Unbalanced diet

Many people assume that when someone says that a dog is a carnivore, they mean that they only consume meat. This is untrue, and a diet consisting solely of meat might actually be harmful to their health.

An excessively meat-based diet can also lead to gout and uric acid stones in dogs, so it’s crucial to give your French Bulldog a balanced diet of grains, vegetables, and meat.

A French Bulldog’s raw diet should include fruit, vegetables, dairy (such as raw eggs and yogurt), and meat in addition to beef.

BARF Diet Meaning

The term BARF means  “Biologically Appropriate Raw Food” and “Bones and Raw Food”.  Dr. Ian Billinghurst, a veterinarian, and nutritionist, founded the movement with the idea of feeding dogs a raw diet made up of fresh, unprocessed, and wild meats and greens.

The reason why Billinghurst made this movement is that the diet supports the genetic makeup of domesticated dogs. Dogs in the wild only ate raw meat to become sturdy and strong for the whole of their lifetime.

This raw diet is low in carbs, moderate in fat, and high in protein.

Best Raw Cooking Practices

French Bulldog raw dog food preparation is a laborious process that demands attention to detail at every stage:

  1. Never combine raw pet and human food storage. As a precaution against cross-contamination, prepare and keep raw pet food apart from food intended for human consumption. Prepare your food and your dog’s food using different cutting boards and cooking implements.
  2. Only wash produce; don’t wash raw meat. Contrary to common opinion, raw food should not be rinsed or washed because doing so increases the danger of cross-contamination and the spread of pathogens. According to the USDA, meat and poultry are cleaned during processing, therefore additional washing is not necessary.
  3. Never microwave or defrost frozen raw dog food. Do not defrost in water as this could cause nutrients to leak into the surrounding water. Moreover, avoid microwaving uncooked meals. The meal will be cooked; defrost any raw ingredients on a countertop or in the refrigerator. Maintain a 35 °F minimum temperature in the refrigerator. Bacteria grow most quickly in the “Danger Zone,” which is defined as a range of temperatures between 40 and 140 °F, according to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
  4. Clean the dining area of your dog before, during, and after cooking. The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) advises washing your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water. After every use, wash surfaces, cutting boards, feeding bowls, and kitchen tools like knives in hot, soapy water. Avoid wiping your dishes with the same dishrag you use to wash them to prevent contaminating them with raw food particles.

Raw Food

Raw Diet Plan (Raw Dog Food Nutritional Guidelines)

Around 25% to 75% of a diet consisting only of raw meat is a suitable starting point, with the remainder coming from vegetables, vitamins, bones, and organ meat.

This amount of meat is significantly influenced by your dog’s age, size, and degree of energy. Once they have matured above the puppy stage, adult Frenchies typically only require 25% to 50% meat in their diet.

Ask your veterinarian for a good advise on portion size for your dog. They can also give you a decent estimate of how much raw meat to feed them and explain the advantages and disadvantages of a raw food diet.

Raw Diet Recipes And Tips Your Frenchie Will Love

Here are three raw diet recipes that we recommend that your Frenchie will love:

Raw dog food mealplan #1

  • Lean ground beef
  • Green lipped mussel powder 
  • Beef kidney
  • Beef feet
  • Turkey hearts
  • Herb blend
  • Vitamin E

High fiber raw dog food mealplan #2

  • beef chunks
  • ground pork
  • sardine
  • rabbit feet
  • organ grind (beef liver, pork kidney, plus 20% beef heart)
  • herb blend
  • mushroom powder
  • local bee pollen
  • vitamin E

Active days: high fat raw dog food meal idea

  • Ground beef
  • Beef heart
  • Pork fat
  • Duck egg
  • Duck feet
  • Pork liver
  • Pork kidney
  • Mushroom powder
  • Green lipped mussel powder
  • Super Cube (herbs+veg).

Conclusion

A raw diet for French bulldogs is a must since they are mostly carnivores (but also, they need veggies for nutrients, too!) However, owners should still get a proper idea of what BARF is and what it could do, and also how to help their pups keep a raw diet throughout their lifetime. Your dog deserves the food it needs to live a long and healthy life, so you should start helping them by helping your French Bulldog keep a raw diet. We hope this article would help you to provide the things your Frenchie needs (trust us, they will thank you a lot for it!).

FAQS

Are dog supplements good for my French Bulldog?

Given that Frenchies are prone to digestive difficulties, it’s crucial to add good supplements (like probiotics) to your dog’s diet. Probiotics support the gut’s healthy bacterial balance, which is essential for digestion and immunity.

How much BARF food should I feed my dog?

Dogs should typically consume 2-5% of their body weight in raw food each day. This will change depending on the dog’s level of energy and activity.

How to tailor the BARF diet for your Frenchie?

Chicken breast meat (without the skin), and various fish, such as salmon, and beef are the foods that Frenchies enjoy the most. Avoid fats such as raw bacon. I advise cutting a meal into bite-sized pieces before you serve the main course.

How to Transition Your French Bulldog To A Raw Diet

You should progressively switch the food over a period of 3 to 14 days (average 7 days). If your Frenchie experiences stomach discomfort, you’re definitely altering their food too frequently. Slow down.