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Dogs with Hearty Diseases and Their Specific Set of Nutrition Required    What do we know about heart diseases in dogs?     Among the many, the most commonly seen heart abnormality in dogs is Chronic Valvular disease. This is a type of acquired heart disease (which is not a condition the dog is born with). The heart contains valves which are key in ensuring blood is efficiently and adequately pumped in the right direction to the rest of the body, and in this condition the valves deteriorate and become stiff, allowing blood to flow backwards as the heart functions. Dilated cardiomyopathy is probably the second most common heart abnormality seen in dogs where the heart muscle thins out, dilates, and reduces its ability to contract efficiently to circulate blood.     Both these conditions and in fact many other abnormalities in dogs leads to one common condition called Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) at the end. This is where the dog is no longer able to efficiently pump oxygenated blood to the rest of the body and the compensatory mechanism to this deteriorating condition fails which could eventually result in death of the patient. It is worth noting that nearly one-third of dogs over the age of 10 have some level of heart or heart associated disease, and this is seen more in small breed dogs compared to medium to large breed dogs.    How can I determine the right set of nutrition for my dog with a heart disease?    Firstly, ensure you are working closely with your veterinarian to determine what, if any, other medical conditions might be present in your dog. Examples of these other conditions are chronic kidney disease, obesity, and hypothyroidism. For heart failure patients in particular, there are some key nutritional factors to consider. Congestive Heart Failure is associated with retention of sodium, chloride, and water, making the salt (sodium chloride) content of the dog’s food very important in the disease management. The association tells us that, the amount of sodium in the dog’s diet is to be controlled-restricted to a certain extend to help manage this condition. However, the amount of sodium restriction can vary depending on the stage of the heart disease. Besides sodium, there are many other nutrients may benefit the patient from being restricted such as Phosphorus and some nutrients benefitted from being provided in addition such as Potassium and Omega-3 fatty acids. Here is where your veterinarian’s advice comes in again, where he/she will help you determine the most appropriate nutrient profile at each stage of your dog’s heart disease progression. See more

Over the first year of their life, your kitten will undergo significant changes. Here are five key milestones to look for, and how you can support them during each one.     Your kitten in the first week    As soon as she is born, your kitten will start to suckle. In the first three days of life each kitten will develop a preference for which teat they feed from and will stick with this throughout the time they're being fed by their mother. Suckling in the early days is very important as it’s how kittens ingest colostrum which helps to develop their immunity. At as early as five days old, they will open their eyes, and after around a week their umbilical cord drops off. They will start to gain between 10g to 30g of weight each day, so it's important to weigh them daily and monitor their mother’s behaviour in case she prevents them from feeding.    Two weeks into a kitten’s life    Your litter of kittens would have made their first attempts to stand by this point, but they'll also be sleeping for 90% of their time as their bodies are rapidly growing. Their first milk teeth will be coming through – 26 of them.     A kitten at four weeks old    By now, your kitten will be actively playing and walking around, and starting to socialise with their brothers and sisters. They’ll begin to show an interest in their mother’s solid food, so you can start to transition them from a milk-only diet to solid food with nutrient profile that is close to their mother’s milk such as the Royal Canin Mother and Babycat. This should be done gradually, with a rehydrated kibble – either in hot water or milk – so it’s easy for them to chew and digest.    Eight weeks of your kitten’s life    After two months, the litter should stop feeding from their mother and start to be completely independent with their food. You can move them fully onto a nutritionally appropriate, energy dense food that’s the right texture and size for them such as the Royal Canin Mother and Babycat. Make sure to do this step-by-step so you don’t overwhelm their digestive system You should also talk to your vet about vaccinations at this point.    Your kitten at 12 weeks    All of your kittens will now be growing very quickly. They need three times as much energy as an adult cat to help them begin their most intense weight-gain period at four to five months. At this stage, you can slowly transition them to a diet that can support their intense growth, such as the Royal Canin Kitten diet. Their sleeping patterns will be more like an adult cat, between 13 to 16 hours each day.    Between 12 to 15 months into their life, your kitten will become an adult cat and reach their full size. See more

Despite the name translating as “Little Lion”, the Shih Tzu has a calm and affectionate temperament and makes an excellent family or companion dog. About the Shih Tzu These intelligent, active and lively little dogs thrive in human company, but also like to retain a little bit of independence. When trained and socialised well from an early age, Shih Tzus make delightful family pets and play well with children. Source: key facts and characteristics sourced from Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) Breed specifics  • Country: China  • Size category: Small  • Average life expectancy: 11–16 years  • Intelligent / Lively / Alert / Friendly / IndependentKey facts  • Requires a lot of grooming  • Struggles in warm weather  • Needs little exercise Origins of the breed The roots of this breed lie in Tibet, but it was developed in China, where dogs like these lived in the imperial palaces. China became a republic in 1912 after which examples of the breed found their way to the West, though the first recorded importation to Britain was not until 1931. It was recognised as a breed separate from other Oriental breeds in 1934 and granted a separate register by The Kennel Club in 1940, with challenge certificates on offer from 1949. Royal Canin’s Tailored made nutrition for Shih Tzu Complete feed for dogs - Specially for Shih Tzus Find out more:https://www.royalcanin.com/my/results?searchQuery=Shih%20Tzu&filter=ea2b9fcf-5597-4b80-959e-e8754e68b0da See more