# Selecting new dog food for Shih Tzu



## adrian150 (Nov 14, 2010)

I have a 4 year old adult Shih Tzu that is currently on Science Diet (Yes I know very bad, but thankfully I was smart enough to do some research.) Anyone with recomendations are appreciated.

Also do smaller dogs need less protein? Taste of the wild seems like its the best of the best, but it is loaded with protein, I just need some clarification.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

Hi, don't worry about the protein levels. Just make sure you do not overfeed. Never go by the chart on the bag. It's overkill. Just go by your dogs body. It's better to keep your dog underweight, than overweight. TOTW is good. It's the value grain free food. I use it, an others as well in a rotation. There are better ones. I recommended grainfree over grain foods, simply because it contains more meat. Here are some good ones: orijen, evo, instinct, canidae grainfree, acana, earthborn holistic primitive natural Here's some links for you:smile:

http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/dry-canned-dog-food/587-top-five-dog-food-brands.html

Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble

Dog Food Reviews | Dog Food Ratings


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## josh83 (Oct 24, 2010)

I personally would recommend Orijen my dog been on and it has been great. That whole thing about high protein is a myth and not true.


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## SamWu1 (Oct 15, 2010)

Since you only have a small dog, might as well feed the best foods since he won't need much. I recommend Orijen if you have access to it, best kibble in my humble opinion.

I imagine you would be feeding less than 1/2 a cup a day so a 15.4lbs. bag would last you over 4 months.

High protein being bad is the most harmful misconception ever released. One of the reasons why some people experience diarrhea when they use Orijen is because of its richness. 

A natural diet (meaning raw) generally contains around 70%+ moisture while kibble only contains 10% or less. Raw also only contains around 15%-25% protein levels so alot of people hydrate the kibble to bring the moisture content up and it seems to alleviate some of the loose stools.

Another huge contributing factor is over feeding.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

SamWu1 said:


> Since you only have a small dog, might as well feed the best foods since he won't need much. I recommend Orijen if you have access to it, best kibble in my humble opinion.
> 
> I imagine you would be feeding less than 1/2 a cup a day so a 15.4lbs. bag would last you over 4 months.
> 
> ...


Makes perfect sense. I would go for orijen. I wish a bag last 4 months


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## buddy97 (Mar 29, 2010)

SamWu1 said:


> A natural diet (meaning raw) generally contains around 70%+ moisture while kibble only contains 10% or less. Raw also only contains around 15%-25% protein levels so alot of people hydrate the kibble to bring the moisture content up.


someone calculated this out once. on a dry matter basis, a raw diet is very close to the same protein content as the higher protein kibbles like orijen. i think this is the correct way to compare, as generally a kibble fed dog will drink much more water than a raw fed dog.


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## SamWu1 (Oct 15, 2010)

buddy97 said:


> someone calculated this out once. on a dry matter basis, a raw diet is very close to the same protein content as the higher protein kibbles like orijen. i think this is the correct way to compare, as generally a kibble fed dog will drink much more water than a raw fed dog.


Precisely, plus hydration makes the food look more substantial so people tend to not overfeed.


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## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

I highly recommend Acana and Orijen.

Jackson is a 15lb Yorkie and he eats Acana Grasslands, Acana Prairie and Orijen Regional Red and does wonderfully on them. He eats 1/2 cup per day and is very active. He also gets a bit of wet food mixed in.


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