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If you’re noticing lately that your french bulldog seems to always be hungry, no matter how much they eat, it can be concerning.
You know you’re feeding them the recommended amount, but they’re still constantly begging for more.
Is it normal for french bulldogs to always be hungry or is something wrong?
Why Is My French Bulldog Always Hungry:
It’s completely normal to see a french bulldog always hungry when they are going through a growth spurt or getting more exercise than they normally do. Other reasons for increased hunger that need to be looked into are poor digestion or an underlying health issue.
In this post you’ll discover:
- 9 reasons why your french bulldog is always hungry
- When your frenchies constant hunger is something to be concerned about
- 5 tips to help regulate your french bulldogs hunger (Tip #1 can help the quickest if it’s not health related!)
- And much more
Let’s jump right in.
Table of Contents
9 Reasons Why French Bulldogs Are Always Hungry
1) More Exercise Recently
Just like people, if your frenchie has been getting more exercise than they’re used to recently, they’ll become hungry much more often.
Their body isn’t used to the added exercise and needs more food to refuel their body.
Which is totally normal.
If you and your frenchie have been spending more time being active lately and you’re noticing they’re always hungry, no need to be alarmed.
Their newfound hunger is simply because they’re burning more calories on a daily basis.
So they need more food to make up for the added calorie burn.
2) Not Finished Growing
If your french bulldog is still a puppy they may just be going through a growth spurt.
Puppies need more calories to support their growing bodies so it’s not uncommon for them to always seem hungry.
Which is understandable given all the organs in their body, their muscles, bones, etc. are growing at a rapid rate.
And the only way to properly fuel/nourish this growth is to eat lots of food.
As long as they’re continuing to gain weight at a healthy rate there’s no need to worry about their never-ending hunger.
Once your french bulldog reaches 6-8 months they should be just about finished growing and won’t always be hungry.
3) Problems With Their Digestion
If your french bulldog is always hungry but never seems to gain any weight no matter how much they eat, it could be a sign of poor digestion.
When a frenchie is having problems digesting their food you’ll likely notice they have diarrhea often and need to poop quickly after eating.
This is because their body has some sort of intolerance to their food and isn’t able to properly digest and absorb the food’s nutrients.
Which can be caused by a food allergy, gastrointestinal issues, pancreatitis or even simply eating too fast.
Each of which can make your french bulldog always hungry because their food is getting passed through their system too quickly.
Causing them to act starving even though they may have eaten recently.
If you think your frenchie may have a digestion issue it’s important to have a vet look at them.
Related Reading: 9 Reasons French Bulldogs Are High Maintenance + 4 Tips
4) You’re Too Generous With Treats
Do you love giving your frenchie treats? If so, you may be part of the reason why they’re always hungry.
While treats are fine to give your pup on occasion, if you’re constantly giving them throughout the day it can lead to weight gain and an increase in hunger.
This is because many treats are high in calories which can add up quickly if your frenchie is getting too many.
It can also mess up their internal ‘hunger cues’.
Instead of getting the desire to eat when they’re actually hungry, they’ll start acting hungry simply because they want the taste of something yummy.
Which makes them beg for food more and more.
So if you find your french bulldog is always hungry lately, take a look at how often you’re giving them treats and cut back if necessary.
5) Potential Hyperthyroidism
If your french bulldog is always hungry and eating all the time but losing weight, it could be a sign of hyperthyroidism.
This is when their thyroid gland produces too much of the hormone thyroxine which can cause an increase in metabolism.
Which means they’ll burn more calories and start to lose weight even if they’re eating the same amount of food (or more food).
Other signs of hypothyroidism are drinking and peeing more often as well as anxiety.
If you notice any of these signs it’s important to have them checked out by a vet as soon as possible.
6) Sign Of Diabetes
Another potential health reason why your french bulldog is always hungry could be diabetes.
Diabetes is when there’s too much sugar in their blood which can make them feel super hungry all the time.
This is because their body isn’t able to properly use the sugar for energy so they’re constantly searching for food to try and get more energy.
Other signs of diabetes include weight loss, drinking and peeing more often, and lethargy.
If you’re noticing any other behavior changes in your pup outside of always being hungry it’s a good idea to have a vet look at them.
7) Accidentally Trained To Be?
Have you ever given your french bulldog food when they beg or cry?
