raw foods: It is true that after feeding on raw foods, it can cure skin allergy and other skin problems?|||Yay! for your little Shih Tzu! As other have mentioned, raw doesn't "cure" anything but it does make it less likely for some things to be a problem for your pup. You have a small dog, so expense is not going to be great no matter how you do this. I would start with one of the ground commercial products. My first choice (if you can find it) would be something that is either ground whole animals or just ground meat, bones and organs. Worry about any "extras" (supplements, veggies/fruits, whatever) later. I would start with one protein source for a couple of days (say, chicken), then add another new one every couple of days... your puppy is not old enough that introducing new foods should be a big deal... if he seems to have the runs or not do well with something, leave it out for a while and try it again later... most dogs can eat anything, but occasionally one thing or another doesn't work very well for a particular animal. A good variety of different meats/bones/organs is healthiest, so that is what you will aim for. I would just switch him "cold turkey" but it ISN'T really a problem to combine kibble and raw initially (even in the same meal) if you choose to do that. He will probably eat about 10% of his own body weight for right now, divided into three or four meals a day (figure his weight in ounces or grams and then multiply by 0.1 to get the amount of food to start with)... like any other feeding style, his weight and condition will tell you when you are feeding properly. Understand that some vets and some friends do not "get" that this is the most natural, healthiest way to feed your dog... people may give you a hard time about your decision, but it is YOUR puppy and YOUR decision! Buy a book! (Raw Dog Food: Make It Easy For You And Your Dog by Carina MacDonald is good). Join a list of other raw feeders who will help you through the introduction and be support. (Try RAW-lite on Yahoogroups).|||many of the dog foods we feed them have grains in them, and some animals have allergic reactions to them. So if you feed them raw meat, it should help. I have 2 cats that have reactions to grains. I would grind it up at first and mix it in with what she's eating now. Then slowly take away her dog food and replace it with the raw food. It might take a while. My cats caught on to it a lot faster than my dog. Watch out for resource guarding.|||shih tzus are prone to allergies. you are really better with a high quality dog food that you are trying the raw diet. i feed my muppet call of the wild dog food. it comes in salmon and potato and a bison formula. i like it as it is an all life stage dog food and it has no grain. you cannot get it at petsmart but if you go to a feed store you should be able to find it. i have included the site. its a little pricey but hey that little guy doesn't eat to much. and at adult age he/she will still only eat about a cup a day. good luck|||It can't "cure" allergies, but feeding raw makes it much easier to single out food sources and determine what foods your dog is allergic to, and the health benefits of raw feeding will strengthen his immune system as well. So in that way, a raw diet does help with all sorts of problems. If you want to start feeding raw 100% of the time, it must be a balanced diet. You want a variety of different meat, bone and offal (organ meat), in a ratio of 80% meat, 10% offal, and 10% bone. To start getting your pup used to raw food, you can feed a partially raw diet, meaning that some meals are raw and some are kibble. NEVER feed raw meat and kibble at the same time! They digest at different rates, so fed in the same meal, the bacteria from the meat remain in the system longer. A good meat to start with is chicken. It's agreeable with most newbies, and chicken has a good amount of bone in it which also helps keep firm stools for dogs just starting raw (if you were to dive right into a "balanced" diet, he'd have diarrhea for a week). Stick with just chicken for a week or two, then slowly add in other meat sources and organs. You don't have to grind anything up; just hand him a raw leg or thigh and let him go at it. As scary as it looks, it's normal for him to swallow big pieces -- they can digest all of it! Here are some sites that will help you get started: http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html http://www.rawfeddogs.net/ http://www.greentripe.com/|||http://www.rawfeddogs.net/ http://rawlearning.com/ http://www.primalpetfoods.com/canine/fee鈥?/a> http://leerburg.com/feedingarawdiet.htm http://www.stephlynshowdogs.com/id34.htm http://www.naturesmenu.com/site/493564/p鈥?/a> http://www.professorshouse.com/pets/dogs鈥?/a> The above links should get you started.|||dont feed him raw...my shih tzu never manages to have raw food..barely even dog food. It would be best if you could give him sausages and rice. Watermelon is also good. Many shih tzu's love watermelon. Dont adapt him to changes which he won't like..you should observe and then feed him what he really likes. Its healthy