Over our 10+ years as East Texas Shih Tzu breeders, we have learned some natural home remedies for the most common Shih Tzu health issues. Today we’d like to share some of those natural remedies with you!
While we always recommend checking with your vet whenever you’re concerned about your dog’s health, there are times when your Shih Tzu has diarrhea from a stressful day, won’t eat because they’re nervous, or just needs a little help with itchy skin so they don’t get a hotspot from licking and chewing.
Having some of these home remedies in your back pocket can help them recover quickly in times like these, and might even save you a trip to the vet!
Think of it like putting together your very own Shih Tzu puppy First-Aid kit!
1. Coconut Water
Coconut water is a natural electrolyte rescue to fight against dehydration when your dog doesn’t want to eat or drink. It’s the next best thing to Sub-Q fluids from the vet!
If your Shih Tzu is acting a little lethargic or hasn’t eaten in more than 24 hours, it’s a great time to give them some coconut water as a pick-me-up.
The good electrolytes can help them regain some energy and eventually feel like eating again.
We like to give coconut water to our dogs (slowly) using a syringe, being careful not to accidentally cause them to aspirate.
We only give 100% coconut water to our Shih Tzu (no added sugar.)
DISCLAIMER: If your puppy is vomiting, has diarrhea, and is lethargic, they could have parvo and you should take them to a vet immediately.
2. Canned Pumpkin:
Canned pumpkin is a natural remedy for dogs with mushy stools.
The fiber content in pumpkin is what helps firm up the stool.
Sometimes diarrhea points to a serious issue like giardia, but most of the time it’s something mild (like nerves from environmental stress.) These everyday cases can be treated simply with a home remedy like pumpkin.
Canned pumpkin is great for puppies too!
Our vet has told us it is very common for puppies to have soft stools on and off for a myriad of reasons. He always suggests we try canned pumpkin before giving a more targeted medicine (like Flagyl or Metronidazole) that can be hard on their little immune systems.
Note: Watery stools are different than the “soft” or “mushy” stools we’re referring to here. Watery stools are not as common and usually mean there’s a more serious problem that needs to be addressed by your vet.
Most of our dogs love pumpkin and will eat it off a plate! You can also try encouraging them to lick it off your fingers.
If that doesn’t work, try gently squeezing a tiny bit at a time in the corner of their mouth using a syringe and see if they will start to accept it and swallow. (Don’t continue to force feed if they refuse to swallow.)
As with coconut water, always look for 100% canned pumpkin (no sugar added) when buying pumpkin for your dogs.
If giving pumpkin doesn’t make a difference within about 24 hours, try Kaopectate.
3. Kaopectate
Kaopectate is a good option for treating diarrhea when pumpkin doesn’t work.
Our vet told us that Kaopectate is also a safe option for dogs when you don’t want to give them antibiotics (such as nursing moms or young puppies.)
For example, sometimes our Shih Tzu moms have soft stools after giving birth, and we know giving antibiotic medicine would be dangerous for the nursing puppies.
This is one of the times we pull Kaopectate out of our pantry!
For Kaopectate, give 1 tsp (5ml) four times a day for a 5-10 lb Shih Tzu.
(Keep in mind, it may take 2-3 days before you see improvement.)
We always buy the vanilla flavor since that’s what our dogs like.
Don’t be surprised if your Shih Tzu is a bit constipated for a couple of days after you’ve stopped giving the Kaopectate.
That just means the medicine is doing its job. They will be on a regular schedule again after a few more days.
4. Nutri-Cal Gel:
Nutri-Cal is a high-calorie nutritional gel supplement that can help prevent hypoglycemia.
Hypoglycemia, (a condition caused by low blood sugar) is a common and dangerous issue for small breeds like the Shih Tzu, especially for young puppies.
Supplementing with Nutri-Cal gel will stabilize your pup’s blood sugar when they’re not eating well.
For example, we give Nutri-Cal to our puppies anytime we travel with them.
We also ask our Sunnybelle puppy families to get a tube of Nutri-Cal before bringing their baby home, since puppies don’t always want to eat right away while they are still adjusting to their new environment.
We recommend giving a pea-sized dose of Nutri-Cal to your puppy twice a day for the first week, then once a day the second week after bringing them home.
