Dog Information

What is a good brand of dog food to feed my shih tzu dog?

I have just adopted her from another home and doesn't like hard kibble. I have tried mixing it with can dog food but she picks around and only eats the can food. Is there a "chewy" dog food we could try?

Public Comments

1. I'm not sure if they make soft kibble, but Innova is a great brand.
2. keebles
3. i cant remember if its chewy or not but according to our veterinarianits one of the healthiest. its called eukanuba (sp?) my dog liked the taste also. they sell it at pet smart and probably most large pet supply stores.
4. k well you're asking two different questions there. do you want something that tastes yummy and is full of crap, or something that's not going to play havoc on your dogs insides? over the past year ive looked at a lot of food bags. eventually i'll probably end up cooking my own when she's older, but right now that's not really an option between tight money and my living arrangements. as of this moment, i highly recommend *natural balance*. you can get this at petco. they have allergy and regular brands and for the most part stick to real ingredients with low amounts of corn and wheat. if you're dog really likes wet food, NB makes a wet food that you can mix with the dry. another good trick is once a week or so mix hot water into your dogs food and stir it up. they think its heaven! no, eukanuba isn't the healthiest. there are other holistic foods that are similar that are much better. keep this in mind: dogs don't properly digest corn. corn meal is used as a filler. flip your dog food bag over, is corn/corn meal one of the first ingredients? what does that tell ya....
5. I have a shih tzu. I feed him and all my dogs Nutro Ultra. If he's very picky trying putting some Vitagravy on it. It has vitamins in it and will get him more excited about eating. Also shih tzu dogs are prone to problems with their teeth. Check her teeth to see if she has any bad ones. It may hurt for her to eat hard kibble.
6. most dry foods are just gonna be hard, but the dog might like small bites better. but what i would recommend(its a little pricey but its the best thing you can feed your dog) is something like stella and chewy's raw food. the dog loves it, it is all meat and vegetables, and it is the healthiest thing out there. you keep it in your freezer, pull out enough patties for te day and thaw them (but not in the microwave, in the fridge) and feed them to your dog like that. she will love it and will love much longer that way. and for the people who are gonna say your dog can get sick from it because its "raw meat" they freeze it in a way that puts an extreme amount of pressure on it which kills all bacteria that it might have had before that. and also dogs have enzymes that break down bacteria that we cant. PLEASE DO YOUR DOG A FAVOR AND FEED RAW EDIT: also i used to work for natural balance. bean said you could feed the rolls. THE DOG ROLLS ARE MEANT TO BE USED AS TREATS NOT AS A FULL DIET. it is very unhealthy for that to be the dogs complete diet
7. Blue Buffalo. It is sold at pet stores and they have several flavors of their canned food. Has real meat, no corn, wheat, or grain gluten, etc. Those are bad for dogs. Our dog eats it and loves it. The beef flavor smells just like beef stew.
8. If your dog doesn't like the dog food now, like the other person said you can try Natural Balance. They have rolls that are dog food, it's soft and very healthy for her. There's no BHA, BHT, no by-products and no grains. On the other hand you can try Merrick. When you mix it with warm water it turns into a gravey! Stay away from Walmart or grocery store brands. Also grains. They cause allergies. Science Diet, Eukanuba, Iams, Purina, Alspo, Pedigree ect. Are not healthy foods. Good luck! Add: I use the smaller rolls as a back up for my dog, he has a blood vessel wrapped around his esophagus, causing him to vommit. Either way it can be used as treats and some people put it in their dog food. Depends on what you want do.
9. You can always soak her kibble in chicken broth (make sure it is low sodium and has no onion or onion powder in it). If you do this method, don't leave uneaten kibble down over night, throw it out after an hour or so. Have a vet check your dogs teeth and mouth to make sure everything in there in good.
10. There are actually a lot of good brands out there. The important thing is to know the right food to buy and how to feed this breed. Check this out, http://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/shih-tzu/feeding, for some guidelines.
11. I have had to use the soft chewy food for kittens before by mixing in a little bit of water to make like a mash. You might want to check with your vet for the best food for your dog. I know some dogs do not like the harder brand of dog foods, but you can find some for small breeds that do not have strong jaws. Also if you check at your local pet store most of the people that work at them have a working knowledge of the type of dog food that would benefit you best.