10 Healthiest & Best Dog Food For Chow Chow in 2023

Chow Chow’s have one of the unique personalities and appearances in the canine world. Your dog looks like a teddy bear but is probably not the cuddliest family friend to have around.

These dogs originated in Northern China amongst the cold tundra, and they were typically used to hunt, herd, and pull sleds.

These dogs have a reputation for being difficult to train and unfriendly to anyone they’re not familiar with. While this might be true to a certain extent, proper training and socialization can result in your Chow Chow becoming the best companion for your family.

OUR TOP 3 PICKS FOR BEST DOG FOOD FOR CHOW-CHOWS

What Is The Best Dog Food For Chow Chow?

1. Ollie Fresh Pet Food Delivery
2. Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream
3. American Journey Beef & Sweet Potato Recipe
4. Zignature Lamb Limited Ingredient Formula
5. Merrick Backcountry Great Plains Red Recipe
6. Ziwi Peak Beef Air-Dried Dog Food
7. Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy Formula
8. Merrick Grain-Free Puppy Plate Recipe
9. Nutro Natural Choice Senior Lamb & Brown Rice Recipe
10. Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Senior Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe

Balance out your Chow’s diet with plenty of fat, carbs, and protein, so your pup continues to live a healthy life as it ages.

Controlling your pets’ weight and skin health are some of the most important things you can do so let’s look at our review of the best dog food for Chow Chows.

 

The 10 Best Dog Foods For Chow Chows

1. Chicken Goodness by Ollie

Best Overall – This food suits your Chow perfectly, and this all-natural blend from Ollie contains human-grade ingredients prepared in a way that would make it entirely edible for human consumption. The food contains no added fillers, no by-products, no sweeteners, and no preservatives.

First Five Ingredients:

• Chicken
• Chicken gizzard
• Carrots
• Peas
• Chicken liver

About The Company – This company uses only the freshest ingredients, and their preparation of the food is next to none. Each batch is carefully created and prepared alongside staff veterinarians to ensure your pet gets the best of every ingredient.

Pros:

• Real Ingredients
• Pre-packaged servings
• Easy to understand labeling

Cons:

• Requires refrigeration
• Limited options

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2. Taste Of The Wild Pacific Stream Formula

Most Popular – Taste of the Wild has produced a brilliant dog food formula a that we are not sure can be beaten at this price point. Using novel proteins including real smoked salmon, this dog food takes its inspiration from the ancestral diet of prehistoric canines.

It contains 25% protein and 15% fat. These numbers are brilliant and far above average. A high amount of protein and fat will do wonders for supporting the growth and maintenance of your dog's muscles and bones. High-fat content is also necessary for your dog to maintain a healthy immune system.

It is worth pointing out, however, that some of the protein in this formula is vegetable-based, with pea protein and potato protein featuring on the ingredients list.

Vegetable proteins are harder for your dog's stomach to break down, but it shouldn't be too much of a concern if your dog does not have any digestive problems.

First Five Ingredients:

• Salmon
• Ocean Fish Meal
• Sweet Potatoes
• Potatoes
• Peas

About The Company – A family-owned brand, Taste of the Wild is dedicated to bringing pets the complete nutrition that nature intended for them. Based on a dog’s natural diet and their DNA, the company’s pet food products lets your pet savor the same flavors their ancestors once did — that of protein-rich prey. All ingredients are natural, raised humanely, and sourced sustainably.

What Customers Like:

• Packed with vitamins, antioxidants, and fatty acids
• Notable difference in pet's coat and skin health
• Picky eaters eat this

Common Complaints:

• Always out of stock
• Poor bag design

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3. American Journey Beef & Sweet Potato Recipe

Most Affordable – American Journey has produced dog food that goes to show that cheap does not have to mean poor quality. Using beef as its main source of animal protein, this formula contains 32% protein and 14% fat.

This is amazing for a budget dog food and will be more than enough to ensure your dog maintains a healthy immune system, bones, and muscles. However, some of this protein is from the vegetable source pea protein. This is harder for dogs to digest than animal protein, but shouldn't be too much of an issue for a healthy dog.

The dog food does also use chicken and turnkey meal to bolster its protein content, which could be of some concern to dogs with allergies. In those cases, you would be better off going with American Journey's limited ingredient range. Still, this formula is grain-free,

This formula does include “dried plain beet pulp” as a source of fiber. This is fine but the saponinins in it has been found to cause irritation in a minor amount of dogs' gastrointestinal tract.

