Yarf yarf! My name’s Polly and I’m a pug dog and I’m here to tell you that it’s important to feed us the right kind of food.
Pugs dogs are one of the cutest breeds of dog that you can find, but they are also prone to certain health problems that are exaggerated by diet.
That’s right, even though we pugs are super cute, we can put on weight very quickly if fed the wrong diet. Are you noticing that your pug is putting on weight and having trouble walking?
Well, chances are you are feeding it the wrong type of food, which will only increase your pug’s aches and pains as time goes on.
However, as a dog myself, I can give you, the dog owner, some very accurate information when it comes to what you should feed your pug. Getting dog food with plenty of proteins and vitamins but with fewer carbohydrates and calories will be very important to keeping us healthy.
Giving your dog the right consistency of food is also very important, as many of us pugs have very little mouths and are only able to ingest smaller qualities of food. Natural ingredients will also preserve the levels of nutrients that go into our bodies.
But what are the best dog foods for pugs? What ingredients should this food have to give us all the energy that we need to go about our daily walks? How much can you be expected to pay for decent dog food for your four-legged canine companion?
Well, dog-owners the world over will not have to worry, as me and some of my pug friends have gotten together and compiled a list of some of our favorite dog foods currently on the market.
We also have a buyer’s guide that will give you all the information that you need for finding the perfect dog food, along with some frequently asked questions.
1. Royal Canin Bulldog Dog Food
[amazon fields=”B006HKAI90″ value=”thumb” image_size=”large”]
Our first dog food might not be aimed at pug dogs in particular, but it is good for a very similar breed, that being the bulldog.
This food is tailor-made for smaller dogs, which will help them chew despite their smaller mouths. This will promote healthy digestion and introduce plenty of intestinal flora – introducing the Royal Canin Bulldog Dog Food.
This dog food comes with plenty of omega-three fatty acids that will promote joint health and give us that extra glossy coat.
You may or may not know that we pugs do suffer incredibly with knee problems in later life, it being an unfortunate genetic abnormality. So it is important that we keep our joints healthy and happy.
This will help you to protect your dog’s immune system, with plenty of vitamins that will keep sickness at bay. This will also make sure that your dog’s digestive system is running smoothly, which can often be an issue for dogs with smaller stomachs.
Pros
- This dog food is medically-graded and recommended by veterinarians. It uses a lot of natural whole ingredients that will go very easy on your dog’s digestion.
- There are a lot of antioxidants in this food, preventing me and my other puppy pals from suffering from any respiratory or cold and flu sicknesses.
- This kibble is some of the tastiest I have ever eaten, coming in a dry form that won’t give your dog any diarrhea or other intestinal issues, with plenty of nice solid stools.
- This is great for dogs with smaller mouths to chew, which will often be very important for better digestion and getting your dog full of nutrients and minerals, especially when their appetite is poor.
Cons
- Dry texture – this might be difficult for some pooches who are experiencing problems with their digestion and might have lost their appetite.
[amazon box=”B006HKAI90″]
2. Wellness Natural Small Breed Dog Food
[amazon fields=”B01LZ4Q9ZX” value=”thumb” image_size=”large”]
This next dog food for pugs is another very delicious meal, containing antioxidant-rich fruit and vegetables that will really energize your pug.
This is perfect for smaller stomachs, with plenty of natural ingredients that won’t aggravate any inflammation in the digestive tract – introducing the Wellness Natural Small Breed Dog Food.
This dog food does not contain any yucky artificial additives, so that’s no soy, wheat or corn, all of which will certainly make everything a lot more painful. This contains a lot of natural high-protein meats that are good for your smaller dog’s muscles and joints.
This dog food will support your dog’s immune system, so if you want to stop us from getting sick, then please feed us something natural and organic.
We smaller pugs also have plenty of energy, so to keep us awake and alive for the entire day, you should give us food that will optimize energy transfer.
Pros
- This has plenty of antioxidants, as well as a high level of natural ingredients that you can be certain will boost your dog’s immune system.
