Chocolate, coffee and caffeine
They contain methylxanthines, which can cause vomiting, diarrhea, a racing heart, tremors and seizures. Dark and baking chocolate are the most dangerous.
Corgi guide
What is the best dog food for Corgis?
The best food for a Corgi is a complete and balanced diet with an AAFCO statement for its life stage, fed in measured meals that keep your dog lean. No single brand is right for every Corgi: the label, the portion and your dog's waistline matter far more than the marketing.
Choosing a food
What should you look for in Corgi dog food?
Start with the nutritional adequacy statement, the small print that says whether a food is complete and balanced according to AAFCO nutrient profiles. A food with that statement can be fed as the whole diet. A food labeled for intermittent or supplemental feeding only cannot, and most treats and toppers fall into that group.
Next, check the life stage. A Corgi puppy needs a food for growth or for all life stages, and an adult does well on adult maintenance. AAFCO's large breed rules apply to dogs expected to reach 70 pounds or more, so a Corgi puppy can eat any growth or all life stages food, whether or not it mentions large size dogs.
After that, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association suggests a few questions that tell you more than any ingredient list. Does the company employ a qualified nutritionist, such as a PhD in animal nutrition or a board certified veterinary nutritionist? Does it run feeding trials or publish research? What quality control does it do? The WSAVA notes that words like premium and holistic are of little use in judging nutrition.
Puppies
How often should you feed a Corgi puppy?
Puppies need small, frequent meals at set times. This schedule follows AKC guidance. Divide the daily amount on your food's feeding chart across the meals, and pick up anything not eaten within about 15 minutes.
| Age | Meals a day | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| 8 to 12 weeks | 4 | Small, regular meals. The round puppy potbelly should be gone by about 12 weeks. |
| 3 to 6 months | 3 | Drop from four meals to three somewhere in this window. Keep the times steady. |
| 6 to 12 months | 2 | Move to two meals and recheck the amount often, because needs shift as growth slows. |
| Adult | 2 | Most owners split the daily amount into two meals. |
The AKC suggests switching to adult food at 7 to 9 months for small breeds and 12 to 14 months for larger ones. A Corgi sits in between, so ask your vet. Staying on puppy food a little too long is safer than switching early, and the AKC recommends adult food after spaying or neutering, since energy needs drop.
Adults
How much should an adult Corgi eat?
Start with the feeding chart on the bag. To check it, vets estimate daily needs from ideal weight with the formula in the 2021 AAHA Nutrition and Weight Management Guidelines. Rough daily calories (kcal) for a healthy adult Corgi:
| Ideal weight | Typical spayed or neutered adult | Inactive or gains weight easily |
|---|---|---|
| 22 pounds | 550 to 630 | 390 to 470 |
| 25 pounds | 610 to 690 | 430 to 520 |
| 28 pounds | 660 to 750 | 470 to 570 |
To turn calories into cups, find the calorie statement on your bag, which lists kcal per cup. A 25 pound Corgi needing 600 calories, fed a food with 400 calories per cup, gets 1.5 cups a day split into two meals. Intact adults and very active dogs need more. Individual needs vary a lot, so adjust in small steps based on body condition, never on how hungry your Corgi acts.
Weight
Why does weight control matter so much for Corgis?
A Corgi carries a long back on short legs, and every extra pound adds strain to that spine and to the joints. Hill's warns that the breed needs to be watched carefully for obesity, and the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America asks owners plainly not to let a Pembroke become overweight. Back trouble is covered in our guide to Corgi health problems.
Lean dogs also tend to live longer. In a lifelong study of 48 Labrador Retrievers by Purina and university researchers, dogs fed 25 percent less than their littermates lived a median of 13 years against 11.2, and needed treatment for chronic conditions later. It covered one breed, but the lesson is hard to ignore: the lean dogs gained healthy years.
Judge your dog with the WSAVA 9 point body condition scale, where 4 or 5 is ideal: ribs easy to feel under a thin fat cover, a waist behind the ribs seen from above, and a tummy tuck from the side. A Corgi's thick coat hides a lot, so use your hands, not your eyes. Our Corgi size and weight guide shows typical weights.
Weigh food on a kitchen scale. In a 2019 University of Guelph study, owners measuring kibble by volume ranged from about 48 percent under to 152 percent over the amount they were aiming for. Small daily errors add up quickly.
Treats
How many treats can a Corgi have?
Keep treats to about 10 percent of daily calories, the limit Tufts veterinary nutritionists recommend, and trim meals to make room. For a Corgi eating 600 calories a day, that is about 60 calories of treats.
Training treats can come straight out of the day's kibble, as our Corgi puppy training guide suggests. Low calorie extras such as plain green beans and baby carrots go a long way: Tufts puts a baby carrot at about 5 calories. Dental chews and peanut butter in a puzzle toy count too, and peanut butter must be xylitol free. Skip fatty table scraps, which pile on calories and can cause vomiting, diarrhea or pancreatitis.
