Ingredients of the Best Dog Food for Shih Tzu

best dog food for shih tzuAs the pet owner of a Shih Tzu (or “Tzu” for short!), ensuring she gets the proper dietary needs is essential for her happiness and healthiness. This particular small breed has a special knack for following the family around and keeping an eye on younger children – acting as though she were a “big sister.” Just as she behaves as your own child, it’s important to be concerned about what you’re feeding her on a daily basis but are confused as to what do Shih Tzu eat. You’d want to know what to feed a Shih Tzu, and we’re going to take a look at some of the best recommendations around for this unique, intelligent breed.

What is the Best Dog Food for Shih Tzu?

The Best in Raw Dog Food: With all dogs being naturally carnivorous, you’ll want to offer your Shih Tzu something raw. Raw foods tend to be higher in protein and have higher nutritional values. The Honest Kitchen Keen Dehydrated Dog Food offers you this simple yet tasty and effective “just-add-water” formula. This recipe is made with free-range turkey, fruits, vegetables, and organic oats. It’s an ideal Shih Tzu diet since it will help her maintain a healthy and fit weight. Hearing what consumers have to say is half the battle when searching for the perfect dog food, and this great product is full of well-regarded reviews. If you have a finicky Shih Tzu, this is something you’ll definitely want to try.

The Best in Dry and Wet Food: There’s one company who found its origin in “The Nutmeg State” of Connecticut who have been getting dog food right for years. Very few companies have discovered as many fantastic recipes as this one has, garnering its place as possibly the best dog food brand for Shih Tzu. When looking at all of the options available for your Shih Tzu, it’d be a great consideration to take for Blue Buffalo’s Wilderness Dog Food Duck Recipe. This recipe is seen as the “sensible alternative to a raw food diet” for a reason – it has the best in natural ingredients and does not contain any by-product of animals, artificial ingredients or preservatives, and is free of grains. The real benefit of feeding your Tzu this formula is all of its nutritional and supplemental value. Having all of these things available ensure a healthy coat, good vision, and happy digestive health (no messes to leave behind for you!). Because it’s also grain free, this means if your dog has sensitivity to food allergens, it’s perfectly safe to feed him the Wilderness Dog Food Duck Recipe.

The Best in All-Natural, Grain-Free Dog Food: If your Shih Tzu has developed allergies or sensitivities to other dog foods, one you really can’t go wrong with is Taste of The Wild’s Hi Prairie Canine Formula with Roasted Bison & Venison. As the others listed above, this is one of the most reputable and consumer reviewed products. To walk hand in hand with it’s grain-free nature, your Tzu will appreciate the easily digested lean bison and venison meat – full of proteins and anti-oxidents.

What Ingredients Sould Go Into Shih Tzu Food?

Shih Tzu (or Shih Tzus, but let’s just drop the s for this article) are particularly finicky eaters, as opposed to other dogs. Research performed over time has found a common link between what a canine is eating and the toll that it has on their overall health. Tzu’s can experience a lot of things people can. These range from digestive upset to even things like kidney or liver diseases so finding the best dog food for Shih Tzu is probably the most important decision you’ll be making.

A great recommendation to make sure your little four-legged friend is getting the best stuff you have to offer is to check the label of ingredients on dog food. Knowing how to pronounce or know what is listed is something your Shih Tzu will definitely appreciate. Dogs need a lot of protein to maintain their muscle and complexion, as well as joints and tendons. If you feed your Shih Tzu food that contains too much filler, she isn’t getting everything she needs. Her smaller stomach will be full of ingredients that could cause an upset stomach and aren’t giving the nutrients and vitamins needed.

For a primary listed ingredient, you’ll want to ensure that it is meat. This meat should also be followed on the label by vegetables or fruits. These will pack the punch needed for your Shih Tzu to have a great source of vitamins and minerals.

So What Really Does Make the Best Food for Shih Tzu?

Like other dogs, it could be quite a feat to find the perfect dog food for your Shih Tzu. As said before, Shih Tzu are known for their finicky behaviors pertaining to food. Here’s a look at some of the things to take into consideration when on the prowl for great Tzu-food.

• Holistic Ingredients– Finding some great food for your Tzu includes looking for common and natural ingredients. Things like whole vegetables or unprocessed and non-filler meat fall under natural and holistic ingredients.

• Reviews By Customers – Some of your greatest resources available when hunting for a great Shih Tzu food could be found in product reviews – people who have bought the food before and fed it to their dogs with the types of results. There are many bonuses to taking this approach. For one, you’ll know honest and real-world opinions of the dog food you’re considering. Sometimes, vets or pet shows will offer samples or “discounts” on the foods that they think are best. These might not necessarily fit the bill for your Tzu. There’s usually some kind of affiliation between the pet food manufacturer and these types of organizations.

• Recalls and Problems with Pet Food Manufacturers – You wouldn’t eat in a restaurant that has not been certified by the food inspector, now would you? Flies abuzz, unsanitized equipment, or spoiled food are all things we as humans would avoid. Pet food manufacturing facilities should be no different for your Shih Tzu! The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maintains a great list of pet food manufacturers and the types of problems they may have run into in the past. Be well versed to knowing how these pet food companies have taken action and the sort of things they run into.

The Multiple Diets That Are Available and Could Make Up the Best Food for Shih Tzu

Just like with everything else in your purchasing experiences, you’ve got quite a few options with what you could feed your Shih Tzu. Let’s take a close look again.

1. Food Without Grains – Offering your Tzu a food that doesn’t have grains could be of vital importance if your Shih Tzu has developed allergic reactions to certain food.

2. Food that is Raw – Offering your Shih Tzu raw food would be a great source of protein and put at ease any dietary concerns. Again, dogs are natural carnivores. Your Tzu would love to chomp away on some wholesome meat!

3. Food that is Wet/Dry – Having a wet and dry natural food available to your Shih Tzu means giving her wholesome ingredients, fruits and vegetables, and a primary meat.

Conclusion

This small and affectionate breed deserves the best in her life, just as if she were a child in your family so you’d would need to find the best dog food for Shih Tzu. Making sure your Shih Tzu’s dietary concerns and needs are met means a life full of love and happiness, without worrying about sickness or illness. This only has you to benefit, since it means no messes left behind to clean up after and peace of mind and less time at the vet!

For the pet food recommendations for other dog breeds, please visit our Chart here.

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