If so, you may have accidentally trained them to ‘act’ like they’re always hungry.
This is because every time they cry or beg and you give more food/treats, they’re being rewarded.
Which will only make them want to do it again in the future next time they’re feeling a little peckish.
So if you want to avoid having a french bulldog that acts like they’re always hungry, try your best not to give in when they beg for food.
Instead, wait until their next mealtime to feed them.
This will help train them that they can’t just eat whenever they want and will help put a stop to their seemingly constant hunger.
8) Unusually Fast Metabolism
Just like humans, some french bulldogs have a faster metabolism than others.
This means they burn through calories quicker and need to eat more often to maintain their weight.
If you think this could be the case you may need to feed them a little more often than the average french bulldog to make sure they’re getting enough calories.
But be careful not to overfeed them as this can lead to obesity which carries its own set of health risks.
If this is possibly the case for your pup it would need to be told to you by a vet though.
There’s no way for you to know if it’s simply your pup having a quicker metabolism than what’s ‘normal’ or if they have an underlying health issue.
9) Intestinal Worm/Parasite
Intestinal worms and parasites are another potential reason why your french bulldog is always hungry.
If your frenchie unfortunately has one of these pests they’ll steal nutrients from their food which will leave them feeling hungry all the time.
Other signs that your frenchie may have intestinal worms or parasites include weight loss, diarrhea, vomiting, and a dull coat.
If you think your pup may have worms or parasites it’s important to get them to a vet as soon as possible.
5 Tips To Help Your French Bulldog Not Always Be Hungry
1) Less Food, More Often
If your french bulldog is always hungry and eating all their food in one sitting, try feeding them less food but more often.
This will help prevent them from overeating and will also help regulate their metabolism a bit better.
For example, instead of 2 meals per day, change it to 4 meals per day.
4 meals with half the amount of food you’d normally give them in a meal.
Which means they won’t be getting less food over a 24 hour period.
Just less food per meal.
You can also try getting a slow feeder bowl which will help them eat their food more slowly and prevent them from gulping it all down in one go.
Slow feeder bowls have little ‘mazes’ or ‘puzzles’ in them which make your pup work a little harder to get their food.
This helps to prevent them from overeating and also helps to keep their minds active and challenged.
A lot of french bulldogs always act hungry simply because they’re bored so this is a great way to help with that too.
Just make sure you’re still feeding them the same amount of food, only divided up into smaller meals throughout the day.
2) Food Dispensing Toys
Another great way to help with a french bulldog that’s always hungry is to give them food dispensing toys.
These are toys that you fill with your pup’s food or treats and they have to figure out how to get the food out of the toy.
This is a great way to keep their minds challenged and active while also giving them a little bit of food to help tide them over until their next mealtime.
Some popular food dispensing toys are the Kong Classic Dog Toy and the StarMark Bob-A-Lot Interactive Toy.
3) Food Change Up
If your french bulldog is always hungry and you think it might be because their food isn’t agreeing with them, you can try changing it up.
It can unfortunately take some time to figure out what ingredient is causing your pup their digestion issues.
But testing and trying different foods is the only real way to find what your frenchies body can handle.
Speaking with a vet about your pup’s potential food allergy/digestion issues is also a good idea to get recommendations from them.
4) Resist Their Begging
This one is easier said than done but it’s important to resist your french bulldog’s begging.
If you give in and give them food every time they beg, they’ll just learn that if they beg long enough or hard enough, they’ll eventually get food.
It might be difficult at first but the best thing to do is simply ignore their begging.
Don’t give them any attention whatsoever when they’re begging and eventually they’ll learn that it’s not an effective way to get food from you.
Once that lesson is learned you should see your frenchie not acting as hungry all the time.
Because they never really were hungry, they were just bored.
5) Vet Visit
When it comes to any big behavioral changes in your pup it’s always a good idea to speak with a vet.
While increased hunger can be completely normal, there are potential health issues that could be causing your frenchies added hunger.
And the only way to know for sure that nothing is wrong with your pup is to have a professional take a look at them.
Other posts you might find interesting:
12 Best Beds For French Bulldogs: Beds That Last
9 Reasons Why French Bulldogs Won’t Eat + Helpful Tips
French Bulldogs & Jogging | 4 Facts, 5 Dangers & Risks
9 Reasons Why French Bulldogs Scream (Dangers + Tips)