I have a black Chow Chow that is now 1 and a half years old and he’s been developing some skin issues and his coat is looking rather dull at times. Vets tracked the skin issues to be down to the food he was eating, he used to be fed tails.com wet and dry but have stopped since the issues appeared.
AT this point, I don’t really know what to feed him so it will be good for him and stop the hotspots from appearing or any sort of skin infection and have his coat look good. Vets recommended Royal Canin Hypoallergenic but I took a look at the ingredients and all that stuff and it is not looking very good on the paper.
Have you got any recommendations for me in this case? What food would be good for him?
Hello and welcome to the forum. I have recently compiled a thread on allergic dermatitis which might be helpful - link. Have a look at that and please let me know if there is anything else you need to discuss.
I am not familiar with Chow-Chows but am wondering if the skin problems are genetic. Are they common in the breed? There is some mention of a genetic component in this thread on a Chow-Chow forum.
As the vet thinks that the skin problem is food related I can see why they have suggested the hypoallergenic food. It can be used as the base for an elimination diet and as your dog is so young, it is worth considering.
Long term, I think it might help to avoid high carbohydrate dry food. Alternatives would be fresh cooked food, raw or wet. If you are inclined to cook for your dog, this can be achieved safely but research is needed because certain additives are required, notably calcium and omega oils. We have information in the home cooking section.
Thanks for your reply, actually yes it is quite common in chow-chows to get hotspots and they are very prone to them.
Other owners and experienced people with the breed have recommended a low protein % food as that’s what they believe causes the hotspots and skin issues. Would you be able to recommend me a good complete food thats low on protein?
Low protein foods usually come with high carbohydrate. In some dry food recipes the carbs can be 50% or more of the recipe. Dogs can utilise carbs but an excess is not thought to be useful, particularly with skin issues. Also, the fat is usually correspondingly low. Fat is needed for healthy skin. They need good quality, digestible protein, particularly for skin problems when you are aiming for repair of the cells.
I can’t recommend a low protein food because with skin conditions you need to optimise health and the immune system. I am not sure that a dry, low protein food is the right thing in this situation. However, if you wish to pursue this then you can use the Dog Food Directory filters to source something. By low protein I assume you mean 23% and under. You can use the sliders to narrow down the search. Also select ‘no red ingredients’ and ‘clear labelling’.
You will need to choose one that has a protein source which your dog can tolerate. A simple recipe would be best. If you find one that you like the look of, try small bags because some dogs are sensitive to storage mites. You can enhance dry food to provide variety and different nutrients - link.
sorry to ear about the issues you are having, you could have a look at pure, air dried food, which has very good reviews for skin issues.
I am using this at the moment and it is very good, not cheap but you get what you pay for. I other one tat I have just found is air dried raw may be worth a look, (innocent dog), I hope that you can get the problem sorted out.