First Five Ingredients:

• Deboned Beef
• Chicken Meal
• Turkey Meal
• Peas
• Chickpeas

About The Company – American Journey is the house brand of known online pet products and food retailer, Chewy.com. Manufactured in the United States, American Journey products offer nutritious recipe choices ranging from grain-free to rice-mixed. All formulations are made without soy, wheat, poultry meal by-products, or any filler for a truly healthy feast.

What Customers Like:

• Cheap
• High in protein
• Packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants

Common Complaints:

• Uses pea protein
• Smaller bag sizes

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4. Zignature Lamb Limited Ingredient Formula

Zignature's LID Lamb Formula contains lamb from New Zealand as its key ingredient. The lamb provides a complete protein for your pet plus it is combined with essential vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and antioxidants from natural sources.

This food is suitable for all sizes and all breeds. This is a grain free formula and has no fillers that can cause allergic reactions.

First Five Ingredients:

• Lamb
• Lamb Meal
• Peas
• Chickpeas
• Pea Flour

About The Company – Zignature believes research and education are the keys to crafting the ideal dog food. They get all their information from nature and try to make sure their food closely resembles what the dog ate in its natural upbringing.

Pros:

• Great for dogs with allergies
• Works for sensitive stomachs
• Helps to maintain a healthy weight

Cons:

• Some dogs won’t eat it
• Lamb is challenging to adjust to

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5. Merrick Backcountry Great Plains Red Recipe

Merrick’s recipe uses bits of raw meat in their formula to ramp up the protein and encourage even picky Malamutes to eat.

The raw bits are freeze-dried and mixed in with quality kibble that includes whole veggies for vitamins, essential fatty acids for skin support, and chondroitin to keep joints healthy.

First Five Ingredients:

• Deboned Beef
• Lamb Meal
• Salmon Meal
• Sweet Potatoes
• Potatoes

About The Company – Merrick is a smaller company that tests each individual recipe to ensure maximum quality. They source ingredients from reputable places and strive to produce a diet similar to what your Malamute’s wild ancestors would have consumed.

What Customers Like:

• Raw bits of meat
• Glucosamine and chondroitin
• Comes in larger bags

Common Complaints:

• Some dogs pick out raw bits and leave the kibble
• Raw bits need redistribution

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6. Ziwi Peak Air Dried Beef Recipe

It uses proteins from animal sources that are free range and ethically sourced. It’s gently air dried to preserve the ingredients without harsh heats but still destroy dangerous pathogens.

It features 95% animal ingredients and never any artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. It’s also free of conventional fillers, including soy and corn, and doesn’t use peas or potatoes.

It has more dense nutrition than a raw food or kibble diet, so you can feed less food while still providing your pet plenty of nutrition.

First Five Ingredients:

• Beef
• Beef Heart
• Beef Kidney
• Beef Tripe
• Beef Liver

About The Company – Ziwi Peak uses a unique air dried formula for processing food that helps retain more of the vital nutrients than traditional kibble. There’s no need for cold storage like raw diets, and you don’t have to feed your dogs as much of the food.

The company is 100% family owned and located in New Zealand. They create foods designed to mimic ancestral diets and give pets lifelong health.

What Customers Like:

• Air dried formula
• Mostly animal protein
• No fillers
• Easier to store than raw food
• More nutrient dense than kibble

Common Complaints:

• Portion sizes can be hard to master
• Has a high-fat content

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Best Puppy Food for Chow Chow Dogs

Your Chow pup requires specific nutrition to grow up big and strong, so it's important to understand the necessary ingredients they need to consume every day to stay healthy.

1. Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy

Best Dry – Chow puppies need a strict diet because their bodies are not cut out for excessive protein, they prefer more fat to support their digestion and skin.

Taste of the Wild contains all-natural ingredients with buffalo and bison being some of the first ingredients; this food has all the vitamins and minerals they need for their brain development as well as their physical health.

First Five Ingredients:

1. Buffalo
2. Lamb Meal
3. Sweet Potatoes
4. Egg Product
5. Pea Protein

About The Company – Taste of the Wild has state of the art facilities all over the USA, and they hold some of the highest nutritional standards in the pet food industry. All their recipes are grain-free, and they only use premium and properly sourced meats to satisfy your pets natural cravings.

Pros:

• Reliably Sourced Ingredients
• Helps with allergies
• Great for picky eaters

Cons:

• The bags are not re-sealable
• Strong food odor

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2. Merrick Grain-Free Puppy Plate

Best Wet – This stew contains some of the best ingredients available with turkey, chicken, duck and fresh cut vegetables. Blended in are some apples to help balance out the fiber and minerals in the food.

