Something else to consider: shitzus have notoriously weak stomachs. My dog needs grain free organic dog food, or else he will get diarrhea. My friend’s Shitzu will only eat wet food and raw carrots, or else she will vomit everywhere, then try to eat it, and spread the mess all over.
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Oh and get good dental treats, or else train him to tolerate getting his teeth brushed every day.
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I’m with @shutterbug. Save up for those vet bills! Our dog is generally healthy, but her most recent bill cost over $1000 because she had a dental cleaning, and they did a free growth removal at the same time as an add-on. Little dogs are notorious for bad teeth. My dog didn’t need any teeth pulled, just cleaning and tests beforehand to ensure her heart enzymes and CBC were good.
The only people I know of who keep shih tzu hair long show them. They have to wrap their hair to avoid it from getting damaged or from messing with the dog. (See pic). It takes a lot of care to keep hair long like that. And definitely listen to what others have said about mats and grooming. I’d recommend a groomers ever six weeks, but that’s just what I plan to do when I get my Bichon Frise. Brush daily, brush teeth, watch for mats, feed decent food.
On the food note, be careful not to fall into the trap of feeding a food that seems too good. I used to spend about $58 for a 15 lb. bag of food only to learn it caused elevated heart enzymes that could lead to death. I had my dog tested, and while her heart enzymes are elevated, she has no damage to her heart (we had an echo done on her to be sure). Now we feed middle-of-the-road food, Iams. Her treats are Science Diet dog food for healthy teeth, and she loves them.
My girl is a 45 lb. dog. We brush her once a week, take her to the groomer every four weeks for $50 (though that is only bath and brush without shaving), and we have her nails done every two weeks, alternating between the groomer’s and a dremel at home. Her food runs about $15/month. Her heartworm preventative (a necessity here in the states!) runs me $120 for the year, and her flea & tick preventative is $48 a year since I only use it during the spring/early summer. Our community treats for fleas and ticks, so we don’t really get them. Her annual vet visit- dentals and echocardiograms aside- cost about $150-200.
This is just to give you an idea of what you’re getting into. I hope I haven’t written too much. Truth be told, dogs are worth it. They are great companions who can make even the worst day great. Mine soothes me when i’m distressed and keeps me company when I’m alone. I love her very much and wouldn’t trade her for the world.
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What attachment do you use? This sounds so much easier, safer, and less scary than clippers.
Whichever one it came with. It was specific for dogs. And yes, it’s MUCH better than regular clippers. They squeeze the nail, which can hurt. The only thing you have to be careful about with the dremel is not leaving it on the nail for too long because it will make the nail hot.
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@shutterbug @Happy_H and everyone else, the pdsa over here gives free treatment to one pet over here for free if you receive certain benefits and i am eligible for it, so that saves a huge amount of money and takes the worry out of it,
This dog has been eating dried food , i think its this stuff https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/dog-food-reviews/0820/orlando-complete
the little dials look ok, more carbs, less fat
That’s awesome about the vet bills! The only programs we have for low income are for spay/neuter.
If at all possible, you should find a dog food with meat as a first ingredient.
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That good will lead to a sick dog down the road. Like @Happy_H said, meat should be the first ingredient. Meat, not meat derivatives (that’s a fancy word for fat)
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Good food is important. My Shepherd has a skin condition brought on by cheap foods. He loses hair and itches. I had to buy a different food last month and now he looks awful.
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Poor puppy! Fifteen
I shouldn’t say cheap foods. Because the one i fed him and he reacts good to is only $20. Anything with corn in it is bad for him.
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Yep, that corn can get you! Just please be sure it isn’t on the grain-free list of foods that are causing heart problems: https://www.fda.gov/media/128303/download
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Oh it isn’t. It’s just corn free.
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Corn is considered a filler anyways. Interestingly, chicken is also a common food allergy among dogs.
Yes, this is important. My vet recommended staying away from grain free foods (these are typically the limited ingredient diets)
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My friend had two shitzus with that plugged up anal glad problem. He had to manually massage both dogs on the butt, er, region, to fix the issue. There’s no way I could deal with that.
Funny about the chicken. Dogs aren’t obligate carnivores like cats, so they need some veggie. I have an old book on raising German Shepherds written before dog food was common. The recipes for meals I would eat!
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My dog had that once. I absolutely paid the $70 to let the vet take care of it.
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When I was showing dogs, I made my own dog food. It was decent stuff! Took forever to prepare, though, and you couldn’t pay me to do it now.
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Yes, the notorious anal gland issue. This is why I prefer bigger, less designer dogs.
Who am i kidding? I don’t like dogs anyway.
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