
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.
- Best Dog Food For Chow Chows
- 1. Chicken Goodness by Ollie
- 2. Now Fresh Good Gravy Ancient Grains Salmon Recipe
- 3. We Feed Raw Beef Patty
- 4. Zignature Lamb Limited Ingredient Formula
- 5. Merrick Backcountry Great Plains Red Recipe
- 6. Ziwi Peak Air Dried Beef Recipe
- 7. Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy
- 8. Merrick Grain-Free Puppy Plate
- Best Senior Dog Food for Chow Chows
- Why Quality Food Matters
- Chow Chow Common Health Issues
- What to Look For in a Quality Dog
- Ingredients to Avoid
- Bad Dog Food Brands for Chow Chows
- Feeding Chart
- Wrapping it up
Best Dog Food For Chow Chows
1. Chicken Goodness by Ollie
First 5 ingredients:
Chicken, rice, carrots, chicken livers, peas
Protein: 8.0% min
Fat: 3.0% min
Fiber: 2.0% max
Moisture: 74.0% max
Food Type: Fresh, Frozen
Best for: All Lifestages, All Breeds
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.
It features real chicken as the primary protein, combined with nutrient-rich vegetables like carrots, peas, and spinach. Formulated without artificial additives or fillers, it provides balanced nutrition, promoting healthy digestion, strong muscles, and overall vitality for dogs of all sizes.
It is crafted to deliver tasty, wholesome meals that dogs love while supporting their long-term health.
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.
What Customers Like:
- Real Ingredients
- Pre-packaged servings
- Easy to understand labeling
Common Complaints:
- Requires refrigeration
- Limited options
2. Now Fresh Good Gravy Ancient Grains Salmon Recipe
First 5 ingredients:
De-Boned Salmon, Peas, Oatmeal, Rye, Potatoes
Protein: 26.0% min
Fat: 16.0% min
Fiber: 4.5% max
Moisture: 10.0% max
Food Type: Dry
Best for: All Lifestages, All Breeds
This kibble combines wholesome ingredients with exceptional flavor to provide adult dogs with a balanced and nourishing diet.
Made with fresh de-boned salmon as the primary protein source, this recipe delivers high-quality omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids to support a shiny coat and healthy skin.
The addition of ancient grains like oats, millet and quinoa ensures sustained energy and easy digestibility, while a blend of fresh fruits and vegetables like pumpkin, carrots and blueberries provides essential vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber for optimal health.
Crafted without by-product meals, artificial preservatives, or fillers, this recipe is ideal for pet parents seeking a natural, high-quality option for their canine companions.
Enhanced with prebiotics and probiotics for digestive health and tailored for adult dogs’ nutritional needs, it offers a delicious and satisfying meal to keep your dog happy and thriving.
About The Company – A premium pet food brand known for crafting recipes with fresh, wholesome ingredients to support pets' overall health and well-being. Part of the Petcurean family, Now Fresh emphasizes the use of market-fresh proteins, nutrient-dense ancient grains, and a variety of fruits and vegetables to create balanced, natural meals for dogs and cats. The brand avoids artificial preservatives, by-product meals, and fillers, focusing instead on high-quality, thoughtfully selected ingredients.
What Customers Like:
- Picky eaters eat this
- Made from real salmon
- Notable difference in pet's coat and skin health
- Packed with vitamins, antioxidants, and fatty acids
Common Complaints:
- Caused digestive upset in some pets
3. We Feed Raw Beef Patty
First 5 ingredients:
Beef Heart, Beef Liver, Beef Kidney, Beef Necks (with bone), WFR vitamin + mineral mix
Protein: 13.0% min
Fat: 10.0% min
Fiber: 1.0% max
Moisture: 69.4% max
Food Type: Raw
Best for: All Lifestages, All Breeds
Special Diet: Grain-free
This is the top choice among their premium raw recipes, celebrated for its exceptional taste and nutritional value.
Expertly formulated by a PhD nutritionist, this best-selling recipe ensures complete and balanced nutrition for dogs of all life stages.
Made with high-quality beef as the primary ingredient, it delivers a rich source of protein to support muscle development, energy and overall vitality.
Each patty is crafted with precision, combining fresh meat, organ components, and finely ground bone to mirror the ancestral diet of dogs while providing essential vitamins and minerals.
Free from fillers, artificial additives, or preservatives, this recipe is as pure as it is delicious. Easy to portion and serve, it is a convenient way to give your furry friend the optimal nutrition they deserve, with every bite supporting a healthy coat, strong teeth and an active lifestyle.
About The Company – We Feed Raw is a leading pet food company dedicated to providing biologically appropriate, raw diets that mimic the ancestral eating habits of dogs and cats. Founded on the belief that pets thrive on fresh, whole-food nutrition, the company crafts recipes using high-quality meats, organ components, and finely ground bones for a complete and balanced meal. Each formula is expertly designed by a PhD nutritionist to ensure it meets all nutritional standards for pets of all life stages.