There are no additives or fillers which is common in wet food. Instead, they use only chicken broth to give the food its stew-like texture.

First Five Ingredients:

1. Deboned Chicken
2. Chicken Broth
3. Turkey
4. Turkey Broth
5. Duck

About The Company – Merrick stands by your pets need for whole foods, so they vow to only include the best ingredients in their food, and they have for more than 25 years. Their food is built to fuel your pets instead of only filling them up.

Pros:

• Great texture
• All natural ingredients
• A wide variety of real meats

Cons:

• Formula changes frequently
• Packaging issues

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Best Senior Dog Food for Chow Chows

The way you feed your senior Chow depends a lot on the individual dog. If your dog is overweight, you want to adjust their feedings as they become less active.

The most important thing is to feed your companion the right food, if he or she is eating a well-balanced diet, you shouldn’t have to worry as much about portion control.

1. Nutro Natural Choice Senior Lamb & Brown Rice Recipe

We know lamb is such great meat for your Chow, so that is why it made its way onto the list again. As your pup ages, they’ll need to consume less protein, and more fat and lamb contains a lot of healthy oils to help their skin, coat, and eyes as they get older.

This food contains lamb as the first ingredient and Nutro always believes in keeping the list of ingredients small to make everything easier to understand for the consumer.

First Five Ingredients:

• Deboned Lamb
• Chicken Meal
• Whole Brown Rice
• Brewers Rice
• Rice Bran

About The Company – Nutro has been crafting high-quality pet food since 1926, and they have no intention of changing their strategy. They believe in creating food that tastes great and helps your pets live long and healthy lives.

Pros:

• Great for picky eaters
• Helps fur and skin in seniors
• Lamb is great for Chow owners

Cons:

• Formula changes frequently
• Nutro doesn’t sell small bags

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2. Blue Buffalo Life Protection Chicken and Brown Rice For Seniors

Blue Buffalo has a strong reputation for crafting food that appeals to every type of dog at every stage of their life. The life protection blend contains seven essential antioxidant-rich ingredients as well as real meat, whole grains, and plenty of vegetables.

First Five Ingredients:

• Deboned Chicken
• Brown Rice
• Barley
• Oatmeal
• Chicken Meal

About The Company – Blue Buffalo started with their pup named Blue; they wanted to make sure their companion had the best food possible, and they wanted to make it affordable for families all over the world. Now they are an industry leader in creating the best dog food for the best dog owners.

Pros:

• Great for picky eaters
• Full of vitamins
• Helps with skin and fur

Cons:

• Some dogs won’t eat the life source bits
• Some reports of vomiting from dogs with sensitive stomachs

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Why Quality Food Matters For Your Chow Chow

It’s essential to provide your Chow with all of the necessary nutrients it needs to grow strong and healthy. This breed does not have any specific issues that merit special feeding instructions, but any dog should always receive a balanced diet of protein, fat, and carbohydrates.

Staying away from artificial dyes and coloring is vital because of their large coat their skin becomes irritated, and their fur quickly gets patchy if they scratch and bite too much.

 

Chow Chow Common Health Issues

Chows have a unique body shape with many interesting features that make caring for them difficult sometimes. They have their breed-specific health issues, so let’s take a look at some of the things you should be thinking about.

• Heat Exhaustion – This breed is highly prone to overheating because of their dense coat so it's important always to be aware of the weather and how much time your chow is spending outside. After a short period of 30 minutes outside in the warm weather your pup will most likely be ready to come back inside out of the hot weather. These dogs will also not make it very long in a hot car or outside in a pen if left alone for too long; they need shade and cold weather to be happy.
• Entropion – Due to their abnormally small eyes and heavy skin around the area, they are prone to something called entropion. This disorder causes the eyelids to turn inwards which presses their eyelashes up against their eyes. After a while, their eyes become irritated and uncomfortable so you will find your Chow frequently scratching at their eyes. While there is nothing you can do to prevent this, proper weight management will help keep your dog lean to avoid the issue possibly.
• Hip Dysplasia – Chows are not an athletically built dog, and their awkwardly shaped joints often result in dislocations. Typically their hip joints can pop out of place during heavy activity causing incredible pain for your pet. Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent this from happening either but it's important to understand treatments for joint issues and your pets limitations related to the ailment.

