best toys and food for a 4 lb shihtzu?

Question

I am getting a 4 lb shihtzu tomorrow (adopting her) and need toy ideas. Does anybody know of any toys for such a small dog. She does like to play. Also what is the best food for such a tiny dog and how much to give? Thanks

She is 9 months old

she was vet checked recently and I am aware of one problem she has which is deformed rib cage but the vet has said it isn't life threatening just to watch her. She is coming with all vet records to tranfer her to my vet. BTW I thought 4 lbs was awfully small for a shihtzu too, I know my grandpa has a 3 lb Pom though.

Her previous owner seems to collect "tea cups" :-( so sad. I am taking her because I am use to getting the smallest of breeds as I have cared for sick poms that weighed only 2-3 lbs

Answer 1

i have shih tzus and have taken care of a couple litters of puppies, they like chewing on rawhides (small ones of course) and enjoy playing with rope toys, you can find small ones at a pet store and i feed my dogs puppy chow as long as they are able to have solid food, ask the people you are getting the puppy from what kind of food they have had the puppy on and stick with that, good luck and congrats on your new baby. wow 9 months old and its only 4 lbs that does not sound right, make sure you have a vet check done asap, shih tzus are not supposed to be that small and im afraid you may have some health problems ahead.

Answer 2

Any small cloth toy will be fine. Their puppy teeth are really sharp so if the dog still has them you might go through quite a few toys. Also try to find some kind of chew stick for her, my dog loves those and will not leave it anywhere. That helps with their teeth also and they love the taste. For the food I am using Eukaniba. There was just a big re-call on the Iam's can food and their pouches so stay away from those. I am going to throw mine away. Hope this was helpful.

Answer 3

At 4lbs. I am assuming she is a puppy. Puppies often like to chew, so soft chew toys are a good choice for a little dog. Just inspect the toys frequently to make sure she doesn't tear through them to the inside or break off any little pieces. Any quality puppy food for small breed puppies is best for your little one - one that meets AAFCO standards and no supermarket food. If she is 8 weeks old (or older) as she should be, she is old enough for dry kibble. Follow the package directions on how much to feed and adjust accordingly on your puppy's appetite and weight. There has been a recall on many moist pet foods over the weekend, so if you want to use moist food, do it yourself.

Answer 4

my mom has a shih tzu and a shih tzu maltese mix---don't get stuffed animals...all the cotton will be chewed and pulled out all over the place (unless you don't mind picking it up) and especially don't get the stuffed animals with the little beads in the them weight them down...they go all over the floor and you can fall...find toys that are soft, but are covered in a very thick material....dollar general and wal mart have a big selection of these. my mom's dogs haven't ripped those apart yet...squeaky toys are good if you can stand the noise...if you have to, take the squeaker out of them...i would check with your vet on the type of food....every dog is going to be different...some dogs may have allergies, they can also tell you the amount to give...these dogs seem to hack a lot...its because of the pallet in their mouth the doc can explain about that...my mom and I freaked when Sonny started doing it...its nothing tworry over, just go ahead and take the dog to the vet, ask about the pallet in the mouth...i think he called it an elongated pallet....not 100% sure, but it was ______ pallet, have them do an allergy test to and he can recommend the dog food and how much

Answer 5

I am really concern about that baby only being 4 pounds at nine months old. I would be really interested in the breeder who sold you this puppy or gave you this puppy. Sounds to me that she is down sizing these beautiful dogs. You are going to have health issue with this puppy because of this. When I hear Shih Tzu's weighs that much I get angry..I understand you do get a runt sometimes but you don't let someone adopt one that weight . A breeder will keep it for herself to make sure things with her are doing fine.

Answer 6

My Shih Tzu's have eaten dry Pets Worth dry dog food since their weaning.
The toys should be small and squishy, but 4 lbs. does sound terribly small for a Shih Tzu.

Answer 7

you can get her a little teddy bear and small squeezer toy,s even little bones she will want to chew if she is a puppy as for the food no matter What you get her make sure it is dry food it is easier to feed and better for them.
after the scare on the canned food this week-end I sure wish my dog would eat dry food.

Answer 8

kong toys and royal canin food they have breed specific food for your ****-zu.

Answer 9

#7 has a good idea, but don,t for get a ball as well.