What Customers Like:
- Made by a PhD nutritionist
- Rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids
- Naturally hydrating and nutrient-dense
- Provides a highly appealing protein that dogs adore
- Supports heart health and a robust immune system
Common Complaints:
- Storage issues
- Steep price
4. Zignature Lamb Limited Ingredient Formula
First 5 ingredients:
Lamb, Lamb Meal, Chickpeas, Peas, Flaxseed
Protein: 29.0% min
Fat: 16.0% min
Fiber: 4.0% max
Moisture: 10.0% max
Food Type: Dry
Best for: All Lifestages, All Breeds
Special Diet: Grain-free
This 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.
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.
What Customers Like:
- Great for dogs with allergies
- Works for sensitive stomachs
- Helps to maintain a healthy weight
Common Complaints:
- Some dogs won’t eat it
- Lamb is challenging to adjust to
5. Merrick Backcountry Great Plains Red Recipe
First 5 ingredients:
Deboned Beef, Pork and Bone Meal, Salmon Meal, Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes
Protein: 35.0% min
Fat: 17.0% min
Fiber: 3.5% max
Moisture: 11.0% max
Food Type: Dry, Freeze-Dried
Best for: All Lifestages, All Breeds
Special Diet: Grain-free
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.
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
6. Ziwi Peak Air Dried Beef Recipe
First 5 ingredients:
Beef, Beef Tripe, Beef Heart, Beef Lung, Beef Liver
Protein: 38.0% min
Fat: 30.0% min
Fiber: 3.0% max
Moisture: 14.0% max
Food Type: Air-Dried, Dehydrated
Best for: All Lifestages, All Breeds
Special Diet: Grain-free
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.
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
7. Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy
First 5 ingredients:
Water Buffalo, Lamb Meal, Sweet Potatoes, Egg Product, Garbanzo Beans
Protein: 28.0% min
Fat: 17.0% min
Fiber: 5.0% max
Moisture: 10.0% max
Food Type: Dry
Best for: Puppy, All Breeds
Special Diet: Grain-free
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.
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.
What Customers Like:
- Reliably Sourced Ingredients
- Helps with allergies
- Great for picky eaters
Common Complaints:
- The bags are not re-sealable
- Strong food odor
8. Merrick Grain-Free Puppy Plate
First 5 ingredients:
Deboned Beef, Beef Broth, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Apples
Protein: 8.0% min
Fat: 3.0% min
Fiber: 3.0% max
Moisture: 82.0% max
Food Type: Wet, Chunks in Gravy
Best for: Puppy, All Breeds
Special Diet: Grain-free
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.
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.
What Customers Like:
- Great texture
- All natural ingredients
- A wide variety of real meats
Common Complaints:
- Formula changes frequently
- Packaging issues
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
First 5 ingredients:
Deboned Lamb, Chicken Meal, Rice Bran, Split Peas, Brewers Rice
Protein: 24.0% min
Fat: 12.0% min
Fiber: 4.0% max
Moisture: 10.0% max
Food Type: Dry
Best for: Senior, All Breeds
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.
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.
What Customers Like:
- Great for picky eaters
- Helps fur and skin in seniors
- Lamb is great for Chow owners
Common Complaints:
- Formula changes frequently
- Nutro doesn’t sell small bags
2. Iams ProActive Health Healthy Aging
First 5 ingredients:
Sufficient Water for Processing, Meat By-Products, Chicken, Chicken By-Products, Brewers Rice
Protein: 7.0% min
Fat: 3.0% min
Fiber: 1.0% max
Moisture: 84.0% max
Food Type: Wet, Pâté
Best for: Senior, All Breeds
This product is specially formulated to meet the needs of senior dogs. Featuring real chicken as the main protein and easily digestible rice, this recipe supports muscle maintenance and overall vitality.
Enriched with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, it helps promote a strong immune system, healthy joints, and aging health. The soft, ground texture makes it easy for senior dogs to chew, ensuring a delicious and nutritious meal that supports their well-being in their golden years.
About The Company – The Iams pet food company was founded by Paul Iams in 1946 and has since expanded into a family of brands sold worldwide. Paul Iams was a self-taught animal nutritionist who made it his goal to create the world’s first dry dog food made with animal-based protein.
What Customers Like:
- Great for picky eaters
- Full of vitamins
- Helps with skin and fur
Common Complaints:
- Dented cans upon arrival
- Some reports of tummy upset from dogs with sensitive stomachs
Why Quality Food Matters
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
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
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.
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.
One key consideration is their high protein requirement. They are a large breed with a muscular build, and protein is essential for their growth, development, and maintenance of healthy muscles. Look for dog foods that have high-quality animal-based proteins such as chicken, beef, or fish listed as the first ingredient.
Additionally, Chow Chows have a dense double coat that requires regular grooming. A healthy coat relies on proper nutrition, so a dog food with added omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids can help promote a healthy skin and coat for Chows.
Since they can be prone to certain health issues such as hip dysplasia and joint problems, a dog food that contains glucosamine and chondroitin can be beneficial for their joint health.
Lastly, they are known to have a sensitive digestive system, so a dog food that is easily digestible and free from common allergens such as grains, artificial preservatives, and fillers can help reduce the risk of digestive issues.