And Nutri-Cal isn’t just for puppies! Feel free to give your adult Shih Tzu a dose of Nutri-Cal anytime they aren’t eating well and need a blood sugar boost.
5. Probiotics
Probiotics are super important for your Shih Tzu’s gut health.
Giving your pup probiotics with their daily meals promotes good digestion, which helps soothe upset tummies.
In addition, whenever your dog has taken a major antibiotic like Flagyl, it is essential to follow up with a multi-strain probiotic (like Gastro Pro Plus) to restore their healthy gut flora.
There are two probiotics we always have on hand.
The first is Gastro Pro Plus, a digestive enzyme and multi-strain probiotic which includes the prebiotics that probiotics feed on.
We sprinkle a half capsule of Gastro Pro Plus on our Shih Tzu’s kibbles daily to support their overall health.
Another probiotic we always have handy is FortiFlora.
FortiFlora is a single-strain probiotic with an irresistible taste (liver flavor) that you can sprinkle on your dog’s kibbles to entice them to eat if they don’t have an appetite.
6. Skin Support Plus Spray
We couldn’t leave Skin Support Plus spray out of our pet first aid kit!
Skin Support Plus is a natural remedy for itchy, red, or irritated skin. It works as a natural antiseptic to keep cuts or abrasions clean — WITHOUT stinging.
We love that it’s made up of only three ingredients: tea tree oil, aloe vera, and chamomile.
These ingredients work together to soothe, heal, and clean the skin all at the same time!
We pull it out anytime our dogs have a topical skin issue, like a raw spot from scratching, licking, or chewing. (Which could be the beginnings of a hotspot.)
Simply spray the affected area with Skin Support Plus 1-4 times a day. We can usually see improvements by the next day after using the spray!
It’s so good, we even use it on ourselves sometimes! 🙂
Bonus Pantry Item – Oral Syringes:
You’ll need an oral syringe to give coconut water or Kaopectate. (You can also syringe-feed pumpkin if your dog won’t lick it off of a plate, as we mentioned earlier.)
Sometimes your vet will give you an oral syringe if you ask. However, we recommend ordering this variety pack from Amazon to keep in your handy-dandy Shih Tzu First-Aid kit. It’s so nice to have several different sizes on hand!
These syringes can be washed and reused. (Pro tip: Washing them with warm water instead of hot water will make them last longer.)
We hope having these pantry items on hand and knowing how to use them gives you confidence that you can help your pet.
Although these home remedies aren’t meant to replace your veterinarian’s care and expertise in the case of an emergency, they can be incredibly helpful when your Shih Tzu is dealing with discomfort from everyday stressors.
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Much love,
I love your explanation of “true liver/chocolate”. I wish more people would read this and understand. We currently have 2 gorgeous 5 week old liver/chocolate with gorgeous green eyes. Our male is AKC, but our female came from another breeder (purebred Shih Tuz) that are not AKC. She had no idea what the brown noses meant. I appreciate your informative explanation, it gives me somewhere to send people that really don’t understand.
Thank you, April! I know the recessive liver gene is a mystery to those unfamiliar with it, but I’m so glad we could share what we have learned over the years through our dna testing and raising these beautiful chocolate pups! I’m happy you have the blog now to share with others. 🙂
Hi maham what healthy dog food have you found that you feed dogs ? Thank much
Hi Diana! Thanks so much for reading our blog! This is the food we feed our dogs: https://pawtree.com/sunnybellepetnutrition/product/GM2000
Right now we’re feeding Turkey & Sweet Potato, but we like to rotate between Turkey, Lamb, and Trout about every 5-6 months so our dogs don’t develop an allergy from overfeeding one type of protein.
We do feed our nursing moms and weaning puppies the Real Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe.
If you want to create a “Pet Profile” for your pet and get specific recommendations for their needs you can do that at this link: https://pawtree.com/sunnybellepetnutrition/petprofile
We’ve found that’s been super helpful for our dogs!! Do you have a Shih Tzu or a different breed? 🙂
Do you have any good remedies for the ears, mine has a lot of hair in his ears, do you just clip or pull the hair out? I just feel the wax gets in the hair and it itches how often do you clean their ears out and what is your favorite product to do that with.
There is nothing serious going on, he goes to the vet and they just clean them out, but nothing really helps they go right back to the same issue.
Thanks for all your help, I appreciate all your help.
