What is the best dog food for Shih Tzus?
Shih Tzus are an example of a dog that thrives on a good diet. Since they have pretty robust health and avoid many inherited conditions, feeding them a healthy diet will fortify their constitution and prevent more common canine illnesses. A balanced diet of fresh food will not only maximise your Shih Tzu’s good health but their longevity too.
On the flip side, there are a few dog foods to steer clear from if you want a happy and healthy Shih Tzu. They can be picky eaters too, paw-haps an echo fo their former royal lifestyle. So making sure there are no artificial ingredients, fillers, or poor-quality protein is a good way to ensure you win your pup over at dinnertime.
The best food for Shih Tzus should help:
Protect them from illness
Prevent picky eating
Support them for a long life
Nourish their fur
Prevent tear stains
Does your Shih Tzu have an ailment that isn’t covered here? Tell us more about your pooch and we can recommend the paw-fect recipe to suit their individual needs.
At Pure always avoid nasties like artificial preservatives, meat derivatives and wheat, which are all flagged as ingredients you ought to avoid to keep your Shih Tzu happy and healthy.
But other than high-quality ingredients, what makes the best dog food for a Shih Tzu?
Nutritious food to fortify their health
Since Shih Tzus are a pretty healthy breed, as an owner, you will want to make sure you strengthen their immune system to prevent common illnesses that could make your pup sick. Conditions such as obesity and gastroenteritis can all be prevented with a good diet, and even the risk of serious illness like cancer can be massively reduced with certain fresh veggies.
Other than the common canine illness, there are a few problems Shih Tzus are prone to that can be prevented with a good diet. Eye infections and ear infections can be minimised by offering a grain-free, natural diet because wheat and synthetic ingredients are common irritants that often cause infection.
Nourishing diet for fabulous fur
The defining feature of the Shih Tzu is their flowing, silky hair. To keep their tresses in paw-fect condition, your dog needs plenty of nutrients as well as regular brushing and bathing. So what should they be eating?
Fatty acids like Omega-3 and Omega-6 are vital for healthy skin and luscious fur. Meanwhile, Vitamin H (Biotin) can combat dermatitis and hair loss in dogs.
A vitamin deficiency is normally behind dull coats, so making sure your Shih Tzu is getting all the nutrients they need should fix any flaky skin and faded fur. But rather than reaching for supplements, you could just pick a food that naturally delivers all the vitamins and minerals they need.
Tidy up tear stains
Shih Tzus are prone to developing tear stains for a few reasons, and many are to do with their physiology. While food can’t change their facial structure, it can help to prevent some of the causes of excessive tears and help to clear up unsightly tear stains.
The best dog food for beating tear stains will be a healthy natural food. It’s been proven that grains are a trigger for excessive tears, as well as other irritation such as sensitive skin and upset stomachs.
Tasty dinners for fussy pups
Making sure your dog food is tasty shouldn’t be your top priority. Your focus should be on finding a food that is fresh and nutritious, although the benefit here is two-fold. Firstly, you’re making sure your pup is getting as healthy a diet as possible. Secondly, fresh foods that use high-quality protein and no artificial additives are more likely to be appetising for your pup.
Pure Pet Food is formulated by nutritionists to provide optimum nutrition for dogs. We only use whole, natural ingredients that are not only nourishing but tasty too. So whether it’s the high-quality ingredients or the fact there is never any nasties, or simply that our dinners are delicious, we’ve won over plenty of picky pups.
Remember appetising food isn’t the only thing that can stop fussy eating. Your behaviour as an owner could be influencing your dog’s eating habits. Try reading this guide on how owner behaviour influences your pup’s eating habits, and make sure you’re not causing a picky pup.
Healthy food for a longer life
One of the best things about owning a Shih Tzu is their long lifespan, so you will want to make sure your best fur-iend is at their happiest and healthiest even in their twilight years. Just like people, dogs are prone to age-related illnesses like arthritis and heart disease. Again, just like people, the key to reducing the likelihood of these conditions is a healthy diet and plenty of exercise.
For example, you will want to make sure your Shih Tzu eats plenty of fatty acids like Omega-3 to protect their joints. You’ll also want to pack in plenty of antioxidants like Vitamins A and C to reduce cell damage. Cruciferous veggies like cabbage will help to protect your pooch from cancer. And finally, they will need plenty of protein to help them to maintain lean muscle mass and to allow their body to repair itself.
Although puppies who were fed a processed diet initially appeared to be healthy, once they reached maturity, they were more likely to age rapidly and develop degenerative disease symptoms. For a pooch that should have a long life, it can mean you're cutting their lifespan short and making them more vulnerable to ill-health later in life.
All of our Pure recipes have been carefully created to provide optimum nutrition, including putting protein first and picking fresh garden veggies that will keep your pooch active and healthy throughout their life. There’s no harsh processing either, so all the goodness of those great ingredients stays locked in and you know your pup is getting fresh, healthy food for a long and happy life.
Banish the burnt brown biscuits
There are a number of reasons why you should consider waving goodbye to the burnt brown biscuits. Yes, they’re cheap and convenient, but you know how humans end up if they only eat fast food. Kibble is highly processed which is proven to destroy nutrients. It not only lowers their nutritional value and makes them harder to digest, but the chemical reaction from cooking leaves behind carcinogens.
If your pooch lives a long life eating biscuits, the carcinogens will build up inside them. That means a dog eating kibble regularly over a long period of time is more vulnerable to certain cancers, heart disease, and even brain damage.
No nasties
Subpar ingredients can cause a range of problems from digestive upset to sensitive skin. The main culprit is “filler” foods and meat byproducts, cheap ingredients that are used to bulk out food. Meanwhile at Pure, we’re proud to provide real, natural recipes for your pooch, packed full of whole, healthy, and natural ingredients, providing the highest standard you can get in dog food. Humans are never at their healthiest when eating junk food and fillers, so why would your dog be?
How much should I feed my Shih Tzu?
Like many small dog breeds, it can be easy to overestimate how much your Shih Tzu should eat. Overfeeding makes them prone to obesity, so you need to understand exactly how much food a Shih Tzu should eat. Annoyingly, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. The amount of food your dog should eat will vary according to their age, their activity level, their size, any conditions they might have (like hypothyroidism), and even their neutering status.
A switch to Pure not only means you are providing natural food that is easy to digest and packed full of goodness, but your dog’s dinners will also be tailored especially to them. We take into account all aspects of your pooch’s lifestyle (and tastes) to pick out the paw-fect recipe that will get their tails wagging and provide all the nutrients they need, while you have an accurate guide on the right portions they should eat. Tell us about your Shih Tzu and we can recommend the ideal paw-sonalised plan for their needs.