How to feed Shih Tzu: the best food and natural nutrition

The dog menu is the subject of an eternal debate between more savvy dog ​​lovers and their less knowledgeable colleagues. The latter are surprised at the purchase of expensive food by a neighbor for their pet. And he, in turn, sincerely does not understand how to feed a pet according to the principle of "what we eat." Therefore, for those who have a chrysanthemum dog at home, it will be useful to know how to feed her. Description of the Shih Tzu breed and recommendations for feeding are presented in detail in the article.

The origin and nature of the breed

First, let's talk briefly about what Shih Tzu is. This miniature dog was bred in China. Its initial task was to decorate its royal masters. The small, extremely sweet and sociable pet soon became so fond of the Chinese emperors that they forbade ordinary people to keep it.

For millennia, Shih Tzu has lived with royalty. First in China, then beyond. Nowadays, anyone can buy this "lion" dog. How to feed shih tzu? The choice is the owner. The pros and cons of natural nutrition and feed are discussed in the following subsections.

Despite the touching appearance, the representative of the breed is very courageous. It is no coincidence that he is called the "lion" dog. A brave heart beats in the Shih Tzu's chest. She attacks without hesitation if she sees that her master is in danger.

At home, this is an affectionate and gentle animal, surprisingly sensitive. The dog does not like indifferent attitude to his person. But it will not be imposed if it sees that the owner is busy. As soon as the owner got free and sat down on the sofa or in the lounge chair, his faithful chrysanthemum is right there. He caresses, wags his tail, looks faithfully into his eyes. Shih Tzu is very affectionate.

Attitudes towards other family members, including children, are friendly. She’s glad to everyone, she’s ready to lick everyone. The only thing that the animal does not like is the excessive obsession of the child. It can be put in place by slightly gritting your hand with your teeth. She is ready to be friends with other animals. And absolutely sincerely does not understand why this cat refuses to become the best friend of the lady from the royal palaces.

This is a brief description of the Shih Tzu breed. And now back to the conversation about feed for these representatives of the dog elite.

What, how, when?

These three questions are the most basic. How to feed shih tzu? How to feed? When to give food: morning and evening? Or three times a day? The diet is determined by the owner. It can be natural food or dry food. Feed from a bowl, no "on hand" and other perversions. This is pampering. When to give food?

Adults need only two meals a day, morning and evening. Puppies are fed more often, depending on their age.

We are for natural food

The Shih Tzu dog breed is not picky about food. But this does not mean that her bowl will become a landfill for household waste. The remnants of borsch with sour cream, half-eaten fried potatoes with a patty and compote are more appropriate to send to the bin. The most basic rule for any owner that he needs to learn: a dog is not a dump. We do not feed family members leftovers from their meal? A dog is a member of the family.

Then the question arises: what kind of food can and should be offered to a Shih Tzu breed pet? The basis of the diet should be meat. A raw product is useful for these babies, but most breeders and veterinarians recommend boiling meat before putting it in a dog bowl.

Boiled vegetables are given to the animal three to four times a week. You can mix them with meat so that the dog tastes better.

What else to feed shih tzu? Cereals are required. This is rice and buckwheat. Naturally, in a boiled form. It is undesirable to give millet and hercules to your darling. Many dogs have a weak gastrointestinal tract. And Shih Tzu is no exception. Oats are poorly absorbed by the delicate canine stomach. Sour-milk products, namely cottage cheese and kefir are mandatory in the dog's diet. Puppies give them four times a week, adult dogs - two. Eggs - not more than 2 pieces per week in raw form. A detailed dog menu for the week is presented in the subsection below.

We make a diet

Natural nutrition for shih tzu, the menu and its detailed consideration are presented in the table. The diet is designed for adult representatives of this breed.

And a few more tips on the menu, which will be useful to the owner of the dog-chrysanthemum:

• The meat is given only in boiled or scalded boiling water. In order to avoid problems with the digestive tract, it is better to boil.
• Be careful with chicken. May cause severe allergies in the pet.
• Low-fat varieties of fish are boiled, the bones are carefully selected and only after that they are given to the dog.
• Vegetables are cooked until cooked. They should be soft. Shih Tzu can be offered zucchini, potatoes, carrots, squash, bell peppers.
• Eggs are given only in raw form. Chicken - 2 pieces per week, quail - 4 pieces per week.
• You can’t offer pork, seafood, citrus fruits, sausages and sausages, cheeses, sweets and chocolate. In general, all junk food for humans. Pork and seafood are not included in this list, but the pork meat for the dog is very fat. There is too much protein in seafood.
• The dog should always have water available.

Dry food

The shih tzu was sorted out of the menu for the dog breed. The owner read, thought and decided that he did not want to waste time compiling a dog's diet. Using dry food is much easier. Moreover, now there are a huge number of species, ranging from the economy class and ending with the holistic.

What to choose for a pet? Economy class feed immediately. They consist of bone meal, colorings and flavor enhancers. Manufacturers honestly write on some of them: meat - at least 4%. And immediately it becomes clear what quality the products are offered.

Premium class. This is better than the economy described above. The composition of such feed includes 25-30% of meat. It is meat, not ground bones. The rest of the content is most often rice. A similar diet is suitable for adult dogs, puppies are not recommended to feed them. What feeds belong to this class? Well-known Hill's and Royal Canin, ProPlan, Purina, Brit - premium.

Super premium feed - how is it different from premium? Composition in the first place. The manufacturer clearly indicates on the package what is included in their product. Meat in such feed contains at least 40%. If offal is present, then the packaging says: offal of poultry, beef or veal. And it is listed what kind and in what quantity. A similar food can feed both a puppy and an adult. The most popular feeds in the Russian Federation related to this species are Gina ("Gina") and "Eukanuba".

And finally, the best shih tzu food is holistic. This is a complete feed with a high content of meat, vegetables and fruits. The prices are high, but the quality is amazing. Feed available at pet stores in Russia: Acana, Orijen ("Origen"), Grandorf ("Grandorf"). These are the most famous and proven brands.

How to feed a pet?

How many times to feed shih tzu? An adult, as mentioned above, receives his portion twice a day. About puppies - a separate discussion in the next subsection.

Puppy feeding

From 1 to 3 months, the baby should receive food 6 times a day every 3 hours. Usually puppies leave for permanent residence to new owners at the age of 2-2.5 months. And the owners begin to find out from the breeder how to feed the Shih Tzu puppy, who was born 2 months ago.

For some reason, many breeders like to recommend Royal Canin for puppies and lactating bitches. But better Acana ("Akana") for puppies of small breeds have not yet come up with food. Another wonderful feed of the same company is Pacifica with fish. It does not contain allergic products. But for a shit-zu puppy, he will have to break the round feed into pieces.

When feeding, remember that the dry product is soaked in water. First they give him a swell and then feed the puppy. Upon reaching 3 months, the pet is transferred to 5 meals a day. From 4 to 6 months they feed 4 times a day. From 6 to 9 - three times. From the age of nine months, Shih Tzu switches to eating adult dogs - two times a day.

Conclusion

We examined how to feed Shih Tzu - natural food or dry food. The choice of diet is left to the dog owner.