- This is great for the condition of your dog’s coat as well as the overall health of their gums and teeth – both of which are very important for getting us dogs to chew and swallow our food.
- This dog food is expertly balanced to give a dog everything that it needs, from high energy levels to a glossy coat and good joints.
- Having enough essential oils in dog food is very important for keeping a pug’s joints healthy, which are often negatively affected by genetics, especially as they get older.
Cons
- Some dog owners have complained that their pooch doesn’t not like the taste of this food – although I know a few dogs that are very fussy when it comes to their dinner!
[amazon box=”B01LZ4Q9ZX”]
3. Purina Beneful IncrediBites Dry Dog Food
[amazon fields=”B006FS0NR6″ value=”thumb” image_size=”large”]
This next dog food is one that is made with 100% real beef, closely imitating that natural diet that their ancestors would have had.
This dog food contains nutrient-rich fiber and other goodness that will boost your pug’s immune system as well as keeping them bouncing throughout the day – introducing Purina Beneful IncrediBites Dry Dog Food.
These bites are perfect for your dog’s small mouth, so they can eat smaller portions over time, allowing them to ingest all the deliciousness of their meal. There are around 27 grams of protein in every bite of this kibble, just the right amount for a pug to maintain healthy bones and teeth.
This dog food is also very reasonably priced, so if you are someone who is constrained to a budget, then we would recommend that you pick up a bag of this food to try out.
This dog meal contains farm-raised beef, which will be perfect for giving your small dog all that delicious and healthy animal protein.
Pros
- This food contains only the very best beef produce, which will closely mimic your dog’s diet in the wild. It is important that you have as many organic ingredients as possible for you and your beast.
- However, for a dog like me that simply loves their veggies, this dog food is also great, giving us all the nutrients that we need to keep our bones, teeth and gums nice and healthy.
- This dog food comes in a bite-size design that is very amenable to dogs with small mouths, which is actually very important for dogs that experience digestive issues.
- This dog food is also designed to promote a dog’s metabolism, which will keep your pug thin, which is important for a breed that puts on weight easily.
Cons
- The price – this is one of the more expensive brands of dog food, so you should only invest in this if you want only the highest quality ingredients for your dog’s diet.
[amazon box=”B006FS0NR6″]
4. Eagle Pack Natural Dry Dog Food
[amazon fields=”B00K0E8YDQ” value=”thumb” image_size=”large”]
This next food is a particularly scrumptious one, with plenty of natural ingredients and absolutely no harmful additive or artificial flavorings.
When it comes to having the best for your dog’s overall health, then a dog food that goes organic is perfect – introducing the Eagle Pack Natural Dry Dog Food.
This dog food has been highly engineered by human scientists to provide the optimal protein, carbohydrate and mineral balance for your animal. It’s also very delicious too! This also contains plenty of fatty acids, which will be very important to maintaining your pug’s general joint health.
The omega acids in this dog food also promote healthy skin, giving your pug that lustrous quality that will make a lot of us other pugs very jealous!
This dog food comes with performance-enhancing nutrition, meaning that your dog will be able to stay out and get a lot more exercise than before!
Pros
- This dog food is made from all-natural ingredients, with very few artificial elements that could indeed damage your dog’s delicate digestive system.
- It boasts having full-body health, so whether your dog has aching joints or erosion in the teeth, then you can expect a noticeable improvement after using it for a few months.
- This also gives your dog a much healthier immune system, so if you have an older pug that you worry might get sick, give them this chum to improve their resistance to sickness.
- This dog food comes in delicious chicken and pork flavor, it will be simply irresistible to dogs like me who absolutely love that flavor.
Cons
- Some dog owners have complained that this dog food has triggered a severe allergic reaction in their pups. You should check with your veterinarian before changing your dog’s food.
[amazon box=”B00K0E8YDQ”]
5. Bella Natural Small Breed Dry Dog Food
[amazon fields=”B01MXKN1V8″ value=”thumb” image_size=”large”]
Well, when it comes to taste and goodness, I have definitely saved one of the best until last, with dog food that uses only whole organic ingredients.
