What to feed your pug: natural diet, ready-made food, mixed food

Basic rules for feeding a pug

Due to the tendency to obesity, the dog should not be overfed. No matter how pitiful she looks, you cannot give her pieces from the table. There are two feeding options - natural and using ready-made animal products. Each type has its own advantages and disadvantages.

What type of food to choose

We can definitely say that everyone loves pugs.
But thoughtless feeding is a direct path to obesity, gastrointestinal problems and allergies. You will have to pay a large amount for treatment. Important! You can contact a veterinarian - a specialist will create the correct diet and tell you how to prevent the development of diseases.
You need to choose food based on the needs of the pet and the owner’s employment. The natural diet consists of raw meat. It can be cut and stored in portioned bags; they will have to be thawed first.

Dry food is easier to use - just pour the granules into a bowl. The dosages are written on the packaging. You can add wet food. There are therapeutic lines for allergy sufferers, dogs with gastrointestinal and kidney problems.

There are debates about the usefulness of a particular diet among veterinarians and breeders. It is impossible to say unequivocally which is better. Therefore, you should focus on the pug’s health (does he have food allergies and other problems) and personal convenience.

What do they eat at 2 weeks of age?

By the second week of life, puppies' needs for formula increase, but they still cannot digest lactose. Therefore, it is optimal to continue using bitch milk substitutes.

For example:

• Bosch Puppy Milk milk replacer for dogs;
• Royal Canin Babydog Milk;
• Canina Welpenmilch and others.

The amount of the finished mixture is doubled. The feeding regimen remains the same.

In cases where it is not possible to use a ready-made mixture, it is possible to use heated goat’s milk with a quail egg yolk added to it. The need to add an egg is explained by the fact that bitch milk has a much higher percentage of fat content than goat milk.

Natural products

Feeding a pug is a difficult task. The pet should receive a balanced diet that will provide it with all the important vitamins and minerals.

You can't give your dog human food - it's a shortcut to obesity

Contrary to popular belief, natural nutrition is not porridge and buns. 70% of the diet consists of different types of raw meat. The remaining 10% are various healthy additives (eggs, cottage cheese, oils).

Permitted and prohibited products

You can’t eat flour, sweet, spicy, fatty foods, in a word, everything that a person eats. Many owners like to make fun of their pet. For example, a pug in the form of food (in a hot dog or bun costume) will definitely attract attention. But they cannot eat such food - this causes problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

The diet of an adult pug consists of the following foods:

• raw meat, offal, sea fish;
• dairy products;
• raw vegetables in small quantities;
• quail eggs;
• vegetable oils.

Some breeders recommend feeding boiled porridge, but their amount should not exceed 20% of the daily diet.

Menu for the week

When planning your diet, you need to consider the serving size. Veterinarians recommend paying attention to your pet’s weight: the daily norm is 3-4% of the dog’s weight. An adult pet is fed twice a day.

Sample menu for a pug for a week (natural food):

• Monday - minced meat with a spoon of Greek yogurt, beef liver with grated carrots;
• Tuesday - chopped beef with a teaspoon of vegetable oil, chicken hearts;
• Wednesday - sea fish, a portion of cottage cheese;
• Thursday - chicken gizzards with cottage cheese, beef heart;
• Friday - lungs with quail egg, chicken fillet;
• Saturday - cottage cheese with yogurt, tripe;
• Sunday - beef kidneys, chicken fillet with vegetable oil.

This is a sample list. Do not feed pork (high risk of parasites) or lamb (too fatty). Do not overfeed your pet.

What to include in your daily diet

It is not always easy for an owner to understand how to feed a pet correctly. Approximately 70% of the daily value is protein. Meat, cottage cheese, fish are suitable. Can pugs have milk? Yes, you can, at any age. The only exception is intolerance to the product, then fermented milk products are given instead.

Fats are also needed for full development - approximately 10% of the entire diet. It is advisable to add carbohydrates, for example, boiled porridge - this is approximately 10-20%.

