Dry Kibble vs Wet Canned Food
In most instances, it is better to feed a Pug a dry kibble as opposed to a wet canned dog food. Dry kibble is much better for the teeth and wet dog food can lead to runny stools.
There are exceptions of course. If a Pug is missing teeth or otherwise cannot handle a completely dry meal, a bit of canned food can be mixed in. However, other methods can work better, which includes adding in a bit of low-sodium chicken or beef broth or even just a bit of water, allowing that to soak in for about 10 minutes, and warming the food.
How Often to Feed a Pug
Free feeding vs scheduled feeding:
Free feeding is the method of leaving out food to a dog to access as they wish. And, of course, scheduled feeding is the method of offering a certain number of meals at certain times.
With Pugs over the age of 12 weeks, scheduled feeding is highly recommended. This allows you to control how much your Pug eats which plays a big role in keeping this breed fit and healthy and dogs that are kept on schedules for feeding,
grooming, walks, and other aspects, are generally better behaved.
Pug puppies, age 8 weeks to 6 months:
Pug puppies should be fed 3 times a day, in the morning, midday, and in the evening. In addition to this, several healthy snacks should be given in between meals.
Pugs at 6 months and older:
Adolescent and adult Pugs can be fed 3 meals per day, many do well with this. This can help avoid issues with stomach bile being thrown up (it will look like a white or yellowish foam) due to an empty stomach and issues with eating too fast when a meal arrives. However, if you find that your Pug does not have much enthusiasm for a midday meal, you can switch to 2 meals per day. In either case, dry snacks should be given in between meals to tide a Pug over.
Tip:
It is the consumption of a meal that often triggers a bowel movement of the remains of a previous meal. So, if you find that your Pug's bowel movements are not in sync with when you can take them outside for bathroom needs, you can adjust meal times earlier or later by at least an hour or so.
How Much Food to Feed a Pug
Meals:
For manufactured food, how much you feed your Pug have depends on the exact brand. If you are feeding your Pug a trusted brand, trust the feeding instructions that are placed on the packaging. But, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Portion size is based on weight, so you need to know how much your Pug weighs, do not take a guess because it may be quite a few pounds less or more than you think.
- Feeding guidelines are based on healthy and active dogs. If a dog is sedentary, he will need fewer calories.
- It is assumed that several snacks are given.
- Amounts typically are for the day, not for a meal. Take the suggested portion and split this into however many meals you are giving your Pug, which should be 2 or 3.
Note
that suggested portions can vary wildly depending on the brand. For example, with Wellness Complete for Small Breeds (a brand we recommend), for dogs between 17 and 20 lbs. (7.7 to 9 kg) 1 cup to 1 and 1/4 cups per day is suggested. Compare this to Purina Pro Plan for Small Breeds (a brand with a less-than-impressive 3 star rating); for dogs between 13 to 20 lbs. (6 to 9 kg), 3/4 to 1 cup per day is suggested.
So for dogs at the 20-pound mark, we are looking at 1 and 1/4 cup vs just 1 cup.
Differences like this can sometimes be attributed to inferior food being packed with calories and therefore less is needed to meet calorie requirements and better foods having healthier ingredients with fewer calories and therefore a dog can eat more. This is the same principle as junk food vs healthy food.
If you are offering homecooked food, the amount per day can vary from 2/3 cup for puppies to 1+ cup for adults per day, and will depend on the exact ingredients and your
Pug's age, activity level, and individual metabolism. Typically, what a dog eats in 15-20 minutes is enough for that meal.
Snacks and Treats:
Snacks
are intended to help tide a puppy or dog over until the next scheduled meal and these should be dry. Pugs can learn to relentlessly beg for snacks, so it is best if these are scheduled as well. Aim to give your Pug 3 to 4 snacks a day, one between each of the 3 main meals and one after dinner.
Treats
refers to tidbits given as reward when training or to reinforce good behavior and these should be moist. If you stick to low-calorie options (more ahead), you can reward as needed for house training your Pug, command training, or any other training that you may be working on. If lots of rewards are given out these can replace of the the snacks you planned to give to your Pug.
Calorie Requirements
It’s understandable to be curious about how many calories your Pug requires. And this sort of question can be answered; however, meticulously counting calories is a stressful task that is generally not required. Even for adult
Pugs that are overweight, getting your dog back to a healthy weight will rarely involve strict calorie counting.
This said, growing puppies generally require 55 calories per pound of body weight and active adults generally require 40 to 45 calories per pound of body weight.
As a dog ages and transitions in the senior years there is a gradual slowing down of metabolism and a decrease in muscle mass, and this is usually accompanied by less activity. For this reason,
senior Pugs
often need a bit less food to maintain their weight, typically 40 calories per pound of body weight.
Note that these the exact calories a Pug needs will vary depending on activity level, age, health status, and individual metabolism.
