We at APARN are often asked “what is the best food to feed my pug?”. The answer can vary as each pug is different and pugs that suffer from allergies or medical conditions will require a very different diet than pugs without allergies or health conditions.
Some pug owners favor a home-cooked diet as being the best option for their pug’s health. Home cooked chicken and rice is often a favorite. Be careful to not use any spices or seasoning that can be harmful to your dog. Remember dogs do not need to have their food seasoned with anything, they prefer the natural taste and it is better for them.
Others suggest a raw food diet as this type of diet can help control allergies. Some vets recommends using organic meat products. You can buy the meat at the butcher shop, which often offers a dog-food blend of raw meat and ground bones, or you can buy a commercial, organic raw food brand, usually in the form of frozen meatballs or chubs, at a pet store. Whether raw, cooked, canned or kibble, a grain-free diet is also suggested as a way of controlling allergies, particularly skin problems. A number of grain-free brands include fruit and vegetables to replace the carbs missing in a grain-free diet. If you are switching your pug to a new diet, do it gradually so that they do not get an upset stomach or diarrhea.
APARN recommends and uses high quality, grain free kibble, such as Fromm, Wellness Core, and Natural Balance Alpha Dog. Due to the number of pugs we see with food allergies, we go a step further, and suggest one of these in a fish-based variety.