Danger list
What foods are toxic to Corgis?
Corgis are keen scavengers, so keep these out of reach, along with cooked bones, which can splinter or block the gut. If you think your dog has eaten something toxic, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 straight away, and note what and how much was eaten.
Grapes and raisins
They can cause kidney damage in dogs. Watch for raisins hidden in trail mix, cereal, bagels and baked goods.
Xylitol
This sweetener, found in sugar free gum, candy, some peanut butters and some toothpastes, can cause a dangerous drop in blood sugar and possible liver damage.
Onions, garlic and chives
Raw, cooked or powdered, they can damage red blood cells and lead to anemia. Gravy, stock and seasoned leftovers often contain them.
Macadamias and other nuts
Macadamia nuts can cause weakness, vomiting, tremors and overheating. Other nuts are high in fat, which can bring on vomiting, diarrhea and possibly pancreatitis.
Alcohol and raw yeast dough
Alcohol is absorbed fast and can cause vomiting, poor coordination and breathing trouble. Rising dough can swell painfully in the stomach and produces alcohol as it ferments.
Changing food
How do you switch a Corgi to a new food?
Our puppies go home with food, so meals can stay exactly the same through the move. Keep to it for at least the first week or two. If you then want to change, mix the new food in gradually: the AKC suggests five to seven days, and longer for a sensitive stomach.
Days 1 and 2
Feed about 25 percent new food and 75 percent old food, keeping the total amount the same.
Days 3 and 4
Move to half and half. Keep an eye on stools, appetite and energy.
Days 5 and 6
Feed about 75 percent new food. If you see vomiting or loose stools, go back a step and hold there for a few more days.
Day 7 onward
Feed the new food only, then recheck the amount against its own feeding chart and calorie statement, because calories per cup differ between foods. Call your vet if an upset stomach does not settle.
Grain-free
Is grain-free dog food bad for Corgis?
Nobody can say for certain yet. In July 2018 the FDA began investigating reports of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a disease of the heart muscle, in dogs eating certain diets. In the cases reported through April 2019, more than 90 percent of the foods were labeled grain-free and 93 percent contained peas or lentils.
The FDA has not shown that these diets cause DCM. In its December 2022 update it said case reports alone cannot establish cause and that it would post no further updates until there was meaningful new science. It has not told owners to avoid grain-free food. Research continues, and a 2025 review in Veterinary Sciences found the evidence for some high pulse diets suggestive but not settled.
Our practical view: grain-free has no proven benefit for most dogs. When dogs do have food allergies, a 2016 review in BMC Veterinary Research found the usual culprits were proteins such as beef, dairy and chicken, with wheat further down the list. A complete and balanced food that includes grains is a sound default. If you prefer a grain-free or pulse heavy diet, talk it over with your vet, and get prompt care for tiredness, coughing, trouble breathing or fainting.
Questions
Common questions.
Should I feed my Corgi a raw or homemade diet?
Be cautious with both. The American Veterinary Medical Association discourages feeding raw or undercooked animal protein because bacteria such as Salmonella and Listeria put pets and people at risk. Homemade diets can work, but a UC Davis study of 200 published recipes found that 95 percent fell short on at least one essential nutrient. If you want to cook, use a recipe from a board certified veterinary nutritionist.
Is wet or dry food better for a Corgi?
Either works if it is complete and balanced for your dog's life stage. Dry food is convenient and easy to weigh. Wet food contains much more water, so it has fewer calories per ounce. Many owners mix the two. Count the calories from both, because a spoonful of wet food on top of a full ration of kibble adds up quickly.
Why is my Corgi always hungry?
Corgis are famously food motivated, and begging is not a sign of underfeeding. Judge by body condition instead of by those eyes. Puzzle feeders, snuffle mats and scattering kibble in the grass make meals last longer. A sudden jump in appetite or thirst, or an unexplained change in weight, is different and worth a vet visit.
Can Corgis eat human food?
Some plain foods are fine in small amounts as treats: cooked lean chicken with no skin or seasoning, plain green beans, baby carrots or plain cooked rice. Count them toward the 10 percent treat limit. Avoid scraps from your plate, which tend to be fatty or seasoned with onion and garlic, and never feed anything from the toxic list above.
How much should a Corgi puppy eat?
Follow the feeding chart on your puppy food, which bases the amount on your puppy's weight or expected adult weight, and split it across three or four meals. Needs change quickly as puppies grow, so recheck the amount every week or two. You should feel ribs easily under a little fat. Ask your vet at each visit whether your puppy's shape looks right.
Keep reading
More Corgi guides.
Next step
What else should a new Corgi owner know?
Read how to take care of a Corgi for the daily routine, see what comes home with every puppy on our health and care page, or meet the puppies available now.