Berries can be given as a treat even in the absence of allergies.

Parts can be varied. A small puppy should eat 6 times a day, gradually reducing the number of servings.

Important! You should not overfeed the animal, otherwise it will develop obesity.

Natural diet

When choosing natural food for a pug, the owner faces a number of difficulties, since he will have to independently create a balanced menu, calculate the serving size and provide additional nutrition to the animal with vitamin complexes.

Often suffering from obesity and allergies, Pugs will eat anything in sight. It is difficult for the owners to refuse a baby who looks pitifully at them with his beady eyes. Here is an example of such behavior!

Feeding your pug regular food is strictly prohibited.

The diet must include:

1. Meat and meat products – at least half of the daily portion. It could be beef, rabbit or turkey;
2. Cereals make up almost a quarter of the diet. Usually they use rice, buckwheat or oatmeal, focusing on the pet’s taste;
3. Dairy products. About 20% should be fermented milk products. Interestingly, it is recommended that pugs be given low-fat milk in their diet. It helps cope with heartburn, which often torments dogs;
4. Fish – boiled or raw, but strictly without bones;
5. Fruits and vegetables. Vegetables are given stewed, fruits are given raw.

Meat and dairy products should not be given at the same feeding. This will lead to gastrointestinal upset.

Dogs do not need a varied diet, the main principle is balance. During the week, the owner should change cereals, leaving about 60% meat in the diet and adding various vegetables.

Ready-made feed

It is difficult for an inexperienced owner to decide what to feed a pug puppy. Feed is a good option as it contains protein, vitamins, and minerals. This diet is completely balanced. But this only applies to super-premium and holistic food.

How much and how often to feed

Each manufacturer indicates the recommended dose on the package. For example, Royal Canin for Pugs is designed for a dog weighing 10 kg, so its daily requirement is 108 g. As in the case of natural food, food is given to an adult dog twice a day.

Is it possible to combine dry food and natural food?

It is undesirable, as there may be an excess of vitamins or minerals. This negatively affects the pet's condition. A pet must have a balanced diet, especially during childhood, otherwise it will not live long.

Feed comparison

Conventionally, four groups of feed can be distinguished: economy, premium, super-premium, holistic. They differ in composition.

Product price and place of sale do not mean high quality

To understand what to feed an adult pug, you need to carefully study the features of ready-made food groups:

It is impossible to say which brand is definitely the best. There are different opinions among the owners; some consider it correct to feed only natural food, while others think it is correct to feed them with food. Industrial products are convenient because the package says exactly how much granules to give your pet.

Vitamins and mineral supplements

Ready-made food contains all the necessary vitamins and mineral supplements, so with this type of feeding there is no need to purchase additional medications.

A natural diet is not able to fully provide the body of a growing baby with vital elements.

Remember! It is recommended to purchase any vitamin and mineral supplements only in specialized stores; the name and dosage depend on the age and physiological state of the puppy and are determined by a veterinarian.

With proper feeding, clumsy cute lumps grow into healthy, cheerful pugs with proper bones and muscles, shiny coat and excellent health.

How to feed a pug puppy

From 1.5 months, the baby can be on a full diet. He is fed 6 times a day in small portions. The first rule of feeding a baby is balance, the second is usefulness, and the third is regularity.

Puppies need proper nutrition

What foods should be in the diet

Puppies can be given the same food as adult dogs. Raw meat - beef, chicken, turkey and other lean types. Be sure to add fats and grains.

Diet regimen (frequency of feedings and volume of daily portion):

• up to 2 months - 6 times a day, 100 g;
• 2-4 months - 4 times a day, 120 g;
• 4-6 months - 3 times a day, 140 g;
• from 6 months - 2 times a day, approximately 150 g.

The portion is adjusted according to weight; for puppies it can be increased slightly, up to 5-6% of weight.

How many times a day is it possible?

Immediately after birth, puppies eat very often. The rest of the time they sleep. If the litter is entirely bottle-fed, there are two feeding plans for pug puppies.

