He secretly scratches his ears when we are not watching him and he chews himself so bad it looks like a teenagers first hickey attempt! Then it looks like big bites/welts. We've had him 2 yrs now, he's 6, he was a very vomiting little guy when I got him , but now it's very rare. When he came to live with us he was on "Ceasars for small dogs", I changed his food right away, I put him on "Nutro" Natural Choice Limited Ingredients, the same food I have my Shi-itzu on, but that was a big mistake! He bloated up so bad he was in dire pain, after eating every day, I took him out in the yard last winter (it was really cold) for his pee, he just sat there crying and fell over just like a statue in slow motion,and then laying there shaking like a leaf! Oh I was so scared for the little guy, I got him to the vet, they put tubes into his belly to un-bloat him took exrays and did the whole gambit, after $600 bill the vet still didn't know what was wrong with him! So i took him home and started doing research to help the little guy.
I was a trained Chef and I've worked in a Health Food Store so I know a bit about nutrition, Now he's a beautiful healthy rambunctious Yorkie! I changed his food to "Summit Premium Holistic Pet food, Canadian Chicken Dog Crunchies" and WOW, what a difference, I also make my own doggie cookies that are great (made with rice flour and oats) I creep my husband out and eat one once in a while when I give the dogs one! also in them is apples,bananas,spinach, carrots and Oat bran and Flax, and a touch of honey. To be safe at dinner time I still give Petey about 4ml of " Liquid Baby" Colic meds, works great! he's not making us wear gas mask's to bed anymore! I still find he has a few environmental allergies so occasionally he gets an allergy pill in a piece of roasted Potato.
He still has a really bad habit that hampers his food digestion, He
Does NOT CHEW HIS FOOD, HE INHALES IT!!
So with his dinner I sprinkle Digestive Enzymes on his food.
I give Petey and his brother and Cat sister treats every night at 8pm, they all get ( a few crunchies from their food bag)I praise Buggz the Shi-itzu on his crunching of his treat and it seems to have caught on by Petey who gets lots of praise when he crunches his food, if only I could get him to do that when he eats his supper!!
Good Luck all, I'm sorry this was so long, this is my second post, I'll try to keep them shorter!