I have a 12-13 pound shih-tzu (so sweet!) and she has been very unenthusiastic about her food for a while now - I don't think she ever really liked this brand. I originally chose it because it seemed to be one of the healthier dog food choices, but now after some research and reading some things in this forum I am learning that it does not hold a candle to the really healthy dog foods.

Does anyone know the nutritional requirements / best balance / specific food needs for a shih-tzu - a small dog that was bred to sit on the emperors' laps in the palaces of China (not super-active but gets enough exercise)? I would like to change her diet (I know to do it very slowly) but I do not know enough yet about what to change it to. I saw something on a post about Buffalo Blue dog food- I'd love to hear from anyone who knows more about this or any other brand that might work for her. Preparing my own food for her food from scratch is not a possibility now because I have MS and trigeminal neuralgia pain, and am often unable to cook, even for the human people in my family...

I have seen what a HUGE difference diet makes in how I feel and in the rest of my family, and I am now hopeful about how it can help her, too. I wonder if you know, or know where I can find out more about, what I should optimally be feeding her?

Leah,

I'm likely the one who posted what you read about the Blue Buffalo.....I recommend it every chance I get! Ours seem to think it is very yummy. There are several different flavors. You can also get canned food and health bars. The health bars are great for a mid-day snack, but I would break them in half for a smaller dog. Ours have tested most of the flavors of all their products. The only one we had a problem with was the fish/sweet potato combo dry food. The dogs loved it, but its a bit stinky. The yogurt/apple health bars smell so wonderful. All dogs have pretty much the same basic nutritional needs. Adjustments would only need to be made for those who work, get lots of exercise, or have dietary restrictions. My in-laws have a dog that will go days without eating his kibble. He prefers people food, so he just waits til someone gives him scraps. We had a bowl of Blue Buff out for our dog when we were visiting. Before we knew it, the picky one had eaten the whole bowl!

Whatever brand you go with, the general rule is you get what you pay for. High quality dog food doesn't come in 30 pound bags for $10. The less fillers and preservatives, the better. You might buy a few of the smaller bags of a couple kinds and see which your dogs likes.

Good luck finding a healthy food for your doggie :-)

Here is some info: http://www.drsears.com/tabId/399/it...r-pet.aspx

Hi Jennifer;
I just want to thank you for recommending Blue Buffalo. We have three dogs, rescues, two older (14 & 15) but still healthy and active, ad one younger, 3yrs old. We've always purchased a higher quality Lamb & Rice dry dog food. (We went to Lamb & Rice a number of ears ago, when a previous dog, an SPCA rescue when we were first married, 24+ years ago, developed allergies to wheat. .
.
So I must tell you about our 15 yr old rescue, 12 pound Pomeranian. She and the 14 year old American Eskimo, both had to have a number of teeth removed. And while they both eat well, the Pom has gotten a little picky. While she is an all-day grazer (as is the younger Pappillion) - sometimes we have to add a little flavored meat drippings to encourage her. If we put some chopped up dry teats or other in her food, she piks out te "good stuff".
.
So our son, who's boss also owns a Fish & pet store, and who carries only high quality pet foods, gets a discount. And even though he just picked us up a bag of our lately usual brand of dog food. We asked him to pick us up a bag of Blue Bffalo, since when we asked, he told us the the store carries it. .
.
So we mixed the Blue Buffalo dry (Lamb & Rice) with our usual Lamb & Rice. She ate it all up, yesterday, the first evening we fed them with it. Today, this evening, we gave them the same mixed 1/2 and 1/2. The Pom, like she does with treats mixed in, carefully picked out the usual, dropped them on the floor next to her bowl, and ate the Blue Buffalo dry dog food. And carefully checked each piece she dropped on the floor, to ensure she didn't miss any of the "god stuff".
.
All that to say, you were right about "Blue Buffalo", and hanks for the recommendation.

Hi Jennifer;
I just want to thank you for recommending Blue Buffalo. We have three dogs, rescues, two older (14 & 15) but still healthy and active, and one younger, 3 yrs old. We've always purchased a higher quality Lamb & Rice dry dog food. (We went to Lamb & Rice a number of years ago, when a previous dog, an SPCA rescue when we were first married, 24+ years ago, developed allergies to wheat. .
.
So I must tell you about our 15 yr old rescue, 12 pound Pomeranian. She and the 14 year old American Eskimo, both had to have a number of teeth removed. And while they both eat well, the Pom has gotten a little picky. While she is an all-day grazer (as is the younger Pappillion) - sometimes we have to add a little flavored meat drippings to encourage her. If we put some chopped up dry teats or other in her food, she picks out the "good stuff".
.
So our son, who's boss also owns a Fish & pet store, and who carries only high quality pet foods, gets a discount. And even though he just picked us up a bag of our lately usual brand of dog food. We asked him to pick us up a bag of Blue Buffalo, since when we asked, he told us the the store carries it. .
.
So we mixed the Blue Buffalo dry (Lamb & Rice) with our usual Lamb & Rice. She ate it all up, yesterday, the first evening we fed them with it. Today, this evening, we gave them the same mixed 1/2 and 1/2. The Pom, like she does with treats mixed in, carefully picked out the usual, dropped them on the floor next to her bowl, and ate the Blue Buffalo dry dog food. And carefully checked each piece she dropped on the floor, to ensure she didn't miss any of the "good stuff".
.
All that to say, you were right about "Blue Buffalo", and Thanks for the recommendation.