An adult Shih Tzu needs a complete food and a portion matched to its weight: for a neutered, moderately active dog of 6 kg, that is about 271 kcal a day. Records of thousands of Shih Tzus seen by UK vets overturn a popular belief, namely that this is a breed that gets fat easily, and point to where it pays to look instead: the body under the coat, the teeth and regular, well-formed stools.
The FCI breed standard gives a weight of 4.5 to 8 kg, ideally 4.5 to 7.5 kg, and a height at the withers of no more than 27 cm, with no separate range for males and females. Pet Shih Tzus often weigh more than the standard allows, though. In the VetCompass study by the Royal Veterinary College, which analysed the clinical records of 11,082 Shih Tzus under UK veterinary care in 2016, the average adult weighed 7.9 kg: males 8.5 kg, above the top of the standard, and females 7.3 kg. One adult male in five weighed 10 kg or more.
The same study's growth curves show that Shih Tzus grow fast in their first year but keep gaining weight until about three years of age. So the number on the scales tells you little on its own: a 9 kg Shih Tzu may simply be a big-framed dog, while a 7 kg one may be carrying extra fat. Body condition is what counts, and with a long, dense coat your eyes will fool you, so use your hands: you should be able to feel the ribs without a layer of fat over them and, looking down from above, make out a waist. On the WSAVA 9-point body condition scale, 4-5 is ideal.
Plenty of guides call the Shih Tzu one of the breeds most prone to obesity. The veterinary data says the opposite. In a study of 22,333 dogs seen by UK vets in 2016, overweight was recorded in 7.1% of dogs overall, and only two breeds had lower odds of being overweight than crossbreeds: the Shih Tzu, at roughly half (odds ratio 0.53), and the German Shepherd (0.55). The Pug, another flat-faced breed, had the highest odds of all (3.12).
The breed's own VetCompass study agrees: obesity was diagnosed in 3.5% of Shih Tzus, which the authors compare with 6.38% across flat-faced breeds in an earlier VetCompass study. In practice, there is no reason to start cutting the portions of an 8 kg Shih Tzu by default: if its body condition is good, that is simply its size. These are diagnoses recorded by vets, though, and individual Shih Tzus do put on weight; across all breeds in the overweight study, neutering and middle age were among the factors linked to extra kilos. So if you are wondering whether your Shih Tzu is overweight, check its body condition every few weeks and recalculate the portion if it changes.
The single most common diagnosis in Shih Tzus is periodontal disease, inflammation of the gums and the tissues that hold the teeth: in the VetCompass study, among 2,423 Shih Tzus whose records were reviewed in detail, it affected 9.5% of dogs in one year. It climbs with age, from 1.5% under 2 years to 9.1% between 2 and 7 and 18.3% over 7. Among dogs under 2, 8.5% had retained baby teeth, which trap plaque and are worth showing to your vet.
Here is the surprise: Shih Tzus are not more affected than other dogs. In a study of 22,333 dogs, periodontal disease affected 12.5% of all dogs in a year, and the Shih Tzu did not have higher odds than crossbreeds (odds ratio 0.92, not significant), whereas the Lhasa Apso, another Tibetan breed, did (2.24). The authors of the Shih Tzu study likewise conclude that the breed does not appear predisposed. In fairness, the studies these researchers cite do consider a soft diet a risk factor. That is why, whatever your Shih Tzu eats, the advice is the same: tooth brushing and dental check-ups from an early age. Our guide explains how to brush your dog's teeth step by step.
The Shih Tzu often appears on lists of stone-prone breeds, and older studies did place it among the breeds at higher risk of struvite and calcium oxalate stones. Two large recent analyses are less clear-cut. Of 258,898 stones analysed in the United States between 2010 and 2015, the Shih Tzu did not come out at higher risk of calcium oxalate stones in all of the study's comparisons; the authors suggest keeping an eye on it when other risk factors are present, such as a family history of stones or persistent crystals in the urine. In a University of California series of 10,444 stones (2006-2018), no breed was predisposed to struvite stones, although the authors point out that in breeds known to be at risk, struvite stones may have been dissolved by the vet rather than sent to the lab.
If your dog has already had stones, the diet is your vet's decision, and it depends on the type: for struvite the ACVIM consensus recommends dissolving the stones medically, while to limit calcium oxalate recurrence it aims for more dilute urine and advises avoiding diets with excessive protein. So a meat-rich food, however good, is not automatically the right choice for a dog that has had stones.
The second most common problem in Shih Tzus is anal sac impaction (7.4% of dogs in a year), more common than in dogs overall according to the study's authors. Gut disorders as a group affect 10.5% of Shih Tzus, with vomiting in 4.4% and diarrhoea in 2.9%. The authors connect the two: with soft stools a dog may not empty its anal sacs naturally when it passes faeces, so diarrhoea could make impaction more likely. In a survey of vets, diarrhoea was also named among the predisposing factors, while the type of diet on its own was not.
