Shiba Inu Overall Health

The Shiba Inu enjoys remarkable overall health. They are sturdy capable dogs that possess excellent strength and cardiovascular capabilities.

Because their genetics have not been tinkered with like other ‘designer dogs’ such as Bulldogs, their bodies function efficiently and they suffer from fewer conditions that are attributed to structural imbalance.

Shiba Inus do have some hereditary defects that can cause problems in the long term.

Some of the more common issues Shiba Inus face are eye problems such as glaucoma and cataracts as well as patellar luxation and hip dyplasia.

The most common and annoying health issue that many Shiba Inus face is F.A.D. or flea allergy dermatitis.

Shiba Inus with F.A.D. are allergic to flea bites and will scratch relentlessly to relieve their discomfort.

It is important for Shiba Inu owners to have an effective flea and tick control protocol in place at all times.

If your Shiba Inu exhibits signs of F.A.D. despite you having a flea control protocol in place, see your veterinarian to discuss other flea control options.

Shiba Inus suffering from F.A.D should bathe more often with a high quality soothing shampoo that contains natural ingredients to soothe itching.

There have been a few clinical trials that have found Shiba Inus to be more prone to anxiety issues over other breeds. The two most common anxiety issues Shiba Inus face are separation anxiety and noise anxiety.

Shiba Inu Nutrition

Shiba Inu’s should be fed a high quality diet. They will thrive on a varied diet of fresh, nutritious food. Although most veterinarian still recommend commercial “kibble”, there is a growing movement to move pets away from commercially processed foods to fresh.

I stopped feeding my Shiba Inus most commercial kibble and their health, coat, and vitality have improved drastically. Read this article to learn more.

Veterinarian’s do learn about dog nutrition during their studies – though mostly with the assumption that the food is kibble – not fresh.

Profit-driven dog food corporations can and probably do influence some veterinarians regarding food recommendations (at least to some extent) simply due to their looming influence from the the time vet enters veterinarian school onto practicing medicine.

Dry kibble can be compared to human cereal – highly processed and enriched with low-cost vitamins and minerals.

Commercial dog food has only been around since the late 1960’s and was the result of needing a fast, convenient and cheap way to feed the nation’s pets.

What did dogs eat before that? You guessed it – fresh food.

Thankfully, more and more smaller dog food companies are making their kibble offerings - better.

So where a decade ago I'd never consider kibble, I do now feed kibble occasionally from ethical companies I trust such as Open Farm and Carna4. 

Fresh and Natural Vs. Highly Processed and Refined

If we as humans know that we should stay away from processed foods why should we feed it to our animals?

Most of the recommendations against feeding dogs fresh food are due to the assumption that we wouldn’t be able to create a balanced diet for our pets.

In actuality, with thorough research and education, feeding a dog fresh is not that difficult to learn provided you understand the importance of balancing a fresh diet correctly.

Dog’s are unlikely to be as fussy about food as humans are and actually enjoy and appreciate a varied diet.

In general, to mimic how dogs eat in the wild, a diet consisting of 60 – 70% quality protein, 20% vegetable, and 10% quality grain would be good base to start at.

 It is important to research what human foods are dangerous to dogs before expanding on your dog’s menu plan.

The Trade Offs: Time and Money

Feeding fresh will naturally be more time consuming and expensive than opening a bag of kibble.

However, we all want our Shiba Inus to live a long and healthy life – so the benefits are worth the extra effort.

Shiba Inus that are fed a proper diet will likely require fewer visits to the vet thereby off-setting the extra costs of fresh food.

They also will have a better chance of having less allergies and enjoy vibrant health through their senior years.

Some Shiba’s have allergic reactions to certain foods and the only way to discover the triggers is by the elimination diet using whole fresh foods.

Performing an elimination diet with commercial foods is difficult because commercial foods have a lot of additional ingredients, fillers and additives.

Check out more article on Shiba Inu nutrition below and in the sidebars!