It comes in a small dry kibble that will not only be easy for your dog to chew but will be very lenient on its digestive tract – introducing the Bella Natural Small Breed Dry Dog food.
This kibble comes in a wide variety of different flavors, chicken beef, chicken beef and smoked bacon, chicken turkey and smoked bacon.
This is great if you have a particularly fussy pug. I know that I personally love the taste of the turkey with smoked bacon and a lot of my other puppy pals agree!
This dog food contains a blend of antioxidants that certainly helps to promote the best immune system in a dog.
This is also designed to be able to cope with the higher metabolism of a smaller dog, not having too many carbohydrates that a small dog might find more difficult to cope with.
Pros
- The flavor palette – this might be one of the best dog foods for a range of fussy dogs, you can pick whatever flavor that you think your pooch will prefer.
- This dog food is brimming with natural and organic ingredients, encouraging optimum nutrient and energy transfer into your dog.
- The manufacturer of this dog food boasts that this will actually increase the lifespan of a lot of smaller dogs – that’s all the endorsement that I need to hear!
- You can many weights and sizes for this dog food, which is great if you fancy paying less and buying in bulk.
Cons
- A few dog owners have complained that the food was expired when it arrived! This is not good, as us pugs really can tell the difference between fresh and out-of-date food.
[amazon box=”B01MXKN1V8″]
Best Dog Food For Pugs Buyer’s Guide
When it comes to energy levels, us pugs are some of the liveliest dogs around.
For a dog that expends a lot of energy, we’ll need plenty of the right kinds of food to ensure that we’ll have the optimum energy levels to see us through the day.
We also have a tendency to overeat, which is why we’ll need a low amount of calories and the exact balance of carbs and proteins. Here are a few of the dietary requirements that we pug dogs will need:
Crude Protein
You’ll need to make sure that your pug gets a high degree of crude protein, at least 22% of all our meals should contain this, especially as we’re growing from puppies to adult dogs.
Because of our energy levels, we need as much animal protein as possible to help our muscles growing and stop us from putting on so much weight in the form of fat.
Keeping the protein levels higher than the carbs will also be very important for keeping our weight at a healthy level.
Complex Carbs
Having food that has slow-release carbs will ensure that we have energy levels to maintain us throughout the day.
This will also very very important for avoiding those spikes and crashes in blood sugar that could lead to far more problematic situations much later on.
Carbs and fiber should be somewhere around the 5% mark of a dog’s diet. I would recommend that you get dog food that contains sweet potato, brown rice and other forms of slow-release carb energy – not only are they good for us, but they are also very tasty!
Fatty Acids
These essential oils are not only important for joint health, but they stop your dog’s fur from becoming dry and brittle, snapping and falling off over time. It will also prevent a lot of shedding, which is very important if you want to keep your house nice and tidy.
Your pug will also need plenty of crude fats, which you can get from fish oils and chicken fat. This is a great way to keep your animal’s energy levels up. You should have around 5% of this kind of fat for an adult dog and 8% for a puppy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Common Health Issues Do Pugs Suffer From?
Unfortunately, us pugs have a real genetic tendency to put on a lot of weight. If our diet is not carefully monitored and controlled then we can put on enough weight to cause mobility issues, as well as innumerable health concerns.
We can also experience hip dysplasia, in which our hips go out of alignment. This is also caused by increased weight. We also can experience misshapen vertebrae which can cause your pug to walk funny and leave them in an incredible amount of pain.
How Many Calories Should My Pug Ingest?
I would recommend that your pug have no more than 40 calories per pound of bodyweight that they have.
My owner weighs me regularly to keep track of my body mass, so I would recommend that you buy a scale for your dog so you can amend its calorie content if they put on weight.
Pugs only need to be fed twice a day, mostly due to the fact that they can put on so much weight so quickly.
If your pug is under 6 months old, then you should feed them 3 times a day in order to help them build the necessary muscle and fat for growth.
