How to Choose the Best Dog Food for Shih Tzu Puppies
Shih Tzu puppies are cute, little bundles of fun, bringing great joy to their families. As with most puppies, the Shih Tzu pup has energy to spare and requires a high-quality diet to fuel its energy and growth.
Small breed puppies can be prone to overeating, so weighing the best dog food for Shih Tzu puppies and monitoring all intake is critical to achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight. Free feeding is not a good idea for this toy breed.
Feeding Shih Tzu Puppies
The best dog foods for Shih Tzu puppies will have a feeding guideline that will advise you on how much to feed the puppy as they grow. To ensure the puppy does not become hungry throughout the day, this breed should be fed four to five small meals throughout the day.
Any puppy food for a Shih Tzu pup should contain a minimum of 22 percent protein and 8 percent fat with higher percentages of both optimal. The best dog foods for Shih Tzu puppies are nutritionally balanced to support a healthy rate of growth.
Dietary Requirements for Shih Tzu Puppy Foods
Shih Tzu puppies require a protein-rich diet to thrive. Their ideal diet lists an animal-based protein as one of its first ingredients. Whole meats are the preferred choice, but meat meals are also excellent.
Shih Tzu puppies are easily able to process whole grains as well as fruits and vegetables. The primary importance for carbohydrates included in the best dog food for the Shih Tzu puppy is their ease of digestibility.
One of the most important building blocks in the Shih Tzu puppy’s diet is healthy fats. The most ideal fats are derived from animal sources such as chicken fat or oils from fish such as mackerel, anchovies, or salmon. Certain vegetable oils may also offer beneficial omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.
For their bodies to develop properly, Shih Tzu puppies require the correct ratio of calcium to phosphorus in their food. A puppy formulation specially formulated for small breeds will ensure this requirement is met.
Shih Tzu puppies should be fed a high-quality puppy food as adult formulations are too low in calories and lack the correct nutritional values to meet their specific developmental needs.
Things to Look for in the Best Dog Food for Shih Tzu Puppies
Here is a basic list of the most important things to look for in the best food for a Shih Tzu puppy:
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Whole proteins heading up the ingredients list
Shih Tzu puppies benefit from a diet rich in high-quality proteins. Ideally, a whole lean meat will be one of the first ingredients in any food designed to meet the Shih Tzu puppy’s nutritional needs. Meat meals are also acceptable and can be excellent sources of nutrition.
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Enriched with probiotics and helpful supplements
All diets can benefit from the addition of supplements to help the food to be well-balanced nutritionally. The best supplements to look for in a high-quality puppy food for the Shih Tzu include glucosamine, chondroitin, prebiotics, and probiotics.
DHA, an acid that assists with cognitive development, can also be a great help to the growing Shih Tzu pup.
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Meets AAFCO nutritional requirements for a complete and balanced food
All foods appropriate for the Shih Tzu puppy should bear the AAFCO seal of approval, indicating it meets the standards for a complete and balanced food.