You’ll have to do some digging in order to find the right kind of dog food for toy breeds like the Shih Tzu.
Luckily, we’re here to help you!
Our guide below provides you with some of the top brands that Shih Tzu owners have great success with and we’ll help you understand what to look for when shopping for food.
How to Choose a Dog Food for Your Shih Tzu
Many factors contribute to your food choice and not ever Shih Tzu needs what other members of the same breed do. We humans don’t all eat the same, do we?
Make sure you factor the following things into your food selection:
- Age. Do you need a puppy, adult or senior formula?
- Activity Level. The more calories they consume, they more they will need!
Highly active dogs should have a higher amount of protein and slightly larger meal portions.
Inactive dogs might do best with a weight control formula or low calorie diet.
For dogs with normal activity levels, average amounts of protein (25%-28%) are fine and adjust the portions accordingly.
- General Health – While we do highlight some excellent dog food brands for Shih Tzus below, we also realize that some dogs have very specific needs due to health issues or allergies.
If you already know what your dog suffers from and you’re thinking of changing brands, ask your vet ahead of time for their opinion and go over the ingredients with them if you’re not sure.
Toy or Small Breed?
While the breed itself is categorized as “toy,” not all Shih Tzu dogs are small.
If yours is on the smaller side (weighing under 15 pounds), you might look for a toy breed dog food.
If they’re over 15 pounds, then a small breed formula will be just fine.
We’ll take a look at the best dog food for Shih Tzu in our table below.
Top 6 Dog Foods for Shih Tzu Chart
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Weight Management
Be sure to keep an eye on your Shih Tzu’s weight. Some of them are like vacuum cleaners that never turn off!
When you have a dog with fluffy fur, sometimes it’s easier to mistake excess fat for excess fur. Make it a habit of running your hands over the sides of your dog so you can keep track of their weight.
If yours is a little on the portly side, then you may need to switch temporarily to a weight control formula and stop giving them snacks.
Top 3 Best Dog Food for Shih Tzu Reviews
Which is the best dog food for Shih Tzu? That’s up to you to determine! Below we highlight the top three brands, but if you’ve tried them already or they just don’t work for your dog, we have a three other options you can look at on our list above.
[easyazon_link asin=”B009LQ9JBU” locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”senappblo-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]1. Fromm Gold Small Breed Dog Food[/easyazon_link]
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Designed with the small dog in mind, Fromm’s Gold Small Breed Adult formula is an excellent choice for Shih Tzus with normal activity levels.
While this is not a grain-free formula, it contains plenty of fresh, high-quality ingredients that will help maintain a balanced metabolism for your small Shih Tzu. The kibble size is also more manageable for them to break down and chew.
We encourage you to look at the ingredients label so you know exactly what you’re feeding your dog:
[easyazon_link asin=”B01ALL3WJ8″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”senappblo-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]2. Merrick Grain Free Small Breed Recipe Pet Food[/easyazon_link]
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Next we have the Merrick small breed formula, which is suitable for highly active Shih Tzus who need plenty of protein in their diet.
They actually have three different small breed recipes, this being the Texas Beef option, so if you don’t like the looks of it, check out their chicken and salmon recipes. All of them are grain-free, using sweet potatoes and potatoes as the source of carbs.
The ingredients label:
[easyazon_link asin=”B00NT4SSM6″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”senappblo-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]3. Wilderness Blue Buffalo High Protein Dry Dog Food[/easyazon_link]
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Blue Buffalo Wilderness has a Toy Breed formula made with chicken that is also suitable for dogs that are more active.
The protein levels are higher than standard kibble formula (36% minimum), so if you have an inactive dog, this probably isn’t the best choice.
Have a look at the ingredients below. If you find that this doesn’t work, check out number 4 on our list, which is more appropriate for dogs of low to average activity levels.