What to Look For in a Quality Dog for Chow Chow’s

The best dog food for a Chow closely resembles their natural diet. Raised in the mountains of China these dogs grew up on a high salt intake from barley, beans, and wild game.

Due to the harsh climate food was typically salted and frozen so it could get preserved for years, so it's important to give your Chow plenty of salt in their diet, so they do not succumb to calcium deficiency. Low levels of calcium cause the dog to have increased joint problems like arthritis as well as digestive issues.

As with every breed of dog they should receive a delicate balance of fats and carbs as well. Having the right amount of fatty oils is great for their skin and their coat. Chows have a thick coat of fur that requires a lot of maintenance, and it looks quite beautiful if it's healthy.

You’ll find that Chows who are on an unhealthy diet of fillers and chemicals have a patchy and bland looking coat, that is one significant way to identify poor health in this breed.

Lamb is your Chow’s best friend, and while it might be an acquired taste, if you can get your pet used to the flavor they’ll enjoy the healthy fats and lean protein to keep them fit. Balance out their diet with barley, oats, chickpeas, and plenty of green vegetables.

Ingredients to Avoid in Your Chow’s Dog Food

We care so much for our pets, and we try hard to give them the best they can have. It’s hard financially, but it's also hard to understand what they should and shouldn’t be eating.

A lot of harmful ingredients get disguised by complicated names that no can read. Many dog foods are considered feed-grade which is lower quality than human-grade, but there is no reason you need to feed your pet by-products and meals.

When something says “by-product” it typically means it came from dead animals and restaurant food waste that gets ground up into a big block and portioned out. By the time this food makes it to your dog’s bowl, any nutrients get zapped out of it.

The process of killing bacteria in their food requires the manufacturers to heat the food at extremely high temperatures which removes a large portion of the vitamins and minerals from the kibble.

BHA and BHT are preservatives that are categorized as cancer causing carcinogens. These ingredients are commonly found in pet foods nationwide.

Your Chow needs food that will nurture growth and allow it to develop correctly and unfortunately most of the manufactured foods you find on the shelf do not provide the right sources of protein, fat, and carbohydrates.

Take away all the nutrients and insert chemicals, preservatives, artificial dyes, and bacteria ridden oils; what's left is a pet you don’t even realize is sick and unhealthy.

Bad Dog Food Brands for Chow Chows

There are good brands, but there are bad brands as well, next time you’re walking down the dog food aisle keep your eyes open for these brand names and take a look at the ingredients.

• Retriever Chunk Dry Dog Food: The first few ingredients are ground corn, meat and bone meal, soybean meal, wheat middlings, and animal fat preserved with BHA. The primary basis of this food contains absolutely no nutritional value, and the food gets preserved with a known cancer-causing carcinogen. Plus, there are multiple coloring dyes added in for no reason at all; your Chow doesn’t care what color the food is.
• Kibbles N’ Bits: Let’s take a look at some of these ingredients; corn, soybean meal, beef meal, animal fat with BHA, corn syrup, and animal digest. With corn and soybean meal as the top two ingredients, you realize there is little nutritional value there for your dog. There are no whole ingredients and adding corn syrup to your dog’s food spikes up their sugar.
• Dad’s Dog Food: This food contains ground corn, wheat middlings, bone meal, animal fat with BHA and BHT, and added salt. The food has a crude protein of 16% and fat of 7; when you compare this to some of the leading brands, they typically have a minimum protein content of 20% and fat of 15.

Chow Chow Feeding Chart

Because Chows were primarily vegetarians during their upbringing, they are sensitive to protein. It’s important to educate yourself and get the assistance of a licensed veterinarian to help you work out a meal plan for your pet. Here’s a little information to help you get started.

• Puppies: Digestion is essential for your Chow puppy, so you want to feed them small portions frequently. You can feed your pup as much as a ½ cup four times a day, so their energy stays consistent, and they have time to digest every meal.
• Adults: Once your Chow has grown to at least one year old you want to slightly increase the amount of food they eat but base that decision off their level of activity. This breed is sedentary so 2-2.5 cups a day should be fine for most dogs.
• Seniors: Quality over quantity is the slogan for your Chow, you don’t need to make too many adjustments to their eating habits as they age, but you want to pay close attention to what you’re feeding your dog to make sure they live a long and happy life. Of course, as your Chow ages, he or she will become even less active so you can limit their feedings to no more than twice a day.

Wrapping it up

Everyone knows you want to feed your Chow the best food you can, and it doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. There are many options out there for people on every size budget. Try some of the food listed above and watch how you transform the lives of your furry friends.