You can try new food to see if this helps, but this process takes some time. Instead, offer your pup a few bits of the new food, just to see how she reacts. Of course, the only way to know for sure is to schedule a dental check-up with your vet. Sometimes, older dogs might be missing teeth, which makes it difficult for them to eat certain foods.
This way, your dog can continue to eat the same food which helps avoid stomach upset or transitioning to something new but without the pain to her teeth and gums. Loss of appetite is a symptom of several health conditions, including diabetes, kidney disease, cancer, and heart or liver disease. Your pup could also be experiencing some type of gastrointestinal issues or discomfort, or even problems swallowing food. There are several possibilities, which is why you need to schedule a vet appointment as soon as possible.
Your vet will run a series of tests, including a physical exam, bloodwork, x-rays, and other diagnostic tests as needed.
If your Shih Tzu suffers from any health problems , your vet will go over treatment options and provide recommendations for what is best for your canine companion. Apart from the theobromine, the high fat content of chocolate could also cause pancreatitis in dogs. In my opinion, though, to contract pancreatitis a shih tzu would have to consume more than a fatal amount of chocolate anyway. If you suspect your dog has eaten chocolate you must call the emergency vet straight away, as it could be a matter of life or death.
He may prescribe that you make your shih tzu vomit. In the surgery he will probably do this aided with a dose of hydrogen peroxide. Cinnamon, although not toxic to dogs, can cause a few problems that will make your shih tzu uncomfortable. Cinnamon and cinnamon oils can irritate the skin, the inside of the mouth and the digestive tract. This is especially true if a large dose has been ingested, when other symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, abnormal heart rate, low blood sugar levels and liver disease may occur.
Cooked bones are not a good item to give your shih tzu to eat. No, what makes cooked bones dangerous for dogs is the fact that fragments can break off causing a choking hazard or the splintered bone may become lodged further down the digestive tract causing an obstruction. The, by nature, sharp, pointed ends of the broken off fragments are likely to cause severe internal lacerations. Chicken bones and fish bones are the most dangerous. If you are giving your shih tzu fresh cooked chicken or fish for lunch, triple check that you have removed all of the bones before putting it in his bowl.
If you value the health of your shih tzu, do not give him fat trimmings. It is also a good idea to trim any fat off of fresh cooked meats before giving them to your dog. It would need your shih tzu to eat at least two garlic bulbs before any damage started to happen. So the message here is never to intentionally feed garlic to your dog. Panting, paleness inside the nose, jaundiced appearance, darker urine, lethargy and weakness. Garlic poisoning will very rarely result in the death of a shih tzu, but it will cause a lot of discomfort and severe cases may even need blood transfusions.
Despite much scientific research, no-one has ever discovered the mystery ingredient that makes grapes and all of their dried derivatives dangerous for dogs, but dangerous for dogs they are, nonetheless. It can take as little as three or four grapes to incapacitate your shih tzu and symptoms will show typically after an hour or two. Abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, increased drinking, more, little or no urination, loss of appetite, lethargy, weakness, being unusually still.
Possibly fatal kidney failure can ensue very quickly. If you think your dog has eaten grapes, currants or raisins, however few, you need to call the emergency vet immediately.
Whilst it may cause no harm to give your shih tzu a bite or two of ham now and again, it is not good to give him a lot of ham on a regular basis. Ham is high in both salt content and fat content. Both are harmful for your dog in excessive quantities. If you were to feed ham to your shih tzu on a regular basis there will most certainly be undesirable side effects.
Too much salt will cause excessive thirst and excessive urination. There may also be some vomiting and diarrhea. In extreme cases there could be seizures, kidney failure, coma and possibly death. The high fat content of the ham can cause pancreatitis. Like grapes, there is a toxin in macadamia nuts that affects dogs that science has not yet identified. Macadamia nuts, however, are less likely to be fatal to a shih tzu as grapes are. It can take as little as two or three nuts for these symptoms to start showing in a shih tzu, usually within 12 hours of ingesting.
As long as no more nuts are consumed, symptoms should dissipate after 48 hours.. With more and more states and countries legalizing marijuana nowadays, so the incidents of dogs getting high accidentally, or sometimes not accidentally, are going up. Dogs can become high by eating the buds or leaves, eating edibles laced with marijuana and breathing in secondhand smoke.
As with humans, excessive amounts of marijuana can be fatal. Even more so if the food ingested also has chocolate, avocado or raisins. If you think your shih tzu is high on marijuana, call your emergency vet immediately. Panting, pacing, lethargy, loss of balance, staggering, low blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, incontinence, discolored pupils, seizures, coma.