Great question! We always pull as much of the hair out of the ear as we can. It can definitely cause irritation if left unattended, and clipping doesn’t really help since the hair is still inside there, harboring moisture. For most Shih Tzu, we recommend plucking the hair and cleaning your pup’s ears every 4-6 weeks.
However, back when we first started breeding, we had a Shih Tzu (who we got from another breeder) who was prone to ear problems like your pup. In that case, our vet told us to clean her ears once a week. So we recommend you start cleaning your dog’s ears once a week and pluck as needed when you notice the hair growing back.
Our favorite ear cleaning solution is Virbac Epi-Otic Advanced Ear Cleanser for Dogs & Cats. It’s what our vet uses. You can find it on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3TWygwJ
To clean your pup’s ears, simply fill their ear canal with the Epi-Otic solution, massage the ear a little bit, and then dump it out. Twist half a cotton ball inside the ears to dry. If the cotton ball comes out dirty, repeat this process (fill the ear a second time, massage, and twist a fresh half of a cotton ball inside the ear) until the cotton ball comes out clean.
We use a hemostat to pull excess hair out of the ears. With a hemostat, you can easily clamp, twist, and pull the hair so that you get it out on the first try, which means less pain for your pup! Here is the hemostat we use: https://amzn.to/3KmvVpV
If your dog’s ears are chronically irritated, we would also recommend you try to find a holistic vet! If your vet hasn’t figured out what the CAUSE of the ear infection is and it keeps reoccurring, it sounds like they’re just treating symptoms instead of looking for the root cause. A holistic vet would more likely be able to help you find the root cause of your pup’s ear problems, (whether it’s just hair and wax, or a deeper issue.) We can share a link with you that can help you find a holistic vet in your area if you would like!
You might also consider finding a healthier dog food if you haven’t already…so many issues (like itchiness) can stem from poor gut health, and feeding a better food along with probiotic supplements can help heal your pup’s gut if they are struggling with gut health. We’d love to share with you about the healthy food we switched all our Shih Tzu to not long ago if you need a recommendation. It has helped them feel so much better overall and helped with itchiness too!
Hope your dog feels better soon! Please feel free to let us know if you have any more questions!
Please share what food you feed your pups. I have 6 shih tzu’s and a few have the itchy problem.
Thank you,
Celeste
Hi Celeste! This is Sunny. 🙂 Oh my goodness how FUN that you have 6 Shih Tzus!!! This is the food we feed: https://pawtree.com/sunnybellepetnutrition/product/GM2000
We actually have a few recommendations for your itchy pups, since we have seen such huge improvements in one of our dogs after changing up her diet!
Our Misto struggled with itchy skin and poor coat quality until we found this holistic pet food company. She is truly a different dog now. Her quality of life is soooo much better now that she isn’t itching all the time!
We transitioned her to the Real Turkey and Sweet Potato Recipe, since it is chicken and grain free. (linked here: https://pawtree.com/sunnybellepetnutrition/product/GM2000) Many dogs (like Misto) have developed an allergy to chicken and grains since those ingredients are in most dog foods on the market.
We also added a few supplements into her diet. (Like the Wild Alaskan Salmon & Pollock Oil, linked here: https://pawtree.com/sunnybellepetnutrition/product/GM2018 and Gastro Pro Plus for gut health, linked here: https://pawtree.com/sunnybellepetnutrition/product/GM2021)
One of our favorite things about pawTree is that they will give you a CUSTOMIZED nutrition plan for each of your pets to help them with their individual needs! You can create a “Pet Profile” on their website where you pick from a list of common struggles and they will generate a list of their specific recommendations to address those needs! It’s pretty awesome and has been so helpful for all of our dogs!
If you want us to help you set up a “Pet Profile” for each of your dogs so you can see the specific recommendations, we’d be happy do that for you!
Or if you have any questions, we would LOVE to hear more about your dogs and help you decide on the best nutrition plan for your Shih Tzus!
You can text Molly with more questions (903)-520-7659 and we can have a conversation over text, email us at sunnybelle@akcchocolateshihtzus.com, or of course, you’re welcome to call Molly’s cell!
Sharon, your questions inspired Sunny to write another blog with the answers! 🙂
Here is the link: https://akcchocolateshihtzus.com/how-to-clean-shih-tzu-ears-quick-tutorial-with-photos/