For the food bowl that means two practical things: change food gradually, over several days, and keep an eye on the stools, which should stay well formed. If your dog scoots or its stools stay loose, talk to your vet: emptying the sacs and finding the cause are their job.
Every Pappa Fresh recipe contains one meat and lists the percentage of each ingredient on the label, so you always know what is in the bowl and can show it to your vet:
Looking for food without chicken? In the beef, horse and pork recipes the one meat is not chicken; if your dog has reacted to a food, show the full label to your vet. Turkey is poultry, so if your dog has reacted to chicken, ask your vet before trying it.
The recipes are cooked in the pouch and kept out of the fridge until opened; once opened, keep them in the fridge and use within 2-3 days. For a 6 kg Shih Tzu one 400 g pouch covers about 1.7 days on the Complete plan, well within that limit. On the Mix plan (half the ration alongside your dog's kibble, €2.16 a day) the pouch would last about twice as long, beyond those 2-3 days, so at this size the Complete plan fits best. The Topper is not offered, because it would not reach 10 pouches per cycle.
Two tips specific to Shih Tzus. The muzzle is short (about 2.5 cm, according to the standard), so a shallow, wide dish is easier than a deep bowl. And wet food clings to the beard more than kibble does: to keep it clean, wipe the face with a damp cloth after meals and dry it.
An adult Shih Tzu of 6 kg, neutered and moderately active, needs about 271 kcal a day: with our Chicken recipe that is about 238 g of wet food, with the richer Beef 199 g. An intact dog burns more, about 339 kcal (297 g of Chicken). The table runs from 5 kg to 8 kg, the weights of the standard, but many Shih Tzus, especially males, weigh more: if yours is over 8 kg and in good condition, the quiz works out the portion from its real weight.
Compared with a bag of kibble the grams will look high, and that is normal: kibble is far more concentrated (around 350-400 kcal per 100 g, against 110-136 for our recipes). For the general logic behind portions, see our guide how much should a dog eat.
| Weight | Energy need (kcal/day) neutered / intact | Grams per day neutered / intact | Complete plan | Mix (½) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 kg | 236 / 296 | 207 g / 260 g | €3.76/day | €1.89/day |
| 6 kg | 271 / 339 | 238 g / 297 g | €4.41/day | €2.16/day |
| 8 kg | 336 / 421 | 295 g / 369 g | €5.45/day | €2.69/day |
Grams based on the Chicken recipe (114 kcal/100 g); with Beef, which is richer (136 kcal/100 g), you need about 16% less. Prices for a neutered dog.
Figures calculated with the same method as our quiz (FEM×K: maintenance energy adjusted for breed, activity, neutering and body condition). They are an estimate: take the quiz for your dog's exact plan, and talk to your vet about any health concern.
Two minutes: enter weight, age and activity to get the exact portion, with 30% off your first order.
An adult Shih Tzu of 6 kg, neutered and moderately active, needs about 271 kcal a day, which is about 238 g of our chicken wet food; at 8 kg it is about 295 g. These are estimates: the right portion also depends on body condition, which in a Shih Tzu you check with your hands under the coat.
The FCI standard gives 4.5-8 kg for both sexes, ideally 4.5-7.5 kg. In UK veterinary records the average adult weighed 7.9 kg (males 8.5 kg, females 7.3 kg), and one adult male in five weighed 10 kg or more. Body condition matters more than the number: aim for 4-5 on the WSAVA 9-point scale.
Not as a rule. In the VetCompass study of thousands of Shih Tzus, food allergy was not among the 40 most common diagnoses, while skin problems as a whole affected 16.6% of dogs. If your vet suspects food, the way to find out is an elimination diet under their supervision. Turkey is poultry too, so ask your vet before swapping chicken for turkey.
No study shows that Shih Tzus are fussier than other breeds, although small dogs have that reputation; in the VetCompass study, loss of appetite was diagnosed in 1.9% of Shih Tzus in a year. If appetite drops suddenly, have your vet check your dog, mouth included: periodontal disease is the breed's most common diagnosis. If you change food, do it gradually over several days.
The vet records do not single them out. Gut disorders as a group affected 10.5% of Shih Tzus in a year (vomiting 4.4%, diarrhoea 2.9%), in line with the roughly 10% recorded in both flat-faced and other dogs in an earlier VetCompass study, and the Shih Tzu study's authors note that diarrhoea was more than twice as common in French Bulldogs. Where stools really matter in this breed is the anal sacs, which soft stools may stop emptying. If vomiting or diarrhoea keep coming back, see your vet, and if you change food, do it gradually.
Written by the Pappa Fresh editorial team from published veterinary studies (see sources). Not a substitute for your vet's advice.
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