If you want to ensure that your shih tzu is eating right, then you can create tasty, healthy meals for them on your own. The good news about homemade dog food is that the recipes are not complicated. But it will require adhering to the nutritional needs of your shih tzu and not introducing foods or ingredients that are bad for their health.
Just like with the food you eat you need to strike a balance of nutrients for your shih tzu, so they stay healthy. This means creating meals that offer a mixture of meats and vegetables that they will enjoy.
Types of Foods
Here is the easy part, you need the basic types of foods to feed to your shih tzu. They are relatively inexpensive and provide for all of their nutritional needs.
- Meats
- Bones with Raw Meat
- Offal (animal organs)
- Leafy, Non-Starchy Vegetables
Meats: All the common meats from beef to chicken to lamb apply. You can even include rabbit, venison, and pork. In addition, salmon and mackerel are also fine as well as most fish. Basically, whatever types of meat you can eat are also well suited for your shih tzu.
Bones: Do not mistake the raw, meaty bones for large or recreational bones that they love to chew. These are animal bones that still have the tendons and muscle meat adhering to them. They are an important source of calcium. If you are hesitant about feeding them raw, meaty bones then ground eggshells in their food is a good substitute.
Offal: These are organ meats such as hearts, necks, and kidneys which greatly compliment their diet. Such meats are rich in vitamins and minerals. About the only drawback is that such organ meats are not too common in the US. So, you may have to shop around or find alternatives for their vitamin and mineral needs.
Vegetables: While dogs are basically carnivorous, you can add the right non-starchy vegetables to their diet.
- Broccoli, Carrots, and Lettuce
- Cauliflower, Asparagus, and Peas
- Spinach, Cucumbers, and Squash
Keep in mind that there are vegetables that you should not feed your shih tzu which include garlic, nightshades such as potatoes, peppers, and eggplant, onions, grapes, and raisins. Keep these vegetables away from your shih tzu. While many dogs will not have any issues with these foods, you do not know which ones will until it is too late.
Avoid Grains & Beans
It’s not to say that grains and beans are bad for your shih tzu, it is just that they are unnecessary for their diet. There is no need to feed them something that does little good compared to the meats and vegetables that should be part of their diet.
Consult with your veterinarian to see if your shih tzu may need a supplement to help balance out their diet. And remember that you do not have to cook the meats as most dogs prefer the raw kind. While there is a small possibility that they may become sick, most dogs are far less vulnerable to food poisoning than humans.