In the “on demand” mode, the mixture is given at the moment when the puppies begin to behave restlessly. However, this regime is extremely difficult for the breeder, due to the uneven load throughout the day.

It is much more productive to use the “time-based” mode. In the first week, puppies need to be fed every 2 hours during the day and about 3 times at night. For example, starting in the morning at 6, at 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, and then at 23, 2 in the morning, 4 in the morning. At the rate of ½ teaspoon of dry mixture per puppy per feeding.

Nutrition for older dogs

The condition for a long life is good nutrition. After seven years, the diet is made less calorie, reducing the percentage of proteins and fats. Sample list of products:

• meat or fish - 50%;
• porridge - 30%;
• other - 20%.

There are tons of step-by-step tutorials out there that show you how to prepare formula for pugs.

There are food lines for older pets

Is it possible to give only this?

Ready-made complete feeds already take into account all the characteristics of the breed and select the ideal balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Feeding only dry food is often practiced by owners. And by following the portion sizes recommended by the manufacturer, you can avoid significant health problems such as obesity.

Due to the brachiocephalic structure of the skull, when feeding wet ready-made rations, most of the muzzle ends up in the food. However, you should not completely exclude canned food from the menu. This problem can be solved by mixing dry and wet food.

A separate nutrition option is to use only natural products. The advantage is that the exact composition of the contents of the bowl is known, and if an allergy occurs, it is easier to exclude a certain component.

The downside is the fact that if the balance of food components is not maintained, your pug will gain weight very quickly. Also, in the case of such feeding, it is necessary to regularly donate blood to check the ratio of calcium and phosphorus in the body.

Leading food manufacturers have special breed lines that take into account the characteristics and needs of pugs.

If a dog refuses to eat: reasons

A pug may not eat for a variety of reasons. For example, because he is spoiled. Then it’s enough to remove the bowl for a day; if after that he doesn’t eat, then you should worry.

Refusal to eat occurs against the background of infectious diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, and heat stroke. In any case, your pet should be shown to a veterinarian.

Important! If a dog is bitten by a tick, then lethargy and refusal to eat are signs of piroplasmosis, and you should urgently consult a doctor.

The appearance of an animal in the house is a joyful event. To prevent the issue of organizing your pet’s nutrition from becoming painful, it is better to familiarize yourself with all the intricacies before purchasing a pug.

From 3 to 7 months

During this period of time, the kitten is actively developing. The puppy is already able to absorb a large portion at a time, this is the standard. The number of meals reaches up to four times a day. During the first and second meals, offer the puppy: kefir, cottage cheese with honey, vegetables, pieces of dark bread, fruit, quail eggs, herring (if the pet begins to eat).

During the third and fourth feedings, lean meat is prepared. Suitable: beef, hare, poultry, rabbit. The student may like lamb. There is no need to feed your puppy pork due to its high fat content. Meat is allowed to alternate occasionally with boiled fish. A seven-month-old puppy is gradually transferred to a three-times-a-day feeding schedule, and the amount of food offered should be enough to satiate.

Obesity is a serious disease

The pug is a big fan of tasty food. Dogs of this breed, as a rule, eat absolutely everything, to the last crumb, regardless of the size of the portion. Additionally, these animals like to beg for food between feedings, but this behavior should not be encouraged. Never give your pet snacks between meals. Failure to comply with these rules most often becomes the cause of obesity.

A healthy animal that receives a balanced diet is a dense, muscular dog with no signs of obesity. Failures in the feeding regime provoke heart and vascular diseases, which shortens the life expectancy of a pug. Get into the habit of weighing your pug monthly. This will help you monitor his weight and, if necessary, adjust his diet and quality of nutrition.

At the first signs of excess weight, reduce the portion size, consult a veterinarian and gradually switch him to diet food.

Pugs are smart and kind companions. By providing your dog with proper care and a healthy and balanced diet, you will enjoy spending time with your affectionate and friendly four-legged friend for a long time.