The Shih Tzu check starts and ends with the face
A Shih Tzu feeding-time check begins with the face, because this breed's prominent eyes, short muzzle, and long facial hair collect more daily trouble than the rest of the body combined. Before the bowl goes down, look at both eyes straight on: they should be bright and evenly open, without new redness, cloudiness, or discharge gathering in the corners. Shih Tzu eyes sit forward in the head and are easily irritated by a single hair bending into them, so check that no strand from the topknot or brow is touching the eye surface, and push stray hair gently back into place.
Note appetite as carefully as appearance, because a small dog who skips a meal stands out against a breed that generally arrives for dinner with enthusiasm.
Eyes, beard, ears, and teeth on a Shih Tzu
A Shih Tzu's eyes get a second, closer look after eating, when tear flow is heaviest. Wipe the moisture below each eye with a clean, damp cloth, working away from the eye, because tears left in the long facial hair dry into a reddish crust that mats the hair and keeps the skin underneath damp and sore. If one eye waters much more than the other, looks red, or your Shih Tzu is squinting or blinking it repeatedly, that eye needs veterinary attention promptly — prominent eyes like these do not reward waiting.
Dry the beard thoroughly after every meal and drink, since a Shih Tzu's beard acts like a mop that carries water and food back to the dog bed and holds dampness against the chin skin. Lift each ear flap and check for redness or a musty smell under the long ear hair, and lift the lips to look at the teeth: small jaws crowd teeth together, so look for food wedged between them, puffy gums, or a tooth that looks darker than its neighbors.
Long coat, skin, and little paws on a Shih Tzu
A Shih Tzu's long coat mats in predictable places, and feeding time is when your hands can visit them daily: behind the ears, under the jaw where the collar and beard meet the chest hair, in the armpits, and along the belly.
Check each small paw while your Shih Tzu stands at the bowl: hair grows between the pads and traps grit, and long hair around the feet collects litter, food, and dampness from the kitchen floor. Look between the toes for redness and feel whether any nail has grown long enough to catch, because a small dog's nails click quietly and are easy to forget. Run a palm over the ribs under the coat to keep track of body condition, since a Shih Tzu's silhouette is mostly hair and your hands are the only reliable judge of whether the dog inside it is gaining.
Keeping Shih Tzu details from slipping between groomers
A Shih Tzu might be fed by you, brushed by a partner, and taken to a groomer by someone else, and the details that matter — the left eye wept yesterday too, there is a knot forming under the right jaw — are precisely the ones nobody passes along. Record the eye, beard, ear, and mat findings each day while they are in front of you, and set a low threshold for the vet: a squinting or cloudy eye, a Shih Tzu off food, or a mat that has tightened against sore skin is a call, not a wait-and-see.
Those daily notes are easy to keep straight in KinsLe, where Care Teams can assign the tear wipe, beard dry, and mat feel-through for your Shih Tzu to whoever is feeding that day and stamp each task complete, so the next person starts from a record instead of a guess.