Feeding a Shih tzu

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Hi - I’m about to get a Shih tzu puppy and have started all the reading on dog nutrition ( I went through all this with the cat - now on Bozita…) she’s going to arrive having been on Hill’s (!) and I’ll wean her off that on to good stuff. Lilly’s kitchen looks good. Does anyone have any advice please?
Thanks

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Hello and welcome to the forum. As you have done your research you will probably know that it is best to keep the puppy on the food that the breeder gives you, at least for the first week or two until he or she has settled. Transition to the new food should be gradual.

I can’t comment on Lily’s Kitchen because they have a range of foods and you haven’t specified which one you are thinking of and whether you are wanting to feed dry or wet food.

Puppies need good quality, digestible protein as they are growing fast. Usually the puppy formulas are a minimum of 30% protein dry weight.

Have you looked at the Dog Food Directory? It’s a good starting point for selecting foods. I usually use the filters for ‘clearly labelled’ and ‘avoid red/yellow ingredients’. This brings up the better quality products. If you need any help with this, please ask.

Variety is good for growing puppies so if you are planning to feed dry food, it is worth thinking about enhancing it with suitable cooked food. If this is something that interests you, take a look at this thread.

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Thanks Dottie - I’m going to feed wet in the morning and dry at night and it’s Lily’s Kitchen for puppies. They do a small breed variety. I’ve been through the dog food directory and it looks good - high protein no nasties. I
I looked at the thread on fresh food that you added and will most definitely be adding fresh food to the dry as well.
Many thanks for that link.
Juno

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Hi Juno and thanks for posting! Lily’s Kitchen had a few issues a couple of years ago after they were bought by Nestle (a lot of dog owners were reporting illness on the foods) but since then everything seems back on track. They make a lot of great foods so I’m sure your little girl will do well.

I know you’re probably swamped with puppy feeding guides but here is ours which may be of some help: https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/articles/feeding-puppies

Please let us know how she gets on!

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