Grains vs Grain-free
For the past few years, there have been some reports of dogs that are not prone to a certain heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) developing the disease and a suspected connection to a grain-free diet.
In 2018, it was thought that not all grain-free options were the problem, but rather that a BEG diet may be the link. This stands for boutique (small specialty brands) with exotic meats (non-traditional meats such as alligator, kangaroo, bison, ostrich, and venison), along with being grain-free and most likely with peas, legumes, and/or potatoes as one of the top five ingredients.
In July of 2019, the FDA released a list of the top 16 grain-free dog food brands that were possibly linked to the 524 cases of DCM:
Acana (67 reports)
Zignature (64 reports)
Taste of the Wild (53 reports)
4Health (32 reports)
Earthborn Holistic (32 reports)
Blue Buffalo (31 reports)
Nature’s Domain (29 reports)
Fromm (24 reports)
Merrick (16 reports)
California Natural (15 reports)
Natural Balance (15 reports)
Orijen (12 reports)
Nature’s Variety (10 reports)
Nutrisource (10 reports)
Nutro (10 reports)
Rachael Ray Nutrish (10 reports)
The total number of Pugs in the DCM reports are just two:
A 5 year old male that was eating Acana Lamb & Apples Single Formula and an 11 year old male that was eating Instinct Limited Ingredient Grain-free with Lamb. And the total number of dogs (all breeds) in the reports are 524. So while this is something that should be monitored and many more studies need to be done, it's important to keep in mind that this is a very small number compared to the estimated 77 million dogs in the U.S.
The latest update
is that there are no recalls at this moment that are linked to this issue. Many veterinarians are suggesting a diet with some wholesome gluten-free or low-gluten grains (like rice, quinoa, and/or oatmeal) for breeds prone to DCM (the Pug is not one of them) or in cases when owners are worried about this possible connection, and a diet with traditional meats (not exotic) for dogs that must be on a grain-free diet (mostly in cases of allergies).
The Best Food for Pug Puppies and Adults
What to Avoid:
Quite a few ingredients that are found in a lot of dog food brands can be severely detrimental to a Pug and cause everything from allergic reactions (itching, rashes, wheezing, running eyes, etc.) to serious health issues linked to long-term consumption including cancer.
- Synthetic preservatives including BHA, BHT, and TBHQ
- Artificial coloring dyes including Blue #2, Red #40, and Yellow #5 and #6
- Artificial flavoring including MSG
- Soy which can be listed as soy, soybeans, and soy meal.
- Corn which includes as corn germ meal, corn gluten meal, and corn bran
- High grain counts which includes high levels of wheat, oats, barley, and other cereal grains which may be listed as hominy feed. Rice can be an exception; with rice, the hull, bran layer, and cereal germ is removed and for this reason, rice is often tolerated very well.
- By-products which are animal body parts deemed unfit for human consumption and can include brain, lungs, undeveloped eggs, and more.
- Generic meats or oils which can legally include roadkill and deceased zoo animals.
What to Look For:
- All-natural preservatives; there are vitamin blends that work very well to preserve dog food and this often will show as mixed tocopherols.
- Natural flavoring
- Protein will come from wholesome animal sources including chicken, turkey, lamb, fish, bison, and beef. There will be no by-products or generic meats.
- If you offer grains, gluten-free grains are usually best.
- No other fillers or controversial additives.
- Helpful extras such as glucosamine and chondroitin (beneficial for joint health), omega-3, 6 (for healthy skin and coat), probiotics (for immune health) and antioxidants (to help prevent disease).
- Protein in the mid to high 30% range, carbs between 30 and 40%, healthy fats 15 to 20%, and fiber at 4 to 7%.
- Made in North America (includes USA and Canada)
Recommended Kibble:
Fortunately, there are some good choices. Some of the best food for Pugs includes:
Best Formulas with Grains:
1.
Wellness Complete Health for Small Breeds. This is a 100% all-natural kibble which means it has zero chemical preservatives or artificial additives. The base of this kibble is turkey and oatmeal which is easy on the stomach for most Pugs. There is also salmon, brown rice, peas, carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, blueberries, and apples. There are excellent levels of a wide-range of vitamins and minerals, good levels of omega-3 and 6, and glucosamine and chondroitin which are extremely beneficial joint supplements for Pugs. This is made in the US.
Note that this offers puppy and adult formulas as well as 'healthy weight' for Pugs that need to lose a few pounds, and a senior formula.
2.
Halo Natural Small Breed Chicken & Liver Recipe. This line of Halo offers holistic recipes. This one has non-GMO produce and meats that are antibiotic-free and hormone-free with factory-free farming. The grains in this are oatmeal and pearled barley which are generally known for being well-tolerated. This is sized ideally for Pugs, and has no artificial additives, by-products, or corn. And, this is made in the US.