Five steps to make your shih tzu healthier and happier – It wasn’t long ago that talking about natural food for shih tzu generated strangeness or doubts outside the most specialized circles. But today, opting for a healthier dish has more and more fans.
Natural food is no longer an exotic fad to be incorporated by all types of audiences looking for foods rich in nutrients, with the advantage of not containing chemical additives and collaborating in the prevention and treatment of various diseases.
But you, who insist on bringing more health to your table and your family, have you ever thought that this should also be a concern when it comes to feeding your shih tzu?
Why should I change the food for Natural Food for shih tzu
Recent studies show that most industrialized feed uses BHA and BHT preservatives in their composition, substances classified as carcinogenic by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an arm of the World Health Organization.
Another alarming fact is that most cases of kidney stones in shih tzu are caused by food consumption. The excess of dyes and minerals contained in some types of industrialized foods is one of the main causes of kidney problems in animals.
According to Viviane B. Montoro Salesi, veterinarian, a natural food solution for dogs, “Food is essential at any stage of kidney disease, especially in more advanced stages where the shih tzu loses its appetite and needs more palatable food. Keeping the patient at an ideal weight and well-nourished guarantees success in the treatment.
Benefits of Natural Food for Shih Tzu
With natural food, it is possible to control nutrients, carbohydrates, and proteins in the doses necessary for the body”, explains the specialist in Nutraceuticals, a veterinary area that seeks to work the phytochemical components present in food and transform them into medicine.
The natural meal is also highly recommended in the treatment of shih tzu who suffer from food-based allergies caused by the chemicals contained in processed foods. To know if your shih tzu is suffering from an allergic process, just pay attention to the symptoms. In general, they present redness of the skin, increase in temperature, hair loss, and, most importantly, incessant itching all over the shih tzu’s body.
The advantages of natural food for shih tzu
The main advantages of this type of food are that we know that our shih tzu is receiving a 100% natural and chemical-free product. We also see the change in shih tzus: the coat is shiny and silky, the feces are firm and odorless, and they maintain their ideal weight,” she points out.
What is Natural Food for Shih Tzu
But, after all, what is a natural food for shih tzu? Natural and whole food is minimally processed, as close to its origin as possible, without chemical additives such as artificial dyes, preservatives, or flavorings, among others. That is, it keeps its main layers practically intact, which in turn have specific functions, both for food and for a balanced diet.
In the case of natural whole grains, for example, they preserve not only the inner layer where the carbohydrates, proteins, and some micronutrients of the grain are, but also the bran and the germ, where the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients are rarely found in the products are concentrated. refined. This makes natural whole foods based on foods closer to their nature, preserving the original balance of nutrients and bioactive substances.
Natural food is also excellent for SHIH TZU who eat poorly, a very common problem among small breeds LIKE SHIH TZU. This is the case of publicist Andreia Perini, “My puppy is picky to eat, he doesn’t like food very much, so I decided to try a balanced food. There was no adaptation process, he loved it on the first day”, she comments excitedly.
5 steps to make your SHIH TZU’s diet healthier, without error:
Start small: Replacement should be done gradually, so as not to generate any kind of intestinal disorder. It is recommended to serve only 25% of natural food on the 1st day and on the second day. On the third day, the proportion can already be 50%, rising to 75% on the fourth day. Only then, from the fifth day onwards, we recommend serving 100% natural food to your shih tzu.
Attention to the amounts: The suggested amounts of food per day may vary according to the age, activity, and temperament of your shih tzu, but ideally, the portions are divided into two to three meals a day. In order not to make a mistake, the ideal is to seek the guidance of a veterinarian.
It is normal for your shih tzu to drink less water: Every homemade diet naturally contains at least 70% water (moisture), which facilitates the digestion of food and directly protects the health of the kidneys and urinary tract. In this type of menu, the amount of water stored in the meal supplies a large part of your shih tzu’s daily water requirement. Do not worry!
Avoid mixing: The gradual mixing of feed with natural food is recommended only in cases of substituting feed for the meal. In other situations, it should be avoided, as both the ration and the Natural Food have their own balance. When mixing the two foods, this balance is lost. Also, as digestion times are very different, there may be more fermentation and gas formation, which is very uncomfortable for SHIH TZU.
Trust the replacement: Natural Food perfectly replaces the feed, and with many benefits. This type of food brings together everything your shih tzu needs for a great meal, in a balanced way, with all the nutrients of a complete ration, and with the advantage of being natural, fresh, and very tasty, which provides much more pleasure to the dog. shih tzu at mealtime.
The experts add: “Natural food brings countless benefits to the health of shih tzu, prevents and treats diseases and is even more delicious, allowing our best friend to have pleasure when eating. We all want to have a healthier life, with quality of life and satisfaction. Providing this same well-being for our shih tzu is proof of love. “