These dogs are lactose intolerant. Although a lactose intolerant dog may still be able to consume some simple cheeses, cottage cheese and plain yoghurts as these have very low lactose content. Mold may or may not contain unpleasant tremorgenic mycotoxins. If it does it can cause a stomach upset for your shih tzu for a while, though some dogs escape unaffected. Of course, this reaction can be complicated and worsened if the moldy food a shih tzu has eaten is another item from this list.
Food choices need to accommodate this fast metabolism. For example, small dogs do not eat as much as large dogs, but they may consume more calories per pound of body weight. Shih Tzu dogs are often prone to skin problems such as itchy dry skin, redness and inflammation, infections, and other conditions that cause hair loss and severe scratching. Sometimes the food is to blame for these problems. Itching is due to many causes but one cannot rule out the food that is taken in daily.
More About Allergies. Some Shih Tzu have chronic stomach problems — loose stools , vomiting, and poor appetite. While some of these problems can be attributed to other medical problems, parasites , food could be the culprit. Some of the allergies mentioned above could be associated with food while other dogs may have food intolerance such as to a specific protein source.
Inferior foods will often contain artificial colors and flavors, meat byproducts, and an over reliance on plant proteins such as corn.
Some Shih Tzu dogs are more picky than others when it comes to the types of food they eat. Just based on casual observations of mothers and puppies, I have noticed that if moms are picky, their pups will be also. Choosing food for picky eaters is not always easy and many people will resort to a homemade diet which may not be the healthiest choice. Cooking for your Shih Tzu may seem like a loving act, but if the meals are not complete and balanced, the lack of proper nutrients can lead to additional health issues.
Here is my list of the 10 most common mistake that dog owners make when choosing a food and feeding their dog. There are many reasons why people do not choose a good Shih Tzu Food for their dog.
Most of these reasons fall into three broad categories: Knowledge, Cost, Attitudes. People who read widely, surf the net frequently or pose questions to their vet regularly might not understand why anyone who has a dog would make this mistake. Even though we have facts at our fingertips, the truth is that making a choice on a healthy diet is not as easy as it sounds. This is also a modern-day problem as very few people even cared about a healthy diet for their dogs even 50 years ago.
What exactly does it mean to provide a healthy diet to Shih Tzu does. Since dogs are likely to be eating the same food for breakfast and dinner, day after day, perhaps for their entire life, you need to be sure that they are getting all the necessary nutrients in addition to the vitamins and minerals their body needs. Sometimes cheap dog food does not provide that type of quality. Understanding what is in the food is very important, but so are other things found on the food label that will help you decide.
High quality food does not need to break the bank, but it goes without saying that you get what you pay for. Better ingredients sourced locally, processed appropriately and distributed fresh are some of the things to look for when evaluating higher quality foods. Cheap Shih Tzu dog foods often have inferior ingredients such as artificial coloring, flavoring and preservatives. Unnamed meat or meal sources as well as unnamed meat byproducts are also common in inferior foods.
By unnamed meat sources, I mean ingredients such as Poultry or Poultry byproducts. Poultry can mean anything from chicken to chicken feet. Artificial colors are less common nowadays, but cheap foods still use them along with artificial flavorings and preservatives. Everyone has an opinion and our attitude about food is based on our opinions whether we can verbalize them aloud or they are within our unconscious minds. Some attitudes are based on facts, but many are fake news that spreads quickly around the web.
Many serve dogs a grain-free diet, but corn, wheat or soy are not harmful to some dogs. The reason many people shy away from them should do more with the quantities food manufacturers include in their blends. Corn is a good source of protein and very cheap. Some dog foods will contain corn as the first ingredient producing a food high in protein. Corn is obviously a plant based protein and dogs require meat, eggs, and fish as their main source of protein.
Conversely, the people who believe that dogs are carnivores feed only meat. A diet consisting solely of meat is just as harmful as one that relies on plants. The truth is that dogs are carnivores, but they are also omnivores like us.
It is often hard to tell how much food to feed a dog. Rather than rely only on a calorie count, body condition may be a better gauge for food consumption. IDEAL: can feel ribs without excess fat, waist tucked in, and see the waist if viewed from above belly tucked up. OBESE: Cannot feel ribs; Heavy fat deposits on vertebrae and base of tail, cannot see or feel waist, no abdominal tuck; may see abdominal distension. Most larger breed dogs consume about 30 calories per pound of body weight, but small breed dogs can consume much more.
This is any part of an animal deemed unfit for human consumption. Includes beaks, feet, tails, spleens, undeveloped eggs, lungs, and more. Generic meats - Can legally be any animal at all picked up as roadkill and animals that were diseased or died on route to facilities. Artificial additives and chemical preservatives - Includes a wide range of chemical preservatives, coloring Blue 2, Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 , and flavoring including MSG and soy. Can cause terrible reactions including skin outbreaks, poor coat health, loss of skin pigmentation on the nose, and gastrointestinal upset.
