Best food for Shih Tzu puppy at 5 months

Puppy nutrition is one of the most important investments you'll make — the right food in the first year sets the foundation for everything that follows, and honestly the differences between puppy foods are more significant than most people realise. I want to help you get this exactly right for your pup. What breed is your puppy, how old are they, and what are they currently eating? Even a rough sense of that gives me a lot to work with.

Ah, this is such a common thing with toy breeds and it's really easy to fall into. The portions look almost comically small, so your instinct to give her more makes total sense — but Shih Tzus are genuinely tiny dogs, and even a small amount of overfeeding at this stage can put stress on their developing joints and digestive system, and set habits that are hard to break later. The other issue is that Bakers is a very low-quality food — it's heavily processed, high in fillers and artificial additives, and it just isn't giving her the nutritional density a toy breed puppy actually needs. Can I ask — is she on wet food, dry, or a mix? And has she shown any signs of digestive upset, loose stools, or is she just wolfing everything down and seeming hungry?

That 'always hungry' behaviour after a meal is often a sign the food isn't nutritionally satisfying her — she's eating but not getting what her body needs, so the hunger signal doesn't switch off properly. It's a really telling sign with low-quality foods. Here's what I'd recommend: switch her to Royal Canin Shih Tzu Puppy. I know Royal Canin divides opinion, but for this specific situation it's genuinely the right call. It's formulated specifically for Shih Tzus — the kibble shape and size is designed for their short muzzle so they can actually pick it up and chew properly, it has the right protein-to-fat ratio for a toy breed growing at this stage, and the portion guide on the pack is calibrated for the actual breed. When you follow those portions with a higher-quality food, the 'she must need more' feeling goes away because she's genuinely satisfied. You should see a real difference in how settled she is after meals within a week or two.

At 5 months, a Shih Tzu is typically around 2–3 kg, and the Royal Canin Shih Tzu Puppy feeding guide puts that at roughly 45–55g per day split across three meals — which does look like nothing, but trust it. Weigh the portions rather than eyeballing them, at least for the first couple of weeks, because that's where people consistently overfeed. You're not denying her — you're giving her exactly what her body needs. If she still seems frantic after meals once you've made the switch and stuck to proper portions for two weeks, that's worth revisiting. But most owners find the behaviour settles quickly once the food is actually doing its job.

Gradually is always better — rapid food changes can cause loose stools even when the new food is an upgrade. Spend about a week transitioning: days one and two, 75% Bakers and 25% Royal Canin; days three and four, 50/50; days five and six, 25% Bakers and 75% Royal Canin; then fully over by day seven. Given she's been on low-quality food, you might see a brief soft stool period mid-transition — that's normal and will resolve. Once she's fully switched, use the Royal Canin portion guide for her current weight and adjust as she grows. She's going to be in great shape.