What Can Pugs Eat? The Dos and Don’ts of Feeding My Pug
Has it ever happened that you made a sweet treat for your pug that caused him an allergy? Or it ate a drop of some ingredient in the kitchen rushing to the vet? Don’t worry! We’re here for the rescue. This article guides about what can pugs eat!
Pugs are little vacuum cleaners that eat almost anything and everything at their disposal. This article will dive deep into what pugs can eat and what you should avoid. Moreover, we will also discuss the healthy diet portion briefly. Hold tight!
Understanding Your Pug’s Nutritional Needs
What can pugs eat is a common question one asks when laying their hands on them. But, do you know that apart from knowing what can pugs eat, an important question is their nutritional needs ? An adequate amount of food and calories is essential to ensure proper growth.
Moreover, the amount of food fed per day depends on your dog’s age, body weight, daily activity, and metabolism. Even with a slight deviation from the right amount of food and calories, your pug might suffer certain health conditions.
What Can Pugs Eat: Essential Nutrients
What can pugs eat? You may think that you can offer them canned food. Oh! It has preservatives. Now what? Should you give them home food? But what can be fed in home-cooked food?
Pugs can have a certain amount of fat and proteins. Pugs can obtain all of it from lamb and chicken, fish, beef, or turkey. You can also serve them with natural flavors and preservatives occasionally.
What Can Pugs Eat: Serving Size
As suggested, you should feed a puppy pug aged between 3 to 6 months three times a day. For dry food, 1/3 of a cup per meal is enough. If you feed them wet-canned food, 4oz does the job. And if it is home-cooked food that you serve, 4 to 5% of their body weight is satisfactory.
Feeding a teenage pug aged 6 to 12 months twice daily would be best. If provided with dry food, 3/4 of a cup per meal works well. Moreover, if the pug feeds on wet-canned food, 9oz is enough. Above all, if you provide them with home-cooked food, 3–4% of their body weight is fair to middling.
An adult pug can be fed twice daily with a half cup of dry food per meal. For wet-canned food, 6oz is acceptable, whereas, for home-cooked meals, 2–3% of their body weight is good enough.
Feeding twice daily is ideal for a senior pug between 8 to 15 years of age. For dry food, 1/3 cup is enough per meal; it requires 4oz of wet-canned food. If you love feeding them home-cooked or raw meat, 2% of their body weight is sufficient.
What Can Pugs Eat?
Now that you’ve read about the ideal portions to feed your pug according to their age and weight, it is high time we talk about what can pugs eat. Pugs love to eat different varieties of foods, and learning about each of them is compulsory.
Kibble
Kibble is the most common dog food available in the market. It is an essential item of almost every household that owns a dog. The manufacturers claim to provide balanced and scientifically proven formulas as the best nutrition for the dog.
Kibble also manufactures formulas according to the dogs’ different breeds, sizes, and ages. Serving kibble to pugs is convenient as it is dry, and one can efficiently train pugs for a possible treatment as royalty with kibbles.
However, if you serve your pug with kibbles only, you might need to get a professional dental cleaning often. Kibbles are found oily and sticky, therefore, tend to stick to teeth.
Wet Canned Food
What is the difference between kibble and canned food? Have you ever wondered why pugs love to eat canned food? The apparent reason is their high water content and meaty texture. However, the ingredients and the benefits may be similar.
Home Cooked Food
If home-cooked food is good for the health of humans, why can’t it be a good choice for pugs and other animals too? Canned foods add preservatives and fillers to store them more extensively.
A benefit of home-cooked food is it is fresh from the oven. Moreover, You can tailor it to each pug and its body weight. The ingredients can be structured just as the pug likes them to be. Above all, it is preservatives free.
However, one has to learn to make food according to the taste of their pug. Moreover, it may cost you kidney purchasing and cooking daily. To make it nutritious, good ingredients are required, and buying one may break the bank.
Raw food
Raw food is also called Biologically Appropriate Raw Food (BARF). Since dogs are natural scavengers, they eat prey out in the wild. Therefore, the idea behind BARF is to provide them with nutrition equivalent to small animals in the comfort of their home.
However, learning to make it is a hassle. It is also possible you must travel to purchase bones and internal organs. Above all, purchasing frozen items may be more expensive, let alone the space in your freezer.
What Should Pugs Avoid
While we’ve talked about what pugs can eat, you should also know what needs to be avoided to ensure the adequate health of your pugs. Knowing what’s best for your cute little pug helps avoid you rushing to your vet in an emergency.
Preservatives
Many foods, especially canned foods, contain preservatives, additives, coloring, and flavors. Serving the pug with the right amount of these foods is just fine, but even a slight excess may harm the pug.
Animal Byproducts
Any animal byproduct that includes furs and hooves should also certainly be prevented. Animal byproducts are known to have high protein content, but little do you know that it does not benefit your pug in any way. Hence, such foods are a big no.
Generic Meat
Meat mills and generic meats, the source of which needs to be specified, should also be addressed. You only know what the condition of that meat is after it is supplied to you. Therefore, it is better to avoid such foods.
Corn
Moreover, corn of all types and forms, such as corn meal and gluten corn, grains such as oats, wheat, and barley, soybeans, are all hazardous for your little pets. You must ensure their safety by keeping them out of reach of the pug, as they can see and eat anything.
Onions and Garlic
Garlic and onion belong to the Allium family. These foods are dangerous for the health of your pug. Whether it is boiled or well cooked, it causes red cell damage; in severe cases, even death can occur.
Raisins and Grapes
Grapes and raisins are not harmful, but reports suggest that it causes kidney failure. Therefore, risking your pug’s life is not worth it. Vomiting and diarrhea, followed by dehydration, can be fatal for your pug; hence knowing what can pugs eat is necessary.
Chocolates
Chocolates contain Theobromine substance which makes your pet sick. If even a tiny amount of chocolate drops on the floor, wipe it clean before your pug hops in to lick it. Chocolates may lead to abnormal heartbeat, seizures, vomiting, and in severe cases, even death may occur.
We have attached a youtube video below. The video explains to you what can pugs eat and what shouldn’t you serve them in a better way.
FAQ
How Long Can a Pug Survive Without Food?
A pug can live up to 3 to 4 weeks without food. However, you should supply fresh water. But if you notice a change in its diet for up to 48 hours, you must contact your vet immediately.
Feeding Your Pug: Dos and Don’ts
While we discuss what can pugs eat, we must ensure that they have nutritious food. Adequate nutrition and timely feeding of your pugs help keep them in the pink of health. Proper portions according to age are essential.
However, avoid overeating in pugs as they munch around now and then. Overeating may lead to obesity and particular other health concerns. Avoid smoking in front of them if you do so.
Conclusion:
Now that you’ve read what pugs can eat, let’s give a brief overview. Pugs require proper food and calories to remain alive and kicking. Excessive eating and having the wrong items may lead to serious health concerns.
Therefore, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and food habits with a proper routine is essential. One must ensure to prevent them from munching foods hazardous for pugs. Food is an integral part of a pug’s life and directly affects its health and quality of life.