Some of these additives are linked to long-term health issues including neurological issues and some cancers. High wheat content - Will be found in ratios that throws off the needed balance of protein and healthy fats.
Soy or wheat gluten - Can cause food intolerance, upset stomach, skin issues, and other problems. Meats sourced outside of North America - Be very wary of companies that list their food as 'Made in the USA', but they source the meats from overseas.
What a high-quality food will offer:. All natural, wholesome ingredients - This will include human-grade meats, vegetables and fruits, whole grains for those not placing their dog a grain-free diet , and healthy fats.
All-natural preservatives - This will usually be a vitamin blend listed as mixed tocopherols. Added supplements - Some added extras that are very beneficial for dogs includes omega-3 and 6 ideally sourced from fish oil which is fantastic for good skin and coat health as well as joint health, antioxidants which boost the immune system and help fend off disease, g lucosamine and chondroitin which is a 'must' for Shih Tzu age 6 and up as it helps maintain bone and joint health and can play a role in preventing osteoarthritis, and p robiotics which aids in good digestive health.
Proper sizing - A Shih Tzu should have a food that is specifically sized for small breeds. The shape and size of the kibble will make it easy to be mouthed and chewed, which leads to more enthusiastic eating. Easily digestible food - The formula will be made with a small dog's digestive system in mind, that will be easy on the stomach and easy to digest.
There are a few exceptions such as a certain plant like spearmint being sourced from New Zealand which has safety standards comparable to the US. The Best Food for Shih Tzu Puppies and Dogs Now that we've covered what to avoid and what you want your Shih Tzu's food to have, let's look at some of our top recommendations.
The following meet every single requirement for a top-quality, superior dog food, and go above and beyond. With grains:. Merrick Classic Recipe for Small Breeds. The 1 ingredient is chicken meat. Other ingredients include turkey, salmon great for omega-3 and 6 , chicken liver, carrots, blueberries great source of antioxidants , chia seed, oatmeal, and apples.
This has a unique blend of healthy grains: brown rice, barley, and quinoa super healthy all 3 of which tend to be very well tolerated.
There is no soy or corn, this has all of the recommended vitamins and minerals, and there is zero artificial coloring and zero chemical preservatives.
This is considered a top-quality brand, is sized for small dogs, and is made in the USA. Wellness Complete Health for Small Breeds. This is also a fantastic choice. Ingredients include turkey, chicken, oatmeal great for the tummy , salmon and flaxseed great sources of omega-3 and 6 , brown rice and barley grains that are generally very well tolerated , peas, tomatoes, flaxseed, carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, apples, and blueberries contains important antioxidants.
All other ingredients are to naturally preserve or naturally flavor the food or are added vitamins or minerals. There are no fillers, corn, soy, wheat, or by-products. There are no artificial coloring or flavoring, or chemical preservatives. The puppy formula has added DHA which is a specific omega-3 fatty acid that supports healthy cognitive development. The senior formula is a great choice for Shih Tzu age 8 and up since it has added glucosamine and chondroitin more details ahead on the senior formula.
This is specifically made for little dogs, so the size of each kibble piece is ideal. And this is made in the USA.
This is one of our most recent recommendations and is now one of our favorites for many reasons. This is an organic formula meaning animals are antibiotic and hormone-free, chickens are cage-free, vegetables and fruits are non-GMO not genetically modified , and there are no processed foods. There are zero artificial coloring dyes or flavors and preservatives are all-natural vitamins and plants.
Halo prides itself on offering easy-to-digest food which means great news for your Shih Tzu's tummy. Ingredients include chicken, eggs, chicken liver, salmon, peas, oats, vegetable broth, pearled barley usually well tolerated , flaxseed, sweet potato, apples, blueberries, green beans, carrots, cranberries, and zucchini. So, there is an awesome blend of healthy veggies and fruits with this brand. All other ingredients are vitamins and minerals or plant-based all-natural preservatives.
Though they do not over-promote it, Halo is made in the USA with a few vegetables sourced from Canada and New Zealand which have very safe regulations. Please note: If you jumped down to this section but want to read the latest update regarding grain-free dog food, jump back a bit to ' What about grain-free? If you do wish to go with a grain-free recipe, this is one of the best.
CORE is a simple recipe with traditional meats that only includes wholesome foods: turkey, chicken, spinach, peas, potatoes, flaxseed, salmon oil, broccoli, carrots, apples, blueberries, kale, and sweet potatoes. All other ingredients are to naturally preserve or flavor the food or are added vitamins or minerals.
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